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 ! "
DISCLAIMER AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE.
All factual and other information within this e-mail including any
attachments, relating to the official business of South African Post Office
(Pty) Ltd., or of any associated company, is the property of the S.A. Post
Office. It is confidential and legally protected against any unauthorised
use. The South African Post Office neither owns nor endorses any
information which does not relate to its official business. This would
include personal mail and/or opinions by senders who may or may not be
employed by the South African Post Office.
The person addressed in the e-mail is the intended recipient. Please notify
the sender immediately if it has unintentionally reached another recipient.
Such recipient must not read, disclose or use the content in any way
whatsoever.
The South African Post Office cannot ensure that this e-mail is free of
errors, viruses, interception or interference and will not be held liable
for any personal mail and/or opinions expressed herein.
/// triumphs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// To unsubscribe send a plain text message to majordomo@autox.team.net
/// with nothing in it but
///
/// unsubscribe triumphs
///
/// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
|