Gt6 gearbox tunnel cover chop

[rulloyd]

As I’m retro fitting o/d to my gt6, and reading some of the potential issues over time that could necessitate the nightmare removal of the gearbox cover, like a Speedo drive failure, I’m wondering if anybody has ever considered the radical step of slicing the cover in two such that the back half can be removed without messing with the dash support / radio bracket / front of the cover etc?

Obviously the two halves would have to be held together but the joint could be under the radio bracket which runs from top to bottom of course.

Just a thought.  I know some have created inspection holes with covers.

Many thanks

Rich

Edited April 9 by rulloyd

[Dick Twitchen]

Rich, 

I've gone down the inspection plate route, and go down the groaning route when I have to remove the tunnel.  The drawback I think I can see with your idea is that you have to remove the carpet to get the leeway required to get the cover over the gearlever.  This would then require the H support to be removed anyway.

Dick

 

[Stratton Jimmer]

The PO of my GT6 created his own "inspection" hole. A large, roughly hewn chunk of the cover was absent. I was given a new fibreglass cover with the car so no real complaint but I then found a suitable piece of plastic (from a 15 litre fence paint pot), tidied up the hole and covered it with the tougher plastic which is bolted into place using tiny BA bolts. It was supposed to be a temporary fix until I fitted the new cover but it has proven to be so effective that it is still in place. This car currently has no dash support / radio bracket fitted although I do have one.

[rulloyd]

1 hour ago, Dick Twitchen said:

Rich, 

I've gone down the inspection plate route, and go down the groaning route when I have to remove the tunnel.  The drawback I think I can see with your idea is that you have to remove the carpet to get the leeway required to get the cover over the gearlever.  This would then require the H support to be removed anyway.

Dick

 

But I could cut the carpet and hide the join behind the radio /dash support.  I could even glue the carpet on the gear  stick end.  So long as the join is inside the mount, all I would need to do is loosen it at the bottom and slide it out slightly and over the gearstick.

 

[rulloyd]

32 minutes ago, Stratton Jimmer said:

The PO of my GT6 created his own "inspection" hole. A large, roughly hewn chunk of the cover was absent. I was given a new fibreglass cover with the car so no real complaint but I then found a suitable piece of plastic (from a 15 litre fence paint pot), tidied up the hole and covered it with the tougher plastic which is bolted into place using tiny BA bolts. It was supposed to be a temporary fix until I fitted the new cover but it has proven to be so effective that it is still in place. This car currently has no dash support / radio bracket fitted although I do have one.

I guess it would be difficult to access if the support was installed without cutting a flap in the carpet?

[trigolf]

I seem to recall that Nigel Clark has fitted a prefabicated plastic 2 piece to gearbox cover to his TR6 recently? I think he featured it's installation in Practical Classics mag recently? 

[Nigel Clark]

41 minutes ago, trigolf said:

I seem to recall that Nigel Clark has fitted a prefabicated plastic 2 piece to gearbox cover to his TR6 recently? I think he featured it's installation in Practical Classics mag recently? 

Yes, I fitted this split cover from Racestorations to my TR6:

https://www.racetorations.co.uk/product/split-gearbox-tunnel-including-extra-inspection-panels-tr4a-6/

It's proved very useful for accessing the speedo angle drive and topping up gearbox oil.

As far as I know, there is no commercially available split tunnel for the GT6. However, it wouldn't be difficult to modify a glass fibre tunnel with a hatch for the angle drive and hole with large rubber bung for topping up the oil.

Cutting the tunnel in two just aft of the H-frame may also be possible, but the front part would need the addition of a flange on its rear edge, onto which the rear part could mount and seal

Nigel