Nick Moore
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Everything posted by Nick Moore
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Given the temperatures in Australia, even the standard radiator is undersized, so I don't want to block any airflow. She gets pretty toasty now, and I haven't driven her in weather over about 35C. It gets into the 40s here for weeks on end in summer. I plan to have a wider radiator made, which will have two fans, one either side of the crank position sensor and far enough away that they don't cause interference.
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Desnagging continues. The mounting lugs of the brake caliper mounting brackets had to be machined 1mm so that the AP 4-pot calipers sat centrally on the discs. It worked - no more front scraping and squealing noises. I trimmed the rear mudflaps to stop them rubbing on the back tyres. The driveshaft still scrapes intermittently on the floorpan. I designed the mounts for the Supra gearbox so that the height can be adjusted with different cotton reel mounts or shims, and some new mounts have been ordered. The wheels have been aligned, proving that the chassis is straight. Driving her has been interesting, as there's more rear wheel steering over bumps than in the Herald. The GT6 has rotoflex geometry, so maybe that's the difference. The engine's running better and I'm learning how to program Megasquirt. The air-fuel ratio's shown on a gauge in the dashboard, so I know I'm not running it dangerously lean. It ran too rich early on and coked up the plugs - ooops. The six throttle butterflies don't snap properly closed, so the idle stays high. An extra return spring should fix that. My only grumble is reproduction parts wearing out before the car is even on the road - a repeated theme on Planet Triumph sadly. My new indicator switch lasted 15km before the white plastic component broke. The original plastic parts were nylon, I think, while the plastic in the new switches is brittle. And the rubber boots of the greasable track rod ends are already disintegrating. OK, they aren't new, but they were stored in a dark garage!
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We have made fire. And noise. And smoke. But mostly noise. Yesterday I substituted a Quadspark coil control module for the Bosch coil controller. With power to the Quadspark and coil, but the ignition system not connected to the MS3Pro, it was fine. But as soon as the MS3Pro was connected to it, "Pop" went the ignition fuse. Darn. Head scratching. Hmmm, it's a 5A fuse. Why do I have that there? Surely that's not enough to power the coil? Plug in a 20A fuse and... no pop. Phew. Ten seconds later... "Pop". Darn. 20A should be enough though, I can't imagine each coil draws more than that? Maybe the MS3Pro powers the coils before the engine starts cranking? So I delved into its programming and checked things like dwell and spark duration. I fitted a 30 amp fuse (blow that yer bugger!), which is probably as much juice as the wiring can handle anyway. I reset a few other things too. I'd changed the timing wheel, so played around with the degree figure in the setup menu. Time to hit the starter button. No blown fuse but no sign of starting either. Hmmm, it wasn't recognising the timing wheel. Changed to falling edge and now we have a crank signal. Hit the button again - kaboom! After a few misfires as two year old petrol was flushed out of the fuel line, she started and idled. A few more tweaks to spark duration and base timing saw it hold a steady idle, but stall when the throttle was opened. Since she last ran in 2016 I'd fitted a MAP sensor taking vacuum from all six runners, so I changed the acceleration setting on the laptop to ITB (independent throttle body), which uses both throttle sensor and MAP to determine engine load. Much better, no stalling. And so off down the road for a test drive. Observations The driveshaft's rubbing on something intermittently. I thought I'd trimmed enough floor away, but maybe it's rubbing on the handbrake mechanism. The throttle return springs could be snappier, as the revs take a couple of seconds to fall after blipping the throttle. The motor's noisy, possibly because of wide roller rocker gaps. Darn she's long-legged, compared to the Herald. Second gear just goes on giving. The brakes are heavy compared to the Herald. They're Canley vented discs and four-pot calipers, and a small booster. The fan is so close to the crank pickup that it's creating interference. There's probably no simple/cheap way of fixing that. The oil leak from behind the front plate is fixed. Once it's running properly, this thing is going to be a rocket ship.
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Thanks Nick. For some reason thereâs a slow trickle of oil from behind the front plate, immediately below the gallery. I used an alloy plate, so perhaps it doesnât have enough clamping pressure to ensure that any oil leaking from the end plug stays within the timing case. Time to browse Moss. Cheers and Merry Christmas.
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Another quick question - does anyone know the thread used for the oil gallery plug that lives underneath the front engine plate? Itâs the one that, if you remove it, you can see right down the length of the oil gallery. And apparently, when you replace it, it leaks.
