Considering a GT6 mk3
Discussion
Ooofffff that sounds like a lot of dosh but hardly surprising looking at the cars many modifications. Having had a good look round it on one of its early appearances I can safely say the engineering is a work of art and the owner is a top bloke. I’m off down the corner shop to buy some scratch cards 
This chap is large and he fits.
This is my favourite car video, just something about his enthusiasm and appreciation.
Even though Im a (light) modder, I love his attention to originality and tolerance of imperfection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EVaHGDiDVQ
It's obviously an older Mark I variant not a Mark III.
This is my favourite car video, just something about his enthusiasm and appreciation.
Even though Im a (light) modder, I love his attention to originality and tolerance of imperfection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EVaHGDiDVQ
It's obviously an older Mark I variant not a Mark III.
Edited by Hugh Jarse on Saturday 9th February 13:29
I know you won't like this but i'm going to advise you against extensive modding of a GT6. The exception to this is the Taylor Automotive car, which is a work of art, but as he mentions would cost a huge amount to get near.
I say this as someone with a pristine white mk3, which is original but very slightly breathed on engine.Why do I say this?
1) Financial. There are only 800 or so gt6s on the road and values have been going up. One that's modified doesn't normally get anywhere near the sale price of an original or near original car. There are exceptions to this but generally speaking you will be throwing money away.
2) It's not a good starting point. The chassis and body are not stiff compared to todays monocoques. They were designed to cope with, in reality, less than 100 bhp; If you've worked on these to get them to handle well you can see why Taylor Automotive started from scratch with the suspension. Even then i'm guessing they did a lot of work to stiffen the chassis as well as designing their own double wishbone arrangement.
3) The drive train is weak. I've only got 118 bhp according to the rolling road, following head work, cam and exhaust manifold yet the gearbox is already complaining. I rebuilt the diff and replaced doughnuts with CV joints following previous experience with a Vitesse but I know it couldn't cope reliably with any more torque. You are talking about putting in a exotic much more powerful engine. Well you will have to put in a different diff, maybe a subaru, and completely reengineer the back end suspension and drive shafts and hubs.
4) The amount of work to remove rust from a donor. Look at the youtube viceos of jademuttley and elinyakov to see how these cars rust even when they look good from the outside and how much labour is required to make them solid. If you buy a cheap one to start with you've probably got a year's work to start with to get it to a stage where you can start modifying.
5) They are great as standard. Or standardish. The gt6 is a fantastic car but only if you like old shaky cars. The 2 litre engine sounds fantastic and howls, the od box adds to the experience. Most originals rolling road at around 90 ish bhp as standard. My one feels much nicer than when I started but still retains the old british character of the car. It is a bit livelier and handles better with polybushes and adjustable dampers. Replacing the donuts with cv joints is a good thing to do as well.
All in all I think modding a GT6 with big power wouldn't end well. You are better off starting with a cayman. Even an MX5 would react much better to big modding. All in my view.
p.s. Like you i've also got a Jag, an X300 lwb daimler sovereign. That's standard as well
I say this as someone with a pristine white mk3, which is original but very slightly breathed on engine.Why do I say this?
1) Financial. There are only 800 or so gt6s on the road and values have been going up. One that's modified doesn't normally get anywhere near the sale price of an original or near original car. There are exceptions to this but generally speaking you will be throwing money away.
2) It's not a good starting point. The chassis and body are not stiff compared to todays monocoques. They were designed to cope with, in reality, less than 100 bhp; If you've worked on these to get them to handle well you can see why Taylor Automotive started from scratch with the suspension. Even then i'm guessing they did a lot of work to stiffen the chassis as well as designing their own double wishbone arrangement.
3) The drive train is weak. I've only got 118 bhp according to the rolling road, following head work, cam and exhaust manifold yet the gearbox is already complaining. I rebuilt the diff and replaced doughnuts with CV joints following previous experience with a Vitesse but I know it couldn't cope reliably with any more torque. You are talking about putting in a exotic much more powerful engine. Well you will have to put in a different diff, maybe a subaru, and completely reengineer the back end suspension and drive shafts and hubs.
