Hello all,
I am a new poster and have subscribed to the triumph and vtr lists since
September 1st. I've really been impressed with the quality of the
information found here and everyone's helpful attitude. I plan on
contributing answers when I can.
Enough of that. I am the owner of a 71 GT6 MkIII. The car was purchased new
in Indianapolis by my father. He sold it to me in 76, I gave it back to him
in 81 when I went overseas and he returned it to me in 84 when I came back.
>From 84 to 92 it saw very little action, but since arriving here in San Diego
in 92, I have driven it daily for my 20 mile r/t commute to work. I have
decided to take the car off the street and restore it. It has 135,000 miles
on the odometer, but I've never had to do any major engine or transmission
work. (First gear syncho has never worked as far as I can remember, but I'm
not prone to jamming it into first while in motion anyway.)
Over the years, I have done most of the mechanical/electrical maintenance
myself and I am looking forward to doing the work in a more relaxed mode than
the "gotta have it back together by Monday morning" mode that has generally
been the case. I have helped others in the past with some restoration work
and have a little knowledge of bodywork, but no experience with interior
finishes. I figure I'll have a lot of the body work and interior done by
professionals. Anyway, several initial questions from general to more
specific:
1) I am tempted to go all the way to a "Body off" restoration/remaunfacture.
The body sills are rusted and have been filled with putty in the past. The
frame has been tweaked in front of the front wheels as the result of an
accident but is very serviceable as is. The sight of those restored chassis
one sees is very appealing to me. How do I judge if I should take the effort
to remove the tub?
2) Should I try to maintain complete originality or could I make some
non-stock performance enhancements without detracting from the car's value?
I'm not really keen on a show car, but rather one I would still drive on
occaision.
3) The original interior is tan. Carpeting has been replaced once in its
past by my father, but all else is original and in bad shape. My survey of
the usual parts catalogs yields lots of black components, but no tan (like
the fuzzy door trim). Should I try to maintain tan, or should I go black now
that I have the opportunity?
4) The one part that I have casually looked for over the years with no
success is the "marker lamp" assembly. I have the lens and chrome trim, but
the rubber that is integral to the unit(s) is completely weather-eaten. My
original ones are light grey, and I've noticed that later models are black
(different composition?). Does anyone know where I can find four?
Thanks to all for your patience getting through this long posting. I look
forward to future exchanges.
Bob Franklin
KF3060
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