I got the garage “cleaned” out and the Spit pulled up in. My lovely Wifey isn’t too pleased with that since she wants to put her Mini Cooper in there but…oh well. As soon as I get it running I’ll give up that side of the garage to her.
I finished cleaning out and de-rusting the rear halves of the floorboards and the center tunnel. I wire brushed everything all shiny, applied rust converter and let it dry. A few layers of truck bed liner later and it’s ready to paint...I also bought some sheet metal to replace the rusted out metal in the kick panels and floorboards so methinks some welding is in my future this weekend.
I’ll be ripping out the galvanized sheet metal and home fiberglass insulation the DPO (dumbass previous owner) put down on the driver’s side floorboards to see what I’m actually dealing with in there. It won’t be good whatever it is.
I heard back from the guy from whom I bought the car regarding my “concerns” about the condition of the car being much worse than he led me to believe in his Ebay listing. His response was basically “oops, oh well.” It is probably a stretch to say that he lied about the condition of the car. However, it is also probably fair to say that he knew more about the actual condition of the vehicle than he said he did. I’d like to believe him, he seemed like a nice guy, but either he lied or just ignored what he knew was there to deceive himself about the car’s condition. Either way, I paid.
I found out that you need to either buy or make a special tool to replace the door waist seals (between the door and the side windows)…Of course you do.
Getting together a parts order for the Spit. It won’t be anything more than the bare essentials such as plug wires, hoses, belts, etc. I’ll use some of the parts I bought for the MGB (rear view bullet mirrors, cockpit insulation, sound system, etc) whenever possible as long as it won’t interfere with my immediate work on that car.
(UPDATE: just placed the parts order, this one through Victoria British. I’m also about to get four tires for the car, probably on ebay. Oh, I need a battery too…so much for getting this thing on the road for cheap.)
My Wifey is leaving for Alaska on the 29th for 25 days to do research so I’ll be able to get a lot done on the cars and the house…I’d rather have her here and work more slowly but such is life.
June 28, 2010
June 23, 2010
6-22-2010
I got the Spit started and it was running today for about 30 seconds…and by that I mean that I started it 15 times and it ran for 2 seconds each time so cumulatively…30 seconds.
I’m pretty sure the problem is the carb…mucho screwed it is. When I pulled it off and opened it up on Monday, I found the inside was completely gummed up with varnish and clogged. I cleaned it with carb cleaning spray and put it back together. The needle looks like shit so I’m guessing it will have to be replaced along with the needle seat.
When I hooked up the battery and tried to start it yesterday there was nothing, zip, nada, no power to anything. I assumed it was the starter solenoid/relay which is located on the firewall and looks as old as dirt. I was wrong. I tried to charge the (supposedly good) battery that came with the car and the charger kept kicking off. I checked the voltage and the meter read 3 volts. I put the old Corvette battery I had into the car and viola’…power.
I put the charger on it and tried to start it…no joy but it turns over and tried to run so that is a good sign.
I ordered a carb rebuild kit yesterday from Moss Motors along with the starter solenoid (which I actually don’t need) and a Haynes manual…which I definitely WILL need.
I sanded some on the trunk lid and primed and painted it with a spray can. It’s blue and looks like a rattle can paint job…but what did I expect. Clear coating it made it look semi-non-shitty.
I think I’ll clean out the other bay of the garage tonight and slide the Spit in there alongside the MG…gonna have to stack stuff on top of stuff on top of more stuff but I am that good :)
I’ll probably pull the bumpers off tomorrow and continue with the body work and cutting out of rusted metal until the parts order gets here. I will be putting chrome bumpers on the car since the rubber bumper monstrosities on there now are just plain hideous.
I’m pretty sure the problem is the carb…mucho screwed it is. When I pulled it off and opened it up on Monday, I found the inside was completely gummed up with varnish and clogged. I cleaned it with carb cleaning spray and put it back together. The needle looks like shit so I’m guessing it will have to be replaced along with the needle seat.
