Nick Moore Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 Aha, that makes perfect sense. Thanks Tim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Moore Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 Six of the final pieces of the GT6 puzzle arrived this week - a set of 60-thou overbore forged pistons. With the 2.5L crankshaft, they should make for 2.6L - a useful upgrade from the 2L emissions-spec original. Now they're here the engine block can be machined 🙂 In the meantime, the complete rat's nest that was the wiring loom is being refurbished one circuit at a time. I'm adding additional relays and fuses so that a short only takes out one circuit, not a whole range of systems. It's time-consuming work, but so far the blower, indicators and hazard lights have been returned to working order. The hazard light wiring took a while to comprehend and install, but the most challenging has been to clean the blower's sliding switch contacts. Mission accomplished, it's now as noisy as it ever was.Federal-spec GT6s also had features such as seatbelt reminder lights and a buzzer that sounded if the driver's door opened while the key was in the ignition. That buzzer gave me a helluva fright when I shorted a wire and it started squealing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotoflex Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Quoted from Nick Moore The hazard light wiring took a while to comprehend and install I am so glad you enjoyed that. I am still not very sure how the damn turn signal dash light works going through that switch. Quoted Text Federal-spec GT6s also had features such as seatbelt reminder lights and a buzzer that sounded if the driver's door opened while the key was in the ignition. That buzzer gave me a helluva fright when I shorted a wire and it started squealing! Even I have pulled the wire off that thing! One of the rudest sounds ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepy Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 I was about to say nick that those pistons are too much difference in weight, and send them back, but then I see the second had rings fitted! I will clean my glasses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Man Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Quoted from Sheepy I was about to say nick that those pistons are too much difference in weight, and send them back, but then I see the second had rings fitted! I will clean my glasses! They're also different sizes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepy Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Quoted from That Man They're also different sizes Yep, defenately need to clean the old goggles! 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Moore Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 A few small things have kept me busy in the garage. Firstly, the stainless steel strips running underneath the sills are back from my favourite eccentric chromer. He also repairs stainless, and these strips tested his patience and vocabulary. 40 years of people using them as jacking points did them no good at all. The repair cost a lot, considering that you have to lie down to see them!The rewiring is ongoing. The loom's been stripped and cleaned and generally reassembled with cable ties. The heart of the system is a 24-fuse Bussmann fuse box, which required a little bulkhead surgery. There's extra wiring to the rear of the car for the EFI pump and electric aerial, and I haven't started on the central locking. And that's before I get started on the Microsquirt! I do enjoy working on electrics though. It's a slow job that will probably end up taking about 200 hours, but it's satisfying to see systems working again as they should. Every joint has been soldered, there are extra earth leads everywhere, so it should be reliable. It's the same approach as on my Herald, and that has never had serious electrical issues. One fun part has been figuring out a way to light up the heater sliders. They were only found on later Spitfires, but I liked them and one turned up with a job lot of dashboard components from eBay. I've fitted a bright green LED into the original bulb holder, and now the clear plastic strip glows when the gauges light up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Moore Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 I should add that my supervisor has been checking everything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Very nice work Nick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotoflex Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Cats do not belong in a GT6!Cats got into mine one night while the transmission tunnel cover was out, ripped the carpet on the wheel arches to shreds, pulled it all off, & formed it into two balls on the little shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Moore Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 The cat is responsible for checking my work. She's already signed off on the brakes and front suspension, and ran away when I got the heater blower working. She was right, it was running backwards.Sadly she has learned a few bad words out in the garage, and knows when to be somewhere else 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JensH Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 She's got a twin here in Copenhagen. Same black and white coloured face.And doing the same; running away when something is not working 🙂Otherwise been checking everything I have done to my car the last years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aar0sc Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Mine was singularly unimpressed by the whole car, and just sat on the windscreen top looking at me. He's also scared of spiders: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
