Classic car newbie

[Swiss Bob]

Hello all.

Glad to have discovered this Forum.

This will be my first foray into the classic car world, though the wife did have a Valiant Charger. I ride/restore old motorcycles for a hobby (including a 1950 German Triumph) but now would like something a bit more weatherproof. Have been looking at the GT6, all marks, but particularly like the mk3. I'll want something that's pretty much sound so I can get straight into enjoying the driving.

I'm fortunate to live and work in a beautiful part of Europe with some fantastic mountain roads to try out. Watching the Ollon-Villars Historic Hillclimb pass through our village last year whetted my appetite even more.

Will probably need to ask your advice from time to time with some hopefully not to silly questions.

Cheers

Sheridan

[Qu1ckn1ck]

Hi Sheridan and welcome to the forum.  The GT6 Mk3 is definitely my favourite Triumph too !

[AndyTV8]

Welcome t9 the forum and best of luck opwith your search

.... andy 

[Roger]

Welcome to the forum Sheridan! Nice to see some Swiss people here! The company I work for have head quarter in Liechtenstein and I spend a lot of time in Balzers, Triesen and Vaduz. Plenty of classic cars there, but I have not seen a Triumph yet! You will find this forum very useful when you have your GT6.

Best regards, Roger.

[JohnD]

Welcome, Sheridan!    If you plan to come to Classic Le Mans and visit the Tertres Rouge camp site you will have more GT6s to look at in one place than you'll see in a month of Sundays.

Just say Hello the first GT6 owner you see, they don't bite!

JOhn

[Swiss Bob]

Thank you all for the kind welcomes.

Thanks for the heads up on the Classic Le Mans as well John. Sadly still working then so will have to try next year.

Going to search locally first, but nice as they are the websites are full of classic Fiats and Lancias. The few Triumphs I have seen advertised are in great condition but come with a Swiss premium. I'm a Brit so might look back there and then deal with the nightmare of importing a car!

Sheridan

 

 

[JohnD]

Swiss,

No CLM next year, it's every two years.  Hope to see you then!

Meanwhile, no need to come as far as the UK!    Other European Triumph cluibs can help.

French Amicale Spitfire site.  They include GT6s and their  "DiagnoSpit" advice on buying applies to GT6s too: http://www.amicalespitfire.fr/documentation/diagnospit/

You probably already know the Spitfire Club Schweiz: https://spitfire.ch/

Or, of course, the German side http://www.triumph-spitfire.de/ or the Netherlands: http://www.spitfire.nl/

Even, if you really enjoy beurocracy, importing from a 'dry' state in the US, for a rust-free car.  The Triumph Experience is just one of several US sites: https://www.triumphexp.com/phorum/latest.php

 LHD, possibly easier to import to Switzerland?

Good luck!

JOhn

[Roger]

Good recommendations John. I can add that there is a nice GT6 for sale in Sweden, and it is a Mk3. A long way to drive perhaps, but the car seems to be in very good condition and capable of doing it and classic cars are cheaper in Sweden compared to Switzerland https://www.blocket.se/stockholm/Triumph_GT6_79351781.htm?ca=11&w=3 

[Swiss Bob]

Great recommendations from both of you. I have been in touch with the gentleman in Sweden and the car does look lovely. Only thing which was a negative for me was no overdrive. Are these cheap/easy to install though?

[JohnD]

An overdrive isn't an add-on, Bob.     It needs different parts in the gearbox, and a diffent, shorter propshaft, some wiring and a control lever for the steering column, but the latter is easy.

In fact I fitted a push button on my steering wheel, rather than another stick on the column.    A length of 'curly-whirly' cable connects it, and there's a light next to it to show that Overdrive Engaged.

J

[Gully]

Welcome from another Mk3 GT6 owner!

Regarding overdrive, it's a nice to have, but bear in mind that (for UK cars at least) the final drive ratio on an OD car in OD 4th and a non OD car in 4th is pretty much the same, as Triumph altered the diff ratio on the OD cars to 3.89 (from 3.27 on the non OD). I seem to recall the Mk 3 German export cars had overdrive with the taller 3.27 diff, which gives a relaxed cruising car at the expense of initial acceleration. Not sure about the Swedish models.

My Mk 3 started life as a non OD car with the 3.27 diff and was converted to OD by a previous owner, but with no diff change. I went for quite a common compromise to get a little more sprightly acceleration, but still lower cruising revs, by having a 3.63 (Spitfire 1500) ratio diff built.

Good luck with your hunt.

Gully

[NonMember]

Welcome Sheridan, from another Mk3 GT6 owner (there's obviously lots of us here!)

Unlike Gully's, my GT6 was built with OD but like his it now sports a 3.63 diff. This is mostly because I discovered, after the fourth time it did the CT Round Britain Reliability Run, that one of its previous owners had fitted a 13/60 Herald diff (4.11 ratio). Overdrive is definitely nice to have but, if you have the 3.27 diff, not essential. The 3.27 is a little delicate, though.

[dougbgt6]

Sheridan,

Welcome!  I also have a GT6 m3 and it IS the prettiest and the best!  Mine doesn't have OD, I have often contemplated it, but new diff, new prop, changes to the gearbox and an overdrive unit, the pennies all mount up. OD is good for motorway cruising, but I don't like driving the GT on motorways, I feel my vulnerability! So I'm happy with non OD, although if I was buying another I would include both OD and non-OD in my search.

Also what year is the  Swedish car? The last upgrade to the GT6 was in Feb 73. Sundym glass, brake servo as standard, bigger rear brake drums, bigger brake shoes, bigger master cylinder and brake cylinders, self adjusting rear brakes, cloth seats, no more rotoflex, swing spring (and BROWN carpet option ) Most of these are OK, I prefer the swing spring to rotoflex and certainly less troublesome and easier to get at. The changes to the brake system are an issue, everything is bigger and as the model only ran another 10 months (?) spares are starting to become difficult to find. The self adjusters are not well designed, mine don't work and no amount of bending and reshaping will make them work. So it's drums off and wind up the mechanism manually. 

Doug

[Swiss Bob]

Wow, lots of great advice and information. I was thinking that I really needed OD but looks like I could live without it. The Swedish car is from 1971 - the guy has just sent me some more photos and everything looks in excellent order. Anything in particular I should be asking him?

[dougbgt6]

Sheridan,

Here is a piece written by Andy Cook, the TSSC registrar secretary, Andy has a 71 mk3. It's on front page cars section on this site.  One thing he says, he has is an electric fan, I know that he has recently reverted to the original mechanical fan  and is very pleased with it.

https://www.tssc.org.uk/tssc/profile.asp?profile_ID=122

There are also quite a few GT6 buyers guide around, here's one which is quite good, although I would say the compression test is way out 175 to 185 is too much. 120 to 150 is more like it.

http://www.triumphclub.co.nz/?page_id=170

Doug