Hi all just joined GTMOC though not yet an owner though work in progress as they say I used to own a 1969 Cox fitted with all S running gear and a 1430 S motor with 45DCOE webber, reg XPL16G chassis 129L, was living and working in Nigeria when I bought it and though why rent a dull car when you can buy something interesting and use it 6 weeks each year and having read the Triple C write, which I still have, I bought XPL from a lady in North London, at that time fitted with a 998 single carb engine and drum brakes, XPL was slowly modified and was used as my road car plus competing in hillclimbs and sprints when in the UK, if any of you have driven Curborough with a road car driven to events XPL was getting around in the low 40 secs for a single lap in the early 80's. Sadly XPL was destroyed in a garage fire in 1990, the engine survive and was sold to a chap in Wellingborough who planned to put it in a Riley Elf, various suspension bits and the transverse exhaust came back to Nigeria where I was using a 1400 mini for bush racing with the local Kano motor club, having acquired 2 bodies and 3 engines inspired by the Cox and madness the thought of more power made me build a twinny mini with 2 x 1400 engines, around 2000 many expats left, the motor club became just a social & drinking club, which it still is today, those of us who had built cars with time effort and money, now had something sat at home doing nothing, I contacted Bob Snooks asking if anyone would be interested in my bits, but then thought why not build another GTM and looked on fleabay for a shell, saw one advertised in Scotland but the seller was not interested in a buy it now price, I can't bid from here
Another shell/chassis came along and I think a deal has been done pending my return at the end of the month.
I will want to put a roll cage inside, easier with the body off, and bought a rollover bar from GTM in Sutton Bonnington yonks ago, has anybody got drawings for a roll cage, or a cage for sale or event the GTM rollover bar for sale.
I'll let you know how things proceed from here.
Until then I'll play with my bikes
John

Hi John & welcome back to GTM ownership
Sounds like you've had a few interesting mini based projects over the years

Are you still based in Nigeria or back in the UK now?
If you're still in Nigeria, maybe you could pop around to someone i know out there. He keeps e-mailing me.....he's a member of the royal family & wants to give me a few million ££££............
Sven

PS what bikes you got?

welcome John we finally got you in the door

Neil

Hi Neil & Sven, thanks for letting me in the door, I just hope Svens friend from the royal family did not follow me in
I have a sleeping account and always give that number when 419ers offer me millions, but so far none have taken up the offer having been hit by hackers a couple of times I would like a little revenge
After 35 years I'm still in Kano north Nigeria, I thought I was only coming 2 or maybe 3 years max
My 1st modded mini started as an 850 estate and ended up an 1130 using Imp pistons with a Fish carb, followed by a 1071 S
Here in Kano my 1st mini started as a 1000, this was temporary while looking for a 1275 engine to build, Mini's & parts are quite rare here. To build an engine here is not easy they could not understand offset bores in the machine shop and had to supervise this myself to make sure everything was correct, it took me about 9 months to do all the machining and build the engine. Another chap left and I acquired his knackered 1330 mini the engine was built using a 1275 Marina block and mini crank, I rebuilt this as a 1380 engine, so having got 2 cars and 3 engines plus the Cox rear suspension and transverse exhaust in Kano the twinny was built a rod change gearbox was modded for the selector shaft to pass through and out of the front of the box, a full roll cage was made as it had to support the engine/sub-frame in the back, which was now a big hole, I wanted discs all round so adapted Carolla discs and calipers to fit onto mini drum brake hubs along with carolla 13" wheels.
During this time I also restored a Panhard 24ct and a Fiat Abarth 124 group 4 rally car I found here.
Now I just play with bikes, as we have lots of bush, a Honda Xr400 with lots of modds 3 x Gilera 600, (Saturno, Nordwest, RC) and a 500 Moto Morini,
For the new GTM I have to collect everything I need at one time to ship back in a container and then use the twinny for parts.
That should keep me buisy for a while
John

Please can somebody rush outside with a measuring tape to tell me the length and width of a GTM, I will have to make a body sized box to ship a chassis/body kit out to Africa where I live and need approximate sizes to get a quote.
Many thanks
John

According to a factory produced sales leaflet that I have for the GTM Mid-Engined Sports GT (ahem!) or Coupe to you and me, the overall measurements are Length: 130" , Height: 42", Track: 50". Overall width is not given but I suppose that it will be much the same as the track and the height is for the finished car on it's wheels. I hope this helps but no doubt somebody will pipe up if it's a load of tosh

Hi Raymond
Many thanks for the prompt reply, I'll allow a couple of inches or 50mm clearance for wriggle room in the box
John

I think that 50mm all round is the minimum you should allow. I agree with the quoted dimensions but I will be with my coupe all day tomorrow and if I remember I will measure it, particularly the width.

David

Hi David,
I dug out all my old info from the time I had XPL, the Triple C writeup and build articles, KMB brochure and Sutton Bonnington brochure, all seem to agree pretty well plus or minus and inch I would suggest nobody else in this neck of the woods could do that and so long since I had looked I forgot all the info I had stashed away, including the log book, MOT's and receipts for all the bits bought in upgrading to 'S" mechanical's.
Something I did not see mentioned on here, was the difficulty changing oil filters, I overcame this by having my big "S" block drilled and tapped to plumb in a remote filter, did else anybody do this?
I'm still waiting to get quotes in for shipping from 3 different companies
Cheers
John

I just ordered from PP Cages a pre-bent tube kit for their coupe 6 point roll cage, gbp300+vat
John

John, measured the coupe just now and it is 140" long, 42" high, approx 62" wide. I`ll PM you with our address details etc.
Colin

I would be very keen in some pictures of the kit in kit form. David's sprint Coupe has one of these fitted and it fits rather well.

Neil

Hi Neil,
When I get all the bits back here I'll snap it and post as it proceeds
John

My box of GTM bits and pieces is booked on board the Grande Brasile, with a name like that I expect a rusting hulk, expected arrival in Lagos on 13th November, then after clearing an almost 1000 mile road trip OOp T' north to Kano where it can meet up with its mechanical bits and a lot of hard graft
John