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GT6 '72 GT6

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triumph

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Hi- Am new to this and have just joined I was wondering if a Mallory Distributor for TR6 will work in GT6? My car has little power at low RPM and have checked and set everything-
Carbs,ignition,timeing,advance,fuel. The problem seems to come and go I had the same experience with a '73 MGB so thought maybe it was a common thing for these cars. Glenn
 
Check the mechanical advance inside the dizzy. It may be sticking advanced. Pop the dist. cap and see if the rotor will rotate a few degrees then spring back on its own. If not then pull the rotor and apply a drop of oil to the opening in the top of the shaft (it'll either ba a felt pad or a slotted screw if the pad is missing) Then see if you can get it moving freely. It may require you to remove the unit and do a thorough cleaning/lubing. MGs had the same setup and it is a common problem as it should be lubed every oil change but usually gets missed.
I'm not sure on the mallory unit.
 
Also keep in mind the Mallory dist will not have a tach cable connection. The original Lucas distributors worked well. Recheck your timing & confirm it advances at least 16 deg's by 3,000 rpm. Set your points with a dwell meter instead of a feeler gauge.
 
Hi,

I've got a Mallory dual point, mechanical advance distr. in my TR4, but the tach drive is separate on the 4-cylinder engine. So that's not a problem with this car, as it is with yours.

I can tell you, overall, Mallory quality is very good. If I were installing one today, I think I'd go with their Unilite electronic version and eventually add a Hyfire multi-spark system. The dual point design gives an increase in spark, but there is even more potential with a multi-spark system - especially from idle up to 3000 rpm - and greater precision with electronic control.

Cheers!

Alan

Not knowing your level of expertise or what testing equipment you have at hand, have you considered taking the car to someone knowledgeable for a diagnosis? Even if you are mechanically savvy, a second set of eyes looking at the car might be worth paying for one hour of a good mechanic's time.
 
On various GT6's (probably just Mk1s) there was also a Delco dizzy that was used. Regardless, unless you are interested in fitting an electronic tach it will probably be less expensive to repair the dizzy you've got. The Roadster Factory may have some of the dizzy parts. I definitely remember buying a new breaker plate from them... but that was a decade ago.
 
Hi- Thank you for replys. I checked the Dist. and found that the advance was very hard. Lubricated and tested still
very slow but at least it now moves. I disconnected the hose from Dist. to Radiator and connected to the outlet on bottom of Carb. restarted and now it seems to run much better. Why the vacuum hose to Radiator? I checked and no
suction from it. I checked with motor running and at normal temp. I checked suction with motor running from carb and it has some but not alot. The Dist seems to need alot of suction to move the advance plate just alittle. If I need to replace vacuum advance on Dist where can I get one? Thanks to everyone. Glenn
 
I think my Mk1 has the Delco distributor, not the Lucas. If you look up the Lucas numbers on the side of the distributor (it should be a five digit number in the casting) then it might be possible to find cars that used similar dizzys. Lucas dizzys are routinely on sale on eBay. Chances are the ones there will have a breaker plate in better shape than yours.
 
Thank You I will try. I now have a new question when I put car into reverse and back up the rear wheels tend to lock!
What is this? Any Ideas? Thanks Glenn.
 
Was the car sitting for a long time without being driven? All I can figure is that somehow one (or both) of the shoes is installed in such a way that they are self energizing in reverse because they are touching the drum. Sitting a long time (like months or years) could allow rust to make free motion of the parts worse. Just a thought.
 
I did some checking. If your '72 GT6 has the Lucas distributor it should be a model 22D6. Those digits should appear on the diecast housing.

If you start watching ebay, look for distributors for any of the cars below. Apart from an Aston-Martin and the Jag below, all references to the 22D6 are for Triumphs.

You should be able to use ANY 22D6 dizzy for parts. However, plan on cleaning and re-using your old advance cams and springs. These parts are NLA. All you should need from the donor dizzy is the breaker plate and fasteners. Save the fasteners.

