Any Gordon Keeble Owners Out There?

Any Gordon Keeble Owners Out There?

Author
Discussion

Huntsman

8,026 posts

249 months

Tuesday 21st August 2012
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Ian Wegg said:
Here is the link... Gordon Keeble De Bruyne Special

oneof99 said:
Unfortunately, the advertiser has simply 'cut & pasted' the "nonsense" about the marque from Wikipedia!! The club would have been pleased to 'help'!
Wikipedia is made up of users' contributions so if the entry is nonsense the club could help by changing it. I'll be happy to edit it myself if you tell me what's wrong.

~iw
Looking at the club website it seems likely that the white De Brune car is number 8, which is the othert one and is its whereabout known?

No particular reason for asking, just curious.

Mellow Yellow

Original Poster:

885 posts

261 months

Tuesday 21st August 2012
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I think the end is finally in sight! Paid Ch76 a visit on Monday and things are looking good. The dashboard is all back in place, it’s all cleaned up and looks like it just left the factory. The engine and gearbox are in, even had it running, sounds great as tappets have been adjusted. Brackets are all in for the rear seatbelts, Terry’s taken a lot of time making/positioning brackets to ensure everything ideally situated without being intrusive. Should be ready for collection this weekend. Sorry, no photos as camera batteries dead but Terry has a full set so will post some up soon.

Huntsman

8,026 posts

249 months

Wednesday 22nd August 2012
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GK content in this months Octane magazine.

oneof99

63 posts

146 months

Thursday 23rd August 2012
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Huntsman said:
GK content in this months Octane magazine.
Strictly, the G-K item is in "Motoring Classics" which accompanied Octane. Should also be with other classic mags in the coming weeks.

B7trr

123 posts

143 months

Thursday 23rd August 2012
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ch81 paid a visit to the Classic & Sports car 30th birthday event this evening, very nice classics to be seen and heard, good food and great hospitality!

The GK once again got alot of interest including the chaps from Godin Banks, they seem to have had quite a bit of interest in the de Bruyne car as yet still unsold, it would seem it does need some dedication! Mr Banks is confident it will sell, it was good to talk to him as he has real soft spot for GK's, probably they are proving to be a sound stock item (if he can find them)

I'm looking forward to getting the chance to read my copy of Octane, even more so now Huntsman has made ref to GK being in there somewhere.

See you out and about soon Mellow!

Was looking forward to the drive back via the Hindhead tunnel, got the entrance to find a 40mph restriction due to roadworks!



Edited by B7trr on Friday 24th August 09:21


Edited by B7trr on Friday 24th August 09:45

Mellow Yellow

Original Poster:

885 posts

261 months

Friday 24th August 2012
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B7trr said:
...still not wearing those new bumpers!

keeble kid

116 posts

170 months

Friday 24th August 2012
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Hi,the keebles look great - looking forward to using mine again when all is done.
It was off the road for a new clutch but has had alot more besides.The red car looks great,that colour really suits it.

cheers from keeble kid.

Huntsman

8,026 posts

249 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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Love that orange engine.

I bumped into a chap on the weekend that was one of the drivers of a GK for 24 hours at Snetterton trying to average 100mph for the 24hrs, apparently shell sponsored the fuel, in the 60's, it seems they got very close, about 99mph average, he thought had it not rained they would have succeeded.

I wonder which car it was?

tog

4,516 posts

227 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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B7trr said:
ch81 paid a visit to the Classic & Sports car 30th birthday event this evening, very nice classics to be seen and heard, good food and great hospitality!
CH81 looked good at C&SC. I was there in the Bristol, but I'm always pleased to see a GK smile I've always had a soft spot for them since hearing the tales my dad told me of a GK-driving friend of his at Cambridge in the sixties who, while an undergraduate student, was also apparently East Anglian area sales rep for the company! My dad recalls a trip to from Cambridge to central London in well under an hour.

keeble kid

116 posts

170 months

Thursday 30th August 2012
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Hi,I`m pleased with the chevy orange engine and the ARP stainless hex bolts really set it off.Have finished the T-10 which is the same colour,am doing the clutch inspection plate this morning.Just fininshed my Ford Thames front suspension uprights,they were really bad and I replaced them with some good 2nd hand ones.I`ve gone thru loads of penetrating oil on the car,most of the bolts were scrap.Bought some new high tensile ones from my nut & bolt man,he does stainless too and will polish anything - good bloke.This is a pic of my new ally rad for no.11,should keep things nice & cool.Got a nice big kenlowe fan,its made for more room in the engine bay which helps.

oneof99

63 posts

146 months

Thursday 30th August 2012
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Huntsman said:
I bumped into a chap on the weekend that was one of the drivers of a GK for 24 hours at Snetterton trying to average 100mph for the 24hrs, apparently shell sponsored the fuel, in the 60's, it seems they got very close, about 99mph average, he thought had it not rained they would have succeeded.

