Work Has Resumed!

So I've got more to share on the progress of the awesome car.  I've been working on the suspension and driveline.  The engine is still in pieces so I've started putting stuff back on the frame.  So I decided to start at the rear and work my way forward.  The process is basically scrape or sandblast the old dirt, oil, grease, and paint off the pieces, prime and paint, then put them back on. 

Here is a picture of the rear differential.  This was hard to clean.  As you can see by the amount of dirt and grime on the work area there was a lot caked on.  I can't use the sand blaster on the parts that have little moving parts because the sand gets everywhere.  So a lot of this I have to do by hand with a wire wheel attached to a drill or with wire brushes and a flat head screwdriver.  It's fun!

Here's my paint table.  The long skinny grey piece is my driveline.  My brake caliper is on the top left and the rest are front suspension pieces.  Good thing it's been nice here lately so I can paint outside.

Here is one side of the front suspension.  You can see the brake rotor, the hub and all the connecting hardware.  When Bry came out and looked at stuff the other day he asked me if all of this was new.  I guess it must look ok then.

So here is what the rear end looks like so far.  The differential that is shown in the first picture is in the middle of everything.  This is a unique rear end because it only has 1 leaf spring setup for both rear wheels.  This is called a swing spring.  Sure does make it easy to work on.

Now the fun part.

If you look at the above picture you'll notice there are no axles or anywhere to put wheels. 

These are the axles and brakes that came off the car.  Both off the rear.  Notice anything peculiar?  Take a look at the drums in particular.  THEY ARE DIFFERENT SIZES AND NOT FROM THE SAME CAR!  

The setup on the right is what should be on my car.  The setup on the left is from a Spitfire.  The Spitfires aren't as cool as the GT6's therefore they have smaller brakes and weaker axles.  Now the great part about that is according to all the Triumph experts throughout the country (I've been on the phone with guys in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Oregon) the original parts for my car do not exist anymore.  You can't find them anywhere unless you get lucky and find a parts car sitting around that has them.  Or you meet somebody in a back alley dressed as a salty sea dog.  Oh boy!

 If you look closely you can see the differences.  So the rear suspension has been put on hold for a little bit.

Here's the transmission.  It's tiny!  The bell housing is the "bell" shaped thing behind the transmission.  That's the part that holds the clutch and secures the transmission to the engine.  When I was taking it apart, I found a socket inside the bell housing!  I couldn't believe it.  It wasn't one of ours.  Weird.  I bet Inspector Clouseau didn't have sockets inside the bell housing of his Triumph.

Ok, maybe he did.

I wanted to replace the gaskets on the transmission so I took a peek inside.  Looks pretty good to me.  No metal shavings or worn gears.  Sweet.

So, that's where we're at.  It's a slow process, but I like the way it's turning out.  I just have to keep reminding myself of the possibilities.