Car SOS

[Clive]

Doug, I have tried, back to back (almost) OEM asbestos, 1144 and ds2500 pads. The OEM pads are superior in terms of road use, the 1144 are very similar, the DS2500 are a touch down on cold braking, but make up when brakes are hot.1144 are the nearest overall.

No need to discuss the pros and cons of silicone. But the one thing is that I can buy dot4 anywhere, often a supermarket. This is potentially useful should I have to do an emergency brake overhaul. I do carry 1/2litre of fluid, but silicone is too hard to find. And silicone doesn't seem to cope as well with extremely hot brakes, something that is not an issue for most people, but a potentially a risk for me. 

Yes, the card tunnels are excellent IF in good condition. Poly type seem to best alternative,but still lack the insulation properties of the originals.

Shocks, I reckon proper old stock shocks are excellent. The only advantage of my Konis is that I can adjust them, but I wouldn't be surprised if my settings are very close to OEM shocks. The std black offerings available today are just terrible.

Re copper pipe, I have cars here that have covered loads of miles with zero issues. In fact there is a herald outside now. It has done huge mileage, over 150K in the last 20 years, and his spit is coming up for 100K. Copper pipes, no problems. However, the closeness of the master to the slave on a 6 cylinder may make the pipe more at risk? but a decent 4-5 coil pigtail should be more than enough? But I worry about braided stuff in general as you can't inspect the hose. 

Anyway, off to replumb the spit, and correct the DPO heater setup that could never work

[dougbgt6]

Clive,

Yes, silicone availability is a valid point, but not an issue for me as I never venture far from home and have recovery insurance. 

You're luck with your copper, I had a pipe in my loft split due to it not having sufficient supporting brackets. It was the rising main to the cold water tank and vibrated as water went through it, "hammering" I think it's called. It went brittle and burst.  Brought the ceiling down, through the bathroom floor and to add insult to injury, soaked the GT6 in the garage below. So I'm finely attuned to the frailties of copper pipe. Andy Cook has had clutch master/slave pipe go brittle and burst, maybe it IS a 6 cylinder thing. AND, there isn't room for a 4/5 loop pigtail!

I think you'll be lucky to find an original tunnel in good condition. I've lined my poly one with heat/sound insulation remarkably heavy stuff and it's better than the original, an improvement, which I suppose is my overall point.

I'm working on the GT6 shortly but I've promised myself I'll mow the grass first.

Doug

[rlubikey]

I wonder if it's re-use of the clutch pipe after an engine/gearbox/mastercylinder job? The already work-hardened pipe is in a slightly different position and sees more stress. If it's never been touched, it''ll probably last for ever. (Of course, you never know if the DPO has had the engine out.)

Cheers, Richard

[NonMember]

Errr... there's a lot of talk of the work hardening of the copper clutch pipe but... the factory pipe was, umm... steel.

That said, I have cunifer clutch pipes on both the GT6 and the Vitesse and never had a problem.

[PeteH]

Hi.

Lots of interesting views here. So can I add my "two pennoth"?. There is an issue surrounding NOS parts, Vis availability and in some cases deterioration in storage. I obtained a set of NOS brake pads on which one of the "pads" had detached from the Backing plate!. And a "Gaiter"  which was already cracking!. Then there is the N/A. Which leaves little alternative to the use of more "Modern" Materials.

Retrofitting "Electronic" ignition was not uncommon back in the 70`s. I had it in my Mk1 Escort(s). Moving from Cross Ply to Radial Tyres likewise.

Replacement of Engines, Gear boxes etc with "modern" upgrades, does in my view, defeat the object of ownership of a "Classic", However I would not Balk at the entire Genre,  For example as someone who has more that a touch of Arthritis, I might well be tempted to electric power steering, in order to continue to enjoy the overall satisfaction of ownership. Some years ago, my wife owned a Vittesse, the primary reason for it`s sale being the fact that she could no longer manage the clutch and the need for an auto "box" became paramount. Only days after it was sold, I saw an conversion using the 2.5 Engine and Auto box (from a Crashed 2000 series). Had I known I would have seriously considered a similar swap!.

A Recent, "Car SOS" programme highlighted the rebuild of the 13/60, in which the Engine had fuel injection fitted, allegedly the aim was to improve the reliability and give better response. The (Lady) Owner was intending to use it as a Daily Driver, and had limited maintenance skills.

The Enjoyment of the Classic, whatever it is should be the first objective?

 

[dougbgt6]

9 hours ago, NonMember said:

Errr... there's a lot of talk of the work hardening of the copper clutch pipe but... the factory pipe was, umm... steel.

What came off mine was copper, or copper/nickel. It's illegal in some countries, because of the brittle issue? I don't know.

Doug

[Anglefire]

I was at the Donington Classic yesterday - clearly a lot of the cars are modified to improve their reliability - this is the only Triumph I remember seeing on track - plenty of TR's in the show areas though.

Is that wrong? In my view no, but then I don't think anything is really wrong as modifying cars has been done since cars were first made and if that makes you happy then fine - some might not like the modifications - but there is plenty of room for all.

The Ferrari "Breadvan" was out racing - and racing hard too till it stopped (Well it is a Fezza!) - fair play to the bloke that races it given it is reportedly worth £22M

 

[dave.vitesse]

My wife's last Triumph was a 2.5 Litre Gitfire. Rotoflex GT6 chassis. Cars are a system and everything about that Gitfire made it very usable. Held the road better than the Golf GTI we had at the time and would leave an XJS. But nice and tame in a traffic jam. Yet the purists, Not TSSC or Club Triumph, used to turn their nose up at the car. 

It was great fun to drive and we used it on most of the summer holidays doing many miles. We just got too old for it. An MX5 and TR7 now for long trips.

Dave

[NonMember]

5 hours ago, dougbgt6 said:

What came off mine was copper, or copper/nickel. It's illegal in some countries, because of the brittle issue? I don't know.

As I understand it, the copper/nickel alloy suffers much less from work hardening than pure copper, so it's recommended to always use the alloy for brake or clutch pipes.

Of course, the factory went for plastic clutch pipes on all the later models (Dolomites and the like)

[rlubikey]

On 05/05/2018 at 10:16 PM, NonMember said:

Errr... there's a lot of talk of the work hardening of the copper clutch pipe but... the factory pipe was, umm... steel.

That said, I have cunifer clutch pipes on both the GT6 and the Vitesse and never had a problem.

Good point, well made - thank you!

Cheers, Richard

[Cookie]

On 04/05/2018 at 10:45 AM, Bordfunker said:

I’m with Colin in preferring that cars are kept as original as possible, however doesn’t extend to excluding modifications like electric cooling fans, or alternators and electronic ignition systems which make a car more reliable, and address some of the originals less attractive quirks and foibles.

But then that is just my interpretation of restoration, and I accept that the term covers a myriad of interpretations.

Karl

Fitting an el;ectric fan to a GT6 is just plain stupidity. I know I did that and suffered hot running and misfiring in hot weather for years. I eventually threw it away and refitted the standard fan and it cured my car straight away. The GT6 radiator is such a small area that an electric fan with it's motor in the centre just blocks airflow and causes overheating, fuel vaporisation, pinking and misfiring...

[Cookie]

On 06/05/2018 at 8:10 AM, dougbgt6 said:

What came off mine was copper, or copper/nickel. It's illegal in some countries, because of the brittle issue? I don't know.

Doug

Cupronickel is fine it's copper that is illegal in some countries eg Germany as it's considered a safety hazard as it can fracture after it work hardens and ages. I did have a copper clutch pipe fracture on my GT6 once and leave me stranded in Cornwall, had to call out the RAC...