Triumph GT6 MkIII - White
Discussion
"Are we all done then for Lot 130?"
I stared intently at the image on the projector. No one put up their hand.
"No more out there, on the phones...or on the books... nothing in the room then..."
The room was still packed after three hours, this being one of the last lots. I swallowed but maintained my frozen stare.
"Looks like it's going to London with Spinakerr then ... sold!"
The auctioneer's hammer restarted my heart and I leapt out of the humid hall, my first auction ending in my most expensive car purchase.
2017-08-14_10-28-38 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
I have hankered after a GT6 for many years, coming within a whisker of buying a very tired blue example 6 years ago and instead buying a Rover P5B. Having restored the Rover and recently sold it, it was time to take the plunge, in spite of rising values. Oh, also I have tickets to Goodwood Revival this September for a pre-1977 parking space.
I saw some nastily prepared examples, a beautifully restored MkII that I could not fit in and some average ones in colours I couldn't live with (yellow and purple). The market was unfortunately hotting up, and unless I wanted to get well into 5 figures it was never going to be perfect.
This GT6 was listed on Car and Classic for sale at Mathewsons' Auction House in Yorkshire. I fancied a trip outside of London, and booked a super-saver train ticket. The auction house were very accommodating the day before the auction, supplying tea and unlimited time (unbothered, unlike when you are with a seller/trader) to go through the exhaustive checklist I had prepared. Unfortunately, while I could start the engine and run it up to temperature, it was not possible to maneuver the stock for a test drive. Also, the Londoner with the toolbox spending hours working through one car seemed to be news in the little village, hence the auctioneer knowing my name the next day. Ho hum.
This was at the top of my budget, and had lots of positives (new interior, sensible upgrades, new panels and a strict MOTer correcting all sorts of bits for the past 5 years), but the standard list of GT6 foibles. Rust was starting around some seams and there were small blisters on some panels. The tailgate sounded like a box of cornflakes being kicked over when opened. The tyres were were good brands but over 9 years old and starting to crack, but on very nice 14x6 Minilites. The paperwork was thorough for the past 10 years but sparse (likely lost) for some of the earlier work that had been done.
It was a contradiction. On one hand, good money sensibly spent on a lot of GT6 problem points, on others lacking.
I checked in to my B&B, had a pint and a stew, then researched the cost of all upgrades and repairs while watching Ghostbusters 2. I reasoned (with myself, and a few good car people on phone/email) that every car would need something, so best to set a low max and see how it went.
The next morning, I set my limit after a cup of Yorshire's finest tea and refreshing stroll in the Dales:
2017-08-14_10-26-55 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
The auction was long and the prices seemed mostly on estimate. I popped in and out a few times to look at the car and cover everything I missed the day before.
At 16:30 I paid over the counter, and the giant Tetris puzzle began in their warehouse:
2017-08-14_10-26-35 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
The team moved it out with care, and after a fluid and tyre check (still cracked, great), I hit the road.
2017-08-14_11-10-00 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
As expected, more issues presented themselves as I drove, including a dodgy overdrive in 4th, a noisy gearbox and a murmuring differential. But it drove straight, changed gear and braked. Issues were all expected and actually planned for future upgrades, so I wasn't too worried. After brimming the fuel tank (carefully, these old tanks can't manage high pressure delivery), I had 240 miles back to Brick Lane for a birthday party in London. No problem.
2017-08-14_10-21-19 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
I gaffa taped my phone as a sat nav to the dash and pressed the go pedal.
2017-08-14_10-25-52 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Coming from a P5B, which is relatively serene and high, the low-slung coupe is an all-sense experience. The worn components and road noise generated a cacophony at 70mph, the leather and fuel smell in the cabin was heady and the lack of mirrors and power steering makes driving a full body workout.
Then the rain started.
2017-08-14_10-26-11 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Add wipers to the list. Working but dreadful. Rotoflex in good order and steering sharp, the GT6 keeps you awake and it highly responsive.
Four hours later, I made it to the seething metropolis, and immediately started fretting about parking. Fortunately a well-lit bay was available, and I eventually drove home at 01:00.
2017-08-14_10-29-03 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
More to follow.
I stared intently at the image on the projector. No one put up their hand.
"No more out there, on the phones...or on the books... nothing in the room then..."
The room was still packed after three hours, this being one of the last lots. I swallowed but maintained my frozen stare.
"Looks like it's going to London with Spinakerr then ... sold!"
The auctioneer's hammer restarted my heart and I leapt out of the humid hall, my first auction ending in my most expensive car purchase.