npanne Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Went to get some spares off a GT6 once, and the blokes cat had taken to sleeping in it.It was getting in through the hole in the floor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT6 M Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Nick you a brave man putting those sill trims on.My last GT had em on, and they are rot makers.you need to keep em well drained, well rust inhibited, just my experiance of emOhh nice to see you joined the illuminated heater control club. If ye want to be really up market, then put a light into the glove box as well,its so easy to find stuff int dark M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrookster Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Quoted from Nick Moore I should add that my supervisor has been checking everything... Not impressed, lying down the job like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIMPUS Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 hii have put a white powerled in it,also shine's green because inside the original triumph part there is a green strip 😉Kind regards Wim & keep up the good work 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Moore Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 Terry the engine machinist rang yesterday to ask if I wanted all the casting flashings and 'daggy bits' removed from the crankshaft before he balanced it. When I asked him if it would make any difference to the crankshaft's strength he told me that if I wasn't planning to rev it to 7000 then no, it wouldn't make any difference. It would just make the bill bigger. Well, that's an honest answer I guess!It should be ready next week. I haven't given him the engine block yet, as my employer has told us that we're taking unpaid leave until March or April. I'll just potter along with the cheap jobs, like the wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 "it wouldn't make any difference. It would just make the bill bigger."What a great reply!Sounds like a good bloke you've chosen for the work Nick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Moore Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 I turned the car around yesterday. My garage floor and driveway slope towards the street, so rolling the GT out of the garage and turning it involved a winch, safety straps and using a palm tree as an anchor! Now the front end's facing the garage door, so I have more light and fresh air to work on the bulkhead.The PBR VH44 brake booster has been mounted, and I've started the job of plumbing it in. My car has US-spec tandem brakes, and boosters on these cars only work on the front wheels. If I wanted to boost the rear brakes I could add a second booster, but first I'll try to restore some balance by fitting larger diameter slave cylinders. I'll need to order a roll of Kunifer pipe to make the rest of the bulkhead pipes - it's not readily available in Australia.I also need to find someone selling a 1 3/16" wiring harness grommet for the windscreen wiper motor wiring. The grommet for the tube hole - 131155 - is available from Canleys, but not the harness grommet. Sigh. Little details like this turn a quick job into a long slog Lastly, the steering column UJ was fouling the turret. I fixed this by filing back the edge of the turret's hole, and rotating the steering rack. Now everything moves as it should, with no play at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Quoted from Nick Moore I also need to find someone selling a 1 3/16" wiring harness grommet for the windscreen wiper motor wiring. The grommet for the tube hole - 131155 - is available from Canleys, but not the harness grommet. Sigh. Little details like this turn a quick job into a long slog Get a blanking grommet then punch out a hole in it for the tube.RR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Garvey Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Hi Nick, try The Roadster Factory in the states for the grommet, I'm sure I got mine there. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royboy66 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Looking very nice Nick. ! Looks like tunnel is in ? Trial fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Moore Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 Hi Roy,Yes, I put the tunnel in so that I could route the wiring over the hump. A lot of the loom had to be extended for the RHD conversion, and it would have been annoying to have cut it too short. Most of the Triumph loom is reinstalled and working, and I've started on the Microsquirt and central locking. Even the radio works The next step is plumbing in the brakes. None of the brake specialists in Australia sell Kunifer, so I had to order a roll from Canleys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Moore Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 A couple of posts from the last few days have disappeared, but that's OK, I always make more sense second time around. With a bit of help I was able to identify a couple of mystery components (already removed when I bought the car) as brackets that locate the left hand side trim in the boot. Unfortunately I've forgotten who posted 'before and after' pictured of their brackets. Thanks though, they helped immensely.The bonnet's refitted. Joe the painter fitted it using rubber bushes in the front hinges and then struggled with its alignment. He had repaired and painted the bonnet while the body was on a jig, and didn't realise that all the hammering and shrinking would change its shape. So, the fit isn't very good. I've got it sitting perfectly in front of the windscreen, at the right height and with an even gap. Likewise the gaps between left wing, left door and left sill are perfect. However, the gaps between the right wing, right door and right sill are 12 to 3/4", and that's after a bit of jiggling with the bonnet cones. The only solution I can see is to add metal to the right wing's rear and lower edges, and that's not going to happen now it's painted. Sigh.I've started mocking up side vent grilles, based on a BMW CSL's. Once engineering shops reopen after the break, I'll track down some stainless steel strips.Lastly, I fitted door mirrors and bonnet locks. It's a bit scary drilling into painted panels, but there are instructions in Canley Classics' archive: http://www.canleyclassics.com/.....ase.xsl I used a Dremel with drill bit and burr, and painted the bare steel before fitting the locks. Plenty of masking tape was important - despite being very careful and holding the Dremel in both hands, there were a couple of occasions when my hand slipped and the tool touched the tape. Without it, the paint would have been damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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