John Bonnett
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Everything posted by John Bonnett
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Thank you Tim. Fingers crossed and we'll give it a go. The body came off today so that I can start work on the chassis. Although it is a new replacement chassis (as has never been used on the road), it is over twenty years old and for much of that time stored outdoors. Not surprising that there's some rust but nothing too serious. One of the cross members needs replacing and a small bit of one longitudinal rail needs to have a piece cut out and replaced. So all good news. Have a look at the way the lower wishbone is mounted. I can see no reason why they had to do it that way. Plan is to cut the bracket off and fit a Triumph one that can be adjusted with shims.
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Thank you Nick. Yes I am planning on staying with the Imp engine so I would appreciate your friend's help. One or two people are going over to te BMW K series engines which are built more to car standards than bikes, similar size and weight and fit the Imp transaxle. A secondhand K1000 can be picked up for about 500GBP but other costs could take the final figure up to 2k. Still cheaper than building a 998 Imp engine and with all the advantages of a modern design. But for me if I am going to keep the Triumph I need to keep the costs to a minimum on this project so a simple Imp sport engine rebuild should be the cheapest option.
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Do you know, I wouldn't dream of saying this on the GOC but i cannot believe how crude it all is. The steering column is attached to a flimsy bit of angle by an exhaust clamp and the suspension towers can almost be pushed together. The wishbone mounts are non adjustable so unless Canley adjustable top wishbones are used the camber is what it is. The Imp trailing arms are mounted to a cross member made from folded sheet. As soon as the body is off I post a few pictures. I'd be glad of you comments. The body itself is very nicely moulded and in excellent condition. It is so thin that with the light behind it you can see right through it. No wonder it's so light. I'm sorry Alex, I have to crack on with it. I need to still be agile enough to get in it when it's finished. The roof is an inch and a half lower than the GT6. 😉
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I've been told that because the G15 is fitted with Triumph Spitfire front suspension it qualifies for inclusion in this section. I hope that is the case and that this thread doesn't offend anybody. We collected the car yesterday from Sutton in Ashfield north of Nottingham; a round trip of 530 miles. It took two hours to load the truck because of the magnitude of Imp blocks, engines, gearboxes and cylinder heads. Not to mention the boxes of assorted bits many of which i haven't a clue what they are. I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the body and the chassis which is a replacement supplied by the factory over twenty years ago. The car has never been together in the tenure of the current owner who bought it in pieces more or less as it is at the moment. No, that's a bit unfair because he bought many new parts including the Revolution wheels and set of Dunlops and the sunroof has been filed in very nicely. Sorting through the stuff today I came across some real gems; new seat harnesses, front calipers, new lamps and engine cover hinges as well as other goodies. Once I've catalogued and stowed everything I can turn my attention to the chassis. I understand that there are some inherent weaknesses which can be addressed by welding in gussets and stiffeners. The body is only held with two bolts and two people can lift it so I'm not expecting too much trouble in getting it off. More to follow.
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We should meet up Jon for a pot of tea at Two Bridges. 😉
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It is daunting Brad on an immaculately painted bonnet but do give it a go on some scrap. 0.9 or 1mm mild steel. The secret is to turn the flange evenly and make several passes to get to a right angle.
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It should be possible to turn an edge over without distorting or damaging the panel particularly if you are doing it on a curve which gives plenty of rigidity. If you are going to use 4mm wire you will need to turn over at least half an inch. Mark the line and use a seamer tool or even glaziers pliers which have smooth jaws. You need to break an edge a little bit at a time and evenly all the way round. Once you have established a bend line, the metal will continue to bend on that line. Overlap each time as you continue to tip the flange over until it is beyond a right angle. At that point you can introduce the wire and trap it. I normally use a door skinning tool from here on. It has a rubber pad to avoid damage to the panel and turns the edge nice and tight onto the wire. Have a go on a piece of scrap but first form a curve over a paint tin or something with a similar radius to the wing.
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Would you not T it in at the end of the line by the last carburetor?
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I think most of us believe that the problem is a result of high under bonnet temperature which is probably more from the radiator than the exhaust manifold. My suggestion to lower the under bonnet temperature is to fit a 72 degree thermostat. A Triumph engine builder ran some tests and found a higher power output when running a cooler thermostat so the only downside would be a less efficient heater..
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The fan blowing cold air directly onto the fuel pump appears to have solved the problem on Jerry's car. It had quite a severe test over the Silverstone weelend a and never once gave any trouble.
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Why not save yourself a whole lot of trouble and just fit a Triumph engine? [Sorry, link no longer available] Even taking into account the shipping costs this surely has to be the best option.
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They are a bit cheaper from James Paddock with free delivery. http://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/parts.aspx?categoryID=35&vehicleId=2
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You are quite right Jason. Time does fly. Best not think about it.
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Jason, nice to hear from you. Yes thank you for the dashboard. It all worked out very nicely and was fitted before I sold the blue GT6 a couple of years ago. Doesn't the time fly. I now have another one finished and am ready to start the next project which is only partly Triumph.. In return for your kindness if you want it I'd be pleased to let you have the starter and spacers for a tenner delivered. regards John
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I have one with the spacers on the For Sale board Sorry , link no longer available
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Apart from the sound, in what respect?
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Hello and welcome to the forum. You are definitely in the right place if you are considering modifying your Triumph. I can understand your reasons for thinking about fitting a Pinto engine but it may not be the best option. The engine itself is high compared with a crossflow and it is also heavier. But a crossflow may not be easiy to come by now. So, personally I would look seriously at going for a 1600 Zetec with a Type 9 gearbox. A number of our people have taken this route and there is plenty of information available on what is involved. Chris Sherrington has produced an instruction sheet on how to make engine mounts and the great thing about it is that the body and chassis require no modification. The engine is modern and lightweight and easily available. There are many others here who are far more knowledgeable than I am and I'm sure they will be pleased to offer you help and advice. rgds John
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It may not be the definitive answer but Jerry's car never missed a beat in the stop start traffic leaving Powderham yesterday and it was a hot day. So result looks promising.
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Some impressive temperatures. Did it cut out when you were driving or just when you were stationary or in slow moving traffic?
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Surely it hasn't packed up already?
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I paid 225.00 for the chassis conversion and it was so bad I ditched it.
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Brad easiest would be for you to put them in yourself. I've never done it myself but my friend Trev who does this for a living made a very simple tool for forming them. I can ask him for some photos if it would help.
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That's a downer Brad. I know a lot of people don't like exhaust lagging but the problem has to be under bonnet temperature so lagging might help. I have to say I am really surprised that the measures you've taken haven't worked. The sleeving we used to insulate the petrol pipe is Powersleeve from Rally Design http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/index.php?cPath=261_264
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Having stood each tower on my surface table I've measured up to the centre of the top engine mounting hole. The GT6 mount is about 170mm and the Spitfire around 155mm
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Having found a Spitfire tower and compared it with a GT6 one the easy way to check is the size of the engine mount bolt holes. 1/2 inch clearance for GT6 and 3/8 inch for Spitfire.