When I hooked up the battery and tried to start it yesterday there was nothing, zip, nada, no power to anything. I assumed it was the starter solenoid/relay which is located on the firewall and looks as old as dirt. I was wrong. I tried to charge the (supposedly good) battery that came with the car and the charger kept kicking off. I checked the voltage and the meter read 3 volts. I put the old Corvette battery I had into the car and viola’…power.
I put the charger on it and tried to start it…no joy but it turns over and tried to run so that is a good sign.
I ordered a carb rebuild kit yesterday from Moss Motors along with the starter solenoid (which I actually don’t need) and a Haynes manual…which I definitely WILL need.
I sanded some on the trunk lid and primed and painted it with a spray can. It’s blue and looks like a rattle can paint job…but what did I expect. Clear coating it made it look semi-non-shitty.
I think I’ll clean out the other bay of the garage tonight and slide the Spit in there alongside the MG…gonna have to stack stuff on top of stuff on top of more stuff but I am that good :)
I’ll probably pull the bumpers off tomorrow and continue with the body work and cutting out of rusted metal until the parts order gets here. I will be putting chrome bumpers on the car since the rubber bumper monstrosities on there now are just plain hideous.
June 21, 2010
6-21-2010
Well the Spit is home…and now it won’t leave!
Kevin and I brought it back from Cherryville, NC on Saturday and my lovely wifey seems to have taken a hankering to it (That’s my Southern saying for today) The kids are also fighting over who gets the car.
My Starbuck (wife) and I tore the interior out and then, while she stripped the seats, I did an assessment of the condition of the car.
Not good is a huge understatement.
There is a LOT more wrong with this car than I thought.
Bad; the driver floorboard has the most Mickey-Mouse repair I’ve ever seen. Home fiberglass insulation on the floorboard with a galvanized piece of sheet metal riveted to the rotten floorboard with bondo smeared over the underside.
The rear of the same side has steel welded over the top of the floorboard with wires running under the metal so they can’t be accessed! The underside was coated with fiberglass instead of bondo.
Worse; the steel on the sides of the footwells where they meet the floorboards is rotted away on both sides. Luckily this car is not a unit-body or it would have collapsed by now. I’m going to have to cut that all away and weld in new steel.
The carpet is reusable but the seats are completely shot. We bought cheapo seat covers and I’ll be cutting out foam rubber with an electric carving knife to rebuild the seats.
I bought new hardboard to cut out the interior and door panels and we picked a dark synthetic material to cover the panels in.
I stripped out the trunk, cleaned and primed it and painted it the Navy blue that the rest of the car will be. After we got the interior out I also got most of the rust off the driver’s floorboards and put down rust converter. I’m going to start cutting metal this weekend and we’ll find out how go of a novice welder I am.
I found out that many parts for this car are simply not available. I had to manufacture new seals for the rear lights and backup light housings out of sheet cork. Judging by the limited number of replacement parts available, I think I’m going to wind up having to improvise a lot with this car.
Kevin and I brought it back from Cherryville, NC on Saturday and my lovely wifey seems to have taken a hankering to it (That’s my Southern saying for today) The kids are also fighting over who gets the car.
My Starbuck (wife) and I tore the interior out and then, while she stripped the seats, I did an assessment of the condition of the car.
Not good is a huge understatement.
There is a LOT more wrong with this car than I thought.
Bad; the driver floorboard has the most Mickey-Mouse repair I’ve ever seen. Home fiberglass insulation on the floorboard with a galvanized piece of sheet metal riveted to the rotten floorboard with bondo smeared over the underside.
The rear of the same side has steel welded over the top of the floorboard with wires running under the metal so they can’t be accessed! The underside was coated with fiberglass instead of bondo.
Worse; the steel on the sides of the footwells where they meet the floorboards is rotted away on both sides. Luckily this car is not a unit-body or it would have collapsed by now. I’m going to have to cut that all away and weld in new steel.
The carpet is reusable but the seats are completely shot. We bought cheapo seat covers and I’ll be cutting out foam rubber with an electric carving knife to rebuild the seats.
I bought new hardboard to cut out the interior and door panels and we picked a dark synthetic material to cover the panels in.
I stripped out the trunk, cleaned and primed it and painted it the Navy blue that the rest of the car will be. After we got the interior out I also got most of the rust off the driver’s floorboards and put down rust converter. I’m going to start cutting metal this weekend and we’ll find out how go of a novice welder I am.
