I've had my 1971 GT6 MKIII for six years and have already rebuilt the engine and rear suspension ( among other smaller projects). I always wanted to have an overdrive unit. Cruising on US freeways is a strain on the engine and 4-speed gearbox with speeds usually around 70 MPH. The paint job was pretty good on most of the car, but the engine bay was not so good. Normal wear and tear along with a series of brake fluid leaks had really taken its toll.
I found a very nice rebuilt overdrive unit on eBay that had been updated to higher specs on gear bushings and synchros.
As most GT6 owners know it is really difficult to get the gearbox out. The frame design means it can not be dropped out below like a "normal" car. It is possible to remove thru the interior but that is very difficult. I have found it much easier to remove the entire engine and gearbox at once. I have it down to three hours more or less.
In addition to brake fluid leaks my car had the usual battery box rust issues. I installed an AGM battery so hopefully, this will not be a problem in the future.
As you can see here I have attempted several repairs and resprays after the fluid leaks. I converted to DOT 5 for the brakes and clutch so this should not happen again.
The interior needed a refresh as well. I replaced the dash a few years ago but I wasn't a big fan of the satin finish so I replaced with a new gloss dash. The carpets were pretty bad, low-cost tufted nylon with poor insulation and no heat shielding.
This is a California car so I am fortunate that it only has surface rust here and there. The only repair was the driver floor which had some holes. I replaced with a new panel using industrial adhesive vs welding. Much easier and a good seal.
It is always interesting to find out what takes a lot longer than it should. Removing the foam glued to the floor under the carpets was awful. Eventually, I just soaked it all in Goof-Off and let it sit for a day.
Speaking of tasks that take much longer than expected, cleaning and prepping the engine bay and frame took for-ever. I used paint stripper and wire brush but this did not work very well on the small areas and frame parts. Initially, I was trying to leave the suspension, gas line, steering, and exhaust in place. If I had to do it again I would just remove it all, more work to reassemble but much easier on the prep and paint.
Progress but still a long way to go. I would consider soda blasting next time. Again, messy but probably much fast than all the handwork to get this far.
Almost ready for painting. High fill primer on most of the flat surfaces. I covered the suspension with plastic bags for the primer. I needed the wheels in place to get the car to the paint shop.
The front valances needed help, always take a lot of photographs of the fitting locations for good panel gaps later.
The front wheel wells were pretty bad, chips and worn paint. I didn't want to do a full hood (bonnet) respray so just did the wheel wells outer frame parts. I was able to do this with color matched spray cans.
Back from the paint shop, looking much better. Unfortunately, the suspension and steering rack paint took a beating in the prep process so I eventually removed it all and repainted with Trim Black.
Interior painted and ready for reassembly. The lighting is different so the paint color looks like it doesn't match but it does.
The undercarriage needed a lot of help too. I did what I could without taking the body off. As I previously mentioned, very little rust damage other than on the surface. I sealed with undercarriage spray and a coat of paint.
This shot is after the rust, dirt, and grime were removed.
Same shot after several coats of undercoating. Much improved.
Front view.
A major step, engine back in the car!
On the list of things that took longer than it should have, installing the wiring harness. The car had the original 1971 harness and had the usual problems with grounds, dim bulbs, and looked terrible. The new harness, made for my year, was surprisingly difficult to fit. I should have taken many more photos of the exact routing of every harness wire. The new harness is made to the exact dimensions of the original but since it is new it is pretty stiff. Fitting and routing was really a pain.
Interior complete (or almost, a few electrical connections still not working). New molded carpets from Newton Commercial.
Ready for the Triumphest 2018 in Sacramento.