4) The amount of work to remove rust from a donor. Look at the youtube viceos of jademuttley and elinyakov to see how these cars rust even when they look good from the outside and how much labour is required to make them solid. If you buy a cheap one to start with you've probably got a year's work to start with to get it to a stage where you can start modifying.
5) They are great as standard. Or standardish. The gt6 is a fantastic car but only if you like old shaky cars. The 2 litre engine sounds fantastic and howls, the od box adds to the experience. Most originals rolling road at around 90 ish bhp as standard. My one feels much nicer than when I started but still retains the old british character of the car. It is a bit livelier and handles better with polybushes and adjustable dampers. Replacing the donuts with cv joints is a good thing to do as well.
All in all I think modding a GT6 with big power wouldn't end well. You are better off starting with a cayman. Even an MX5 would react much better to big modding. All in my view.
p.s. Like you i've also got a Jag, an X300 lwb daimler sovereign. That's standard as well
emwmarin said:
<snip>
All good points
<snip>
All in all I think modding a GT6 with big power wouldn't end well. You are better off starting with a cayman. Even an MX5 would react much better to big modding. All in my view.
p.s. Like you i've also got a Jag, an X300 lwb daimler sovereign. That's standard as well
All good points. However, I never actually said that I wanted to modify one with big power if you look back at my original posts. It’s a ladder chassis that dates back to the Stone Age. I am fully aware it’s not going to drive like a modern car and wouldn’t intend it to.All good points
<snip>
All in all I think modding a GT6 with big power wouldn't end well. You are better off starting with a cayman. Even an MX5 would react much better to big modding. All in my view.
p.s. Like you i've also got a Jag, an X300 lwb daimler sovereign. That's standard as well
My initial thoughts at the top of the first page are the sort of things I would want to achieve.
I don’t give a s
t about getting my money back or maintaining value etc because it would be my car and not for sale. Same with my XJ coupe I would never get back what I have put into that but it’s mine and it’s unique. My way of doing things is never going to please the purists and that’s half of the fun 
I think my original idea of using a TR6 engine and modifying it for better reliability is perfectly sane and everything else I suggested in the earlier posts perfectly reasonable.
Edited by craigjm on Sunday 10th February 11:53
"The GT6 has a weak drive train" Only up to a point, Lord Copper.
I race my Vitesse, with a modified TR6 engine. At least 130bhp, but loads more low down torque than the 2L, and the same transmission as a GT6. I had the gearbox rebuilt by an expert, Mike Papworth for the purpose and it has given me no problems at all, and a Quaife ATB diff is similarly bullet proof, IMHO.
The problem lies in the half shafts and uprights. Rotaflex donuts are almost unobtainable any more, very expensive, and the swing spring set-up includes stress-raisers in the half-shaft diameter at the wheel bearings, which themselves are not strong enough. I've suffered failures from both. Several alternative ways of using modern components have been used. I recommend complete, modified MGF uprights, and CV joints. Look on the Triumph message boards, especially Sideways Technologies, for more details.
John
I race my Vitesse, with a modified TR6 engine. At least 130bhp, but loads more low down torque than the 2L, and the same transmission as a GT6. I had the gearbox rebuilt by an expert, Mike Papworth for the purpose and it has given me no problems at all, and a Quaife ATB diff is similarly bullet proof, IMHO.
The problem lies in the half shafts and uprights. Rotaflex donuts are almost unobtainable any more, very expensive, and the swing spring set-up includes stress-raisers in the half-shaft diameter at the wheel bearings, which themselves are not strong enough. I've suffered failures from both. Several alternative ways of using modern components have been used. I recommend complete, modified MGF uprights, and CV joints. Look on the Triumph message boards, especially Sideways Technologies, for more details.