I found out that many parts for this car are simply not available. I had to manufacture new seals for the rear lights and backup light housings out of sheet cork. Judging by the limited number of replacement parts available, I think I’m going to wind up having to improvise a lot with this car.
June 16, 2010
Deja vue all over again...entry one
6-15-2010
So here I go again!
I am now the proud owner of a 1979 Triumph Spitfire. Why? Because I was dumb enough to bid on one on eBay thinking “I bid such a low amount that surely I will get outbid and lose the auction…” the last time I did that I bid $1.00 on a junky, rusted, nearly-worthless MGB bumper with a $40.00 shipping charge…I won that too!
I’m currently engaged in a full restoration of a 1974 MGB roadster. I wanted to get it done by this summer but that looks unlikely now unless I really rush it and I do NOT want to do that. I
bought the Spit so I could have a fun little British
roadster to drive around while I restore the B.
I don’t plan on doing much to this one…the bare minimum actually. But when the B is finished, I can see doing a rolling restoration on this one.
The car seems to be in pretty good shape considering that it is 30+ years old, that I only paid $1300.00 for it and that it is a Triumph. It supposedly only has 52,000 original miles on it…well we’ll see.
I haven’t even seen the car yet and I even won’t be picking it up until this Saturday in a town called Cherryville, NC, about 75 miles away from my home in Winston-Salem, NC. My MG buddy Kevin is getting his flatbed trailer and company pickup and we’re hauling it back here. It isn’t currently running so driving it back is not an option. And even if it was, I’m not sure I’d want to do battle on interstates 40 and 85 around Charlotte, NC in a car that I’ve never driven, don’t know and that is not much bigger than a go-kart! Spitfires make my MG look like a giant SUV in comparison!
Here is what the ebay listing said about the car:
The car set up for over a year. The carb has gummed up and the vacuum lines have split. The car will crank with quick start shot in the carb, but it won't stay running because the carb won't jet fuel. Fuel pump is pushing gas to the carb.
Now on to the car; new stuff includes alternator,
recent battery,
fuel tank sensor,
shocks,
the top's in pretty good shape as are the tires.
The driver’s floor was replaced, and overall there's not much rust.
The paint job was a budget shop type job, so it shows it.
Seats covers are cloth and threadbare, overall the electrical system was sound when the car was being driven. This is a plus if you've owed a Spitfire.
Included are a new set of Monroe Air Tune Corvette rear shocks. You put these on and reset the suspension, the car rides better, passenger capacity goes up and the stance of the rear tires changes. Another Spitfire oddity is the rear suspension on all models. The rear wheels toe in up top, the independent rear suspension makes for great handling, but some drawbacks. I set up the '74 Spit I used to own with these type shocks and it really worked well. And to all the Spitfire purists out there who are furious right now, please don't email me about the horrible thing I just said about the Spitfire and it amazing suspension.
The shocks are in a box in the trunk, which isn't rusted out by the way.
This car will make a great daily driver, and since it's sound overall, a candidate for restoration for a show car. I've seen basket cases go for more money than I even thought, this car is a much better start for a project. A few vacuum lines and a carb re-build and you have a driver. If I wasn't facing another surgery and feeling the financial impact of seven surgeries in eight years, this vehicle would be running, and not for sale.
About the auction, when you win, I require $500.00 as a deposit within 24 hours via PayPal. The balance due when you pick it up, which must be within five days of your win. The balance due should be in a certified form of check, or I will even take cash, with proper ID. Ebayers this is a Continential US auction only, I won't ship to far off exotic lands, even if your uncle owns a trans-atlantic shipping firm and you'll handle customs. I'll try to answer your questions, if I don't reply within 30 seconds, don't be upset with me, I'm not a well man. You are purchasing an old car made over seas, its not a show car, it ran great, it needs some TLC, and I really hate I'm having to sell her. The car is As-Is, no refunds, no warranty expressed or implied, you bought it, its yours, etc. If your not afraid to turn wrenches and want an easy project that you can drive and make money on, want to build a show car, or have a good mechanic and some extra cash to play with, here is your new toy. Thanks and happy ebay to all.