I have hankered after a GT6 for many years, coming within a whisker of buying a very tired blue example 6 years ago and instead buying a Rover P5B. Having restored the Rover and recently sold it, it was time to take the plunge, in spite of rising values. Oh, also I have tickets to Goodwood Revival this September for a pre-1977 parking space.
I saw some nastily prepared examples, a beautifully restored MkII that I could not fit in and some average ones in colours I couldn't live with (yellow and purple). The market was unfortunately hotting up, and unless I wanted to get well into 5 figures it was never going to be perfect.
This GT6 was listed on Car and Classic for sale at Mathewsons' Auction House in Yorkshire. I fancied a trip outside of London, and booked a super-saver train ticket. The auction house were very accommodating the day before the auction, supplying tea and unlimited time (unbothered, unlike when you are with a seller/trader) to go through the exhaustive checklist I had prepared. Unfortunately, while I could start the engine and run it up to temperature, it was not possible to maneuver the stock for a test drive. Also, the Londoner with the toolbox spending hours working through one car seemed to be news in the little village, hence the auctioneer knowing my name the next day. Ho hum.
This was at the top of my budget, and had lots of positives (new interior, sensible upgrades, new panels and a strict MOTer correcting all sorts of bits for the past 5 years), but the standard list of GT6 foibles. Rust was starting around some seams and there were small blisters on some panels. The tailgate sounded like a box of cornflakes being kicked over when opened. The tyres were were good brands but over 9 years old and starting to crack, but on very nice 14x6 Minilites. The paperwork was thorough for the past 10 years but sparse (likely lost) for some of the earlier work that had been done.
It was a contradiction. On one hand, good money sensibly spent on a lot of GT6 problem points, on others lacking.
I checked in to my B&B, had a pint and a stew, then researched the cost of all upgrades and repairs while watching Ghostbusters 2. I reasoned (with myself, and a few good car people on phone/email) that every car would need something, so best to set a low max and see how it went.
The next morning, I set my limit after a cup of Yorshire's finest tea and refreshing stroll in the Dales:

The auction was long and the prices seemed mostly on estimate. I popped in and out a few times to look at the car and cover everything I missed the day before.
At 16:30 I paid over the counter, and the giant Tetris puzzle began in their warehouse:

The team moved it out with care, and after a fluid and tyre check (still cracked, great), I hit the road.

As expected, more issues presented themselves as I drove, including a dodgy overdrive in 4th, a noisy gearbox and a murmuring differential. But it drove straight, changed gear and braked. Issues were all expected and actually planned for future upgrades, so I wasn't too worried. After brimming the fuel tank (carefully, these old tanks can't manage high pressure delivery), I had 240 miles back to Brick Lane for a birthday party in London. No problem.

I gaffa taped my phone as a sat nav to the dash and pressed the go pedal.

Coming from a P5B, which is relatively serene and high, the low-slung coupe is an all-sense experience. The worn components and road noise generated a cacophony at 70mph, the leather and fuel smell in the cabin was heady and the lack of mirrors and power steering makes driving a full body workout.
Then the rain started.

Add wipers to the list. Working but dreadful. Rotoflex in good order and steering sharp, the GT6 keeps you awake and it highly responsive.
Four hours later, I made it to the seething metropolis, and immediately started fretting about parking. Fortunately a well-lit bay was available, and I eventually drove home at 01:00.