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Another job has been to fit one of Hazen Wardle's tailgate huge covers with integrated brake light and indicators. Like the wishbone bushes, it meant revisiting earlier restoration work, but unlike that work, I was happy to do this particular job. The cover came complete with the lights and a very tidy wiring harness, with each wire labelled. The plastic cover was perfectly moulded. Put it this way, Hazen makes great product and at a price which certainly can't reflect his time and evident attention to detail. As for installing the cover, it took a while to thread the wires down the C-pillar, but after that it didn't take long to link the harness into the car's wiring loom. And the results speak for themselves. The third light will never be eye level with a four wheel drive because the car's so low, but the brake lights and indicators are bright (brighter than the photo shows), and will hopefully catch other drivers' eye. And the LED blinkers work with the existing indicator and hazard flashers. Plug and play! Next job, re-jigging the injection loom to find and fix a fault. Or two, not sure yet. Or I might just sand and polish that plenum.
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My never-quite-finished GT6 has taken a few more last steps towards the road. The exhaust headers have been ceramic coated to try to limit cockpit and under-bonnet heat. Shiny, too! The plenum is welded up with six trumpets and several scallops - they were unplanned but are necessary to shut the bonnet. It still needs polishing, a job for next weekend maybe. Another job, which shouldn't have been needed, was to replace some urethane wishbone bushes. The car's never been on the road (OK once, but don't tell the Fuzz) but some of the bushes had disintegrated while it sat in the garage. The rest were fine, so it was obviously a dodgy batch. Yep, parts wear out even when the car's not moving. Sigh.
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Nope, my 13/60 was built in New Zealand, and is far closer to the UK model specs than Australian Heralds. No air conditioning! Actually staying cool isn't a huge problem - we did a 3000 mile road trip in Summer 18 month ago, and the heat was rarely uncomfortable. I may be part reptile, which will be useful in the GT6. I have learned though that on really hot days, keeping the sunroof closed is cooler, because you aren't baking in the direct sunshine. Shade and a breeze keep you cool in almost any weather.
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Ha ha, that's the first time my Herald has been mistaken for an MGB. An Anglia, a Wolsley Hornet, but never an MGB.
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Update - the final push After five months at the local panel shop, she's home again. Thanks to everyone who sent chassis alignment diagram - the chassis is straight and her bonnet lines up with the bulkhead and doors. The front panel has been replaced and repainted, she has a new grille and front over riders, and various little paint chips have been touched in. The uprights and bent steering arms have been replaced and she tracks straight and true. I don't have any photos of her homecoming, as it was right on dusk and I was too busy making sure she didn't fall off the tilt tray. Again. The photo below is from my garage security camera, which lets me keep an eye on my treasure hoard during the day. So what now? I've made a list of things to do before she can hit the road (excuse the expression): Remove inlet manifold - get air box tig welded up Remove exhaust manifold, get ceramic coated Refit both manifolds Finish idle air valve canister Megasquirt - find fault (rewire?) Remove front engine plate, fix leak from oil gallery end plate. To be continued...
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Thanks Nick, Dave Pearson said the same thing. I suspect the right wheel must have been turned outwards when she landed nose-first, and the right steering arm was pulled inwards. In any case, I've ordered new right and left hand steering arms. I may space them in a few millimetres with washers to keep the gaiters clear of the brake discs.
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I dropped in to Blue Dog Crash Repairs to visit my GT6 today. They've put her on the rack and straightened the chassis - the bonnet once again lines up with the bulkhead, the radiator top hose is straight, and the exhaust header is clear of the suspension turret. Apparently it didn't take a lot of force to un-bend, which says something for Triumph chassis bendiness. Apart from touching up the paint in a few areas, she's almost ready to come home from hospital. Thanks to everyone here who sent detailed chassis diagrams! But - a question for anyone who has fitted Canley Classics big brake disc kit to a Vitesse or GT6... The panel beater pointed out that the left track rod end (aka ball joint) is almost touching the back of the vented brake disc, while thereâs a half inch gap between the right track rod end and the back of that brake disc. Both arms have subtle curves, and it's not immediately obvious which arm is bent. Which steering arm do you think has been bent? I've asked Canleys as well.
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Thanks for the chassis diagrams, guys. She went to the body repair shop today with some new parts in the boot, and should be back in a week or two with a bonnet which closes properly. She's in good company there, looking very small next to a Jensen Interceptor.
