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  • irish44j

    May 29, 2010 4:59 p.m. irish44j HalfDork

    After a day in the garage working on fixing one thing on the GT6 and getting the rear suspension back together, now have found some major issues, and of course the tools to do these jobs don't actually exist in 2010 America. I officially hate the Brits who designed this car. How can it look so sexy and be designed so horribly????

    /venting.

  • oldtin

    May 29, 2010 5:27 p.m. oldtin Reader

    Keep the basic looks - eliminate all British parts. The only British left in my mg are doors, roof, glass and tub ( although modified), oh and tail lights.

  • JoeyM

    May 29, 2010 5:29 p.m. JoeyM HalfDork

    That's a wonderful plan. Brits should design car bodies, and leave the manufacturing to others.

  • irish44j

    May 29, 2010 5:33 p.m. irish44j HalfDork

    I would love to...unfortunately I have neither the fabrication skills, money, or patience left to do so. If I could just replace everything mechanical rear of the transmission (diff, idiotic rear suspension, disastrous rear hubs/uprights) that would be great....everything up front works great.

    And I have a 2nd one (mk3) sitting out back that I"m now kicking myself for getting as I've entirely lost interest in laying a hand on it.

  • EvanB

    May 29, 2010 5:38 p.m. EvanB Dork

    I could take that 2nd one off your hands

  • MrJoshua

    May 29, 2010 5:55 p.m. MrJoshua SuperDork

    EvanB wrote:

    I could take that 2nd one off your hands

    IIRC its a pretty nice one.

  • irish44j

    May 29, 2010 6:15 p.m. irish44j HalfDork

    I am going to get rid of the 2nd one. I paid $500 for it and if I can recoup that, it's up for grabs. I'll throw in some spares and stuff too (extra rear hatch w/glass, complete/disassembled 3.27 diff, and some other stuff. It runs, is fairly complete, but cannot be driven (brakes not hooked up and one of the rear uprights is no good). I'm going to post it up with more info in the classifieds tonight.

    It's taking up my entire backyard shed right now, and I want to stash the Mk2 in there until the time comes when I want to tackle it again, maybe next year.

    Let me know if anyone is actually interested. I'm just outside D.C.

  • May 29, 2010 6:17 p.m. Ian_F Reader

    What exactly are you trying to do? I've had a Spitfire rear apart a number of times and don't recall anything brutally difficult about it. On a GT6, the most annoying thing might be reassembling the rotoflex. Apparently, in 'pre-assembled' condition, they are compressed with straps so the holes line up with the yokes. I've no personal experience, but I understand a few hose clamps can approximate this when reassembling used parts.

  • EvanB

    May 29, 2010 6:17 p.m. EvanB Dork

    I am very interested but I wouldn't be in a position to buy it until the fall unfortunately.

  • May 29, 2010 6:25 p.m. 1966stang New Reader

    Actually, we had the Eric Joens Memorial river run today, a 335 mile tour through southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

    first group I was in had a dead stock Morgan that kept up with Miatas and Z cars just fine, next group had a Healy 3000 leading a 911 Targa, a Lotus, a fox Mustang Ragtop, my Miata and a Cooper S.

    I like old British Iron...

  • May 29, 2010 6:25 p.m. 1966stang New Reader

    ...Third group had a MGA keeping up just fine with the Miata and a bunch of Coopers...

  • irish44j

    May 29, 2010 6:43 p.m. irish44j HalfDork

    In reply to Ian_F:

    Noisy diff (even after rebuild), both uprights have bad bearings and that is a major pain, still getting a ton of driveline vibration. And a ton of minor things that I just can't seem to sort out.

    Also I replaced the roto axles with Canley CV axles, which has also been a major hassle due to poor fitament and the need to modify the uprights for clearance, among other things. That's what I get for trying to upgrade my roto axles, which were in perfectly good shape.

    The difficulty is not actually doing the work. The difficulty is to do work without finding something else wrong while I'm doing it, lol.

    I'm sure in a week or two I'll attack it again....just annoyed at the moment and venting. I've been working on this car for years on and off and can never seem to get it right, plus at this point I feel like I'm just throwing good money after bad (rather than spending the money on my DD/autocross WRX, track days, and golfing). I'm sure I'll be in a better mood after some time away from the car, lol.

