[Fot] Phiosophical Reflections on GT6 motor internals

[Jason Ostrowski]

There are not that many GT6's out there racing week after week..
I have said before that my approach for the past few years has been to
focus on maintaining the car with the mechanical properties that have been
long time race proven.
"Knowledge" gained from studying the great cars I grew up with here in the
Midwest and lucky to have my own working historical template, I remain true
to many seemingly "old school" ways.
Not surprisingly, what I have found to be the working norm usually follows
pretty close in line with Kas's early yellow version of the
"Competition Preparation Manual" for the GT6+...
reoccurringly and affectionately referred to in my garage as "the little
yellow book"

This takes me back to fond memories of perhaps the Silver Age of GT6ing (In
my mind)((from the mid 1970's to the mid 80's)). The factory cars had
disappeared. The guys that were left racing GT6's were still trying to keep
the cars running like the factory backed cars of years earlier.
To do this, you basically had to have a GT6 graveyard in your backyard. And
if you were very lucky you could find access to those coveted "V" parts...
which had virtually disappeared as well.
However, with close attention to details in "the little yellow book" using
parts from your backyard graveyard... you could foil Datsuns and Alfas for
a class win.
If the stars were in alignment, you might even be a real underdog hero
and nudge out a super sized GT1 muscle car for the overall win.

Of course, you hear about Group 44 and Kastner and Cline and their glorious
GT6's.
In my world, there was a guy named Dennis Moeller who pioneered the
campaign of GT6's in the Midwest. There were a few more names that dabbled
with the cars as well but my learning came mostly from hanging around the
cars of John Reed and my Dad... as they continued to fight the battle in
GT6's for many years.
Builders and racers that worked with very little (in the way of new
parts)... but with attention to details and many grueling hours of smart
preparation of mostly used Triumph Parts or custom "one offs"... they held
there own.
My modest friend John Reed is not the type to talk much about winning in
his "Zippy"... but his record is quite impressive. He won tons of races
back in the day and was always in contention for the Midwestern Council DP
championship. I have yet to meet a driver that  finished more events in a
GT6.
As a lucky second generation GT6 addict, I am fortunate to have these guys
(John and my Dad) as Coaches, advisers and aging crew members.
And as the self appointed curator of our three cars and a few spare motors
I can say, rather proudly, that they all have stock connecting rods and
stock pistons.
Each motor varies in potency. A couple are real killers and through it all
have been pretty much bulletproof.
Somehow over the past 40 years the three main cars managed to rack up over
400 race finishes.  .
My plan is to have all three (very different) cars up at Road America for
the next Kastner Cup. Each with it's corresponding "Legend of motorsport"

Now, not to be narrow minded, or resistant to change, or stuck with a 1972
rule book in hand....
Someday I would like to try my hand (budget pending) with some of the newer
trick stuff out there and I do support any newfangled modern production of
quality parts.The parts that we have used in these motors has been mostly
a matter of means and, more importantly, has followed efforts of being able
to keep them built and tuned "in house" with limited equipment.  Most
importantly, they need to be assembled with personal notes, the illustrated
factory manuals and help from that old "little yellow book."

Whatever parts you have or decide to put in your GT6, Please, please make
plans to bring them ALL to the next Kastner Cup.
Shot peened steel?, aluminium?, carbon fiber?....bring it to Road America a
year from now.
LET'S RACE!

Jason Ostrowski
Friendly Ghost Racing