John
craigjm said:
All good points. However, I never actually said that I wanted to modify one with big power if you look back at my original posts. It’s a ladder chassis that dates back to the Stone Age. I am fully aware it’s not going to drive like a modern car and wouldn’t intend it to.
[/footnote]
Sorry, just re-read the thread and your original list. I got side tracked when you mentioned a BMW six as an option.[/footnote]
My only thoughts on the 2,0 or the 2,5 are that I prefer the revvy nature of the 2,0. I've had a 2,5 PI saloon in the past and a TR6 and just prefer the nature of the 2,0 engine. No doubt it does give a lot more torque but the 2,0 can give decent power as well.
Jigsaw do a full kit for a type 9 five speed conversion but it isn't cheap. Personally, I prefer the overdrive and will get mine rebuilt by Mike Papworth next year.
Looking forward to seeing the coupe when it's finished.
emwmarine said:
Sorry, just re-read the thread and your original list. I got side tracked when you mentioned a BMW six as an option.
My only thoughts on the 2,0 or the 2,5 are that I prefer the revvy nature of the 2,0. I've had a 2,5 PI saloon in the past and a TR6 and just prefer the nature of the 2,0 engine. No doubt it does give a lot more torque but the 2,0 can give decent power as well.
Jigsaw do a full kit for a type 9 five speed conversion but it isn't cheap. Personally, I prefer the overdrive and will get mine rebuilt by Mike Papworth next year.
Looking forward to seeing the coupe when it's finished.
Ahh makes sense, no worries My only thoughts on the 2,0 or the 2,5 are that I prefer the revvy nature of the 2,0. I've had a 2,5 PI saloon in the past and a TR6 and just prefer the nature of the 2,0 engine. No doubt it does give a lot more torque but the 2,0 can give decent power as well.
Jigsaw do a full kit for a type 9 five speed conversion but it isn't cheap. Personally, I prefer the overdrive and will get mine rebuilt by Mike Papworth next year.
Looking forward to seeing the coupe when it's finished.
I have contacted Jigsaw to see what they can do. All I would really want to do with it is make it more usable on the modern roads and to my style which is what I’m doing with the XJHave you, or anyone you’ve met along the way, had any experience of jigsaw?
Jigsaw have quoted approximately 15k inc vat for -
2.0 GT6 engine complete overhaul, balanced and flowed for best power, Weber fuel injection, distributorless on plug coil etc 140bhp setup with 5 speed gearbox
Uprated shocks and springs and other suspension components to their own spec
Polybushes throughout
Uprated brakes, lines etc to their own spec
2.0 GT6 engine complete overhaul, balanced and flowed for best power, Weber fuel injection, distributorless on plug coil etc 140bhp setup with 5 speed gearbox
Uprated shocks and springs and other suspension components to their own spec
Polybushes throughout
Uprated brakes, lines etc to their own spec
Just watched the SOS episode. Was great to be able to get a decent look at a deconstructed car. I think I would definitely go with the Jigsaw option listed above now to get it as modern as possible and then just trim it out and add the modern kit. Will be looking for a car towards the end of the year then. When I get one I’ll start a readers cars thread like I have for the XJ coupe
I watched that episode yesterday (recorded) and really enjoyed it (apart from Tim's cringe-worthy bits) right up until the end when it said "In Memory of". 
Then again at least the owner did get to drive it again, which obviously wouldn't have happened without Car SOS, so I hope he got some enjoyment from it.
There's just something so good looking about a 2 seater Coupe - if I wanted an MGB it would have to be a GT, an E-Type would have to be an FHC. Might be why my BMW Z4 is an E86 Coupe.
Then again at least the owner did get to drive it again, which obviously wouldn't have happened without Car SOS, so I hope he got some enjoyment from it.
There's just something so good looking about a 2 seater Coupe - if I wanted an MGB it would have to be a GT, an E-Type would have to be an FHC. Might be why my BMW Z4 is an E86 Coupe.
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