More to follow.
Thanks for all the kind words, I've now done about 300 miles in 48 hours and am very much smitten with the GT6.
Having said that, first to be removed was the driver's visor, which obstructed my view when retracted. Daft design:
2017-08-14_05-06-16 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Revealing... a skip. Who would use that? Morlocks?
Much better:
2017-08-14_05-10-43 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
The interior is a highlight, all new and to a good standard, with a lovely walnut dash and (gasp!) headlining attached. It will need some cleaning and tidying like the rest of the car, but not much:
2017-08-14_05-10-29 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
2017-08-14_05-10-06 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Note the Micra in the background and how low the GT6 is.
Now, the engine. It is in reasonably fine fettle, with sensible ignition upgrades and a new fuel pump, plus Magnecor leads. I'm yet to be convinced by K&N filters, but will set everything else up and see how they go:
2017-08-14_05-05-12 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
I've tightened and checked every single circlip and hose clamp to ensure everything safe, and it even seems to be running well in traffic without and electric fan. There's evidence of an upgraded radiator, thermostat housing, pipework and antifreeze and nothing in the overflow yet, so that bodes well.
2017-08-14_05-32-01 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
The two immediate concerns are the engine running - everything is way off, from the high idle (>1500), pinking under load, puff of smoke at startup, unlubricated throttle pedal linkage to the Strombergs looking miserable and unloved.
I phoned my favourite tuner of all things old, who worked wonders on my P5B SUs, and by chance he had a cancellation, so I'm off to see him, and the rolling road in his garage, tomorrow morning 8am. Spark plugs, carbs, needles, timing, airflow and fueling will all be addressed in one morning session, hopefully, and he's a great teacher so I can keep on top of them in future. Then I'll be over to Micheldever for a full set of tyres and total alignment before these teenage items start to have tantrums. This is unacceptable, I don't know how people get so ignorant:
2017-08-14_05-32-52 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
I was very clean upon purchase. It is not now. Oh, the joy of white cars:
2017-08-14_10-30-03 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Rich135 said:
That looks really nice. I hope it won't be parked on the street every day/night?
Never fear, it has its own garage once it is cleared of housemoving debris, and for now it's on the driveway.HughG said:
Are the mk3s much bigger? I'd written off the idea of ever owning one on the basis of not being able to fit in a mk2.
Yes they are - the MkIII's windscreen rake and height was increased, giving about 1.5-2in extra headroom. I am just over 6ft and I still have another inch before the headlining, and it it not a strain at all. If you are ever near west London, send me a PM and you can come sit in this one.Having said that, first to be removed was the driver's visor, which obstructed my view when retracted. Daft design:

Revealing... a skip. Who would use that? Morlocks?
Much better:

The interior is a highlight, all new and to a good standard, with a lovely walnut dash and (gasp!) headlining attached. It will need some cleaning and tidying like the rest of the car, but not much:


Note the Micra in the background and how low the GT6 is.
Now, the engine. It is in reasonably fine fettle, with sensible ignition upgrades and a new fuel pump, plus Magnecor leads. I'm yet to be convinced by K&N filters, but will set everything else up and see how they go:

I've tightened and checked every single circlip and hose clamp to ensure everything safe, and it even seems to be running well in traffic without and electric fan. There's evidence of an upgraded radiator, thermostat housing, pipework and antifreeze and nothing in the overflow yet, so that bodes well.

The two immediate concerns are the engine running - everything is way off, from the high idle (>1500), pinking under load, puff of smoke at startup, unlubricated throttle pedal linkage to the Strombergs looking miserable and unloved.
I phoned my favourite tuner of all things old, who worked wonders on my P5B SUs, and by chance he had a cancellation, so I'm off to see him, and the rolling road in his garage, tomorrow morning 8am. Spark plugs, carbs, needles, timing, airflow and fueling will all be addressed in one morning session, hopefully, and he's a great teacher so I can keep on top of them in future. Then I'll be over to Micheldever for a full set of tyres and total alignment before these teenage items start to have tantrums. This is unacceptable, I don't know how people get so ignorant:

I was very clean upon purchase. It is not now. Oh, the joy of white cars:

It looks great, even on close up. Lovely interior and great access under that bonnet (always made me jealous seeing Spitfire and GT6 engine bays).
I had to replace my throttle cable too, it was sticking and awful to use. 15 min job and now it's a joy! How previous owners live with things like that is beyond me.
Rich
I had to replace my throttle cable too, it was sticking and awful to use. 15 min job and now it's a joy! How previous owners live with things like that is beyond me.
Rich
Spinakerr said:
HughG said:
Are the mk3s much bigger? I'd written off the idea of ever owning one on the basis of not being able to fit in a mk2.
Yes they are - the MkIII's windscreen rake and height was increased, giving about 1.5-2in extra headroom. I am just over 6ft and I still have another inch before the headlining, and it it not a strain at all. If you are ever near west London, send me a PM and you can come sit in this one.Thanks for the notes - as I have this week off work, the GT6 is getting a large amount of attention.
Following my jubilee and hose inspection, on Monday I replaced the items that looked the most dessicated. The fuel line for the GT6 does a lap of the engine before the carbs, and the heater system hovers over the back of the block like a menacing zeppelin, so I wanted them in tip-top shape.
The rear heater entanglement was the worst offender - some clips disintegrated when I touched them, others refused to budge even when being lobotomised. Slight eveidence of leaks here, much more on the underside of some hoses:
2017-08-16_07-42-57 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Brand new metal line next to the block with a seized clip? Check:
2017-08-16_07-45-02 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Some of the hoses were also cracking and split, fortunately there was enough slack for these to be trimmed:
2017-08-16_07-45-18 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Much better:
2017-08-16_08-00-41 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Suitable fuel clips on order, plus I'm going to construct some brackets and spacers to keep the lines away from the block to prevent vaporisation. I feel safe already.
Oh, and I found £3 and 50 Eurocents in the seat. Yay.
Following my jubilee and hose inspection, on Monday I replaced the items that looked the most dessicated. The fuel line for the GT6 does a lap of the engine before the carbs, and the heater system hovers over the back of the block like a menacing zeppelin, so I wanted them in tip-top shape.
The rear heater entanglement was the worst offender - some clips disintegrated when I touched them, others refused to budge even when being lobotomised. Slight eveidence of leaks here, much more on the underside of some hoses:

