67 Mk1 GT6 restoration

[byakk0]

Thanks Paul. I'll digger deeper and harder there.

Lance, I've recently renewed that joint and the ground connection is good, as is the ground from the steering rack to the harness. The trouble is not with it working-it does that fine when press the button. The trouble is sounds whenever as I drive.

[JensH]

Often a worn out bush in the column and to little distance between boss and top of column gives a short when you put force on the steering wheel. Its the side of the boss that touch the column.

[John Bonnett]

Quoted from daedalusminos

I would probably plug weld from outside, ensuring the 'plug' hole drilled in the sill picks up the floor flange and your extra bit.

The idea is good but as I see it, the problem is that if the overlap is only 1/4 inch and you would need at least a 6mm hole for the plug weld there's not enough metal behind the sill.

Hazen  my Boy I think you are going to have bite the bullet, and get the car as high off the ground as you can and weld from underneath. You should be okay because it would not be overhead welding and the risk of getting dripped on by hot metal unlikely. Easy for me to say but I cannot think of another way.

[Nick Jones]

Back to the horn blowing of it's accord - if the column bushes are tired this is a common side effect as the column makes unintended contact with the shaft..  New bushes normally sort it out.

Nick

[byakk0]

Good enough on both counts:
Thanks John, I'm sure you are very correct. Just need to decide how high to take it and work accordingly.

I've got new bushes in a couple shopping carts. Now just a matter of hitting the buy button on one of them. It's a toss up between rimmers and a state side supplier. Anyone use the uprated ones rimmers list? For £22ea that's pretty pricey.

[byakk0]

Picked up a battery today. Now I can get my new alternator installed, test my horn issues, and chase down the wiring gremlins in my green circuit

[byakk0]

Re-installed my steering column and discovered after the fact that I got it turned 90 degrees I guess it's ok in the end as I discovered my intermittent 'sounding of the horn while driving and not want it to sound still' occurs, so all that effort I took accomplished nothing beyond me understanding (mostly) how the steering column works.

I also tried chasing down the electrical short I have in the rear loom. Turns out to be a bad wire connecting one reverse lamp to the other (green/brown). I disconnected that wire and used another and the problem disappeared---or so I thought.
I had removed the top fuse and was using a test light. With the above problem the test light came on strong. Once I solved the rear loom issue the light still came on very faintly, so I disconnected the rear loom and the light remained lit. Now I need to chase that short, somewhere in the front.

One more thing I discovered. My starter sparks out the center shaft when starting. It's not a lot, but enough to be concerning. Looks like I need to order some brushes and attempt a rebuild.




Good news is I did get it started a couple times the past few days. It's been snowing like crazy around here for the past 2 months and the roads have been terrible. Monday was warm enough to melt nearly everything and I was hoping today (Tuesday) would have been better. Thought I'd attempt a quick run, but the weather had other ideas and we got another 2 inches. Maybe next week--if I don't yank the rear loom out. I need to feed it through that hole in the inner sill anyway. (any suggestions on accomplishing this awkward looking task?)

[byakk0]

Looks like I've got another issue to wade through in the somewhat near future. Loose throttle shafts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rji59ETuuEU

Need to get new shafts. My carbs do not have any identification tags, and digging through the info at spitbits all Nigel shows is year/comm# ranges, nothing by carb model. Haven't dug through any other suppliers yet.

I've got a pile of CD150 carbs also. Perhaps now is as good a time as any to refurbish a set of those, if I can find all the needed bits.

Anyway, I had some help adjusting my carbs today. Got the idle down to maybe 12 or 1300 but it stumbles when revved and then idled, plus it stumbled when shifting when I went for a test run. Need to kick the idle up a notch before my next run, at least until I sort the carb issue.

Also let some smoke out of the turn signal switch or surrounding area. Hope I didn't ruin anything. Maybe that will help me locate the problem area causing me grief with the horn and what ever may be blowing my fuse.

I've got column bushings coming from spitbits.com, so I'm hoping that is the solution.

[EddieGT]

Hmm, no good sign..

Had the same problem. When you are lucky the shafts them self are damaged, but i think the body it self has worn out. Theres not much to do about it.. resleeving is quite difficult but can be done.

This Will suck false air into the mixture..

I was able to find a set better ones, without the emission control junk.

