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July 5, 2019

Beginning

[Click on the pics for a bigger view.]

Well, having just finished a multi-year restoration of my 74 TR6, I was feeling the burden of a little too much time on my hands.  I wandered to the garage to see what else might be there that could occupy my time for a while.

I saw this 1969 Triumph GT6 over in the corner.  I've owned the car since the late 70s, and it was my daily driver for a few years.  I put it away with suspension troubles when I bought the TR6, and it's been in the garage ever since.  I walked around the car a few times.  It was pretty dirty, and worn around the edges, but I still liked the sleek Michelotti lines.




I lifted up the front-hinged bonnet to see the familiar straight-6 engine, pretty similar to the one in the TR6.  I had rebuilt the engine in 1981 or so, and it had probably done less than 10,000 miles since then, but it looked tired.  There was ample evidence of critters.
 



The interior was the worst, with leavings of generations of small animals' acorn feasts everywhere.




There must have been dozens of varmints living in this car--for decades!




I took a deep breath and thought it over.  

"Yeah, this will do", I said to myself finally.  "She's still got good bones."

So, off came her bonnet for better access, and I started peeling parts off the engine.




The engine/gearbox assembly has to come out at kind of a steep angle to clear the shifter.




Engine/gearbox on its stand.  It will wait for winter in the shop.




Looks sort of forlorn and sad.




Now, on to the body.  The GT6 is a frame/body car, as opposed to a monocoque, like the MGB.  To do a complete job, the body has to come off the frame.  I started by removing most of the rest of the interior so I could get to the 12 body mounting bolts.  More critters' nests.  That pink insulation came from the house, no doubt.




Though I probably didn't have to, I stripped the wiring harness.




Then, after all the mounting fasteners, rear shocks, rear radius arms, steering column, brake lines and hand brake cables were all disconnected, I yanked the body.




Then pulled the body back, and rolled the frame out from under it.




I learned first-hand during the TR6 project how the necessary storage space just explodes for a body-off restoration.  I was prepared this time.  I had built a raised platform for the body above the MGA (future project).  The body will stay there probably until next summer, when I can get to it.




Stored the bonnet up there, too.




Sort of like bunk beds.




The car is all spread out now.  What isn't shown is many boxes and shelves full of parts.




The next immediate project is to break down the frame and get it repaired and painted.



Comments to Ed at elhollin1@yahoo.com

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