I wonder which car it was?
Initial thoughts:- Never heard of such an attempt. / "Improbable" / Who can I ask?... MikeV10 - (He has done 'days' at Snetterton)...

Reply:- Since even a TVR Tuscan AJP racer could not break 100mph around the old Snetterton circuit http://www.tvrchampionship.co.uk/results/lap-recor... definitely "impossible!" - Mike

Just need to talk to the right people!

Huntsman

8,026 posts

249 months

Thursday 30th August 2012
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oneof99 said:
Huntsman said:
I bumped into a chap on the weekend that was one of the drivers of a GK for 24 hours at Snetterton trying to average 100mph for the 24hrs, apparently shell sponsored the fuel, in the 60's, it seems they got very close, about 99mph average, he thought had it not rained they would have succeeded.

I wonder which car it was?
Initial thoughts:- Never heard of such an attempt. / "Improbable" / Who can I ask?... MikeV10 - (He has done 'days' at Snetterton)...

Reply:- Since even a TVR Tuscan AJP racer could not break 100mph around the old Snetterton circuit http://www.tvrchampionship.co.uk/results/lap-recor... definitely "impossible!" - Mike

Just need to talk to the right people!
Lap record for the old circuit prior to 2007 is 125mph according to wikipedia, so maybe? one of the other drivers in the team was Roy Salvadori so the story goes. I'll enquire a bit more.

Mellow Yellow

Original Poster:

885 posts

261 months

Thursday 30th August 2012
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Well, picked Ch76 up at the weekend, despite an hour queueing in hot weather on the M25 the car didn't miss a beat, never went over 87 degrees. Box still a bit stiff but, overall the car is way better than when I bought it, all vibration gone and I'm very pleased with the standard of work. Couple of pics although I'll try and get a better one of the dashboard as the photo doesn't do it justice:


Airbox and top of radiator could do with a rub down and touch of paint, another job for the list. Going to try and make the Beaulieu autojumble on 9th, see what bits I can find.

keeble kid

116 posts

170 months

Thursday 30th August 2012
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It looks lovely,Terry is a clever bloke - he has done a few of these now!Going to see how my tanks are coming on tomorrow,I also need a light unit for 11.Its an Altissimo Fiat 1300/1600 coupe/cabriolet unit.After chassis 32 I think the Ferrari lights were used,funny thing is you can pick those up easier than you can the Fiat ones!Here is a pic of one I found on ebay-if you do go to beauliea keep an eye out for me-thanks.

GK52

154 posts

139 months

Friday 31st August 2012
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Try www.italparts.com
I managed to source the later version through this outfit. Talk to Hans he might do you a deal. He was also happy to sell complete units or individual lenses.

V10Mike

584 posts

205 months

Friday 31st August 2012
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Mellow Yellow said:
Well, picked Ch76 up at the weekend, despite an hour queueing in hot weather on the M25 the car didn't miss a beat, never went over 87 degrees.
You're lucky -I see you've got the Ernie Knott power steering pump installation which eliminates the swirl pot. Mine would always get a vapour lock in this configuration, only cured by reinstalling the swirl pot, as below:



Tight, but just fits on a bracket off the servo mount.

Mellow Yellow

Original Poster:

885 posts

261 months

Sunday 2nd September 2012
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V10Mike said:
You're lucky -I see you've got the Ernie Knott power steering pump installation which eliminates the swirl pot. Mine would always get a vapour lock in this configuration, only cured by reinstalling the swirl pot, as below:
I’ve not noticed any problems with fueling. Terry installed the additional filler cap in the same location as your swirl pot many years and two owners ago to overcome overheating problems due to air locks (or was that what you meant?). Removal of the original swirl pot being the cause.

Love those ram horn manifolds on yours but a long way to go with mine before I start buying goodies like that.

V10Mike

584 posts

205 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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Mine had a filler cap in the same place as yours, but I would still get a coolant vapour lock in the top hose. Somehow the thermostat seemed not to see the hot coolant and remain closed, so the temperature would go up and up until it boiled, the thermostat would then open, everything cool down, only to repeat the cycle a few minutes later. Fixed by reinstalling the swirl pot, with the overflow hose going to the bottom of a catch tank so all air would gradually get eliminated from the system. I also drilled a couple of small bypass holes in the thermostat so there is a little flow even when it's closed.

The Speedway Motors Tru-ram manifolds were a lucky buy on Ebay -from memory I got them for around £100! Only problem is that they are about 10mm wider than the standard manifolds, which meant I had to completely re-engineer the steering column to clear them.

Huntsman

8,026 posts

249 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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V10Mike said:
The Speedway Motors Tru-ram manifolds were a lucky buy on Ebay -from memory I got them for around £100! Only problem is that they are about 10mm wider than the standard manifolds, which meant I had to completely re-engineer the steering column to clear them.
I had assumed those were the bigger bore rams horns in cast iron and had been ceramic coated. Those are nice, very posh!

Huntsman

8,026 posts

249 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
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Any keeblers going to be at Goodwood?

We'll be there Friday and Saturday.