[byakk0]

False air seems to be the issue.
These cdse's have been de-smogged.

Got a freind here in the states willing take a look at them and rebuild them for an excellent price.

In the mean time, I'm going to take inventory of my cd150 bits and see what I lack.

[byakk0]

good time as any to rebush the steering column as I won't be driving anywhere for a few weeks.
Just got some new bushes, brushes for the starter, tail lens gaskets, and bushings for the gas pedal shaft where it goes through both sides of the firewall. More on all that later.

At first I thought I could replace the bushings without removing the levers, but in the interest of not breaking my switches I just removed them. You'll need them removed to slide the top bushing into place.


Looks pretty simple, right? Just remove the old ones and insert the new...yeah about that later.
--top end


--bottom end


--new bushings


First remove the cap from the bottom end. it just pops off with a little effort


My first attempt at removing them was unsuccessful. I thought they would just tap out. I used a 1/2 copper pipe (that's what I had on hand) and slid it down the shaft, then rammed the pipe on the concrete, slamming the bushing down onto the pipe and hopefully forcing it up and out. Yeah, no luck. It didn't want to budge.
The bushings are rubber on the outside with a steel spring on the inside, and then a poly layer of some sort inside that.

I realized that spring needed to be compressed somehow, and I couldn't get any tools down in there very easily.

Locate the 4 holes on the side of the column where the bushings are visible, 2 at the top and two at the bottom, on opposite sides and ends.

You don't want to just start wailing on these rubber nubbers as you may ruin the tube, so the opposite nubber needs to be equally supported by itself.
I put a long 5/16" bolt in my bench vice, threaded end up and clamped it down tight, with the head of the bolt resting on top of the vice threads. Then I used another 5/16 bolt and with the bottom nubber resting firmly on the bolt in the vice I wailed on the topside nubber with the hammer on the bolt. A couple of good smacks and both sides start deforming and relieved enough pressure I was then able to drive the bushing out with my above mentioned method. Took some doing though, but in the end I got both out.

Here you can see the removed bushing and it's respective internals and rubber nubber.


Replacement was much simpler and quicker. I matched a socket to the end of the bushing and with an extension drove it home. remember to align the nubbers directly above the holes in the sides of the column tube.
Watch the holes and stop when you see the nubbers-tap it back the other way if you go too far.
Replace the cap at the end and reverse the method for disassembly of the rest of the column components.

This really tightened up my column. Here's to hoping it solved the shorting issue.

[drofgum]

Hazen,
Using a Dremel Mototool or even a hobby knife to cut the "nubbers" off makes removing the bushings easier.
                                                                                                      Regards,
                                                                                                      Paul

[byakk0]

Now you tell me. I had one one the shelf right be hind me. 😀

[byakk0]

A friend rebuilt my carbs for me. I shipped them to him on a Tuesday and had them back the following Monday!
He did a bang-up job on them. The shafts are nice and tight and he corrected some errors I made when I originally attempted a 'rebuild' nearly 20 years ago. Thanks Dave!
Some of you may even notice I now have the proper choke clips.

They fired right up on the first try, even though I need to get them correctly adjusted. I've got excellent airflow through both carbs now, when before it was minimal at best. If you placed you hand over either the carbs wouldn't suck your hand right up to it. Now they do.

It still idles high, in fact much higher now than before. Haven't had a chance to do any proper adjusting or poking around for possible vacuum leaks yet. (I know, I know, that vacuum hose is a little long--it will be addressed eventually)

https://youtu.be/Zu5o_y7LA4k


Now comes figuring out just exactly how to adjust these buggers.

[byakk0]

played with it a little more today.
I tried adjusting the carburetors and didn't get very far, but I'm afraid I neglected to disconnect one from the other while adjusting. More on this later when I get the time.

I also shortened the horn brush a few millimeters to prevent the button from popping loose, but it still does, though not as readily. Few more need to come off.
I also went for a short drive to test the horn out. I did not have it randomly sound as I drove, so I am hoping the electrical gremlin in there has vacated.

[byakk0]

Bought a Unisyn carb sync tool.
Got a free carpet sample card too. Its marine grade with rubber backing. So far looks better than the El-Dorado style carpet recommened by a local upholstery shop. "All the hot-rodders around here use it!" The El-Dorado is the carpet I used for the floor mats I made a few posts earlier. The jury is still out on it, but I am pretty sure I won't use it. The backing is light and flimsy and frays easily.

