Ian Foster

No its just a close tolerance hole in both the bellhousing and engine back plate. By comparison the holes for the starter motor are standard clearance, so slightly bigger. Ian

You could also try Geoff at Gower and Lee, my go-to for Stromberg bits. The aluminium needle valve washer is standard in all the kits I have used. Ideally replace each time the valve is replaced, but probably not critical. I use a smear of red rubber grease to lubricate o rings and fuel lines for reassembly. (ends of fuel lines should be checked for burs) Ian

Actually no! I did have various other clutch issues though, which I am hoping to address with a meticulously executed round of fixes. Ian

As an addendum to Phil's original thread, I can confirm the apparently 'secret' or little known information that the Vitesse/GT6 rear engine plate and bellhousing should have a 3/8" dowel bolt at the 5 o'clock position. Two engine plates and a bellhousing inspected at Chez Jones....and yes they have it. My engine a gearbox separated today....and yes they have it as well. Mine had a 5/16" bolt at that location so I'll be replacing it with a 3/8" dowel bolt when I reassemble. I'll also be replacing the pilot bearing as I could have worn unevenly if the bellhousing was slightly off. Every day is a school day! Ian

I have fitted an inline tap just upstream of the fuel filter, which allows the fuel to turned off for filter changes. Ian

Alex I have used Thermotec 'Cool it' on the outside of my original tunnel cover and have lined the underside with aluminium foil tape. The Cool it is a heavy aluminium foil on a self adhesive bitumen/plastic type base. Sticks like s**t! There is not a lot of space between the cover and the gearbox etc. in some places and even with just the foil, I have to do a few repairs after the cover has been wrestled in and out. https://www.thermotec.com/ Ian

Pete Thanks for that. Text is similar to Verdana (Caps) and is approx 3.3mm high. I think I have found someone who can produce it as a waterslide transfer and I have asked them to produce an A7 sheet, so others could also benefit. If that comes to naught, I'll try the vinyl option. Ian

Iain Thanks for posting the photos. What radiator is that? Seems you have managed to get it vertical, whereas several I have seen have had to slope it forwards to get clearance. You don't show an overhead photo at the front, but I assume you have bleed pipe from the thermostat housing to the tank. I think I can see where it comes into the top of the tank. Ian

Iain Sounds interesting. Could you post some pictures please. Ian

Hi Gav That sounds like a good option. I do have a sailing mate in the electronics industry, so I could give him a try first. Ian

I am in the process of refinishing the centre section of my GT6 Mk2 dashboard. In removing the original lacquer I have lost the label under the HAZARD light warning bulb and need to replace this once I have redone the finish. I think the original was probably a waterslide transfer (1960s technology) and have started to investigate availability. Has anyone done similar or have any suggestions. Ian

GT6/Vitesse WSM says 10deg BTDC static, 12deg with strobe. I've always assumed that the difference is to allow for backlash in the dizzy drive components. It is worth checking the accuracy of your crank markings and compensating accordingly if required. Pinking under load is also a useful indicator of what the engine wants. Ian

I suspect it is a modified original bumper. Centre section cut out and ends reworked to match outer ends/rear bumpers. The bumper is quite thick steel, so not easy and a trip to the re-chromers would be required after. I have considered it, but have stuck with my original set up for now. (although I do have an older spare with a ding in the centre that might be a suitable candidate for a chop) Ian

Blanking plug in place, replaced with a grease nipple when required. Ian

Or this, similar to E type Jag or various Italian offerings from the 1966s.

I have also added a grease nipple into the vertical link, which gets a few pumps from time to time.

Having spent a small fortune at the chiropractor over the last 18 months after a rotator cuff tear, I am currently preparing for the removal of the engine and gearbox in order to do a clutch swap and gearbox check over. I have removed the box through the car in the past, but it is not easy and puts strain on hoses etc. as well as one's anatomy. (the car is lot lower now than it was when I was in my 20s) I do have the time to do the engine and box and will take the opportunity of having the engine out to do a bit of a tidy up. Ian

Gary Perhaps you could drop Classic & Sports Car a line, so that they can get the collective brain of their readers (me included) on it. Ian

I have a 12" Astrali wheel on my GT6 mk2, which has about an inch of dish. It came with the car in 1977 and as I was only 21 years old at the time, I thought it was cool (still is quite). The steering is quite heavy at low speeds but absolutely fine once in normal driving and I've done over 130k miles with it. I run 27/24 psi front/rear (to suit the frontal weight bias) on 175/70-13 tyres. I have tried the larger GT6 wheel (I bought and fitted one back in the 80s when my wife needed to use the car) but find it just too restrictive on my legs as I hate to drive with splayed knees. A bigger wheel might work for me, if it had a substantial dish. Ian

You can do better! Matching your Gaz fronts would be logical. Konis all round is probably the best option, but they are expensive. Ian

2016 and 2018 RBRRs, Isle of Man and a few more good trips, ....so yes!

In case it helps, here is the ignition side of my GT6 engine, which also has a Delco distributor. #1 plug lead at 6 o'clock position using a Pertronix electronic ignition. If you are using electronic ignition, the distributor will probably be in a slightly different position compared to a points set-up. Post engine rebuild I discovered that the distributor drive was 180 deg out (slot towards the right), now corrected. I set the timing at 12deg BTDC using a strobe, which is 10 deg BTDC static. (which is the book figure for the Mk2) Ian PS Nic, perhaps you can give us a summary of exactly where you are with this, as I'm a bit confused reading recent posts.

Sounds familiar.

Well done Phil and John Considering that the car was in bits 7 days before the start and the challenging conditions, that is a great achievement. Glad the budgie was left in Lyme Regis. Very pleased to have been of some help. Ian

+1 for that. We have had ours since 2013 and it now has just over 60k miles on it. It's a 1.8 turbo (petrol) TSI 4x4 and pretty much does everything well. Not too many stupid gadgets on it either. Ian