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Alan C

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Everything posted by Alan C

  1. Thanks for the replies. The consensus seems to be sidelights to the outside and I'm of a similar mind to you Colin. The sidelights should mark the extremities of the car. My E-Type has the indicators on the outside but being mounted on a curve probably meant that this was done for side illumination when flashing. I have a couple of brochures from the time and they show the sidelights to the outside. So assuming the cars came direct from the factory I would take this as the correct orientation. It seems incredible that there wasn't a standard position for these. Cheers Alan
  2. Hi Everyone I haven't posted here in a very long time so apologies for that. I am just putting the quarter valances back on the GT6 after respraying them. I'm sure this has been asked before, but what is the correct orientation of the combined sidelight/ indicator units. I have them fitted with the sidelight outboard but this means the indicator reflector is angled towards the centre of the car which seems wrong. An internet trawl shows them fitted both ways round which isn't much help. Is there a correct way. Cheers Alan
  3. Sorry John I have to disagree. You could easily have had a barbeque on the uninsulated exhaust manifold before I applied the wrap as a result the heat resistant paint peeled off in short order. Admittedly it is a stainless steel tubular exhaust which runs hotter than the standard cast iron version due to it's greater surface area and inferior heat soaking capabilities. I also made heat shields for the HS6 SU's which were also getting decidedly hot. Having the fuel system on top of the exhaust was not one of Triumph's greatest ideas, much better to have them on opposite sides as in the XK engine. I have never had the engine valances or radiator ducting fitted so any heat from the radiator has plenty space in which to dissipate before it reaches the cabin. I also run a thermostatically controlled electric water pump coupled with a two speed electric pusher fan which is far more efficient than the standard set-up. This means that the engine heats up quickly and the temperature gauge rarely moves past the halfway mark. The gearbox was also a lesser source of heat made worse by the heat from the exhaust pipe underneath. Air flow over the gearbox is crucial to it's longevity and reliable operation. Alan
  4. Adan I have a Mk3 and I remember one memorable Summer journey when it got so hot that the alarm remote on the ignition keyring stopped working and I ended up driving in my bare feet. I've found that the two most effective measures to stop heat from the engine bay was to wrap the exhaust in hessian heat wrap and line the gearbox tunnel with kitchen foil. A common cause of gearbox heat intrusion is that either the sound deadening is missing or it's lying on the gearbox itself, blocking the air flow. I strapped the insulation to the cover using the wire from two coat hangers hooked around four short bolts. The kitchen foil was attached to the underside of the insulation. Result, no more heat from the gearbox and it's worked faultlessly ever since. The biggest aid however is the heat wrap. The reduction in underbonnet heat is tremendous. The cabin never gets hot because I always drive with the driver's window open unless it's a monsoon outside. Not enough elbow room otherwise and this keeps you cool even on the hottest days. Cheers Alan
  5. Jim From what I can gather from your original post the ignition warning light is behaving as it should. On when cranking and off once the engine fires up. The ignition warning light is not required for correct alternator operation. This is only the case with the rather complicated circuitry required for the Lucas 11AC alternator with external regulator. This required not one but two relays plus a separate regulator to work. In the case of the GT6 it's simply a warning light and nothing else. When you switch the ignition on the light is earthed through the alternator connection. Once the engine is running this connection rises to approximately 12V and so makes the ignition light go out. A clicking starter solenoid is a sign of a discharged battery-there is enough charge left to close the auxilliary contact but nothing left for cranking itself. Not surprising after all the attempted engine starts you've been trying. Manually pump the fuel pump with the lever under the cylindrical body until you can't hear any further petrol entering the carbs. This will save the battery some effort when you do attempt a start-up. As Pete has stated the fuel can slowly return back down to the tank and also vapourise after a period of time. Any start-up will then have to wait until the engine has cranked enough fuel back into the carbs to allow firing to occur. Alan
  6. Gully Where did yo buy the covers from? Alan
  7. Thanks gents that's what I was hoping. I prefer the basket weave to the plain. I think it looks more period. The strange thing is that when I bought the car in 1986 it had what I assumed were the original seats fitted and the covers had plain fluting. They must have been recovered sometime before my ownership. Alan
  8. I spoke to Richard Briscoe of RB Mobile Classic and he is expecting in his first batch of rear seat fixing brackets within the next month. These will include the shoot bolts and vinyl covered seat rests as well. Initially they will only be offered in black vinyl with a view to having other colours depending on demand. Cheers Alan
  9. Hi Everyone I've just acquired an occasional rear seat kit for my GT6. It has the basket weave vinyl while the front seats are plain. Which is correct for this year of manufacture? Cheers Alan
  10. I think you'll have an even greater chafing problem with 17A wire. 'm assuming you're using the standard Triumph gear stick mounted switch with the cables entering the side of the shaft about halfway up. The J-Type overdrive is the better unit but the controlling relay was omitted because of the lower currents involved, You should re-instate this if it's been removed as part of the conversion. The easiest test to see if you have a relay in circuit is to put the car in third or fourth gear, switch the ignition on without cranking the engine, then turn on the O/D switch. If there's a relay in circuit you should hear a muffled clunk from somewhere on the bulkhead.Using a relay in the O/D circuit has two advantages:- The O/D switch is only handling the relay operating current-less than 1A The wiring to the O/D switch is the absolute minimum in size therefore reducing the risk of chaffing I'm actually surprised that you've managed to stuff a 17A cable up the gearstick without peeling it like a banana. Even with this set-up a small inline fuse should be used in the controlling circuit- something like 2A if you're using a modern spade type. Cheers Alan
