GT6 - Now sold

This car is now sold

The time has come for me to part ways with my GT6, so it is now up for sale. The advert follows;

This vehicle was recently the subject of a long term full body off restoration and has been extensively developed from the original factory specification for improved reliability and driveability whilst retaining the essential character of a forty-three year old classic.

Engine - Triumph two litre straight six engine with worked cylinder head, performance camshaft, Lucas mechanical injection system with earlier CP inlet manifolds, Megajolt programmable ignition system, hight torque starter.
Custom exhaust system with 6-3-1 manifold, splitting again under the car to two pipes to a one off silencer that looks very similar to the original, but allows the engine the breathe properly without excessive noise, allowing you to take part in track days without supplementary silencers.
Engine has covered approx 22,000 miles since being rebuilt, gearbox and clutch have covered less.
I had planned to build up a fully balanced bottom end for further performance, parts for this are available at cost under separate negotiation, including NOS crank, Vandervell bearings and new pistons.

Cooling system - uprated with modern alloy radiator, alloy waterpump housing, electric fan, swirl pot and header tank

Fuel system - uses a low pressure pump Facet to a swirl pot that feeds the Lucas pump, pumps have dedicated fuses and relays to reduce current drop. This setup has operated faultlessly even when sat in hot traffic.

Drivetrain and suspension - Four speed gearbox with the desirable optional overdrive operating on 3rd and 4th gears. Uprated mainshaft using later single rail gearsets in an early three rail case for added strength.
Engine and gearbox moved six inches back in the chassis to aid weight distribution
3.63:1 differential at rear with Jones/Bowler CV conversion utilising modern bearing packs for rear wheels. Larger M12 wheel studs. Alloy wheels made by 100+ were refurbished April 2009 and is a complete set of five wheels.
Adjustable AVO shocks at front, Koni on rear. 3/4" front anti-roll bar with rose jointed ends
Polybushes fitted throughout suspension components.

Interior - Electronic programmable speedo, modern fuse and relay box in glovebox, re-veneered dash, Mazda RX7 seats replace the originals for improved comfort on longer journeys.

Body and chassis – During 2011 the chassis was shot blasted and painted using Rust Bullet Black shell. The bodyshell was replaced with another that I had previously stripped of paint and had the left rear wing and inner wheel arch replaced prior to painting. The underside was also bare metalled and coated with Rust Bullet. Both chassis and body have been regularly treated with dynax S50 anti-corrosion cavity wax for increased protection against rust.
Following an accident a new bonnet assembly, front cross-member, radiator and front bumper was fitted November 2013

This is a very well modified car which, whilst perhaps not for the originality purist will have strong appeal as a striking and highly useable classic. There are extensive photos available of the restoration process.

Now sold

 

Rear end stripped down and back together again

Time to get this up to date again. Some weeks ago I stripped out the rear spring and driveshafts from the GT6.

First part of the refurb was to pull the transverse leaf apart, so it could be cleaned, lubricated and wrapped with denso tape. It was quite easy to pull apart, fortunately there were no seized fasteners as the spring is probably only ten years old. No pictures of the finished spring, but here is one of it with all of the leaves separated.

Then I was onto the CV's to search for the slack. Upon stripping the CV's down it appears that detritus has got into them, pitting the bearing surfaces and balls, hence the slack.

The entire CV's were replaced with better clips on the boots to prevent a reoccurance and following a suggestion from Nick Jones, the CV's are now held even better in place on the driveshafts with the addition of bearing lock and the appropriate number of washers between the CV and securing circlip.

Since then the GT6 has been out for a couple of runs, including to a local classic car gathering and has performed beautifully, proving that the works were successful. Unfortunately I've not had much time for the car since then as I am heavily involved with a much larger restoration project and wonder if it's time to look for a new home for it?

Driveshaft investigations

For the first time since it's MOT a few months ago I've been spending some time on the GT6 (SS Freshspring has been keeping me pretty busy recently) First off was a clean and wax, which it hadn't had for far too long, then it was onto a bit of investigations.

One of the reasons that I have not used the GT6 much was due to a noise from the rear I could not identify at the time. Initial investigations showed some slack in the inner CV joints, so a replacement pair have been sourced and this weekend I got the back end up in the air to remind myself what was involved in the task. As the weight came off the back end I could hear that previously unknown noise coming from the rear transverse spring, ah, that'll be cause of the noise then. I could just spray a mass of oil at it, but seeing as it would not last and I need to disconnect the spring to remove the driveshafts, I may as well pull the spring all of the way out, service it and cover with denso tape to prevent a repeat of the problem.
The reason for doing this investigatory work is that the last time I had to dismantle the rear hubs the trunnions were seized, creating much more work and bush replacement. Fortunately they proved not to be seized this time, proving that the anti-seize compound I used last time has worked.

Next step is to strip it all the way down, find the right lubricant for the spring and source some denso tape.

Still alive

It's been a few months since I last ran up the GT6 so the battery charger went on midday Friday and after work that day and quite a bit of cranking to get the fuel back through to the injectors she fired up. Just a quick run around the block but enough to free off the brakes and get up to temperature.
And the reason for leaving the GT6 for so long? I'd noticed that the inner CV's were starting to get noisy and slack, so I have not been keen on going too far until they have been replaced, that and I've been increasing busy with SS Freshspring.

I have another pair of CV's to fit once I have checked them, there is space in the workshop and I can find a clear day or two to fit them.

One day I'll get around to building up a new balanced bottom end for the engine using the brand new crank, VP bearings and +60 pistons I have ready and waiting, but for now it seems to be holding up quite well as I've not pushed it for too long at the upper rev range.