Ian Foster

Alan I have a similar system on my GT6. I use twin supports off the diff front plate and also a support off the gearbox mounting plate (which was a faff to install). You appear to have a 4-2-1 manifold and a central silencer box. Should be a nice system. Ian

The GT6 Mk1/2 and Vitesse WSM has a detailed section on servo operation and fitting, so I think this might have been a dealer fitting option. Ian

Dave I had exactly the same problem traced to distortion of the filler neck as Jonny and Pete have suggested. A quick pass with some fine wet and dry of a flat block will show where the problem is. Worked a treat for me! Ian

http://www.2specgroup.co.uk/transmissions/triumph/ Ian

My GT6 lived on a diet of this in the late 70s through to about 1992, by which time it had covered 185K miles without major rebuild. Can't have been bad and the 'greenness' certainly made it feel special. (I now use Valvoline VR1) Ian

Name and number please! Ian

The Mk2 did not have a centre box as standard. This appeared on the Mk3 with an updated transverse rear box. Ian

Gary I've never seen a NOS bushing kit or even just the spherical bearing, but if anyone finds one grab it. (would be useful as dimensional reference as well) The originals are a type of Nylon. The grey ones are injection-moulded hard plastic (and degrade back to granules), the black ones are a softer material and likewise fall apart. It would be an easy thing to make for someone with access to Delrin bar stock and a ball turning attachment for a lathe. A batch could be commissioned and even possibly stocked as a club spare, as a large numbers of members could benefit. Ian

John This is a fairly straightforward job, but note Pete's advice regarding the potential for sharp edges on the metal cup washer. You may be better re-using your existing one if it is OK condition. The other issue of concern is quality of the spherical bearing. The original would have been a tough nylon and again if yours is original and in good condition I would re-use it rather than fitting the one in the kit. As Pete says this also avoids having to remove the circlip, which is a pain and not Triumphs finest engineering. I have had failures of both the (hard) grey plastic one (a few 1000 miles) and the (less hard) black one (150 miles) and now use a bespoke one made from Delrin. Be careful how much you tighten the bottom pivot bolt. It needs to be tight enough to eliminate play, but not so tight as to bind as this will make the change stiff. I added a further locknut 'just in case'. Oh yes and make sure you install the bolt in the correct direction. Ian

A valid point Nick, but my GT6 vapour locked with a rebuilt original pump. Now replaced with an electric Huco sucker. Ian

I have found VW Mars Red to be a good match. I first used in 2010 on the main car restoration and again recently after having my front shocks rebuilt. Halfords stocked it a 300ml rattle can. Label says to use with red primer. Ian

Fingers crossed then ! BTW I think you are on to something with fan cowl, as many cars had these as original equipment. Possibly a design that covers the whole core could be developed for building in glassfibre. Something I have thought about, but my current 12" SPAL sucker seems to be doing the job at the moment, so no real incentive to invest the time. Ian

Richard Sounds as though you have got it sorted. Just check your levels for a while to ensure there are no airlocks. Running for a good long period with the heater on is probably sensible, but choose a nice cool day!! Are you going to stick with just the engine driven fan and the cowl? Ian

On my GT6 I tried a Revotec fan controller with my SPAL fan, but found that when I set it at a 'switch on' point I was happy with, it would keep the fan running an excessive time. I now use a fixed point switch as per Clive's image, which seems to works well. Ian

Found it! https://forum.tssc.org.uk/topic/8130-vitesse-radiator-cap/ Ian

Jim Plumbers PTFE tape works well. Also regarding the tap in the rear of the bloc, remove the whole tap rather than just opening it. I use a funnel and short length of tube set into a bung in the radiator filler to get a good head. I posted the procedure previously and will try and find it. I have used the 2-part Holts Radflush before with good results. Happy flushing. Ian

Richard I run my Mk2 with just a 12" Spal sucker fan. I have engine bay side valances and front cowl on which I have extended the sides to the limit of what the bonnet structure will allow. My radiator has been re-cored with the 'biggest' modern core the radiator specialist could find. The fan is switched by a sensor fitted into the top tank and comes on when the gauge reads just above half and switches off when just below half. I have a manual override switch which I use if I anticipate a lengthy stop or don't want to arrive at my destination with the fan on (not cool!?!). At idle the fan will just cycle on and off as controlled by the sensor. Some will say that the original fixed fan and shrouding 'as Triumph intended' will be adequate, but as you have suggested there are some factors that might make your/our cars run hotter than back in the day, ie unleaded and now ethanol modified fuel and performance modifications (cams and raised CRs). If you look at the design of the GT6 pipework, Triumph were obviously struggling to get enough coolant flow to the radiator or they wouldn't have added the additional pipe from the thermostat housing to the filler neck. No other Triumph model has this. In terms of your set up, I would agree that the electric fan in front of the radiator is probably not helping, as it is just providing a restriction to the airflow. I would definitely add a front shroud and make it as efficient as possible by extending the sides as much as the local architecture on your Mk3 allows. Your shroud around the fixed fan is a good idea and should really be beneficial in pulling air through the radiator core, but I think it could be finessed by extending it to fully cover the core. There will be guidance online as to the ideal form or shrouds, with recommendations on clearance to the fan blades etc. I have attached a pic of my set up, which works pretty well. Hope this helps. Ian

