The Spitfire is back on the road!! Last time the car was driven on the road was 2012. It was last regularly driven up to 2003. Wow it looks fantastic - Great work.
Chris - Finally caught up on the whole thread. Reading it has restored my faith in what I can actually do, as you have had to put up with everything that I have... door glasses, seal clips, locks, carbs, choke sticking, horn, electrics, seat foams (mine was a full retrim)... its all there..... and resolved it in the same way that I did (where I could).. with the exception of the paintwork which I am still working on (with guidance from this bloke who lives on the Hampshire/Berkshire border). I will use this particular thread as a manual of how it should be done for when I forget in the future. Its done me a power of good in these weird times. Thanks.
Post by grumpynorthener on Mar 19, 2021 22:02:02 GMT
The Spitfire has been back at the workshop for a week or so after being in storage whilst I sorted some parts issues (that and I wanted to get the Jupiter completed)
Window regulators now sorted and the door cards refitted etc - its also had the reflective number plates replaced with the older style black & silver type - checked the electrics through for the lights and repaired a fault to the front side lights
Its also been on a short road test - now while the car starts fine and ticks over nicely - its not that great under power and its also pinking under load - setting carbs up & timing is not my field of expertise - It would appear it's not many peoples in this day & age - there's loads of plug & play merchants out there but give them a pair of SU's that don't plug into a laptop and they run a mile - eventually found a really helpful old school tuning specialist just over a hour away - so I loaded the Spitfire onto the trailer and delivered the car there this morning - he will it get sorted over the coming week
Post by grumpynorthener on Mar 24, 2021 20:51:04 GMT
So the Spitfire has been been with this very helpful chap aireytuning.com/ - Tom called me yesterday to advise that he had it sorted - so I went and collected it this afternoon
The engine is used and of a unknown quantity but it sounded sweet enough - When new they quoted 71 BHP - and that's exactly what Tom has got out of it after setting up the timing & making some changes to the carb set up - it now sounds very sweet and starts virtually immediately
Annoyingly its developed the slightest of weeps around the top tank on the radiator which I will sort tomorrow prior to road testing - but all being well it will get collected by the client this coming weekend
It is certainly looking quite nice! I'm easily appalled by many spitfires' bad panel gaps and shut lines etc. (is that maybe because it is an entry level classic?). This one now looks as good as they come.
It is certainly looking quite nice! I'm easily appalled by many spitfires' bad panel gaps and shut lines etc. (is that maybe because it is an entry level classic?). This one now looks as good as they come.
I don't think panel & aperture gaps were that important when these were new - more that they provided for cost effective 2 seater roadster that looked significantly better in style than the ratty old Austin A40 that your dad drove
Post by grumpynorthener on Mar 26, 2021 21:50:47 GMT
Drained & removed the radiator this morning - then sorted the leak on the top tank of the rad - tested, painted & refitted - then off for the road test - it fair fly's along - the engine sounds very sweet too - returned back to the workshop to give it a wash & valet
Thats now a very nice usable little classic. Bet the client is chuffed.
Yep - Sent me a text when he arrived back home stating that it drives lovely and that he has had to take his other son out for a drive in it - looks like the family fully approve then