41168A 22D6 GT6/Vitesse 66-68
41219B 22D6 TR5/TR6 67-74
41202B 22D6 TR6
41306A 22D6 TR6/250
41385A 22D6 TR6 early 1973

Some XJ6s 4.2L used 22D6
TR250 used 22D6
 
[ QUOTE ]
I disconnected the hose from Dist. to Radiator and connected to the outlet on bottom of Carb. restarted and now it seems to run much better. Why the vacuum hose to Radiator? I checked and no
suction from it.

[/ QUOTE ]
There is no vacuum connection to the rad. There is a hose from just underneath the rad cap that should connect to an overflow bottle on a 72. It looks like a vacuum hose, but its not. You should connect the vacuum advance hose from the carb to the manifold to generate vacuum. The vacuum takeoff from the manifold has to be on the engine side of the throttle plate to work.

Sounds like you have DPO syndrome (Dreadful Previous Owner) and need to carefully check the routing of all your vacuum hoses. I'd strongly suggest getting hold of a manual and check all the vac lines are correct.

Also, if the throttle shaft bushings are worn, the carbs will leak and you won't get good vacuum or mixture control.

Good luck!
 
Thank You for reply will do. I tried to get the drums off but they will not come off even though I backed the adjusting nut out all the way and the wheels turn easy! But what you said makes sense I will keep at it. Thanks for info. on Dist. Glenn
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I disconnected the hose from Dist. to Radiator and connected to the outlet on bottom of Carb. restarted and now it seems to run much better. Why the vacuum hose to Radiator? I checked and no
suction from it.

[/ QUOTE ]
There is no vacuum connection to the rad.

[/ QUOTE ]

Many US-spec GT6's originally had a vacuum connection at the radiator. It is a vacuum switch operated by temperature & attached to the top of the radiator: BL PN# 131211.

I believe this setup was for the distributors that had both vacuum advance & vacuum retard. The vacuum hose from the lower vacuum takeoff of the back carb goes to this switch, & then from the retard on the distributor.

The vacuum takeoff on the front carburettor goes to the advance side of the distributor.
 
from my manual and parts book, the delco only had an advance also. as for the carb, radiator and dizzy hookups, i can't really tell from either of my books where anything goes exactly, but the rear carb is hooked up to the top nipple on the radiator thingy, and the bottom nipple seems to go to the distributor, but isn't included in the diagram so i can't be sure. my car doesn't work so i can't really help other than looking through my many books to help me put it back together.

good luck.
 
That sounds like the illustration in the BL GT6 Mk3 parts catalog. It's a little sketchy with the variations for the US emissions-spec Mk3's, since there were a few incarnations.

If you've never seen one of the distributors w/ vacuum advance & vacuum retard:

dualdistrib.jpg


That photo is from a Clymer shop manual, which also has a very good exploded diagram of that distributor. It is probably the book I grab first for minor adjustment & repair operations (the factory shop manual reprint is far larger). It's a good manual, & you should grab one if you see it.

clymer.jpg


When my first one began to get ratty I got a new one, but the new one (fourth edition) has only 238 pages vs. the 1st edition's 327. One of the things missing in the 4th edition is that photo. Possibly they dropped it because they couldn't reconcile the line about "all Mk2's, +'s, & Mk3's had Delco distributors" with that distributor (obviously Lucas vacuum module design). Also they seem confused in the manual, which refers to that picture as GT6, GT6+, & TR250 distributor, but the exploded diagram labels it TR6.

I had a diagram somewhere of where the vacuum hoses were connected in the emissions-spec cars, but I can't find it now. One of the keys to the variations in setup, though, is the location of the carbon cannister: on the firewall or at the front of the engine.

I notice the original post is from almost 2 years ago. I suspect he got it sorted out or has given up by now.
 
Welcome Triumph, enjoy yourself & fell free to ask all the questions you want.

A trick on removing the brake drums, I assume you took out the screw that holds it to the hub, made sure the emerg brake cables are slack? Try wigging the drum off with the tire affixed to the drum, it will give you more leverage.


Good luck, keep us posted on your progress.
 
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