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Aluminium bodied GT4


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Indebted to you all for your interest and input particularly to Aaron for the graphics. The Italian connection notwithstanding I'm going for GT4 Lightweight; it flows and us Brits can understand what it says and means. I think Aaron's design look superb and at some point with his permission I'd like to go ahead and get a badge made.

 

A great number of people have contributed to this project in many ways and I'm seriously considering having a plaque naming them.

 

Again, with many thanks

 

John

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Work on the bonnet is progressing and Martin sent me this picture of the two halves having been welded together. He is not finishing it, I have that pleasure but he'll be cutting out the wheel arches, and putting in the headlamp bowls. More pictures to follow.

 

I've continued with the wiring and now all the circuits work off the ignition key which is a major landmark. The overdrive and reverse light loom are yet to be finished together with the loom going to the front of the car but barring any unwanted surprises the worst should be over; I really hope so because the wiring has been an absolute marathon and I am so glad we are nearly done. A day or two more and then I can get to work on plumbing in the engine which is very exciting.med_gallery_67_25_107654.jpg

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A massive massive thanks to our own Sue Franklin. I've just discovered that my 1500 engine is from a Dolomite which has its own unique starter motor and nothing else will work. And they are extremely rare.  I asked Sue if she could help me source one. She forwarded my email to the AOs and such is the power of the Triumph network, within hours of my request, responses were coming in from all parts. I now have not one but two starter motors on their way to me and I am so grateful to Sue for her help without which my project could have stalled for a good while.

 

What a good community we have.

 

John

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John,

 

You may still find that the engine is fitted with a Spitfire / Herald flywheel rather than a Dolomite 1500 one.

 

If I remember correctly, when converting an engine from Dolomite to fit a Spitfire, it is necessary to fit a Spitfire / Herald sump in place of the Dolomite one, so if the engine you have has previously been converted for a Spitfire / Herald, then the flywheel may also have been swapped at the same time. 

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John,

 

You may still find that the engine is fitted with a Spitfire / Herald flywheel rather than a Dolomite 1500 one.

 

If I remember correctly, when converting an engine from Dolomite to fit a Spitfire, it is necessary to fit a Spitfire / Herald sump in place of the Dolomite one, so if the engine you have has previously been converted for a Spitfire / Herald, then the flywheel may also have been swapped at the same time. 

 

 

Yes what I should have said Kevin is that the inertia starter wouldn't engage and it was this that has led me to believe that it is a Dolomite ring gear. Certainly there is no chamfer or lead in on the back of the teeth. The engine builder fitted a different block so I cannot use the engine number to double check. I have everything crossed that the Dolomite starter will do the trick.

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John  youve got some 3300+  hits on you project....just shows whats enjoyed 

 

sorry  i dont have a  dolly starter 

 

Pete

 

No problem Pete, Sue came up trumps. I just hope that the Dolly starter will turn the engine. if not...........well it doesn't bear thinking about at this stage.

 

In the meantime, I've been playing the plumber. All the hoses are Spitfire and GT6 apart from one.gallery_67_25_59415.jpg

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The Dolomite pre-engaged started arrived today thanks to the generosity and alacrity of one of our Club members to whom I am absolutely indebted. It is now fitted and works perfectly allowing the project to move on.

 

I had a slight problem with the bottom hose touching the engine mount but by welding on another piece of stainless tube that gave a slight crank I now have clearance. The rest of the day was spent tidying up the pipe clamps holding the stainless pipes in place adjacent to the carbs.gallery_67_25_56182.jpgmed_gallery_67_25_33765.jpggallery_67_25_5410.jpg

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I've had major problems getting the oil pump primed. Initially I tried cranking with the plugs out but I could not get any oil pressure. Eventually, I removed the distributor and the drive and spun the oil pump drive shaft with an electric drill in reverse. This did the trick in just a few seconds. Getting to this point has cost valuable time but at least the day finished on a high.

 

I'm using a Filter King in conjunction with the Facet pump and managed to get it mounted ready for plumbing in the fuel system.

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The wiring is still rumbling on; a seemingly endless job. I decided just recently to give the dashboard its own loom and make it removable using plugs and sockets. I remember that almost every time I pulled the centre section of the dash on my GT6 forward one or other of the wires pulled off its terminal and remained un-noticed until one of the components was found not to be working. This should avoid that problem, I hope.med_gallery_67_25_62873.jpg

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now that is a very good idea :)

Aaron 

 

 

Thank you Aaron I think it was worth the extra effort. The Smiths time clock is promised for tomorrow; the final instrument which I'll fit and then hopefully the dashboard can go in.

 

Martin reckons he will finish what he has to do on the bonnet tomorrow and in the meantime, he's sent me this picture. gallery_67_25_9796.jpg

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It's been a great morning. The dashboard wiring is finished, the clock in and working and the dashboard fitted. I've also managed to connect up the handbrake cable. But most of all, the bonnet is ready to collect from Martin who has made an absolutely stunning job of it. It is not finished but the rest is down to me.gallery_67_25_34246.jpggallery_67_25_31975.jpg

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Looking fabulous John, the work that has gone into this project is just stunning.

 

Just a word of caution. If using a Filter King to regulate the output of a Facet pump, be careful. My own experience with this set-up was not a happy one, and in the end, downright frightening...

 

As recounted on a previous thread, I had a Filter King wound right down to prevent over-fuelling and leakage at the SU HS4s on my Herald 1500, using the Facet square top pump. It worked fine for months, but one day the Filter King gasket ring blew out of its housing and flooded the boot with petrol, leading to a rapid evacuation from the driver's seat by yours truly. One spark and I would have been carbonised!

 

Your Webers may require more fuel, so it may not be an issue in your installation, but if you do find you have the adjuster screwed in so far that the acorn finisher will barely fit, then be careful. I went back to a standard pump after the above scare, but if you do need to use an electric pump and regulator, there are better options out there.

 

Regards

 

Steve C

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Looking fabulous John, the work that has gone into this project is just stunning.

 

Just a word of caution. If using a Filter King to regulate the output of a Facet pump, be careful. My own experience with this set-up was not a happy one, and in the end, downright frightening...

 

As recounted on a previous thread, I had a Filter King wound right down to prevent over-fuelling and leakage at the SU HS4s on my Herald 1500, using the Facet square top pump. It worked fine for months, but one day the Filter King gasket ring blew out of its housing and flooded the boot with petrol, leading to a rapid evacuation from the driver's seat by yours truly. One spark and I would have been carbonised!

 

Your Webers may require more fuel, so it may not be an issue in your installation, but if you do find you have the adjuster screwed in so far that the acorn finisher will barely fit, then be careful. I went back to a standard pump after the above scare, but if you do need to use an electric pump and regulator, there are better options out there.

 

Regards

 

Steve C

 

 

 

Thank you for the warning Steve. I've used this combination on several cars including the current trials car with each running DCOE40s. I've never had to adjust the the filter kings but perhaps I was just lucky. The pump I'm using isn't actually a Facet but it is equivalent to a silver spot.

 

http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=22187

 

I've always used a red spot before but this one delivers less. We'll see how we get on.

 

regards

 

John

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