Hey Guest!
Hi everyone,
It has been 15 years, since a younger, dumber version of myself joined this forum to ask for opinions about a Triumph GT6+ that I was considering buying and that all of you astutely suggested I run from. quickly. I took your advice, but I've been passively looking, and waiting for another one to come around... In the meantime, I bought a 1975 Toyota Land Cruiser, rebuilt it mechnically (did nothing to the body), 4-wheeled it frequently, got married, bought a house, had 2 children (now 8 and 5), and finally, as of this weekend, have come full circle. What better way to celebrate the 4th of July than to drag home a barely running British sports car! Hopefully I did a little bit better this time - I think this one has good bones.
The car was originally maroon. The body was restored at some point in the 1990's, and was repainted blue at that point. There's definitely some filler in the rockers and lower doors, but the workmanship seems good - the panels all align nicely and there's no indication that the bondo is cracking after a couple of decades. The roof seem is JUST starting to bubble/rust again, and there's a bit of bubbling in one rear fender. Driver's floor pan is patched, passenger floor pan and trunk appear to be original and in good condition. The transmission hump is the plastic replacement. The interior is present, though not in great shape. All gauges work except for the gas gauge, which works intermittently. The dash lights all seem to flicker so I expect I'll be chasing grounds/fighting lucas electric in the near future. One tail light is out, TBD whether its the bulb, or the wiring. I was told the engine provided 180-190 compression readings, I have not checked this myself, but it doesn't smoke in the least. I couldn't see any discernible play in the crank pulley that would indicate thrust bearings at inspection. There is, however, a grinding occasionally at idle that would suggest thrust bearings, or the transmission input bearing, so I'm going to double check for crank play again shortly. Along the line, it has been converted to a spin-on oil filter, and the starter, clutch master, and brake master all look new. The brakes work very well, and lock up all 4 wheels - tested in full on the test drive when an old woman pulled out in front of us in a Subaru Forester. It came with 6 Rubbermaid bins of spare parts, including at least 4 used Stormbergs, and one spare differential.
First priority: I need to go through the timing and carburetors. It runs, drives, and stops, but currently idles at 1400RPM, diesels at shutdown, and bogs badly at take-off. It overheats slowly, over the span of about 15-20 minutes, but the 105 degree weather here recently may have a part to play in that too. I haven't yet had a chance to really check timing and ignition, and my Uni-Syn gauge is in the mail...
It's not a show piece, but I think it's healthy enough to be saved. I'm looking forward to getting it sorted!
It has been 15 years, since a younger, dumber version of myself joined this forum to ask for opinions about a Triumph GT6+ that I was considering buying and that all of you astutely suggested I run from. quickly. I took your advice, but I've been passively looking, and waiting for another one to come around... In the meantime, I bought a 1975 Toyota Land Cruiser, rebuilt it mechnically (did nothing to the body), 4-wheeled it frequently, got married, bought a house, had 2 children (now 8 and 5), and finally, as of this weekend, have come full circle. What better way to celebrate the 4th of July than to drag home a barely running British sports car! Hopefully I did a little bit better this time - I think this one has good bones.
The car was originally maroon. The body was restored at some point in the 1990's, and was repainted blue at that point. There's definitely some filler in the rockers and lower doors, but the workmanship seems good - the panels all align nicely and there's no indication that the bondo is cracking after a couple of decades. The roof seem is JUST starting to bubble/rust again, and there's a bit of bubbling in one rear fender. Driver's floor pan is patched, passenger floor pan and trunk appear to be original and in good condition. The transmission hump is the plastic replacement. The interior is present, though not in great shape. All gauges work except for the gas gauge, which works intermittently. The dash lights all seem to flicker so I expect I'll be chasing grounds/fighting lucas electric in the near future. One tail light is out, TBD whether its the bulb, or the wiring. I was told the engine provided 180-190 compression readings, I have not checked this myself, but it doesn't smoke in the least. I couldn't see any discernible play in the crank pulley that would indicate thrust bearings at inspection. There is, however, a grinding occasionally at idle that would suggest thrust bearings, or the transmission input bearing, so I'm going to double check for crank play again shortly. Along the line, it has been converted to a spin-on oil filter, and the starter, clutch master, and brake master all look new. The brakes work very well, and lock up all 4 wheels - tested in full on the test drive when an old woman pulled out in front of us in a Subaru Forester. It came with 6 Rubbermaid bins of spare parts, including at least 4 used Stormbergs, and one spare differential.
First priority: I need to go through the timing and carburetors. It runs, drives, and stops, but currently idles at 1400RPM, diesels at shutdown, and bogs badly at take-off. It overheats slowly, over the span of about 15-20 minutes, but the 105 degree weather here recently may have a part to play in that too. I haven't yet had a chance to really check timing and ignition, and my Uni-Syn gauge is in the mail...
It's not a show piece, but I think it's healthy enough to be saved. I'm looking forward to getting it sorted!