    --

    As to the Mk3, that is definitely going bye-bye. It was an impulse purchase and I foresee it rusting away in my backyard for years before I touch it at this point...would rather see it go to someone who has the time/money/skills to make it good again. I got it because it was local and convenient and my dreams are bigger than my wallet, garage space, and time.....

    FS thread posted here: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/1971-triumph-gt6-mk3-washi...

  • May 29, 2010 8:22 p.m. Ian_F Reader

    Aww man... that is the year (71-72) of GT6 I really like...

    Of course, I am in way over my eyeballs in car projects right now... and the other half would absolutely KILL me if I bought another crusty project car...

  • Teh E36 M3

    May 29, 2010 10:51 p.m. Teh E36 M3 Reader

    Where are you around DC? I'm in N Arlington and have a pretty modified Midget looking for a good back road.

  • carzan

    May 29, 2010 10:59 p.m. carzan Reader

    JoeyM wrote:

    That's a wonderful plan. Brits should design car bodies, and leave the manufacturing to others.

    I seem to recall the body being designed by an Italian.

  • mattmacklind

    May 29, 2010 11:06 p.m. mattmacklind SuperDork

    I beg to differ, unfortunately. The again, I am sick.

    Photobucket

  • JeepinMatt

    May 29, 2010 11:19 p.m. JeepinMatt HalfDork

    In reply to mattmacklind:

    Ahhh man why do you have to post pictures of that thing? My soon-to-be fiancee's father has an MGB GT sitting in the back yard just begging for a restoration and that one up there is giving me ideas

    Wicked looking car

  • John Brown

    May 29, 2010 11:21 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

    I want a MGB GT :(

  • neon4891

    May 29, 2010 11:28 p.m. neon4891 SuperDork

    I purpose an international auto venture. British body. Italian exhaust. German/Japanes hybrid suspension(G to make it handle, J to make it last). American LSx engine.

    And the aussies can make it into a ute if you want a bed on it

  • oldtin

    May 29, 2010 11:35 p.m. oldtin Reader

    neon4891 wrote:

    I purpose an international auto venture. British body. Italian exhaust. German/Japanes hybrid suspension(G to make it handle, J to make it last). American LSx engine.

    And the aussies can make it into a ute if you want a bed on it

    I think you just described Keith's mg project. Lsx power, miata suspension...

  • irish44j

    May 29, 2010 11:51 p.m. irish44j HalfDork

    In reply to Teh E36 M3:

    I'm in Burke, right across from Clifton. Plenty of back roads there. Of course, the way my GT6 is going, I end up driving them in the WRX instead.....

  • Streetwiseguy

    May 30, 2010 1:16 a.m. Streetwiseguy Reader

    I've banned Brit cars from the shop. I've worked on them since the early 80's, when the owners hated their cars, and their mechanics, because all they really wanted was something to drive to work, and this pile of E36 M3 was always broke. Segue to the 90's, and nobody drove them daily anymore, but memories were fresh. If I could make one start and run, and only drool a bit of oil, and have that last for the couple thousand miles they put on it every year, they were happy. Turn the century, and memories have faded, while Brit apologists have made people believe that they weren't really all that bad. Now, it seems that people figure if they spend enough money on Chinese reproductions of poorly designed Lucas parts, they can eventually spend their way into a car as reliable as a Corrolla. That won't happen, and I won't put up with them anymore.

    I have no problem with people working on their own British cars. They generally still have the 90's attitude.

  • Grtechguy

    May 30, 2010 9:35 a.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

    John Brown wrote:

    I want a MGB GT :(

    So do I... for a daily driver. I seem to recall the John Twist (University Motors) drives his year round

  • neon4891

    May 30, 2010 10:31 a.m. neon4891 SuperDork

    And I want a TR7. But only after it has been compleatly rebuilt with every british wire and hose removed and powered by a turbo rotary. Would make an interesting summer DD

  • 96DXCivic

    May 30, 2010 11:26 a.m. 96DXCivic Dork

    I still want a TR6 and MG T-series. And my dream car is a MG R-Type Midget.

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