| Issue #10 - 2002 |
In this issue |
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| Page 1 |
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The lastest rantings from the editor. [more]
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| 'Flawed Diamonds' |
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John Wood on the Triumph Spitfire & GT6. [more]
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| Jonathan Crossley's GT6 Restoration |
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Jonathan sent me the details on his restoration in late 1999...[more]
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| Josh Hickey's GT6 Restoration |
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...and Josh sent me his in early 2000...[more]
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| Lola |
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...and Roger sent me the story on Lola in mid 2000...[more]
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| Graham Johnson's GT6 |
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...and Graham sent me his in early 2001.[more]
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- [back to new format] -
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| Triumph GT6 Ezine |
Josh Hickey's GT6 Restoration |
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Author: Josh Hickey Editor: Todd Wilson
It all started back in 1970 when my father, a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman, went car shopping with his classmates to use their newly-found "wealth." Passing up the Porsches and 'Vettes that his mates were buying, Dad bought a (saffron) GT6+. Apparently he loved the car, but, being an engineer, couldn't leave well enough alone. Over the next several years, he proceeded to rip out the original dashboard and installed a new dash, which as far as I can tell, was not an improvement at all. He also was fed up with noisy quarter-vents in the back, so he took them out and made very small stained-glass windows to put there (nice touch).
Anyhow, he pretty much abused the car as any 21-year-old would, and damage was done in a couple of accidents. I'll get to that later, though. Through the late '70s and 80's he used the car as a commuter vehicle, and that included cros-country trips from Virginia Beach to Seattle and back. I remember these trips only slightly, being only 3-4 years old at the time. In the early '80s we moved overseas and the car sat in a New York field right on the shore of Lake Erie for four years. Needless to say, upon going to get it on our return, it was found to have extensive rust damage and animals living inside. It was a mess, to say the least.
Now to how I became the proprietor of this car. In 1992 I finally got my drivers' license and the car became mine. Some time was spent with minor repairs, to make it drivable, and it was on the road. After a year of driving it with few major problems, but a terrible paint job, we again moved overseas. The car sat in our garage for another three years, this time safe from most of the elements.
Here's where this car really came back to life. Upon my return to Virginia Beach, I spent a few thousand bucks and 99% of my free time working on the car after work every day in the hot sun. I had to strip down the entire body, spending countless hours sanding and shaping fiberglass panels to replace some damaged rear fenders and front quarter panels, and the rusted out doors. A new clutch was a challenge, since I had never done it before. Actually, most of what I know now about cars came from taking apart the GT, using trial and (more frequently) error.Over the next couple years, I managed to get the body in decent shape, replace many front suspension components (damaged in a wreck 15 years earlier), revamp the brakes, tune the Stromburgs (what a pain), find some racing wheels off a Spit at a local j-yard, and recover the seats and headliner, not to mention a thousand other small things. Also managed to break the rear glass while replacing the weatherstripping (don't ask) and had to put up with incompetant distributors repeatedly sending me MGB-GT rear glass pieces by mistake until I got the right one. The car now ran great, and looked good too, even if it was still painted in primer. (Chicks dig GT6s).
I drove it for the next several years until I was rear-ended by a 16-year-old new driver (idiot was kissing his girlfriend at the time). The entire rear end was deformed and had to be entirely rebuilt. That having been done, and the winter upon me, I resumed driving my Acura. With dad's help I rebuilt the back end completely in fiberglass, using steel parts as molds. At this point, I decided it was time to do a ground-up restoration, so off came the body, and the frame was blasted, a new rear leaf spring installed, and everything undercoated and cleaned up. relplaced most remaining old suspension parts, and ripped out all of the wiring.
At this moment, the car is sitting at Mom and Dad's house (can't keep it at my townhome) with a new wiring harness half-installed, and waiting for a new dash to be either bought or built. Otherwise, it's in very good shape. I still have to do some minor engine and body work, and tweak the interior, once I put it back together. Hopefully some Webers will find their way into my six's engine, as well as new sport exhaust (I have a Spit 1500 exhaust on it right now) and I will decide on a new paint color, although I like the look that Steve Smith (issue 2) has. May go with something like that.....
Someday I'll have a finished product for you to look at, but until then, here's a pic from last year. (My dad checking out my work in the pic).
Peace, Josh
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Do you have a GT6, Spitfire or Hybrid? Send me some photos and a little blurb on the car and I'll put it up here.
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