  11. Mike It's not clear in the photo but do you have the vinyl covered "upstand" that fits to the cross bar. The rear deck boards and carpet should butt against it. You shouldn't see the board or carpet edges looking from the cabin. My carpet extends well under the bar similar to Andy and Doug's. Better still buy a rear seat, I can recommend it. Cheers Alan
  12. David Thanks for the link. The bracket shown in the thread looks different from the one Andy Cook had in his article. I like the chrome finish on it. I think I'll have to fabricate the brackets and hopefully peeling back the interior trim will reveal the pre-drilled holes and captive nuts. As far as I am aware the panel in question is factory original-it's above the rust line! Adrian Sorry for that, but it wasn't all plain sailing. The black seat was actually another tan one that had been resprayed at some point and the carpet backing is still tan and in poor nick. Initially it was only the seat back that arrived. After a bit of contracted negotiation with the seller, the squab was found and delivered separately. Fair play to him though, he seemed genuine and wasn't really clued up on what he was selling. So I've basically got everything minus the body mounted brackets now for a very fair price. My wife(yes you read correctly) is a dab hand at refurbishing seats and is looking forward to getting it done. The only problem I have now is that the seat has the basket weave vinyl and my front seats are plain. My car is a 1971 rotoflex, so can anyone confirm which is correct. I rather like the basket weave and will probably change the front seat covers to match. Andy Thanks for the article It's most helpful. Do you know if the contact you mentioned in it ever got around to re-manufacturing the securing brackets? Cheers Alan
  13. I am that originality junkie.
  14. Hi Everyone I've just splashed out and bought a rear seat assembly from that well known auction site. It's always puzzled me how Triumph ever managed to shift them in the first place. Fine if you car share with two legless hobbits but not much use for anything else. Anyway I digress, the seat is in good condition except that it's missing the wheel arch brackets. Has anyone got a photo of these or better still the dimensions so I can fabricate new ones. The seat has a padded backrest with an unpadded vinyl skirt along the bottom edge. Is there another section to this or does the vinyl only reach down to the bottom of the rear deck upstand? Should the back of the seat be covered in carpet of the same colour as the vinyl? Lastly, the seat has a strap attached to the middle of the back panel with a snap connector. Where does this attach to? The only other problem I can see is that some idiot has fitted the inertia reel seatbelt winders on the wheelarch in exactly the same position as the side of the seat-oh wait that was me! Any images would be most helpful. Cheers Alan
  15. Hi Everyone Can anyone recommend a good scratch remover for glass. There are a few annoying scratches on both the E-Type's windscreen and the GT6's door glass which I'd dearly love to be shot of. Cheers Alan
  16. Agree with John's diagnosis. I ran with one horn for many years without realising it. I always thought I had a very woofly tone and it passed many MOTs to boot. I had both problems a faulty horn and inadequate earth. A simple test would be to run a live wire direct from the battery to each horn in turn. If they both work then you have a wiring problem. If one or other fails then you have either a faulty horn or an earthing problem. This is easily overcome by earthing each horn directly to the chassis. Make sure it's a clean connection or it won't solve the problem. If both now work then it's an earthing problem, if not you have a faulty horn. Once you've done all that you can sit back and enjoy the melodious sound of twin horns and so can your neighbours! Cheers Alan
  17. Well I've now changed the flexible hose and pipe to the rear left drum. I discovered that there was a male to female adaptor fitted to the three way brake union. Is this normal? I had to remove it since the replacement hose had two male connections fitted. Anyway just the brakes to bleed and then back on the road. Alan
  18. Thanks for the info Pete. I've got another one made up with a professional flaring tool. It's exactly 12 inches long if anyone else requires the length in the future. I measured it in situ with a French curve, probably one of the most useful gadgets I've ever owned. It's coincidently 12 inches long which made measuring the pipe easy. I'm still using the car as my daily driver since the leak is more of a seep. I'm going to fit the new pipe tomorrow and hopefully no more leaks. I did a search of the Forum for info and turned up the thread where you warned against clamping brake pipes especially the braided type. Well I clamped this very same braided hose two years ago in order to change the brake cylinder. I'll now be changing that as well now! Cheers Alan
  19. Hi Everyone Can anyone tell me the length of the brake pipe that goes between the rear brake drum and the bracket on the radius arm mount. My GT6 is a 1971 rotoflex car. I need to replace mine now that it's decided to leak from the rear of the brake cylinder. I strongly suspect the pipe's flared end which I made myself sometime ago. Cheers Alan
  20. Another option to consider is a gearbox from one of the big saloons. I fitted a J-Type equipped unit from a 2500S. This box is much stronger than the standard GT6 box. It will fit between the chassis rails with only a very slight trim on the passenger side chassis rail upper flange. The gearstick location is near identical to the standard set-up. The standard slave cylinder is on the passenger side and needs to be mounted above the thrust bearing release shaft to clear the chassis. I fitted this unit 25 years ago when the perceived wisdom was that it wouldn't fit. Well it does almost fit with a little thought and there are still plenty about the last time I checked. Cheers Alan
  21. Laurie I've recently gone through the pain of a full rotoflex suspension rebuild without a spring lifter. Considering the tension that's involved, disconnecting the drive shafts would only be the start your problems. I would reckon that trying to realign the flanges to the diff would be well nigh impossible. Removing the drive shafts and transverse Spring seems like your only option. You don't need a spring lifter to Complete the reassembly though. I used a crowbar with two d shackles around the spring and an axle stand to maintain the spring at it's maximum height. You'll know when this is reached because after that the whole car starts to lift. Raise the hub assembly with a jack and place a block of wood on top of the rotoflex coupling. This acts as a fulcrum point when the block contacts with the spring and pivots the outer drive shaft up to meet the spring eye. It lines up every time without a fuss. Good luck Alan
  22. Alan C

