Ever since I started going to shows with the Spitfire, I loved seeing the fastback version of the car. From the stories I have heard, this was considered the “Poor Mans E-Type Jaguar” and that Datsun copied it to make the 240Z in the late 1960’s.
Maia is not a big fan of convertibles, and she decided this is the one for her.
I ran across this disassembled one from a posting from the previous owner looking to re-home it since life had gotten in the way of finishing it. It came with all the parts for a 1969 GT6+ in dozens of U-haul boxes, but the main shell is from the earlier GT6. We will re-introduce all the proper venting and side lights to make it a true GT6+.
This body style and model is the only one I would ever own. It is still the round tail design, with the better rotoflex rear axles and the best engine config. So it is the perfect match to go with our 1970 round tail Spitfire MK III.
Below is a file photo of what it could look like in a similar color that is on our 1970 Spitfire.
Here is how we received the car. In many U-Haul boxes and completely apart except for the engine. Which we took apart over the summer/fall of 2021.
The beginning of the project: Disassembly
Since this is a filler project while I have gaps in working with Georgia on her TR4, I decided to use it a lunch and learn project with people from work. So after picking and sorting out the car in the spring of 2021, we dug into taking the engine apart to get it to the machinist (R&L Engine).
Freeing up shop space by taking apart the spare TR6 engine.
This engine turned out to be a find. It had new TR6 pistons combined with a GT6 crank (a perfect one, just needing polishing). This explained why it never ran for the last owner, since the combination resulted in little compression. And lucky too, since he did not install the thrust washers when he put it back together. Parts got cleaned and checked and put int storage.
GT6 Engine Assembly
We are now close to assembling the engine. R&L finished the machine work, which resulted in the block going to .030 over on the bore, and the crank staying STD on both mains and connecting rod surfaces. However, they found a 11″ freeze crack that required an additional $600 to fix. As of 2/22/2022, we are cleaning the last of the engine external parts and getting ready to schedule the next lunch and learn.
11/22/2023: Been slow over the summer due to the MGB project dropping into the mix. But we got the engine and full chassis assembled after cleaning and repairing all parts. Only thing keeping it from rolling is solving a fitment issue with the new upgraded spindles from Rimmer Brothers.
Heater box, steering column all stripped and rebuilt and tested. Heater core was opened and cleaned and tested.
Next is working on the sheet metal over the winter.