Longstrider
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Nick, Yes looks like some lead loading was carried out on the bonnet, so you can imagine my surprise to find the roof line across the windscreen in such fine condition. It must me down to the copious amounts of filler that covers the whole car, lol. Thinking a brake upgrade could also be useful along side the bowsprit for ensuring the front does not get out of shape again.;-)
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Here is the pic.
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The bonnet top rub down continues with work on the vents. Hoping to finish tomorrow, but a busy weekend may delay this to next week. The photo attached is the top of the roof, one tiny hole the rest is rock solid, which is very pleasing. Removal of the webcasts and rub down of the roof to bare metal is underway. Feeling the love for the car this week.[img][/
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This weekend was spent stripping and rubbing the bonnet top down and removing the rear seat. One seatbelt came out okay the driver side seems reluctant to be removed. Typical it's the last part to be removed except the dash. :-( I have enclosed a couple of pictures of the bonnet. The photos were taken early today and since then I have rubbed down one third of the bonnet with a fine sanding block. Hopefully a few more hours this week and into primer. I have discovered the nose cone has been repaired and needs some attention. Still it's progress.
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Not much to update on the restoration front. I have looked at the front wings and the near side front may be salvageable, this is not an issue as i have two new ones, but may save some time and its an original panel. I also sourced a new steel craft floor panel off Ebay for the near side. The chap was restoring a spitfire mk3, but the patter of tiny feet put paid to the project. He did say he has some other panels one being an off side sill, so just waiting to see if that comes off and if he has anything else I need. Still no nearer buying welder, but this is rather a mute point until I get some panels together. Really the sticking point is the cash out lay having just spent out in service parts the jeep. I also attended the North London Monthly meeting last Monday. I met a few people and One of the chaps I met recommended smith and arrow poly disc for paint removal, so have ordered two this morning. The YouTube video looks impressive, so lets see what the performance is like for £16.:-(
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Sleepy, the tub is solid, but the welding is not pretty and I have a vision of a newly spayed tub with nice clean panels. Fantasy I know, I will end up patching some parts, but the floor has inserts welded in at the sill side, inner sills welded in two parts long ways. I want the shell to look great so I need to spend £1700 on panels, unless eBay comes up trumps. ;-) i get that is expensive, but I have always wanted to do a ground up on a gt6. I have a mate who has a restored one and 5k would probably get it. But he built it so it would be bought not built for me. Having just completed building my suspension lift on my jeep Cherokee I know the satisfaction of driving something you have spent cash, time and grazed knuckles on. I suspect the GT6 to be more rewarding and obscenely expensive. ;-) but hopefully does more to the gallon than 11. ;-)
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Thanks Phil, I do not intend to use the chassis for the bonnet mounting, purely for keeping the shell straight whilst I weld. I intend to run without front bumpers and have the brackets flush/sunk into the grill. Not purist but hey. The 190 was recommended by a friend, who uses one and it comes with the euro torch which he said was easier to use. Hence the choice of the 190. Mind you the cost of panels has now escalated to £1700, so I am hoping Ebay will be a better friend to me and do need to look at reducing the cost somehow. I dread to think what the chassis and mechanicals will cost, then there is the electrics and interior and the paint. Still I want to be able to say I built it. :-) Thanks for the heads up on the chassis front.
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This may sound crazy, but please stick with me. The advice I have been given is to keep the body on the chassis whilst it is restored. I fully understand that this is a good idea. However it restricts my work to the the car body only. I am considering buying an old chassis to bolt the body to and then building a wooden frame similar to another GT6 restoration of this forum and putting the body with a stripped down chassis above my original rolling chassis. This would enable me to work on both parts of the project at once. That way if I hit a low point or mental brick wall on either I have the option of walking away from the problem and for a time focusing on other "problems". I am 100% sure that I want to restore/refurbish the original chassis so a swap to another chassis is out of the question. I already feel that with all the panel work the body Tub requires its already akin to Triggers broom in only fools and horses. :-) My questions are: 1. Does this sound feasible? 2. Its a Mk2 GT6, so do I need to restrict my self to a specific chassis/model or would any spitfire/GT6 chassis in reasonable condition do? 3. Are there any other options? 4. Anybody ever just shipped a chassis and have any idea what the costs are? There is a MK3 chassis on ebay, but its in Yorkshire so location is an issue, I am sure it would sit on the roof of my cherokee which has upgraded suspension, but at 11 to the gallon around town a trip to yorkshire and back is not cheap. many thanks Brett
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Spencer, good luck with the restoration, always remember to keep faith and this place is full of support.
