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Maisie takes a bow.


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Hello Folks, and thank you for letting me join the group. This is a GT6 Mk III that I've bought as an early Christmas present for me. She arrived yesterday from Dunfermline. Although it's just a rolling chassis, first impressions are pretty good. There are one or two 'rusty bits, but nothing too serious; an outrigger needs some surface rust cleaning off, and that, is pretty good indeed. Very good for a car that is 48 years old. Well, it's in better shape than me....

The intention is to build a Burlington Arrow/ Beretta with her. I've seen some peerless examples of Gt6's:  Real crackers indeed. Being honest, I don't think I have the skill or temperament to build a concours car, so hopefully a good 1930's standard, with some late 20th century additions. Right now is to winterise & preserve  what's there, whilst the accumulation of the 1,001 missing bits takes place.

Her name is Maisie, by the way. 

IMG0014A.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello Folks. Well, it's been a fortnight since she's arrived, what have I achieved?  From the outside, not a lot, actually. However, I've managed to purchase a lot of the mechanical gubbins that go towards the car. Having taken a real good look at the chassis, I've decided to renovate the rear portion, specifically, from the Diff rearwards. There will be some possibly significant changes made to the front, so I might as well get the rear portions up to standard.  I've had a look at the CV jointed conversion, and I must admit, sorely tempted. But! I've got several  brand-new Rotoflex couplings stood by, so I'll try to use them first. If it doesn't work out, I can always go to plan B. Or, is it plan X.....

One thing I'm currently looking at, is the brackets which hold the rear arms to the hub carriers. They're missing, but I know they're usually available, so no trouble. I assume that they connect to the tub of the vehicle; have I got that right?  On the basis of that, I'll need to fabricate a couple of brackets to mount transversely to allow the (as yet ) missing rear arms. I'll be ordering some rear frame extensions from Rimmers for the shock absorber mounts. 

Tomorrow should see the car going up in the world... On a final note, these Rotoflex couplings. Oh dear!  

 

Cheers,

Ian

IMG0018A.thumb.jpg.adcfbda7d387f9c540851fba516438cc.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another week at Smith Towers, and work isn't as quick as I'd like, but there we are. I'm currently being called away to house renovation and decorating. Still, parts continue to arrive, so it's not all bad. Maisie has gone up onto axle stands, and a lot of oiling bits & bobs, all on the rear suspension areas. I'd like to overhaul the rear portions first, and the diff is leaking through its seals, so it'll be probably the first stop. 

I've been giving a lot of thought about those Rotoflex couplings. I was taught a bit about fault finding in my earlier years, and one of those things was 'is it in right? Or, is the part in question operating beyond its design parameters? Hmm. Another niggle is the swept area of the Rotoflex.in relation to the rear shock absorber. Rimmers sell a neat little kit to extend past the shock cross member. A nice solution, except.. Rimmers are out of stock....  Another idea is to do away with the fouling action of the Rotoflex and shock absorber. This 'might' be achieved by inverting the rear hubs, which bring the bottom hub bolt to the top. Then, with a set of rose-jointed push rods & fulcrum swivel plates, we can install a single shock absorber with its attendant spring & safety lanyard. If you google Formula Vee, then you'll get the basic idea.  Or, 'Zero Roll'. I should stress however, that it's still very early days indeed. There are certain problems I know are there, and it might come to naught, but I'll have a look, hopefully soon.  Triumph owners will probably not go down this route, as it'll most probably compromise bodywork dimensions. However, building a special may allow me liberties that the average Triumph owner won't contemplate. 

 

I managed to purchase a rear spring for a MK IV spit this week, but it'll need a rebuild, especially the thrust buttons.  I've got some feelers out for some companies who can turn these up in Delrin but once again, early days.  No real photo's this week, unless you're axle-stand spotting, but hopefully some better ones to come.

Cheers,

Ian

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  • 1 month later...

