Gearbox Tunnel cover.

[Paul Amey]

Has anyone on here any experience of fitting a GT6 poly gearbox tunnel cover to a Vitesse? I am told the gear lever hole needs enlarging at the rear to make it fit. So this will leave a gap at the front. Is it a big gap? and is it easy to modify the hole?

[Colin Lindsay]

Yes it can be done; just mark where the gearlever needs to go, cut so as to allow full movement, then cover the exposed original hole with a curved plate of metal or even strong plastic held on by self-tappers. I've had a few like that in my time. It's not a huge hole so easily covered up. Some owners make a very nice plate with a rubber insert for the gearlever that looks very professional, but covers the whole rear area.

[Paul Amey]

Thanks Colin!

[Phil C]

Can I continue this older thread please?

I am looking to acquire a gearbox tunnel for my Vitesse Mk2 restoration.

I am somewhat confused as some suppliers list one and claims it fits GT6, Vitesse and herald.

Others list one suitable for the GT6/Vitesse and another for the Herald.

Others (Club Shop incl) list one for the GT6 and one for the Herald but no mention of the Vitesse.

Paul, I see you fitted a modified GT6 to your Vitesse. Is this accepted way to go or is there a source for the Vitesse?

Ideally I would prefer a Poly one rather than fibreglass.

Thanks.

[dougbgt6]

Phil,

GT6/Vitesse/Herald is just wrong. Moss list a GT6/Vitesse cover, I got my GT6 cover from the Club Shop and it had a Moss sticker on it, so I think Moss are the primary source of plastic covers.  I'd give them a ring.  Or Angie at the club shop.

Doug

[Pete Lewis]

james paddock list as GT6 /Vitesse   709862SAP at £90 +v  etc.

pete

[Josef]

Pretty sure the only difference between the GT6, Vitesse and Herald covers is the position of the gearstick hole. I modified mine to fit the Herald before anyone sold a Herald ABS one. Can’t remember which of the 6 cyl cars it was supposed to fit though!

[Colin Lindsay]

I think it's to do with the position of the gear lever? Heralds are further forward than GT6 so the hole for the lever is in a different area.

Josef just beat me to it but I was looking for pics! GT6 left, Herald right.

 

[NonMember]

Looks that way. Logically, the shape of the front ought to be completely different but, as Colin recently observed on his restoration thread, the bulkhead was commonized when the Vitesse was launched, and the gearbox cover thus also got a common mould.

[Josef]

Is a Spitfire cover then the same as an early Herald one? That would explain the presence of the redundant, inaccessible coin tray. 

[Colin Lindsay]

12 hours ago, Josef said:

Is a Spitfire cover then the same as an early Herald one? That would explain the presence of the redundant, inaccessible coin tray. 

Same as Herald but NOT early Herald, as I found out recently; (that's early as in pre-1962/3 or thereabouts.) The shape of the bulkhead was changed to become common to both Herald and Vitesse so the outline of the tunnel cover at the bulkhead end became the same across the range.

[Casper]

The Mk 1 chassis (early) Herald uses the same tunnel as the Spitfire.

The usual Herald on the Mk 2 'Star' chassis is not the same as a Spitfire

C.

[Colin Lindsay]

6 hours ago, Casper said:

The Mk 1 chassis (early) Herald uses the same tunnel as the Spitfire.

So: can you still get the Spitfire versions? It would have saved me a lot of bother had I known they were available.

[Josef]

39 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

So: can you still get the Spitfire versions? It would have saved me a lot of bother had I known they were available.

Yep both ABS and fibreglass. Just looked on Canleys actually and they list the fibreglass version as being Spitfire and Herald pre 63. So I guess there may be some slight difference, probably the gearstick position again. 

[Phil C]

Thanks all for your input.

I have been assured that the GT6 and Mk2 Vitesse share the same gearbox cover and on that basis one has been ordered.

I will confirm this to be so (or not) once received and offered up to the car.

[dougbgt6]

Phil,

Consider cutting an access hole for gear box oil top ups and lining the interior of the tunnel with SilientCoat insulation. And DON'T buy the fitting kit, it's a rip off!

Doug

Edited May 21, 2022 by dougbgt6
I confused Phil with Paul

[Phil C]

Received new cover and despite being assured by the vendor it is common to both GT6 and Vitesse.....it isn't.

As per Doug's cover it is branded as Moss although not bought from them.

When I position the cover to suit the gear lever it is around 1" short of the bulkhead and marginally short of the tub as shown in photos below. 

Fettling required 🙄

On 19/05/2022 at 14:55, dougbgt6 said:

Consider cutting an access hole for gear box oil top ups and lining the interior of the tunnel with SilientCoat insulation. And DON'T buy the fitting kit, it's a rip off!

Yes, Yes and I didn't. Ta

 

 

Gap to bulkhead.

 

Gap to Tub

 

[Badwolf]

That is a dreadful fit. I would return it for the correct model.  Don't know about fettling, it will need expanding foam and heaven knows what to sort out those gaps.

[johny]

Rimmers dont list that plastic cover for the Vitesse only for GT6 with a note:

'Modification required if fitting to Triumph Herald / Vitesse due to the position of the gear lever aperture.'

[Phil C]

Agreed.

Its not great but I don't think there is one available specifically for the Vitesse (my original question🤔)

Only option is to make this one fit 🤠

[Badwolf]

When many of us are trying to make our original covers fit better, with fewer holes, more insulation, access covers etc, to see this with huge gaps, well, it's appalling. Better to get a secondhand one that at least fits and refurbish it. There are a couple of us either doing it (pause for laughter from regular contributors reading my attempts) or have done it very successfully. Might as well spend the time refurbing something rather than carving up something that is nowhere near in the first place. You also have to consider the fit of the carpets that will go over the top. Just a few thoughts.

[johny]

3 hours ago, Phil C said:

Agreed.

Its not great but I don't think there is one available specifically for the Vitesse (my original question🤔)

Only option is to make this one fit 🤠

The fibreglass one comes without a gearlever hole so you have to cut one to suit GT6 or Vitesse but I dont know what the rest of the fit is like....

[trigolf]

45 minutes ago, johny said:

The fibreglass one comes without a gearlever hole so you have to cut one to suit GT6 or Vitesse but I dont know what the rest of the fit is like....

I bought a fibreglass one from Canley Classics years ago. Even though it needed a bit of fettling, it was a damn sight better fit than that!

Gav

 

 

 

[johny]

well I think the plastic one only needs the hole extending for a Vitesse which is exactly what Rimmers say needs doing. It makes you wonder though why they dont make them like the fibreglass ones with no hole....

[griffipaul]

The club cover was listed as suitable for both gt6 and vitesse till I bought mine a while back and complained that it did not fit. This is the same item as sold by Moss. to get it to fit I cut the raised flanges off the sides as they were way deeper than the seal height . The lever hole needs repositioning by cutting the aperature area offset by half the error and turning it round and aralditing in  see attached photos.