Mike T

Thanks for the comments. I wondered what the hole was for and no sign of the nylon plug. Order placed for replacement plug and new gaiters - the old ones were not fit to re-use Mike

Hi all I am rebuilding a spitifire steering rack that has been stood for a long time. There was no play in the ball joints or the rack and pinion. I have taken the inner ball joints apart and the cup the ball sits in is metal. I notice that suppliers are offering a replacement plastic cup but a metal cup does not seem to be available. I wondered if there is any benefit in switching to the plastic cup over metal. As there was no discernible play in the joint and only slight evidence of wear on the surfaces I might just put the existing components back together unless there is some advantage in putting the plastic cups in. Any thought? Mike

The gear change on my GT6 was getting more difficult so I have just removed the gear stick to start investigating a cause. The white nylon bush that sits in a cup at the base of the gearstick has almost worn away. I changed it about 2 years ago and at the time read the warnings about deburring the cup - I obviously wasn't thorough enough. I'm not sure where I bought my last rebush kit from but wondered if the quality is the same across all suppliers or if there is any recommendation on the source of a better quality kit out there. Many thanks Mike

Thanks for the comments. Certainly sounds as if painting it is worth a try. If it doesn't work I am no worse off as I'd still be back to replacing the headlining. The current headlining is still pretty flexible. Do you have to do anything special in terms of preparing the surface? Mike

Hi all Looking round the GT6s at Stratford a few weeks ago most seemed to have a white headlining. My Mk3 has a black headlining that is not in great condition and the white headling seemed to make the interior a lot less gloomy. I was thinking of replacing the headlining over this winter but have never done one before. I understand it is a bit fiddly but has anyone got on tips on how to approach the job. Do I need to remove the windscreen? Any guidance would be really helpful plus suggestions on best place to source a replacement. Thanks Mike

Thanks for all the assistance, success on one side - the other still to do. Following all the advice above the following sequence worked: Raise spring as high as possible with lifter Use jack to raise upright so holes were at same level, holes out of alignment by around 1/2-3/4 inch Took band of rotoflex - not sure if this helped but thought if might allow a little more movement in the upright Used pry bar between very end of spring and upright to lever upright back. Small pry bar to start then larger as the upright moved back. Alternated sides and first a very small screwdriver then larger ones went through the upright and spring bush Used an old bolt with end ground down to a point to drive all the way through from the wrong side once close to alignment Use the new bolt to drive out the ground down bolt Mike

Any tips on how you did it. I can't get the upright close enough to the spring to even try the ground down bolt suggestion. Thanks Mike

Thanks for the replies. Does it make a difference removing band round the rotoflex or is better to this once everything is back together Mike

Hi all Now into reassembly mode but looking for a bit more assistance. I pre-assembled the drive shafts/hubs and am trying to mount into the car. The drive shaft is attached to the diff, rotoflex's fully bolted up and lower wishbone fitted. This leaves just the top of the upright to bolt to the spring but I can't get them to line up. I still have the steel band around the rotoflex and am thinking if I remove this it will allow more movement in the upright so I can line up with the spring. Am I right in this thinking or should I have assembled in a different order. Any tips? Many thanks Mike

I am now onto the re-assembly stage. I have purchased the PU bush kit for the rear suspension rebuild from the club shop, the kit does not come with the inner/outer water shields and O rings that fit on the trunion bushes. Do the polyurethane bushes not need them? If they do I'll have to purchase a set as they were destroyed in the removal process. Mike

A quick update - I ended up cutting the bolt and both uprights are away having the remains of the bolts drilled out. As part of the stripdown of the rear suspension I am replacing the U/Js in the drive shafts as one had a lot of play. When I got this U/J out there were no rollers there and the edges of the caps were breaking up. Any idea what might have happened to the rollers and is this usual? Mike

One further question, if I decide to get it reconditioned does anyone have any recommendations in the midlands area, I am just south of Birmingham. Mike

Thanks for all the comments. As suggested I'll try to move things with the bolt in place to start with and only cut the bolts if that fails. The radius arm bracket bolt will definitely be left alone! Mike

Thanks for the comments. Checked again tonight and I would say a little less than a 1/4 turn play. Everything feels smooth when rotated though. It does leak oil and it looks like the input shaft oil seal is the source. I think I'll drop it out, replace the bushes and take a closer look as with all the suspension out of the way it shouldn't be too hard. How difficult is it to replace the oil seals? Mike

Hi all My GT6 (mk3 rotoflex) was making loud clunks when taking up drive. I have stripped the rear suspension out (not without issues) to investigate and worn driveshaft U/Js are the main culprit as one has a very large amount of play. The diff wasn't whining or noisy and I don't want to take it out for no reason so is there anything I can check on it whilst it is still in situ with drive shafts removed? For instance how much free movement should there be in the input flange before the output flanges move - there seems to be quite a lot but my experience of differentials is limited. Any suggestions? Mike

Hi All My winter project is to rebuild the rear suspension on a GT6 Mk 3 with rotoflex. This was partly to solve rear end clunks - turns out to have been drive shaft U/Js and some of the bushes are well worn. My issue has been that everything seems to be seized. I had to cut the bolt to get the both rear wishbones out from the chassis and the long bolt going through both the trunnions is seized solid. There appears to be no movement at all in the wishbone to rear upright joint. Is this normal? I assume I'm going to have to cut the bolt either side of the upright to separate it from the wishbone . Has anyone any tips on doing this and also thoughts on how to get the bolt out from the upright. I'm assuming that getting the bolt our of the wishbone should be easier. Any suggestions gratefully received Mike

Thanks all for the comments. In terms of greasing the ball and socket, with the ball being nylon is it better to use silicone grease or is standard grease OK Mike

Hi all The gear change on my GT6 is fine when the car has is cold and for the first 5-10 miles of driving but as everything heats up the gearchange gets stiffer and more difficult. It is the same for all changes ie going into 1st through to going from 3rd to 4th. Any thoughts on what may be causing this? Mike

Thanks for the comments. My seats seem in pretty good condition and the guy I bought the car from said he had reconditioned them the year before I bought the car but he might have just replaced the covers. The other thing I don't like about the seat is the headrest is very low and hence I liked the look of some of the alternative seat options As I might be able to Smart seats I wondered if anyone had experience of trying to make them fit Mike

Hi all Even though my GT6 seats are in good condition I find them really uncomfortable and they cause me back problems. I have read that MX5 seats can be made to fit but has anyone tried any other seat options. I have looked at some of the kit car seats which are narrow enough so should fit. Has any one looked at fitting Smart seats? Many thanks Mike

Hi all I am refitting 150CDSE carbs onto the manifold on my GT6Mk3. The gasket and spacer have a cut out and I can't remember if the cut out should be at the top or the bottom. The carb face has holes in both positions so it isn't clear which should be covered by the gasket and which should be open. Looking on the internet I can see in both positions - any thoughts? I really should take more pictures when I take things apart! Mike

They also do a repair panel for the front of the GT6 roof which I have not seen available anywhere else Mike

A quick update, Chic Doig make them so problem solved. Mike

Thanks Colin I'll try Chic Doig. I spoke to spitfire graveyard with no joy, they referred to hens teeth Mike

Thanks for the comments - well some of them! Looking at pictures on ebay the spitfire channels are very different which is surprising. Other than waiting for one to come up on ebay are there any suppliers of secondhand GT6 parts out there who I could call? Mike