[byakk0]

In using the sync tool I ended up with my idle speed sitting between 2-3k!
All signs point to a vacuum leak...

Well, I think I found the source of my vacuum problems.
Chalk it up to this DCO (Dumb current owner )
I mixed gaskets on the intake side and have a huge air gap. I'll get the right gaskets and spacers installed and go from there.


More to come...

[npanne]

Quoted from byakk0

In using the sync tool I ended up with my idle speed sitting between 2-3k!
All signs point to a vacuum leak...

Well, I think I found the source of my vacuum problems.
Chalk it up to this DCO (Dumb current owner )
I mixed gaskets on the intake side and have a huge air gap. I'll get the right gaskets and spacers installed and go from there.


More to come...

Is that spacer made from ply-wood?

[byakk0]

Quoted from npanne

Is that spacer made from ply-wood?

I guess it does look something like that. It's a fiber of some sort. Maybe I should try and sand them a bit smoother-Thanks for pointing that out.

What is normally there? Anyone have pics?

[npanne]

Canleys show a spacer, but list it as no longer available.

[UmmYeahOk]

67 owner here. Mine came with factory looking spacers that looked like that. Couldnt source the correct part so we ended up cutting new ones out of thin plywood.

[GT6 1]

Original ones were asbestos so that is why they are no longer available. I may be able to get you some . I have original ones on mine .

[byakk0]

I'm good, but thanks. I rummaged around my gaskets and found some, including my old ones
Judging from the age of the packaging these may indeed be asbestos. I believe the kits came with my car 20+ years ago.

[byakk0]

I guess I shot myself in the foot.
Years ago when I setup my engine to run on the engine cart I have I put on a misc intake and exhaust manifold, not the ones I had on it when I was running the car. I never realized there was a difference.

so first things first.
here is the comparison of the manifolds:

top 150CD, bottom 150CDSE and later. See how the bottom flange is slightly larger.


with the CDSE spacer. You can just see the gap on the top one.


I made a rubbing of both to compare. The red line is the gasket and the dark is the manifold.


My original exhaust manifold had stripped out studs. You may recall in a previous post when my little helper and I replaced those. since then I never installed it, I just have been waiting.
The one I have been using had 2 studs missing and one broken.


I initially just wanted to tune my carbs today and call it good, but the more I thought about it the more I realized if I go to that effort I may as well have the correct setup all the way around. No need to tune the carbs one way, and have a possible need to change it later when I put the correct manifolds on.
Now is as good a time as any...so anyway, here we go.

Off come the bolts. I'm posting this sequence mostly as a reference for the mounting bolts and clamps for the inline Mk1 GT6 intake and exhaust manifolds.


The rounded end of the larger clamp fits in a little pocket in the head.




off with the intake


off with the exhaust. Like my high-tech coolant plug?


One side has a stud


and the other has a bolt. My replacement is fine/coarse. I'll have to order the correct stud, but this should be fine for now.


repaired and painted manifold installed


and the correct intake


Hooking up the hoses. Here's another high-tech plug.




gaskets, with no gap!


and ready to fire.


And tuning. I got the RPM's much lower, but I'm not sure how low as the tach decided to act funny. It was bouncing around between 0-1000 but never stayed still enough to tell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7c405KJBZM

I finished the session off with a short drive only to discover...my tie rod ends rub on my rotors. But that is another story I'll dig into later.

[byakk0]

Think I've nearly got my carbs figured out but my tach packed up for some reason, so at the moment I can't tell the RPM...I've got a second tach, but at this point I haven't had a chance to troubleshoot anything.
The past 2 days I've had literally 5 minutes each day to play with it. (on the way past the garage as I head to work)
Tuesday I pulled the front carb to loosen up a sticky butterfly. I was able to reinstall it but not able to test.
Yesterday I got it fired but when I closed the choke it died.
Today I adjusted the idle and I could tell it was low, but it wasn't dying on me. If I can get a tach to work, or find a dwell meter to borrow or buy on the cheap I'll be good to go.

Altogether much better than the 2k+ idle RPM when I had unknown vacuum issues.