Nick & Chris's Gt6 Mk 3

[Nick Jones]

If a GT6 owner could post a reasonably close up pic of the back edge of their rear deck I'd appreciate it.  Concerned I've not got the radius of that upper edge tight enough.....

Thanx

Nick

[GT6MK3]

Mines currently in hiding.

 

Do the photos with this on help?  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RARE-1972-GT6-Triumph-exotic-LHD-suit-porsche-tr4-tr6-ferrari-austin-p1800-volvo-/122731843029?hash=item1c93634dd5:g:lWEAAOSwOeVZzyGS

 

(The forum upgrade was worth it just for the Drag and Drop feature for pictures!!!)

 

C.

[Nick Jones]

Thanks, I hadn't found those.  Having looked at quite a few now (in pictures only and of variable quality and angle) my conclusion is that they vary quite alot, presumably because they've had work done, either due to accident damage or because it's a favourite rot spot on damp-climate cars.  That one I'd say has had work.

 

Nick

[Nick Jones]

It seems that Plymouth is close enough for Chris to do a sneaky weekend "dirty washing run" and, as a bonus, get some quality metal working therapy in the garage.  So I took full advantage of the extra pair of hands........

I'd got the panel to the point where it fitted in the hole.  Due to the lack of datums this meant refitting doors, wings and tailgate to help re-position the rear lamp panel

to persuade the new panel to curve up to meet the old we used various bits of wood and lots of packing

And then used lots of self tappers to pull it all together checking carefull that the tailgate aperture stayed the right shape.

Then gradually worked along the old panel cut line with a 1mm cutting disc, lifted the new panel up for a smooth butt-weld and tacked.

Eventually ending up with this

It's looking really promising.  Just got to fully weld now without spoiling it!  Feels like a big step forward though.

Nick

[GT6MK3]

Looking awesome Nick.  Solving a tricky problem like that is no mean feat. It takes a combination of the bravery to decideto just “get er done”,  the knowledge to be able to figure out a method that hasn’t existed till now, the patience to do it slowly enough not to screw it up as you go, and the simple vision to know how you want it to look when you finish.  You genuinely have all of these.

going to be an awesome car

C

[Nick Jones]

Thanks.  Was definitely well outside my (our) comfort zone, but feeling better about it now.

Improvement on the horrible mess that was there and that is for sure!

 

Nick

[Nick Jones]

Was fully welded last weekend, partly by me, partly by Chris.  This weekend I have mostly been cutting hedges and fiddling with more modern machinery.  However, I did find time to have a bit of a grindathon and the weld was ground back then further tidied with a power file.

 

Then shone a light behind , drew a ring around all the pin holes (yes, there were a few).  Reweld and grind back...... and repeat a couple of times.  No more holes.  Also a little shrinking went on at the far left where we had a bit of a bulge, which seemed to work pretty well.

This is how it stands now.

My next move will be to remove the lamp panel (only held in with self tappers) for repairs.  I'll also take the opportunity to tidy up the bottom of the long weld and the welds from the previous repair.  Once the lamp panel and refitted permanently I'll body-solder the seam areas.

Nick

[surfup21]

Can't wait to see how everything turns out. 

[Noswal]

Really fantastic work the pair of you, remember when I did my 67 sprite , I changed every panel on the car except the boot unlike you I didn't make them.

so well done looking forward to the finished article 

cheers phil

[TIMSGT6 X 5]

Outstanding, you are inspiring me to get creative and tackle a few projects in the same manner.

Cheers Tim

[ivangt6]

Nice work! I'd like to know where you get your brave pills from

[Nick Jones]

Thanks for the kind words. Brave pills.....?  I think it's the "cornered rat" effect!  Ivan, pretty sure I've seen your GT6 project on the RR forum and there's some pretty serious stuff happening there too!

Not been a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks for various reasons (parish council lawnmower rescue, Audi TT, man with a scalpel etc), but did finish welding the wings and rear valance into place.  Also managed to beat out most of the massive dent in the RH rear wheel tub caused by incautious use of a porta-power ram during historical repair work.  I also started stripping the paint off the passenger door, before abandoning it as a pointless job as the door skin is horribly distorted underneath with up to 5mm of filler in places - going to have to re-skin it for it ever to be right.  After that we will be ready to remove the tub and put it on the roll-over jig.  There's still plenty of tidying to be done down below......

Nick

 

[JohnD]

A woman's work is never done - but a car restorer's .........

[Nick Jones]

Chris has been back for Christmas, so some things have happened (seeing a pattern here?).  In my defence....... I have changed the clutch on our Kia Ceed (ok job, if long - much nicer to work on than the TT!) and done some work on the long-suffering A6.