Hello Folks. Well, it's been another few weeks with Maisie, and to be honest, not a lot to show for it. However.... In other news,  I've been busy collecting/ acquiring/ buying the  myriad bits & bobs that it needs. The workshop is filling up with springs, shocks, etc. As you (probably) know, this is a huge learning curve; a voyage of discovery. One 'voyage' was an all-expenses paid trip to the back of the garage to extract a Riv-Nut setting tool. Mrs Smith broke her computer desk; can I repair it?  I haven't used the nut setter for about 20 years, so another learning curve loomed. So, short on memory, but long on patience, I took about 48 hours to re-learn the techniques of a 10-minute job. I anticipate using the setter frequently in the rebuild process, so I was pleased to do it. Thus far, no shouts or screams from the study area, so it's looking good.... 

What I do know, is that the differential has a leak on all three seals. No problem really, as the chassis is up in the air. Whilst looking at the pertinent parts, I've discovered that the Previous owner 'might' have re-assembled the rear hub in a different order. The manuals depict a shock absorber above the lower wishbone bolt, but here...  The lower wishbone bolt has way extra length, which I'd assume would normally locate a rear shock. The bolt above has just enough thread to accommodate the nut. Hmmm, change, methinks.   At least it's all due for rebuild, anyway. 

Cheers,

Ian.

Edit: Whilst perusing 'Bay, a hub is being offered. Nope, the bolt arrangement on Maisie ain't right......

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Looking forward to this Burlington build Ian .. not least as I know Hayden from way back in the day.   Unfortunately because I do not know the intricacies of the small chassis Triumph's suspension, most of what you've written about it goes straight over my head ..so I'm looking forward to seeing photos along with your entertaining deliberations.

Keep moving forward, Pete 

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On 16/10/2021 at 17:23, Ian Smith said:

Hello Folks. Well, it's been a fortnight since she's arrived, what have I achieved?  From the outside, not a lot, actually. However, I've managed to purchase a lot of the mechanical gubbins that go towards the car. Having taken a real good look at the chassis, I've decided to renovate the rear portion, specifically, from the Diff rearwards. There will be some possibly significant changes made to the front, so I might as well get the rear portions up to standard.  I've had a look at the CV jointed conversion, and I must admit, sorely tempted. But! I've got several  brand-new Rotoflex couplings stood by, so I'll try to use them first. If it doesn't work out, I can always go to plan B. Or, is it plan X.....

One thing I'm currently looking at, is the brackets which hold the rear arms to the hub carriers. They're missing, but I know they're usually available, so no trouble. I assume that they connect to the tub of the vehicle; have I got that right?  On the basis of that, I'll need to fabricate a couple of brackets to mount transversely to allow the (as yet ) missing rear arms. I'll be ordering some rear frame extensions from Rimmers for the shock absorber mounts. 

Tomorrow should see the car going up in the world... On a final note, these Rotoflex couplings. Oh dear!  

 

Cheers,

Ian

IMG0018A.thumb.jpg.adcfbda7d387f9c540851fba516438cc.jpg

You mention the shock absorber extensions brackets. I presume you realise that they require special shock absorbers, shorter than std pitfire/herald ones, to prevent bottoming out? (Local TSSC AO bought the complete setup from the club shop, on a VERY standard GT6. But even those shocks were too long, but the club sorted them with Gaz. 

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27 minutes ago, Bfg said:

Looking forward to this Burlington build Ian .. not least as I know Hayden from way back in the day.   Unfortunately because I do not know the intricacies of the small chassis Triumph's suspension, most of what you've written about it goes straight over my head ..so I'm looking forward to seeing photos along with your entertaining deliberations.

Keep moving forward, Pete 

I bought some plans from Hayden Davies back in 1988, with intention to build one based on an MG. However, work got in the way, so it's not until 2021 that I got going. After 3 house moves, I thought I'd lost, or given away all of my car-related stuff. Mrs Smith to the rescue.... " Here's your Burlington box file, you kept it in stock". Gadzooks! And so, that's how it starts....

