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Posted

Greetings,

 

I have just agreed to buy a '65 Spitfire MKII, my first Spitfire and first restoration/rebuild project. It's complete, as far as I can see but in pieces, many pieces. The current, soon to be previous, owner has had it for 15 years. He's done most of the hard stuff, no rust, panels, sills etc. replaced, even resprayed it a metallic green. Engine runs and sounds OK, gearbox even works.

 

I'm looking for tips, hints, warnings and any other useful advice.

 

Will post photo's as soon as I take possession if people are interested.

 

Cheers

James

(S.W. Victoria, Australia)

Posted (edited)

Hi, good to see another Australian Triumph owner here. Looking forward to seeing the photos. But metallic green? Hmmmm....

Edited by V8 Nick
Posted

Welcome...... I like green........ Nick likes green too presumably - he's just has his GT6 painted green(ish) and it looks bloody lovely.....

Pics?

 

Nick (yes, there are several of us)

Posted

I also like green.

the S.M.A.R.T spitfire driven by Valerie Pirie was green.

I'm keen for these pics!

where in SW vic are you?

-Jim

Posted

Greetings,

 

I take delivery on Monday and will document the car's condition in multiple pics, will post them shortly thereafter.

 

The PO told me that when he resprayed the car he took it down to the bare metal and thinks that the original colour may have been white, I have a mind to take it back to the original colour, metallic green doesn't seem right and proper to me.

 

Jim - I'm in wet, wild and windy Warrnambool.

 

Cheers, James

Posted

Greetings, G'Day to fellow antipodeans,

 

The MkII, got to give her a name, came home with me today after a two day delay due to rain, bit like Wimbledon.

 

Can't quite work out how to embed an image in a post. Anyway, have added pictures of the car to an album.

 

Hope the following links to it: http://sideways-technologies.co.uk/forums/index.php?app=gallery&module=user&section=user&user=1629

 

I've been learning how to use the site, some more to learn obviously, but have been mightily entertained, enthused and dismayed, buoyed and flattened, elated and depressed, usually simultaneously, by the stories of triumph and woe. Interesting, informed and informative, if eclectic, doesn't quite describe it all adequately. A suitable adjective will occur to me.

 

Got a lot of cataloging to do! What's there? What's missing, and most importantly, what do I need? Straight up I need new tools ("she who must be obeyed" can never know), every bonnet I've opened to date has been Japanese and my hammer and shifter are both metric.

 

Think I'll go deep, deep, purple. A poignant reminder of my early days, as is the Spitfire of course.

 

Back soon,

James

Posted

G'day James

 

She's Curvy, Sparkly, so maybe Carmen (as in Electra),

 

But she's green, so maybe Kermit+Carmen= "Kermine"

 

 

Or, if you do go deep deep purple, you'll have to call her "Smokey" (which may be a bad omen...)

 

 

Anyway, if you're after AF tools, lemme know - I'm a regular haunter of the Kincrome warehouse outlet.

 

Welcome aboard, keep posting, and I'll put together a "how to post images" tute soon

 

Craig

(Camberwell, Vic)

Posted

Ive always wanted to see what a Spitfire would look like in that green and I for one think its pretty damn good...

 

And the colour give a perfect gratuitous excuse to post a pic of the DB4GT :D

 

e24a6a3ee5318b3d6abeaf7b674b27e5.jpg

 

Nigel

Posted

G'Day,

 

Thanks Craig, might take you up on a raiding trip to Kincrome, Didn't even know they had a warehouse outlet. Richmond somewhere?

 

Nigel, I don't think any excuse is needed to post a picture of a car that looks that good. Slightly different shade of green methinks.

 

Jim, I've always been led to believe that green is an unlucky colour for a car. Too much like tempting fate and given that some old English ladies are prone to sulking if you even so much as look at them in the wrong way, I'm loathe to fuel the fire. If it were a lucky colour the PO would still have her.

 

In the same vein, Smokey doesn't inspire a deep seated confidence, sorry Craig. Montreux? Montreuse? Mmmm, nup, if I left her green could call her chartreuse at a stretch. No, no, too far, I did once own a Civic VTiR hatch, painted "deep amethyst", I'd be looking for a deeper purple but she could be amethyst, a semi-precious crystal and the birthstone of "she who must be obeyed".

 

Bigger things to worry about before that happens, the catalogue awaits. Already missing: a door handle; spare wheel; decent and complete carpets; heater valve; temp sender; tacho connection ...... and so it begins.

 

Better and more comprehensive pics tomorrow night.

 

Is the Melbourne chapter a happenin' thang, or an idea in committee?

 

Cheers

James.

Posted

Got it! "Itty Bitty Spitty" Yeah!

 

Er, no. Itty Bitty Spitty: IBS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome. :yucky: Think I'll pass, no pun intended.

James

Posted

Looks like a very solid little car - which could be turned into a presentable runner without much expenditure, perhaps giving you the chance to get to know it a little before stamping your mark on it? They do have a certain charm in their standardish state but they do feel faster than they actually are!

 

Not sure if you can put an .avi straight on here - but you could certainly upload it to Youtube, Photobucket etc and link to that?

 

Nick

Posted

atm we do all sorts of photos as a direct upload (in fact we encourage it), but AVI's are much better hooked through youtube. We just can't compete with their killer up/down load speed.

 

C.