So,  LH rear wheel tube was looking a bit crusty around and under the damper mount so Chris removed it (not easy) and welded up the the resulting holes, some of which needed some fairly complex shaped repair sections. 

Came out well - welds need dressing back obviously.  The slight dilemma now is that the RH tub seems better to the extent that it hardly seems removing the damper mount...... but there isn't one on the LH now and I'm intending to use chassis mounts in future...... so to repair and refit the LH mount or remove the RH so they match.......?  I'm inclined to the latter.

I haven't done the passenger door yet but Chris really wants to crack-on with the underside this week.  So it was time to break out the roll-over rig and remove the tub.

First had a good sweep out inside, revealing something looking a bit like a car

Undid all the body mounts (it's been off before remember) attach bracketry and use the rig "lift device" (600mm of M16 studding) to lift the back high enough to attach. 

Then had to figure out how to raise the front high enough to roll the chassis out from under. 

Took some pratting around with jacks and blocks of wood  with 'elf & safety tutting alot in the background, but we managed without damage or injury.......

Got to be easier than welding upside down!

Nick

[Nick Jones]

So one of us has been doing a lot of tidy-up welding and enjoying the freedom of a rotisserie.  I, on the other hand was wrestling with an Audi A6 auxiliary belt tensioner mechanism, knackered beyond redemption after a mere 307,000 miles.  The belt didn't look that special either but that had only done about 150k.  The new one I'd ordered was a good 400mm too short.......  I did manage to find one off the shelf in Yeovil though.

Remember that other damper mount...... we decided to take it off - even though it looked ok from the outside.

Turned out to be a good move.  The backside was rusty and the wheeltub itself pin-holed.

Mended now though it seems I've forgotten to photograph it.

Sir was then scratching round for things to mend.  Then his eye was caught by this miserable object the RH quater valance.  I'd resigned myself to blowing £ 80 ish on a new one........

Chris split the two pressings, chopped out the rot and made repair sections

Looking very promising.  We stopped at this point to fit an Accuspark to his Spitfire.

 

Nick

 

[Nick Jones]

There's been a grindathon, quite alot of scraping, followed by a long sessions with the mule-skinner.

Then a paint brush to apply high zinc primer (Bilt Hamber Electrox - better do what it says on the tin!)

Feels like progress.  Means I'm going to have to choose the colour though 

The short list is:

Damson

Carmine red

Mallard

 

Nick

[Nick Jones]

Here's some colour......

 

Nick

[Mark]

Looking really good Nick. Are you going with cellulose? 

Mark

[Nick Jones]

So far brushed with a synthetic enamel.

Cellulose or not will depend whether I bite the bullet and get it painted by a pro.  That will depend whether I can find a pro with a decent enough record at a price that doesn't trigger my skinflint reflex! I have found (I think) a source for decent cellulose should the skinflint reflex win - though I'd quite like the tub out of the way while I sort the chassis.......

Nick

[Mark]

I was spoilt growing up as my as my dear Dad, long departed, was a paint sprayer all his life and I had several cars painted over the years and took it for granted. I have sprayed some of the cars myself but without a proper set up it's difficult but not impossible to get a decent finish with cellulose, weather and green flies permitting. I did get some rough quotes for the Vitesse a few years ago, which were surprising, and why I am doing it myself. My car will be parked on the street and from past experience I have picked up the odd unexplained chip and dig to the bodywork, so to be able to rectify these myself is apealing and I'll  sleep better at night.

[GT6 Nick]

Looking really nice Nick. I’d splash out on a professional paint job if I were you. All that body repair work deserves a top quality paint job.

Damson?

[Nick Jones]

Thank you Nick.  It is Damson.  I was also keen on Mallard but yours is a tough act to follow........

I will get some quotes.......  The horror of painting (or rather the final stages of preparation) are still fresh from the Spitfire.

Nick

[RedRooster]

Out on interest how much Bilt Hamber Electrox did you need?

i'm at the same stage as you & not decided which way to go with the paint, DIY or pro.

 

 

[Nick Jones]

Nice work!  Lots of scary curves on those........ 4 pot or V8?

I bought a litre of the Hydrate 80, which was used on the more pitted areas.  Haven't used much so far.  Also a litre of the brushable Electrox which I've used about 3/4 of.  My hot tip would be to buy some of the proper thinners for that as it goes on a bit thick for non-marine service as it comes in the tin, and it took me a bit of rummaging to find a thinners that seemed compatible.

Both the above also got used on the cutting deck of my mower where they'll get a damn good test!

Cheers

Nick

[RedRooster]

Yeah its all curves & underneath is just metal with a built in X cross member, i look at the car & can't figure out what was the first or the last panel they put on.

Found that paint, not cheap.

https://www.bilthamber.com/electrox