Brand new metal line next to the block with a seized clip? Check:

Some of the hoses were also cracking and split, fortunately there was enough slack for these to be trimmed:

Much better:

Suitable fuel clips on order, plus I'm going to construct some brackets and spacers to keep the lines away from the block to prevent vaporisation. I feel safe already.
Oh, and I found £3 and 50 Eurocents in the seat. Yay.
On Monday I phoned my preferred carb tuner, Tom Airey near Winchester, to see when he could fit me in as his calendar is always packed. By chance he'd had a a cancellation for Tuesday, but unfortunately it was at 08:00. With a slight huff I set my alarm for 06:00, earlier than my typical commuting time, and packed the car. I also loaded three old tyres (from Micra, Alfa 164 and my old XK8) for disposal.
It was almost enjoyable dicing with the sleepy, aggressive commuters on the M3, where no one notices the small GT6 or has any clue that my brakes aren't quite up to modern standards. I put the headlights on and had to sound the horn whenever I saw the captain of a shapeless LandCayQaiRoverblorb hint at changing lanes into me.
Tom has a rolling road in his garden shed, and has been tuning engines for decades. Anything not running on injectors has been adjusted here:
2017-08-17_08-23-08 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
As I had suspected, everything was off to some extent. The timing was out by 20 degrees (!), so the distributor was moved and rebolted securely as a priority.
2017-08-16_07-45-49 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
2017-08-17_08-23-39 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Next, spark plugs, fuel lines and airflow was inspected. Running lean somewhat:
2017-08-16_07-46-35 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Then it was on to the needles, which were slightly reprofiled to give a consistent power delivery through the curve. As these are free floating and rotate in their housing, they must be kept round.
2017-08-16_07-46-20 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Finally, we took it out for a run with some additive in the fuel, and some further tweaks to the throttle linkage and Stromberg setups were made. I do like having carbs named after a Bond villain.
The accelerator pedal has a sticky spot at the beginning of travel, and so a small return spring was constructed to give it some more resistance:
2017-08-16_07-47-15 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
This hasn't cured the problem, so I'm going to get into the pedal itself and lubricate it.
Quite a big difference after 2 hours of tinkering: from 95 to 115hp (running on the octane booster), and more importantly no pinking under load. Tom and his apprentice gave the engine a good bill of health otherwise - it definitely has been rebuilt in the past 10k we think, but other than asking me to set the valve clearance to quieten it down he couldn't fault it. I was right on that point at least!
The idle is still high with the engine warm, but this is due to the vacuum advance unit being shot and the rev counter reading high. I think I may go down the electronic distributor route (£80) as that will have a new rev counter drive, vacuum unit and eliminate some of the older components.
I noticed a brake light was out, an easy replacement:
2017-08-16_07-46-50 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Then it was off to Micheldever Tyre centre for four new Goodyears. These guys have always helped me out and spotted items I've missed, plus they're happy to accommodate tyre disposal.
I didn't like the look of the spare - hand painted silver and bran flakes/rust? Bin:
2017-08-16_07-48-07 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
The SPAX rear shocks are a little old but working.
2017-08-16_07-48-40 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
I took the opportunity to fix the dust cover:
2017-08-16_07-50-13 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
The rear leaf and drum are in good order, though I some bushes will need replacement:
2017-08-16_07-49-15 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
On the fronts, pads are low and the discs unevenly scored, so I think they should be replaced. Luckily after all this expense, parts are cheap:
2017-08-16_07-49-29 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
Micheldever then showed their worth - two of the guys were unhappy with the number of turns the wheel nuts had on the studs (the Minilites are thicker than the original rims), so they tapped out the nuts slightly to get them tight. No charge, and it was on to the alignment bay. Minimal adjustment needed, but importantly the wheel was set straight!
The chassis was deemed very straight, no signs of any accidents or repairs. I poked a couple of bits on the underside and unfortunately made a small hole on the offside front wheel arch. I missed it at the auction, most annoying. It doesn't appear to be the whole sill, which we checked very carefully, but will need attention before the winter.
The new tyres were quieter, grippier and gave me the confidence to push it into the bends. This is a car where you can have as much fun at 50mph as at any other speed.
Still, the car ran well over 100 miles that day, only the stop start traffic in London aggravating the gearbox, which became harder to engage as it got hotter. The gearbox looks to have be refurbished recently and was very clean, but the clutch release bearing and shifter needs alignment.
Here it is looking splendid on its new boots:
2017-08-17_08-24-16 by Clifton Tausberger, on Flickr
It was almost enjoyable dicing with the sleepy, aggressive commuters on the M3, where no one notices the small GT6 or has any clue that my brakes aren't quite up to modern standards. I put the headlights on and had to sound the horn whenever I saw the captain of a shapeless LandCayQaiRoverblorb hint at changing lanes into me.
Tom has a rolling road in his garden shed, and has been tuning engines for decades. Anything not running on injectors has been adjusted here:

As I had suspected, everything was off to some extent. The timing was out by 20 degrees (!), so the distributor was moved and rebolted securely as a priority.


Next, spark plugs, fuel lines and airflow was inspected. Running lean somewhat:

Then it was on to the needles, which were slightly reprofiled to give a consistent power delivery through the curve. As these are free floating and rotate in their housing, they must be kept round.

Finally, we took it out for a run with some additive in the fuel, and some further tweaks to the throttle linkage and Stromberg setups were made. I do like having carbs named after a Bond villain.
The accelerator pedal has a sticky spot at the beginning of travel, and so a small return spring was constructed to give it some more resistance:

This hasn't cured the problem, so I'm going to get into the pedal itself and lubricate it.
Quite a big difference after 2 hours of tinkering: from 95 to 115hp (running on the octane booster), and more importantly no pinking under load. Tom and his apprentice gave the engine a good bill of health otherwise - it definitely has been rebuilt in the past 10k we think, but other than asking me to set the valve clearance to quieten it down he couldn't fault it. I was right on that point at least!
The idle is still high with the engine warm, but this is due to the vacuum advance unit being shot and the rev counter reading high. I think I may go down the electronic distributor route (£80) as that will have a new rev counter drive, vacuum unit and eliminate some of the older components.
I noticed a brake light was out, an easy replacement:

Then it was off to Micheldever Tyre centre for four new Goodyears. These guys have always helped me out and spotted items I've missed, plus they're happy to accommodate tyre disposal.
I didn't like the look of the spare - hand painted silver and bran flakes/rust? Bin:

The SPAX rear shocks are a little old but working.

I took the opportunity to fix the dust cover:

The rear leaf and drum are in good order, though I some bushes will need replacement:

On the fronts, pads are low and the discs unevenly scored, so I think they should be replaced. Luckily after all this expense, parts are cheap:

Micheldever then showed their worth - two of the guys were unhappy with the number of turns the wheel nuts had on the studs (the Minilites are thicker than the original rims), so they tapped out the nuts slightly to get them tight. No charge, and it was on to the alignment bay. Minimal adjustment needed, but importantly the wheel was set straight!
The chassis was deemed very straight, no signs of any accidents or repairs. I poked a couple of bits on the underside and unfortunately made a small hole on the offside front wheel arch. I missed it at the auction, most annoying. It doesn't appear to be the whole sill, which we checked very carefully, but will need attention before the winter.
The new tyres were quieter, grippier and gave me the confidence to push it into the bends. This is a car where you can have as much fun at 50mph as at any other speed.
Still, the car ran well over 100 miles that day, only the stop start traffic in London aggravating the gearbox, which became harder to engage as it got hotter. The gearbox looks to have be refurbished recently and was very clean, but the clutch release bearing and shifter needs alignment.
Here it is looking splendid on its new boots:

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