Hi list .
Aaaargh ! The predicament of the amateur DIY ( as in cash strapped , do
everything yourself though you have no mechanical knowledge ) Triumph
restorer and self confessed originality nut !
Pardon the long ramblings , but I'm faced with a few choices and really need
the wisdom of the list .
Through pure luck and ignorance I have amassed the following over the last
couple of years ( all of my adult life actually ) :
* Herald 12/50 with engine no. GD 30330 HE and gearbox no. FC 23731 (
is this correct ? ). Running and slowly being restored .
* Herald 1200 Coupe in rough restorable condition and no engine or
gearbox .
* 1964 Spitfire 4 ( Mk 1 ) . Commission no. FC 25680 ( or perhaps O ?
) with engine no. FC 26489 HE and gearbox no. FC 69163 ( gearbox presumably
not correct for car ? ). Running and slowly being restored . Engine needs to
be rebuilt .
* Spitfire 4 ( Mk 2 ) body and chassis in good restorable condition
and no engine or gearbox .
* Engine no. FC 29214 HE ( presumably Mk 1 ? ) Complete , assembled ,
but condition unknown .
* Engines no. FD 42688HE and FD 6177 HE ( presumably Mk 3 ? ) . Both
in pieces and condition unknown .
* Gearbox no. FC 24665 ( Mk 1 ? ) and FD 29150 ( Mk 3 ? ) . Both in
pieces and condition unknown .
* Overdrive gearbox no. FD 7381 complete with D-type overdrive unit
no. 25/63330/008968 ( presumably Mk 3 ? ).Complete ( less speedo angle drive
) , assembled , but condition unknown . Anyone have an extra speedo angle
drive they would part with ?
* 1956 TR 3 ( TS 10795 ) Running and slowly being restored ( still
owing the bank more than the initial purchase price . *#! high interest rate
) .
Hey what can I say ..... I'm a wee bit addicted to Triumphs :-) , I don't
own any other type of vehicle ( new or old )and if you are a " normal "
South African you buy whatever Triumph part you can lay your hands on . If
you don't , chances are extremely good that you'd never find it again and
that you'd never be able to afford importing it from overseas .
Now here's where the trouble starts : Spoke to an elderly pensioner the
other day about his red GT 6 Mk 1 with overdrive and wire wheels . I gave
him a few Spitfire / Herald bits and pieces ( similar to GT 6 parts ) a long
time ago ( maybe 2 or 3 years ago )in order to assist in his restoration .
According to him the GT 6 restoration is basically finished ( running and
repainted ) , but he decided now to sell it because he apparently is too old
( one is never too old to drive a Triumph ) and he has offered it to me
first because of , as he puts it , " my fondness of these cars and
helpfulness in the past " . I'm never helping anyone again :-)
The GT 6 has not been offered to me for free ( not even cheaply by all means
! ) and I have no knowledge of these vehicles other than what I've read in
the Spitfire & GT 6 guide to originality . I've never driven in such a
machine and have not even seen a GT 6 in motion . The GT 6 range is after
all very , very scarce in South Africa .
The idea of creating the ultimate early Spitfire ( that IMHO Triumph should
have produced in the first place ) have slowly and progressively taken hold
of me the past couple of weeks ( Yikes ! even started having dreams /
nightmares about it ) .
Basically I'm strongly considering selling everything to raise the funds (
except my 1964 Spitfire 4 Mk 1 Commission no. FC 25680 , Overdrive gearbox
no. FD 7381 complete with D-type overdrive unit no. 25/63330/008968 and 1956
TR 3 Commission no.TS 10795 ), purchasing the GT 6 and using all the GT 6
bits and pieces ( except the main body tub ) . The Gt 6 Mk 1 body tub will
be replaced with a Spitfire 4 ( Mk 1 ) body tub . Everything must also be
done in such a way that I can return both Spitfire and GT 6 back to original
when needed .
