Nigel Clark

I tried looking for college courses to improve my MIG skills about 5 years ago, local to me in the East Midlands. All I could find were car body repair courses, based on accident repairs for modern cars with little or no welding involved, or fabrication courses, welding with 5mm steel and thicker. Sadly, neither has any relevance for classic car restoration, so take care not to get onto the wrong course just for the sake of doing something. I was better off with practice and YouTube tutorials at home. Nigel

I use 4Life and when the cooling system needs work, I drain the 4Life then filter and reuse. Nigel

Blue glycol antifreeze is the standard recommendation for our classic Triumphs. Around 30% concentration and change every 2 years. If you've got rusty coloured coolant, give the whole system a good flush. Alternatively, flush the system and refill with premixed 4Life coolant, stocked in the club shop, which has superior corrosion inhibitors and can last at last 10 years in my experience. Nigel

You have a very special car, given such a history. Most likely the gearbox requires new seals and bearings, though as already mentioned, the main shaft tip and laygear bearing surfaces need careful inspection. Take care to get good quality bearings, there was some suspect quality over the last few years. Also, care is needed with synchro rings. There have been poor quality replacements. Check the originals carefully, refitting the originals may be better than replacing with newer substandard parts. The overdrive may only need a new rear oil seal, from what you have said. If you decide on a professional rebuild, I can recommend Overdrive Spares, just off the M6 in Rugby. No connection, merely a satisfied customer. Nigel

I believe original GT6 and TR6 steering wheels were 15 inch diameter. On both my TR and my GT, I have 14 inch wheels. This feels like an ideal compromise to me, large enough not to be too heavy at parking speeds, but slightly smaller for faster steering response. Also, for taller drivers, the smaller wheel gives more space for the thighs. Nigel

As Pete said, a few strokes from the grease gun (max 6 strokes) at each annual service is all the rack needs. Nigel

Here's a picture of the rear suspension on my GT6, where I've replaced Rotoflex with CV driveshafts, and fitted shorter Gaz telescopic shocks direct to the chassis. The inward angle of the shock absorber is obvious. Nigel

The bracket extensions are required to move the telescopic shocks nearer to vertical, to clear the Rotoflex couplings. The non-Rotoflex Mk1 Vitesse had telescopic rear shocks as standard, mounted at an sharp inward angle to the chassis. Workshop manual images should show this arrangement better than words. With a Mk2 using CV driveshafts, clearance between the shocks and the shafts is no longer an issue. The arrangement on your car with extension brackets for the upper mounting of telescopic shocks is fine. As your car has CV joints, you could remove the extensions. However, you would then need to fit shorter telescopic shocks because of the change of angle, or the driveshafts may touch the chassis and the shocks may bottom out on big bumps. My advice would be to leave well alone. The CV shafts are a very worthwhile upgrade, as are the telescopic shocks. Removing the chassis extension brackets is unlikely to make any improvement on your present setup, even if you fitted shorter shocks. Without shorter shocks removing the brackets will cause problems. Sounds like you've got a great car, hope you enjoy the drive! Nigel

I've used Overdrive Spares to rebuild a J- type unit for my 2.5 litre GT6. They did a great job. Dave Twigger is the boss, he showed me the test rig they use to check and adjust every overdrive they rebuild. It's a thorough quality check used for every rebuilt unit. Nigel

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That looks nasty! If you decide have a professional rebuild of the gearbox, I can recommend someone in North Wales.... My brother, who has over 30 years experience, including Triumph 'boxes. Nigel

I've bought parts from ANG, always been good quality and quick despatch. Changing the barrel with a new one is a good option. Nigel

If you run with antifreeze until the coolant starts to look discoloured with rust, it's been in the system too long and the inhibitors have been exhausted. Best to change blue glycol antifreeze every two years, before it gets discoloured. Nigel

Copper grease or even Vaseline will be fine on battery terminals. Nigel

I've used satin black engine paint from Halfords. Looks quite original and lasts well. Nigel

Chris Witor supplies Viton tipped needle valves for Strombergs: https://www.chriswitor.com/proddetail.php?prod=513702V Other suppliers also stock them. Nigel

Like Jonny, the only problems I've had with Strombergs flooding was due to dirt. In my case these weren't rubber slivers, but probably flakes of corrosion from inside the tank. After a good clean up plus an aftermarket filter just before the fuel pump, I had no more trouble. I had rebuilt the carbs using a kit including Viton tipped needle valves from Burlen Fuel Systems. Nigel

That does look good for the money. Nigel

When I had a Spit Mk3, I hooked the bottom of the spring into the lower front wishbone rear bracket. Don't know if that was correct. Nigel

Based on over 20 years ownership, I've found 26psi front and 28psi rear best on my 1972 Rotoflex GT6 Mk3. It's running 175/70-13 tyres on 5.5" rims. Tyre west is quite even across the tread width, handling and wife are gonna for a 50 year old car, though harsher than a modern. Hope you enjoy your GT6. Nigel

The easiest way to convert to overdrive is to buy a complete gearbox and overdrive from another Vitesse or GT6. However, these are quite rare and therefore expensive now. I sold a sound GT6 gesrbox with overdrive last year for £400, and should perhaps have asked more. You will also need the switch gear, wiring and a shorter prop shaft to complete the conversion. Nigel

My GT6 is perfectly happy with strobe timing at 800rpm tickover set to 12 deg BTDC. That applies to both the standard 2 litre engine and the tweaked 2.5 litre fitted currently. I normally run it on 99 octane Tesco Momentum, or Shell V-Power if I'm feeling especially wealthy! Nigel

I'm also suspecting seized auto advance mechanism, struck in the retarded position. Take the distributor cap off and try twisting the rotor arm.... Does it move one direction and tend to spring back when released? If not, it's seized. Nigel

If there's any doubt about the condition of the oil pump, replace it, your engine depends on it. I certainly wouldn't try using a pump that has seized them been freed off. And I agree with John that the state of the oil pump calls the rest of the engine rebuild into question. While the sump is off to fit an oil pump, I would set least inspect the crank bearings, it's easy enough once the sump is removed. Nigel

A healthy oil pump will spin easily with a battery drill. If that didn't work, there's something seriously wrong with the pump, so replace it. Nigel