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Wow, four months since the last update? OK, a quick recap. In May I moved about 700km south for a new job. The GT6, although running, wasn't really roadworthy and certainly not legal, so I had it trucked down with my furniture. No bouncy trailers and gravel rash for my car! Unfortunately the tow truck driver in Brisbane dropped it off his tilt tray, bending the chassis and damaging the front valence and over riders. The bonnet and bulkhead are virtually unmarked, and it's only the chassis from the bulkhead forward, and the bonnet braces that are bent. No major panels were damaged. A body shop in my new home town quoted to straighten the chassis. in the end I elected not to involve the tow truck's insurer, because there was a risk they could have written it off for a small sum (there aren't enough GT6s in Oz to establish a realistic market value) and because pursuing legal action interstate would have involved two lawyers. The legal cost, plus time off work, would probably have exceeded the repair cost. And I can afford to repair it. Once we'd worked out what needed to be replaced, I put in an order with Canley Classics for a new front valence, overriders, grille and trunnionless uprights. Unfortunately Canleys were sold out of their trunnionless kits, and I had to wait three months for a new batch to be made. To be honest I didn't mind, as I'd pretty much covered the GT6 with a sheet and left it on trickle charge. Well, all the parts are here now, my enthusiasm has returned, the trunnionless front suspension is fitted, and it'll go to the body shop in January. Now a request: I've trawled the forum and internet looking for a high resolution diagram of the front of the chassis to give to the chassis repairer. Bill has posted some good diagrams of a GT6 Mk2, but of course that has a different front crossmember and hinge boxes. I've found a Spitfire 1500 diagram (below), which is what I need, but it's not exactly a high definition version. Does anyone have a workshop manual with a GT6 Mk3 or Spit IV/1500 chassis diagram that they can scan in high resolution?
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I used Dynamat stuck to the outside of my gearbox tunnel, hidden under the carpet. That way it can't come unstuck when hot and droop onto the gearbox.
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I fitted two brand new ones and a new centre valence, and they were perfect. Mine came from Rimmers, but I guess all the suppliers get them from the same place?
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The green monster hasn't been to the body shop yet, as we're waiting for a new valence and trunnionless uprights from Canleys. In the meantime, I've added Dynamat sound and heat proofing to the fibreglass rear gearbox tunnel - the section I had to make to clear the Supra gearbox. It still needs carpet. The airbox is coming along too. The plan is to replicate the original PI 'log' but in aluminium. I bought a set of ram pipes designed to fit EFI Hardware's throttle bodies - they slip into clamps so that the plenum can be easily removed. However, they were far too long - nothing fits the GT6 without a hammer or a shoehorn! So, EFI sent a set of short ram pipes, which will work perfectly. I'll drill six holes in the log, poke them through and weld them in place. The only catch so far is that the short ram pipes are slightly too small, and fall out of the clamps even when fully tightened. So, an exhaust pipe expanding tool is on its way from eBay. Mmmm, new tools. 🙂
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Is the pinion moving far enough back to engage the flywheel? You might have to take the gearbox off to see exactly what's going on. I have a similar starter on my GT6, and it has a mounting plate between the starter body and rear engine plate, but no other adapter or spacer.
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Not my idea, I pinched it off Craig Trimble (GT6Mk3). Mind you, when you start splitting up circuits and adding fuses for individual functions, you find that even 24 aren't enough!
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I think Mk3 Spitfires had the '3 rail' box with no synchro on first. If so, overdrive versions had a D Type overdrive. Later on, Triumph introduced the 'single rail' box with synchro on all forward gears. I'm not sure if these had D or J type overdrives - perhaps both? As to which you should fit, I kinda like the three rail boxes and so if your car had one of those, I'd fit a three rail with D type box. They're strong enough. It's possible to add an overdrive to a gearbox, but you need the adapter casting, and a different gearbox output shaft. Complete gearboxes are out there, but the trick is being sure you've found a good one.
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I fitted a Bussmann fuse box to my GT6. It sits flush in the bulkhead and has 24 blade fuses. 12 are wired to a permanently live bus and the other 12 are energised by the ignition key. It's also modular, so I'm sure there are smaller versions than mine. Bought off eBay, which was cheaper than other suppliers.
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Hazen, is the flashing brake light done on purpose? I've never seen a flashing brake light - not sure it would be legal here. Most times Triumphs have flashing lights, it's due to a poor earth! Still, it's a great idea and if the flashing isn't compulsory, I'll have one!
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If you put it back together with the original distressed piston, we should hold a Club Triumph to guess how long it will last. My money is on it surviving a LONG time.
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Hazen - yes, I think the sensor is 0-5V. I don't have my notes with me. I'll check the part number, as it may be cheaper locally that from Trigger Wheels. Or you could use a GM one, which is bound to be available in the States. Dooley - Thanks! I'm still 1100km from Craig's place, so two to three days drive depending on the number of cafes to check out. Possibly more if I end up back at the brewery in Bright. Oh, and the sump still has pretty good clearance. My Herald's chassis is about 4" and that doesn't bottom out unless I'm silly. If the GT6's sump does turn out to be vulnerable I can add a small chassis guard to the crossmember.
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I used a Bosch 2 Bar sensor from trigger wheels.com: http://trigger-wheels.com/store/contents/en-uk/p131.html