Thanks Gav That's a useful piece of information. Does it count that the rest of my car is also white! Ian

HG I have my radiator overflow bottle half full when cold and the level rises to just below the shoulder when fully hot. A couple of marks on the bottle allow the level to be monitored. It will be interesting to see whether your catch can has any internal structure to promote condensation of oil vapours and filtration of the expelled air. If the catch can is working properly, what is being drawn back into the engine should be clean and therefore shouldn't make the valves dirty. This is a useful link which gives some technical background and comment on typically available units. I fabricated some 'internals' into a plain (but quite nicely made) 'cheepie' can. The original oil filler cap has a steel wool filter element in it, which I assume is to filter air drawn in to compensate for the slight vacuum created by the PCV. Ian

Hi HeebieGeebie Welcome into the world of classics and congrats on the purchase of a nice looking car. I have a 69 White 19 Mk2, also on Revolutions. Unusual to see a white chassis on a blue car, would be interesting to know why. Advice given so far is spot on and I would also suggest you use the car a bit under various conditions and monitor the situation. Is the engine consuming any coolant. A mark on the overflow bottle would allow you to monitor. An oil cooler without a thermostat might be a contributory factor, but possibly not overly significant at this time of year. Obviously with the triple Webbers, performance was a previous priority and catch cans are not unusual for track focused cars. I don't think you mentioned whether there is any significant accumulation of oil in tank and whether there is any evidence of mayonnaise there. I have a small catch can on my GT6 which the standard PCV breathes (pulls) through. photo attached. It collects a small amount of oil but nothing significant and I think the inlet (and the environment) is all the better for it. I see that there is a tapping on the centre inlet manifold that could be used for the PCV. When I was researching catch cans previously I recall that a naturally vented can does need to have quite large pipework to be effective as others have said. I think a filter on the outlet is also sometimes used. Ian

Canleys show part no 159654 to be common for Spit IV late/1500/GT6mk3 late. Colin's quoted specs for Spit and GT6 suggest there should be differences. Others may be able to confirm from factory WSM (mine doesn't cover late GT6) or other sources. Jeremy, do you know yet what is currently fitted to your car? Confusing isn't it. Ian

Jeremy Shocks can usually be appraised off the car. You can pull and push and decide whether they both feel the same. If there is no obvious play or deterioration in the bushings then this is unlikely to be your problem. Edd China on Wheelers Dealers always gets underneath and gives everything a good waggle with a pry bar. Obviously changing out all the bushes will give you a known starting point and a degree of 'peace of mind'. I have used Superflex polybushes on my Mk2. Based on what you have said so far, I am suspicious of the spring, so if you are dismantling generally, I would remove and strip down the spring to check for any broken elements. I would also check whether it is the correct spec for the GT6 (Mk3) Let us know how you get on. Ian

Jeremy So a swing spring conversion of a Rotaflex rear end.....now this is starting to make sense. Obviously condition of the various parts will be paramount and it is quite possible that the conversion has been done with Spitfire bits rather than GT6. You should be able to confirm the identity of the spring by counting and measuring the leaves. A good second hand replacement from the likes of Chic Doig might be an option if required. I don't know whether the vertical links, hubs and brakes are interchangeable, but you could check bay cross referencing part numbers on Canley Classics' excellent website. One further consideration is the radius arms, which have a different attachment point to the body for Rotaflex/swing spring applications. Has this been addressed in the conversion. Handbrake cable and guides are different as well IIRC. We might try and tempt you into a CV converted Rotaflex set up, which is probably the best of both worlds and will reuse your original features. Ian

Jeremy It does sound as though the rear suspension is moving around more than it should. You haven't said yet what Mk of GT6 you have, but each has its own idiosyncrasies. I don't think it will just be tyre pressures as you are in the ball park (a bit high if anything) in terms of what we are typically using. If the back end is moving around on a straight piece of road, then something is either loose or worn, which is allowing the back end to steer the car. If the rear tracking was seriously out, you might expect the car to steer on and off the throttle. Worn dampers might be another culprit. If everything is is in good condition it may be that the alignment is just 'off' and a proper four wheel alignment on modern equipment would be a good investment and will ensure you get maximum benefit from those new tyres (what brand did you go for BTW ?) My Mk2 really tracks and steers very well for a 50+ year old car and actually deals with some surfaces much better than might be expected. A bit more information on the car and a detailed description of the issues would help. Ian

I'm currently using 28 front/25 rear on my Mk2 with 175/70 R13 tyres. If you think about the weight distribution on the GT6 the bias is definitely towards the front, so higher pressures in the front tyres should result in similar contact area front and rear. I also have a fairly small steering wheel so the slightly higher front pressures reduce steering loads at low speeds. High speed stability and cornering seems fine. Ian