Hello Clive, yes, I did indeed mention shock extension brackets. Rimmer sell them. However, a slightly different method beckons. I've purchased a metre of 50x50x 4mm box steel. The internal dimension being just right to enclose the original rear shock locations, and capable of spanning the width of the vehicle.  To make the first move, I envisaged to  mill off the underside by the 4mm wall, enabling a deep channel to encapsulate  the shock locations. this 'should'  bolt up directly above the original locations. The excess length on this box section remains un-machined, and on purpose. I know that the new shock location can be made, but! I don't know exactly where it will be. Being a chassis, safety critical comes first, so tiny steps; tiny steps. On the basis of that, the transverse spring will most likely  be superseded with coil-overs. The transverse spring does the 2 functions, namely the suspension  function, and the positional function of the rear hub uprights. Not a done deal, though. 

I've got a few Rotoflex doughnuts here. I'll keep these back just in case, but I intend to 'not use' these until I'm absolutely sure. Wiser heads than I have mentioned the space improvement sans Rotoflex, and on looking at it, I would agree. On that basis, The MGF rear hub lends itself to suitable conversion, but not yet a 'dead cert'. Several problem remain, such as hub location, and more importantly the ability to adjust said hub(s). I do want to have discs all round. After all, this will (hopefully) be  a 1930's style Gentleman's sports car, but bought up to date with late 20th century refinements. In other words, to be fully functional in a world of 'normals'. Finally, shock absorber length may be less of a problem here. After all, the steel stock remains unused.

Typing this, I notice that this post is wandering. Lots of ideas bouncing around, and only the one cup of tea yet.  Breakfast awaits!

Cheers,

Ian.

 

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1 hour ago, Ian Smith said:

Typing this, I notice that this post is wandering. Lots of ideas bouncing around, and only the one cup of tea yet.  Breakfast awaits!

Cheers,

Ian.

 

Welcome Ian, you'll fit in well here with that notion. Most of our posts are more like conversations. You just have to bear them until they circle back to the original topic, it takes time but nearly always gets there in the end.

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Thanks Pete. I'm bit premature with the fuel sender, but I do like your sentiments.  I'm not a great fan of a multiple instruments, more an instrument minimal sort of thing. The rationale being the more instruments, the more work maintaining & calibrating.  I've got a choice of Morris Minor-classic Mini speedo heads, which as you will know, covers all of the bases. The only 'extras' will be an oil pressure & Temp gauges.

Bear in mind, that the more fancy doo-dahs, will mean sticky-fingered ner-do-wells interfere with your pride & joy. A well thought out, stripped back (functional) dashboard will beckon. 

That said, I'm still at the ar$e end of this project. Give me a chance!

Ian.

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  • 2 months later...

Grr.... DVLA this, and DVLA that.... Well this isn't that. Fair play to the Sons of Fun at Swansea, my V5 re-appeared to within a day or so of the reported time (12 weeks ) at Smith Towers. Given the backlog they are working with, I think that's pretty sharp work. 

sadly, nothing much to show, apart from a growing collection of parts in storage. Better weather beckons, so I'm getting ready....

Ian.

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18 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Did you manage to locate the rear chassis / radius arm brackets? I was on Paddocks' site yesterday and found some whilst looking for other bits:

https://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/suspension-2?pagenumber=3

Thanks Colin. I think I will need some new brackets in the very near future. My current work focuses around making the transverse cross-member I mentioned back in November. Right now, I trying to find a machine shop down here that will handle one-offs. It's my own fault, I guess. I get distracted from time to time....

Give me a week, and I should have something to show.

Cheers, 

Ian.

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PeteL - Please stop posting pictures of that beautiful car. You are driving (pun intended) me nuts. It's gorgeous, I want it, I can't afford it, I have no space to keep it, I don't have the skill to look after it ..... and Lady BW would do nasty things to various parts of my anatomy with my own tools if it ever arrived here.

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I do indeed like that Burlington; more photos the merrier, I say. These photos illustrate perfectly the problems Ray experienced vis-a-vis carburettor to engine bay clearances. Right now, I'm thinking about a different style of inlet manifold, to allow better clearance. Effectively, turn the inlets to a rearwards-facing direction, with the carbs in the free space, above the clutch. I might have mentioned this before, but very early days..... 

More photos? Yes please!

Have a good weekend, folks.

Ian.

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