Hey all,
Two quick questions and one long comment:
1) When regasketing the tranny for the GT6mk3, I accidently lost one
of three little springs that go between the bellhousing and the tranny
case (around the layshaft or something). Does anyone have one or know
where I can get one of the propper length and spring constant?
2) I just bought the ultimate british car tool... a three car garage
with a house attached. I am thinking about what the result of working
on the GT6 and the Porsche 914 in the garage will be -- I'm guessing
huge and unremovable oil stains. One solution would be to paint the
floor, like in race car shops and F-16 hangars. Anyone have
experience in this, know what thype of paint to use, or know if this
is a dumb idea or the decision of an enlightened home owner? I'm
leaning toward using a catalyzed acrylic enamel, probably grey, and
spraying it on with my paint gun.
3) Why is everyone suggesting "buying the perfect car" for $10,000 as
opposed to "buying a junker" for $500 and adding $9500 in parts and
1000 hours in free labor? It would probably be good to also add "take
it to an authorized mechanic" and "have Jiffy Lube change the oil and
filters" and "buy a car that is really quiet inside." Perhaps we
should also suggest "get the newest vehicle you can" and "don't buy a
car with a convertible top or a big engine or a flashy paint job --
they're so impracticle." Finally, we should definitely suggest "make
sure the car can comfortable fit a family of five and that it has lots
of cargo capacity for groceries." (Speaking in his best David Spade's
Hollywood Minute voice from Saturday Night Live...) We'll I have news
for you all. It has a sliding side door, twin air bags and you can buy
it at your local Mazda Dealer. And it's boring. It's called a Mazda
MPV minivan.
As far as I can tell, this whole list is for people who for some
twisted reason or another like buying old and worn British cars and
restoring them to their former glory. We recognize the pathway in the
nervous system that connects the pain from skinned knuckles to the
heart and the mind and that somehow in that process is created that
warm, satisfied feeling we all feel after fixing something broken,
righting something wrong. We like the fact that we KNOW just how much
the crank is overground or just how thick is the layer of Bondo on the
fender...we KNOW it because we SAW it. We don't mind manual chokes,
having to blip the throttle a bit on occasion to keep the engine
idling. We like having half the people on the street look at our cars
and say, "What the hell is that?" because we know that the other half
is probably saying "What the hell is that? It looks pretty neat!" We
plan vacations, nurture friendships, initiate courtship rituals, teach
our children values... all based upon the automotive restoration hobby
we call LBC (I include as well my LGC....)
Will there ever be a MPV Owners Club? Will the purchasers of a
restored (?) TR6 ever truly KNOW their car if they haven't pulled the
engine, bled the brakes, replaced the U-joints? I don't know. I do
know I felt a personal bond to the 1965 VW Bug on which I removed,
cleaned painted and massaged every item which could be seperated from
another. I cried when my two year friendship was stolen from me by
some unfeeling sub-human, one whose father probebly didn't show him
how to turn a bolt, replace a clutch cable or spot weld a repair
panel. I searched for new friends and found them in the 914 and now
the GT6 and the CBR600. I like knowing "what's under that panel". I
like the hissing sound of the hydraulic jack as I turn the handle and
my car gently lowers to the ground. I like the waves I get from
fellow motorcycle owners and 914 enthusiasts and I know I will meet
similar folks once the GT6 is back on the road. Should I have paid
$4000 for a perfect GT6? Maybe. Maybe not. I would have a car that
works if I had done so. But I think the way I chose, the car and I
will work together. I rather like that and I feel it's worth it.
It's 110 degrees and I wish I had an MPV with air conditioning,
--Tim
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