    Having a laugh

    Gary Agree about what someone is willing to pay. This particular example has been advertised before- so I'm guessing the seller hasn't Been killed in the rush of offers. Alan
  23. Alan C

    Having a laugh

    Just spotted this on Ebay:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1967-TRIUMPH-GT6-MK1-SPORTS-COUPE-E-TYPE-ROSSO-RED-TAX-EXEMPT-/301830596041?hash=item46468165c9:g:ni4AAOSwSdZWdyQR £20k for a Mk1 GT6-have I been away for a while. I had to laugh at the description saying this was a genuine 1960's timewarp car, then going on to state that parts have been changed and the colour changed etc etc. Only 11 left on the road-surely some mistake here as well. Cheers Alan
  24. Macandy Sorry I have to disagree. I've found that the biggest single aid to under bonnet temperature control is the hessian type exhaust wrap. This has a truly remarkable effect especially on a tubular manifold. Couple this with a set of decent carb heatshields and you shouldn't have any worries. My stage 2 tuned engine was dyno'd at 135bhp a few years ago without the valances. The bonnet never got more than warm to the touch at any time during the rolling road test. The main side valances main job (I believe) was to shield the engine and ancillaries from flying road muck. I also have a two speed electric fan-a Vauxhall pusher unit rescued from the local scrappies-in the days when you could do that sort of thing. It's the biggest fan that will physically fit between the chassis rails and partially sweeps the adjacent oil cooler as well. It very rarely kicks in and never switches to the high speed mode. As Pete has said everyone has there own views on this-just what this Forum's about really. Cheers Alan
  25. Stevie The hazard flasher unit is mounted on the bulkhead next to the horn relay-LHS of the battery compartment. It's 12v supply is piggy backed off the horn relay. It's identical to the flasher unit except for being beefed up electrically to cope with four indicators rather than two. The unit should only have two terminals. It's function is solely to supply an intermittant 12v supply to the dashboard master switch. The warning light is supplied from the master switch as well. The unit on the back of the speedo is the voltage stabiliser. Cheers Alan
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