Another GT6 update! I really got to work on the interior this month. I had to bring in a professional to help with the door panels and side panels. Here she is hard at work.
The hope was to copy the old door panels and make duplicates, but we soon found out that the old door panels were copies themselves so we had to start from scratch. You can see the fiberboard cutout that Lindsay is working on in the picture above. The picture below shows it covered with cotton batting.
It actually turned out pretty good, I think.
Here it is on the door with the hardware installed.
And with the door closed.
I also had to hire a professional to make the wooden dash for me. I gave it a go but was nowhere near the quality that I was hoping for. So I took a trip way up north to Centerville to have a chat with Grandpa Hawkes. I explained what I needed, showed him the old dash, and asked if he could help. Of course he said yes and got to work. I can't wait to see the final result.
Then I got to work on the back parcel shelf. This covers the gas tank and the spare tire. Below is an old picture showing the gas tank.
Below is the boards I cut out placed over the gas tank.
And here covered with carpet.
The carpet will be held in place with snaps.
In my previous post I noted that the carpet I received to cover the transmission tunnel was too short. The company I got it from was super helpful and sent me a completely new piece. As you can see it covers everything it should and looks fantastic.
Just disregard the wire mess. That won't be there long.
I started putting more of the interior pieces in. Here you can see the knee cushions along with the stereo bracket.
Another picture of the interior pieces.
I re-covered the triangle piece that covers the emergency brake. It's not the best work. But hey, it's my first time.
Lindsay also helped me make new side arch panels. These go on the sides of the car above the parcel shelf I made. Spiffy!
Then I put the rear hatch on. I had to place the glass in first. I was lucky enough to have 2 good rear windows that I could choose from. Both the window from the original car and the old parts car were in good shape. Something to hang on to. You never know when you'll need an extra rear window.
This makes it start to look like a real car.
The rear seal isn't in yet, I need to have the headliner in place before any door, window, or windshield seals can go in place.
See, looks like a car!
The seats are now in place along with seat belts. I rebuilt the seat belt mechanisms and they retract like champs now. The only problem is they sometimes rub on the new interior and don't retract all the way. Oh well. This picture shows the old steering wheel. Lindsay got me a new wooden one for Christmas. It looks fantastic!
With the work on the interior winding down I decided to take a stab at getting the engine to turn over. If you recall, this is the engine out of the parts car. I had it checked over by Rod our mechanic buddy in Lakewood before I put it on the frame. Rod said it should work. It's always been a lingering doubt in my mind. I bought a new battery for my truck and decided to put the old one in the Triumph to see if the starter and ignition are going to work.
I filled it with oil and anti-freeze and put some transmission oil in the transmission. Hooked up the battery and ignition switch, tightened all the bolts on the exhaust and took a deep breath. I have the original starter, distributor, fuel pump, ignition coil, alternator, wires, and plugs on the car. There were a LOT of doubts in my mind, but when I turned the key the starter kicked into gear, I had spark at all my plugs, my fuel pump was pumping fuel to the carbs, and the engine was cranking. But my battery was too weak and it wore out fast.
A few days later cleaned out the carburetors (I had rebuilt them almost 2 years ago!) and made sure they didn't leak. I bought a new ignition coil and electronic ignition for the distributor and was ready to give it another go. I hooked up a fresher battery and tried it again. No go. But then I realized I wasn't getting any fuel. I adjusted a few things and tried it again. SHE FIRED UP!!!! I almost couldn't believe it. I was so excited I didn't get any video or audio of it running. But a lot of doubts and fears have been put to rest this past week. I'm so excited. There's still some fine tuning and timing to do, but we're off and running.
If you can't tell how excited I am to drive my car, let's let Bryce sum it up for you.