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Thanks Shaun. Good advice. Will keep this thread updated with progress;-) now it's time for beer and curry;-)
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The sealey 190 is between £375-£400 with the euro trigger, but gas is on top, so just under the £500. There is a lot of panels and possibly the out riggers to weld. I will go heritage on the wing, I thnk Rimmer does them for £185. Thanks for the mole grip tip. I will start my collection this week, lol I did mention the cost of the welder earlier today to my wife and got no response... That's a yes right. ;-)
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Okay so the plan this weekend is to remove rear seat and all the parts stored in the rear to get a better look at what needs to be done. Also doing some preparation on the bonnet. I am also looking to purchase the rear ns wing, who would be the best company to buy from regards best fit? Plus looking at the best deal I can get on a mig 190, although not sure how this particular investment will get through the rigorous finance checks that my wife will not doubt think of, being as she thinks the GT6 is a pile of rubbish and I should just go out and buy a new mx5;-)
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Repair would be cheaper and and the worry of replacing so many panels would be removed. Will take a closer look at the weekend. I could look at some of the older repairs and redo just those that need it.
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I'm in cheshunt in Hertfordshire. The inner panels are relatively solid, with a few small holes but unsightly due to the welding that took place in 1995, probably need a second opinion as in my mind I want it to be as new, but I realise this is not realistic and is probably overkill.
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I think the relocation brackets for the shock is the way to go for me;-) thanks for the feed back. I did the calculations today on all the body panel parts, if I replaced everything that's patched and its just under £1500. Eek I get the feeling this is not going to be a bulk order. the rear wings are expensive whoever you get then from, but the rear inner wheel inner section at James paddock is £115, cheaper than Rimmer Bros.
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Further to my entry, is there a conversion/upgrade i can install for the shock position, rather than weld in the mount bracket to the new inner arch and still keep the rotoflex couplings?
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Thanks to all for the words of support. I do have a question relating to the rear inner wheel arch inner section, which relates to the mounting point for the shock ( it's a rotoflex set up). Do they come with this mounting point or do I need to cut this off the original and weld onto the new arch? Thx brett
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Wim, thx for the link, looks awesome and inspiring. Shaun, dirk, great work. The planned next steps are (please correct if wrong): Remove near side rear wing (completed) Brace with x fame inside and brace near side door frame. Replace Rear Inner wheel arch Inner Section Near side Replace rear inner wheel arch outer section near side (unless current one is okay) Replace B post outer panel if required Replace rear outer wing Replace near side front floor Replace near side lower A post Replace inner sill Replace sill strengthener replace outer sill Replace A post filler panel Repeat for offside Replace rear floor Replace rear valance Then rebuild bonnet;-) Tidy battery box Remove body Strip mechanicals Restore chassis Rebuild mechanicals Paint and put back together ;-)
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This is such a cool thread, awesome work. Inspiring.
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Thanks all. I admit the pic makes it look good. The outer wheel arch is okay, but he inner ones where the seat belts bolt are patched all over. Shaun, What sequence would you undertake the welding. Bearing in mind I would need to replace inner wheel arch, both sides, rear floor, rear valance, floors, sills and A post lower. Gasman, I love the look of the T6, but 6k for the body shell is a lot of money. ;-) Having said that the bull park from Pictons was £5k per side plus £800 for my bonnet and I have the two new front wings!! Not sure that included paint. But that was without looking at the car. Hence the decision to do the work myself. Mechanics I am fine, welding is a new world. But I will say all my triumphs to date and there have been lots have been rolling restorations with a small amount of body work. This is another world.
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Dirk, Thanks for the support;-) don't really want to sell it, just having a mad moment of doubt.
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Dirk, My concern at the rear is the amount of panels, rear valance, rear floor, inner arches. All are solid, but patched. The question is where do I start.. do i replace the inner arches and rear wings then the rear floor and valance? I know I can get the panels; or do I just replace the wings and live with the patchwork quilt;-) Brett
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Here is a picture of the GT6 with the rear wing removed
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:'( well the restoration started in earnest today with the removal of the rear near side wing. However I am truly devastated that the previous restoration seems to have consisted of welding plates pretty much into every panel, from the inner wheel arches, to the boot floor and rear valance and not just the odd one. it adds new meaning to patchwork quilt. The welding is not the prettiest and it seems that following the welding nothing was primed to protect the bare metal. I must say further investigations of the floor, sills and the lower A post is repeat of this pathetic patch work welding attempt at restoration. As solid as it all is, it just seems to be a complete and utter bodge. From the invoices the restoration was around 5k. Well being as the only new panels were two new rear wings (which are shot) and a lower inner wing repair section, I fail to see where the money was spent, must have been on welding wire. This leaves me in a dilemma as to how best to proceed and I have various thoughts flashing through my mind: I want the car on the road as soon as possible. I want it to be right. I want the cost to be reasonable. Well ish. I want to keep it. I want to sell it I need a new tub I can restore this one. As you can see I am at a complete loss as to what the right thing to do is. To say that I am slightly disillusioned would be an understatement.
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Bruce, great thread, truly inspiring and full of useful information. I have just taken delivery of my 3rd Gt6, but my first full restoration. I'm really looking forward to getting back into Triumphs (why did i ever leave) and starting on the rebuild, but I am apprehensive about welding, ;-) I have really set my heart on doing everything, except the paint myself. I must say seeing all the hidden rust on your restoration has prepared me (not completely) for some scary surprises. Best of luck. Brett