1973 gtm coupe

[Chris64]

Well done! Great stuff, it looks brilliant!

[mk1coopers]

Enjoy it, you certainly have put the work in to end up with a fantastic example

[tintoptom]

What a beauty - well done sir!

Are you going to go with chrome for he headlamp trims? The chrome mirrors really suit it, I'd be tempted to try satin black for the trims though...

[rich@minispares.com]

What a beauty - well done sir!

Are you going to go with chrome for he headlamp trims? The chrome mirrors really suit it, I'd be tempted to try satin black for the trims though...

the chrome headlamp trims are on it now...., they need to be chrome to match the rings on the rear lamps

im undecided about a front bumper, I think I will leave it off for now and see

the only problem is that you have to use a genuine one with the returned edge, and they are a bit expensive to buy and bash the fitting studs out of them just to 'see what they look like'

[GraemeC]

I have a genuine one with a big dent in it, if you wanted to bash the studs out of that to try?

[rich@minispares.com]

godamit!


got all the little jobs done, exhaust brackets all made, lambda boss welded in, engine steady brackets made and welded in, front grill made, painted and fitted.

its running great, starting great, so I celebrate by draining it and refilling it with antifreeze.

its a real arse to bleed and you have to squeeze the pipes and generally 'milk' the air out of it, but I get that done and decide to celebrate by 'going round the block'

I set off, all is well.......

then the heater marix bursts and spews red hot brand new anti freeze all over me and the inside of the car.

a million rats and bumhats!


fricking thing!

[rolesyboy]

Rich, I felt your pain only mine was a lot worse. Rebuilt my heater and matrix was seemingly perfect so why change it. Takes the car out for a celebratory drive round the block in my flip flops. Take a right hander to feel an unusual sensation on my feet which was either very cold or very hot. It turned oput to be the latter. The heater matrix let go on me too and promptly boiled my left flip flopped foot.

[InimiaD]

Jeeez, not having it easy are you Rich.
You'll get there eventually.

[tedmcedd]

Glad to hear is passed! Congrats!

hope you sort the heater and manage a good run out before winter comes!!

Ed

[rich@minispares.com]

Glad to hear is passed! Congrats!

hope you sort the heater and manage a good run out before winter comes!!

Ed

ed, its no huge problem, bar the loss of the brand new antifreeze, I hadn't fitted the carpets yet, so all the water just sloshed around in the floor, and it probably looked quite amusing driving along with a load of steam puffing out the sunroof!

the heater comes out really quickly, quicker than in a mini, and its one of the latter mini ones with the 'cassette' type matrix that just slides out - I could have probably left the case in situ and just changed the matrix, but I thought it best to dry it all out.

[JC T ONE]

they are struggling to find an mot tester who can fit into it!!!

I could have stepped in to help

All jokes aside - car looks awesome well done.

Jens Christian

[tedmcedd]

Glad to hear is passed! Congrats!

hope you sort the heater and manage a good run out before winter comes!!

Ed

ed, its no huge problem, bar the loss of the brand new antifreeze, I hadn't fitted the carpets yet, so all the water just sloshed around in the floor, and it probably looked quite amusing driving along with a load of steam puffing out the sunroof!

the heater comes out really quickly, quicker than in a mini, and its one of the latter mini ones with the 'cassette' type matrix that just slides out - I could have probably left the case in situ and just changed the matrix, but I thought it best to dry it all out.

Sounds easy then!!

Would you believe I actually have a mini booked in for an MOT tomorrow!! (Monday!)

Ed

[rich@minispares.com]

Sounds easy then!!

Would you believe I actually have a mini booked in for an MOT tomorrow!! (Monday!)

Ed

its all the little snagging jobs that take the time, heater is back in, bled and works ok,

its stopped running on, that csi dizzy is ace, its so easy to alter the advance curves (its would be easier in a mini, in the gtm I have to use a budgie mirror and struggle a little.)

I spent ages faffing with the mixture yesterday, the carbs where balanced, the jet tubes where level, but it would show fine on the wideband, but once it ran for a while it would lean right off, then suddenly run really rich, then lean off again.

eventually I discovered that one of the needles was loose in the piston, it would just grip and work fine when it was cold, but as it warmed up the needle would drop out and stick in the jet.....once it cooled a little it would set into the piston again and behave!


just need to work through the suspension as it handles like a pig

[rich@minispares.com]

some slighty out of focus photos......

went for a half hour drive last night, nothing fell off or broke........









it runs at a 1/4 on the temp gauge, heater works nice, it goes well.

the back suspension is a royal pain in the ass to set up though, its a horrid job. next spend is to convert it to the more modern type that uses a locked off steering arm.

[AndyB72]

Looks great Rich, sits well on the road.

[tedmcedd]

Looks awesome!

Better pics [please!

[Austin Costin]

That looks great, the back would suit black !

[slowboy]

looks just right rich, top job mate

[mk1coopers]

A couple of GTM's from the weekends hillclimb, how popular was that shelter with us when it rained

[rich@minispares.com]

well, five months have passed in which I just haven't used the gtm as it handles so bad - it managed to combine rear steering that was independent of any throttle input, so once it got above 30mph it would nervously dart left and right, with the steering input required to keep it straight getting larger and larger, lifting off only made it worse - it was horrid

I just had top walk away from it to be honest - it scared me so bad on a county road round here that I realised that I was just going to either hurt myself or damage the car using it (it was that uncomfortable - I have never driven a car that handled as bad as it did!!!)

I didn't think it would be able to get a car to go from lock stop to lock stop at thirty miles an hour - it was terrifying - I had a 8 foot deep ditch at one side and a freshly ploughed field at the other - the weight of the engine is NOT in the right place when it starts to wag its tail like a dog!!!

I saved up and bit the bullet and bought brand new the parts to convert the car from the early 'a frame' rear suspension to the stuff that uses all mini parts (i.e bottom arm, steering arm, lower ball joint) and a pair of plates that bolt to the rear frame with a lug on them that uses a LH thread track rod end and an adjuster bar.

once all this is fitted its a simple and easy task to set the camber and the tracking.

with some trepidation I 'went round the block' and..............


..............its fixed!


it still needs to be corner weighted and then the suspension needs going through again, but the 'im gonna kill you' nervousness has gone - it goes and handles like a dream


I still need to fix the doors to stop water leaking in and its started to jump out of first (adjustment in the gear remote), but it actually might now get some use now.

its very strange, as its a 'big bore' 73.5mm 1071 but its running tall tyres and a high cwp, its very leggy, im still running it in, but 3000 rpm is 50mph so its a nice cruiser