Posted

Hi PomWah

 

That looks like a great project. If I could humbly suggest that you focus on the body work and get it on the road and driving as soon as possible. With the structure sound, and it looks good from the pictures, tinkering with the mechanicals is a real pleasure with these cars. Every thing can be done to a running car with minimum offroad time if its done piecemeal. (Wish I had taken that advice...)

 

Exceptions to that is that horrendous Mk3 throttle linkage - bin it asap.

 

Nigel

Posted

G'Day,

 

When I first looked at it I thought I'd get her back on the road, in reliable fettle, in time for our summer and just enjoy driving it around, and as you say Nick, become accustomed to its charms.

 

Thanks Nigel, this is my first attempt at a restoration, I like to think of it as "bringing history to life for the benefit of the young uns", that's my story and I'm sticking to it. It's by no means an altruistic endeavour; I intend to enjoy the process, as much as it is possible to.

 

Much research though, has me wondering if I should ramp up my ambition and improve and update rather than bulletproof the standard package.

 

Having been the victim of three tuck-under rolls, courtesy of Beetle suspension in an off-road buggy, I know how it can catch you. Accordingly, I have a particular interest in trying to mitigate the problem in the Spitfire, particularly since I"m not intending to install a competition spec cage. I want a well-mannered road car not a track special.

 

So, project TS2 is beginning to develop its own set of priorities, right after starting my own project thread:

  1. Complete the catalogue of the parts.
  2. Good clean up.
  3. Body off, engine out, etc to bare chassis.
  4. Determine exactly what if any body or chassis repairs need to be made.
  5. Make identified repairs.
  6. Rear Suspension: Have any of you heard of a torsion bar/trailing arm combination being used in a Spitfire rear?
  7. Chassis clean up (sand blast?) and paint: Ute Liner (speedliner, rhino liner) thoughts?
  8. Body clean up (sand blast?) underside paint: Ute liner again?
  9. Body respray, fuel tank.

 

While the above is being completed:

  • Source and acquire missing parts.
  • Clean up engine, diff, suspension etc, replace as necessary (extractor?).
  • Carburettor overhaul including throttle linkage.
  • Replace generator with an alternator.
  • Build a new wiring loom, quite a lot of work seems to have been done already but I'd like to tidy it all up and document it.
  • Prepare uprated lighting, Narva polycarbonate headlamp insert with H4s?, LED running lights, indicators etc.
  • ?????? anything else ??????

 

Reassemble, roadworthy, register, insure, christen ..... whoo-hoooooo, Great Ocean Road here I come.

 

Gentlemen, what else I should do, what have I missed, where should I go (to get the missing bits!)? Are five-six months enough ("we'll be in by Christmas"), am I being too ambitious initially? Your call.

 

Then, start on the "go faster" bits.

 

James

Posted

Oops, forgot the updated M.I.A. list:

 

Spare wheel

Seatbelts

HubCap

Rearview mirror

Rear lenses

Head rests

Heater valve

Temp Sender

Door Handle

Carpets

Tacho Connect

Radio

2nd. Wing mirror

Posted

Nigel what's wrong with the mk3 throttle linkage?

 

James I've been oggling your pics and just thought i'd tell you some stuff I noticed that might be of interest.

 

-the seats are from a later car, mk2 spit woul've had no head rests. But you probably want them with your rollover experience?

 

-extractor? that's the standard mk2 exhaust manifold you have, or perhaps you're saying you have a hole in it.

 

-I notice on your dash, a blue light as your indicator indicator. Also noticed a green one plugged in and hanging just above? it's very odd and the PO must've done something weird there. Unless your high beam light has been stuck in the dash where the indicator indicator should be? Actually there's lots of weird things happening on your dash.

 

-your front overriders are from a mk3, they should be all chrome and a bit taller, far better looking without the black plastic.

 

-If you get a wing mirror i would not recommend a bullet type one as you can't see squat, unless it's a convex one.

 

-The heater tap may be easier to set up using this:

http://static-hp.com/store2/images/uploads/cable_operated_heater_tap_small.jpg

as the original involves finding the correct mount and changing your hoses (i think?). I have a straight through one like this and my heater hoses are set up similar to yours, you could just put it in line.

 

-If you're after a lighter and better starter motor, A Holden Rodeo starter fits right in.

 

-There's some cheap wheels on ebay australia right now.

 

have fun!

-Jim

Posted

G'Day,

 

Video edited and YouTubed:

 

 

Thanks Jim, she's obviously a jigsaw, guess I'll be getting the chassis on a jig, make sure it's straight. Also be checking out the dash thoroughly, ditto the heater tap.

 

WRT the manifold, it looks to me as though there's some fairly ordinary welding in a repair.

 

Cheers,

James

Posted

Big day for motorsport fans.

 

V8 Supercars in Townsville.

British F1 GP.

German MotoGP.

 

And, still on wheels:

 

Cadel Evans in the TDF.

 

Haven't had enough?

 

Join in as Britain stops to watch Murray vs Federer.

 

Who needs sleep? :woot:

Posted

Nigel what's wrong with the mk3 throttle linkage?

 

 

In the couple of years I had a Mk3 I never got used to the feel of the peddle through that linkage arrangement. Its so much simpler with a cable.

Its one of those simple mods that I wish I'd done earlier in my Triumph life, along with bonnet gas struts.

 

Nigel

 

p.s. Watched the V8's in Townsville last night (on the box). It would be interesting to see Maldonado "having a go" in this series. I think the Aussie drivers would bite his A# off. Would be good to see! Sure he'd be given a fair go :yes:

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