TeriAnn W. - great little cars, hope you decide to buy
>1. Is there supposed to be some sort of shrouding arouns the radiator?
>This one is just sitting up front with more space for air to get around it
>than through it.
>
>2. The two big guages are Smith, but the two small guages are brands I have
>never heard of. Are these aftermarket or did that have strange guages.
>
>3. How good are the brakes on these things? What are the symptoms of an
>internal leak in the master cylinder?
>
>4. Any particular gotchas I should be looking for
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Answers as best I can.
Number 1
Yes, there is a shroud in front of the radiator (really required for proper
airflow) as well as splash guards along both sides of the engine extending
from the radiator all the way back to the scuttle. All still available from
the major parts houses. (although I got tired of replacing the cardboard
front shroud because they tend to sink in the middle and restrict flow so I
made one out of steel.)
Number 2.
The gauges should all be the same. One tip is to look to see if all the
'pointers' are orange or some resemblance of orange as they were unique on
the GT6 and were white as used on the Spitfires ( I preferred the white
style vs. the orange and so painted all the pointers white, I know, no
flames please!). Also the GT6 spedo reads over 130 mph, and has additional
indicator light (a cluster of three) at the bottom of the gauge for turn
signal flashers.
Number 3.
Brakes are fair on these cars even though uprated from the Spitfire,
requiring slightly more pedal pressure for quick stops. A little on the
weak side for me (probably why they were fitted with a booster system on the
later MK3 models) An internal leak would be the same as on any other car,
pedal goes to the floor with light pressure applied, no brakes in extreme
case, no fluid loss as would be with an external failure..
Number 4.
CHECK the condition of the rubber donughts at the rear. If cracked, and
they probably are if not replaced recently then replacement is MANDATORY.
In fact if they haven't been replaced recently figure on replacing the
donughts. The donughts themselves aren't terribly expensive, around $30
apiece, but the replacement is a big pain in the a**. Other than that look
for rust in the usual places and look for noise from the tranny. Rebuilt
trannys are available but are unique to the GT6 and are a little weak for
the 2 liter six, and if ABUSED will wear out./break more readily than the
three rail Spitfire unit that it's based on. Same for the rear end, but
that's all standard Triumph stuff to look for!
Barry Schwartz
Bschwartz@encad.com (San Diego)
72-V6 Spitfire (daily driver)
70 GT6+ (when I don't drive the Spit)
70 Spitfire (body repair almost done)
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