HOME SERVICE
Triumph GT6 & Vitesse 2 Litre, 1966-1973
Do it yourself and save cash!
Nigel Clark shows you how to keep your Triumph in fine fettle
SAVE £300
ENGINE
Warm the engine and support the car on axle stands. Undo the sump plug and let the old oil drain into a suitable container. Refit the sump plug and fill the engine with fresh 20w50 multigrade oil.
Remove the oil filter, catching spillage with rags. This is a spin-on filter, a popular conversion. The original filter uses replaceable paper element inside a steel bowl: replace the sealing ring in the block when renewing the filter.
Check the breather circuit. Early cars have a vacuum valve on the inlet manifold while later, rubber tubes were attached to the carburettors. Clean oily residues and replace the vacuum valve’s diaphragm if split.
Check the concentration of the antifreeze and top up with a blue glycol type if necessary. Examine all hose connections for leaks. Replace any perished hoses and tighten any clips where coolant is weeping.
Flush the system and renew the coolant every two years. Drain with heater on, by removing the radiator bottom hose and drain plug on right side of the block. Flush through with water from a hose before refilling.
The gearbox filler plug is located on the right side of the casing. Remove the plug and top up with oil until it runs from the filler hole. It is advisable to drain and replace the oil every 24,000 miles.
The filler plug is on the left side of the final drive unit, partially hidden by the exhaust. Remove the plug and top up until oil just flows from the filler hole.
Check that the steering rack’s mountings to the chassis are sufficiently tight and inspect the rubber bellows for splits. Fit a nipple to the plug on the pinion housing and apply six strokes from a grease gun.
Check the handbrake cable for any signs of fraying then apply grease to the cable guides near the driveshafts. While beneath the car, check the exhaust system for leaks, damage and loose mountin