Well now you know everything I know about the car. I’ll, of course, post more pics and info as it comes in. Here I go again
So here I go again!
I am now the proud owner of a 1979 Triumph Spitfire. Why? Because I was dumb enough to bid on one on eBay thinking “I bid such a low amount that surely I will get outbid and lose the auction…” the last time I did that I bid $1.00 on a junky, rusted, nearly-worthless MGB bumper with a $40.00 shipping charge…I won that too!
I’m currently engaged in a full restoration of a 1974 MGB roadster. I wanted to get it done by this summer but that looks unlikely now unless I really rush it and I do NOT want to do that. I
bought the Spit so I could have a fun little Britishroadster to drive around while I restore the B.
I don’t plan on doing much to this one…the bare minimum actually. But when the B is finished, I can see doing a rolling restoration on this one.
The car seems to be in pretty good shape considering that it is 30+ years old, that I only paid $1300.00 for it and that it is a Triumph. It supposedly only has 52,000 original miles on it…well we’ll see.
I haven’t even seen the car yet and I even won’t be picking it up until this Saturday in a town called Cherryville, NC, about 75 miles away from my home in Winston-Salem, NC. My MG buddy Kevin is getting his flatbed trailer and company pickup and we’re hauling it back here. It isn’t currently running so driving it back is not an option. And even if it was, I’m not sure I’d want to do battle on interstates 40 and 85 around Charlotte, NC in a car that I’ve never driven, don’t know and that is not much bigger than a go-kart! Spitfires make my MG look like a giant SUV in comparison!
Here is what the ebay listing said about the car:
The car set up for over a year. The carb has gummed up and the vacuum lines have split. The car will crank with quick start shot in the carb, but it won't stay running because the carb won't jet fuel. Fuel pump is pushing gas to the carb.
Now on to the car; new stuff includes alternator,
recent battery,
fuel tank sensor,
shocks,
the top's in pretty good shape as are the tires.
The driver’s floor was replaced, and overall there's not much rust.
The paint job was a budget shop type job, so it shows it.
Seats covers are cloth and threadbare, overall the electrical system was sound when the car was being driven. This is a plus if you've owed a Spitfire.
Included are a new set of Monroe Air Tune Corvette rear shocks. You put these on and reset the suspension, the car rides better, passenger capacity goes up and the stance of the rear tires changes. Another Spitfire oddity is the rear suspension on all models. The rear wheels toe in up top, the independent rear suspension makes for great handling, but some drawbacks. I set up the '74 Spit I used to own with these type shocks and it really worked well. And to all the Spitfire purists out there who are furious right now, please don't email me about the horrible thing I just said about the Spitfire and it amazing suspension.
The shocks are in a box in the trunk, which isn't rusted out by the way.
This car will make a great daily driver, and since it's sound overall, a candidate for restoration for a show car. I've seen basket cases go for more money than I even thought, this car is a much better start for a project. A few vacuum lines and a carb re-build and you have a driver. If I wasn't facing another surgery and feeling the financial impact of seven surgeries in eight years, this vehicle would be running, and not for sale.About the auction, when you win, I require $500.00 as a deposit within 24 hours via PayPal. The balance due when you pick it up, which must be within five days of your win. The balance due should be in a certified form of check, or I will even take cash, with proper ID. Ebayers this is a Continential US auction only, I won't ship to far off exotic lands, even if your uncle owns a trans-atlantic shipping firm and you'll handle customs. I'll try to answer your questions, if I don't reply within 30 seconds, don't be upset with me, I'm not a well man. You are purchasing an old car made over seas, its not a show car, it ran great, it needs some TLC, and I really hate I'm having to sell her. The car is As-Is, no refunds, no warranty expressed or implied, you bought it, its yours, etc. If your not afraid to turn wrenches and want an easy project that you can drive and make money on, want to build a show car, or have a good mechanic and some extra cash to play with, here is your new toy. Thanks and happy ebay to all.
Well now you know everything I know about the car. I’ll, of course, post more pics and info as it comes in. Here I go again
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