I know I must use the GT 6 bonnet with bulge , chassis with radiator , 6
cylinder engine & gearbox with overdrive , prop shaft and differential . Oh
yeah also the GT 6 instruments / gauges must be used as well . Anything else
that must be used ?
Front and rear suspension or will it handle better with Spitfire front and
rear suspension ?
Spitfire or GT 6 steering rack and pinion ?
What about the heater , or are the heaters the same ?
Spitfire or GT 6 gearbox tunnel ?
Spitfire or GT 6 wire wheels ?
Which is better GT 6 or Spitfire seats ?
I'll definitely want to use the GT 6 two speed wiper motor , but I don't
like the two speed toggle switch much ( is an alternative Lucas two speed
push / pull switch available ? ) .
I will also want to use the GT 6 windscreen frame because of the water
gutter which is absent from Mk 1 and 2 Spitfire windscreen frames .
The GT 6 swivelling quarter lights are also something to have me thinks .
Can they be installed in Mk 1 Spitfire doors and will the Mk 1 soft top and
hard top still fit ? I want to keep the Mk 1 doors as I really like the turn
type door handles and I think the door glass will have to be cut / modified
( I have an extra set of Mk 1 door glass available for this purpose ).
Curious thought : Is there a difference between the GT 6 and Herald
swivelling quarter lights ?
I don't like the GT 6 ( Spitfire Mk 3 style ) grille and would prefer
replacing it with the Spitfire 4 ( Mk 1 ) polished aluminium grille and
metal grille surround . Of course the metal grille surround will have to be
cut from the Spitfire bonnet and welded into the GT 6 bonnet . Any problems
with that ? Overheating perhaps ?
How does fuel consumption , power , speed and handling compare between a
Spitfire 4 ( Mk 1 ) and GT 6 Mk 1 ?
The TR 5 has always been one of my dream Triumphs . Sadly not easily
available in South Africa and extremely expensive . So , what upgrades can
be made to a standard GT 6 Mk 1 engine in order to obtain the same ( or
better ) performance as a TR 5 ? Hey , it's my flight of fantasy here :-)
Now before I start parting out all my Herald and Spitfire bits and pieces ,
is there anything that I should rather keep that can be used in a GT 6 Mk 1
engine and gearbox or Spitfire 4 ( Mk 1 ) engine ( FC 26489 HE )and gearbox
?
For instance Mk 3 camshaft . Can these be used in the Spitfire 4 ( Mk 1 )
engine and is it beneficial ?
Can overdrive gearbox no. FD 7381 complete with D-type overdrive unit no.
25/63330/008968 ( presumably Mk 3 ? ) successfully be mated with engine no.
FC 26489 HE ? Any modifications needed ?
Well , that's basically the fantasy : creating a Spit 6 or GT 6 convertible
that retains the basic Spitfire 4 ( Mk 1 ) external character / form and
compares favourably ( or better ) to the TR 5 character and performance .
( All hypothetical and flights of fantasy at this stage ) .
As stated everything must also be done in such a way that I can return both
Spitfire and GT 6 back to original when needed . I will also still continue
with the 1964 Spitfire 4 ( FC 25680 ) restoration and the engine and gearbox
will be rebuilt and kept for future " original " use .
What says ye of great wisdom . Can this be done ? Is it advisable ? Any
special obstacles to watch out for ? Am I crazy ? ( Just don't tell me I'm
stupid , my wife said so already ) . Has the African sun finally fried the
last of my active brain cells ? Etc.
After typing all this I really hope my mail is up and running again . Had
endless problems with it the last couple of weeks . Felt like a recluse .
TIA
Chris de Wet .
PO Box 472 , Ifafi , 0260 , South Africa .
Cell 0839989744 , Office 012-3398071 , Home 012-2591129 .
'56 TR 3 ( TS 10795 ) & '64 Spitfire 4 Mk 1 ( FC 25680 ) .
And various other Triumphs .
Triumph Sports Car Club of South Africa membership number : 2117
Triumph Sports Car Club of Pretoria membership number : 356 .
" Triumphs are meant to be driven ..... Keep them on the road ! "
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