Its a Triumph, Spitfire...
Discussion
I did have some stuff about this in the GG thread about retro cars, but though it deserves its own thread to document it.
Last Friday I was pottering outside and my neighbour said hello, we got chatting and as the local "car bloke", he asked me what he should do with a 1977 Triumph Spitfire. I made some suggestions and said I would ask round.
I resumed my top level pottering, alternating between garden and car tasks, and this is the key bit, I also opened a can of beer.
My eldest son rang to arrange collection of my Jag XJ, which he was borrowing the following to take him and his mates up to Scotland for a few days, I jokingly said "You dont want a Triumph Spitfire do you", and I should have know that he would, he has form, he has a slightly crusty 1990s Mini in his Garage ready for renovation which is on hold whilst he finishes his workshop (built from scratch mainly by himself) We went halves on it as a joint project.
So, I, emboldened by my second can I went round to see what the score was and we agreed a price, they had a think and the following morning he appeared at the door clutching the documentation. Its been in their family since the eighties so quite a wrench but they dont have a garage and have a few cars, so space is at a premium and this would just deteriorate so it makes sense to let it go, he did say they may be getting a more modern replacement.
I drove it the 10 metres or so home and sent the money over, now the owner of a 1977 Triumph Spitfire, resplendent in Java Green, initial buyers remorse turned into determination to get it so its usable.
I am holding off digging too far into it yet, spent last Saturday cleaning it but have a friend coming who knows old British stuff quite well and want him to cast his eye over it.
Have done a few jobs,
Replaced the carb link pipe rubber hoses which were weeping.
Re plumbed the breather pipes.
Drilled the boot lock out, couldnt get in it for love nor money.
Painted the air box
Polished one carb
Loads to do
Go through the brakes
Service
Change Coolant, looks grim.
Check the rest of the fuel pipes
Get it running better, struggles to idle
Replace the 20 plus year old front tyres
Change a Ball joint on the front drivers side
Fit a new boot lock
Sort the bits of rust
Sort the paperwork so its "historic"
Maybe replace the dampers
Get a decent cover, it came with a Smart Roadster one
Replace the hood
Will do a big order of all the bits from Moss this week, total spend so far is £9.38 on Fuel hose and clamps.
Typical that the decent weather disappeared when we bought it !
I wasnt looking to buy a classic, probably wouldnt have been a Spitfire but I am loving doing jobs on it and everyone seems quite taken with it, was expecting my wife to hate it but she is really keen. Dont think it will ever be a concourse one as it has a few bubbles on the body but it can be a good, usable example with a bit of work.
Photos to follow
Last Friday I was pottering outside and my neighbour said hello, we got chatting and as the local "car bloke", he asked me what he should do with a 1977 Triumph Spitfire. I made some suggestions and said I would ask round.
I resumed my top level pottering, alternating between garden and car tasks, and this is the key bit, I also opened a can of beer.
My eldest son rang to arrange collection of my Jag XJ, which he was borrowing the following to take him and his mates up to Scotland for a few days, I jokingly said "You dont want a Triumph Spitfire do you", and I should have know that he would, he has form, he has a slightly crusty 1990s Mini in his Garage ready for renovation which is on hold whilst he finishes his workshop (built from scratch mainly by himself) We went halves on it as a joint project.
So, I, emboldened by my second can I went round to see what the score was and we agreed a price, they had a think and the following morning he appeared at the door clutching the documentation. Its been in their family since the eighties so quite a wrench but they dont have a garage and have a few cars, so space is at a premium and this would just deteriorate so it makes sense to let it go, he did say they may be getting a more modern replacement.
I drove it the 10 metres or so home and sent the money over, now the owner of a 1977 Triumph Spitfire, resplendent in Java Green, initial buyers remorse turned into determination to get it so its usable.
I am holding off digging too far into it yet, spent last Saturday cleaning it but have a friend coming who knows old British stuff quite well and want him to cast his eye over it.
Have done a few jobs,
Replaced the carb link pipe rubber hoses which were weeping.
Re plumbed the breather pipes.
Drilled the boot lock out, couldnt get in it for love nor money.
Painted the air box
Polished one carb
Loads to do
Go through the brakes
Service
Change Coolant, looks grim.
Check the rest of the fuel pipes
Get it running better, struggles to idle
Replace the 20 plus year old front tyres
Change a Ball joint on the front drivers side
Fit a new boot lock
Sort the bits of rust
Sort the paperwork so its "historic"
Maybe replace the dampers
Get a decent cover, it came with a Smart Roadster one
Replace the hood
Will do a big order of all the bits from Moss this week, total spend so far is £9.38 on Fuel hose and clamps.
Typical that the decent weather disappeared when we bought it !
I wasnt looking to buy a classic, probably wouldnt have been a Spitfire but I am loving doing jobs on it and everyone seems quite taken with it, was expecting my wife to hate it but she is really keen. Dont think it will ever be a concourse one as it has a few bubbles on the body but it can be a good, usable example with a bit of work.
Photos to follow
First job for you.
Lubricate the front suspension trunnions. NOW!
They need EP90 gear oil, not grease (despite the thing that looks like a grease nipple) - grease is too thick too pass through the vertical link and lubricate the trunnion threads.
Failure to keep these correctly lubed will cause the vertical link to snap, usually in low speed manoeuvring, and leave you with a comprehensively broken suspension where one corner of the car is sitting on the ground…
Lubricate the front suspension trunnions. NOW!
They need EP90 gear oil, not grease (despite the thing that looks like a grease nipple) - grease is too thick too pass through the vertical link and lubricate the trunnion threads.
Failure to keep these correctly lubed will cause the vertical link to snap, usually in low speed manoeuvring, and leave you with a comprehensively broken suspension where one corner of the car is sitting on the ground…
Love it !
Had 3 of these, the first was ONK 847L, orig Mimosa but re painted Ferrari Red by the previous owners b/f, my ex Wife loved it, i dont know why we decided to sell it, but would love it back !
Next one was a really rotten L plate one, rescued from a driveway in Buckhurst Hill, with a pal, but we moved it on.
The last was a Orange W plate one, rescued from a country lane verge near Maldon in circa 94. I was W registered, so a v late one.
I spent several months graft in a pals body shop, rebuilding its rotten inner & outer sills, rear arches, etc, it took me forever and my pal fully re painted it.
I fitted a set of black Revolution alloys which really set it off.
I used a really lovely Spitfire spares specialist Jamaican guy ( from Forest Gate from memory ) called Ron Sharpe & his wife Jean, for spares, he had a workshop at the bottom of the garden of his huge Victorian house. He knew Spitfires inside out & was a literal treasure trove of info on these cars. He had a yellow TVR Vixen that i tried hard to buy from him.
Guessing he & Jean have passed away by now
I had a problem with my one, in that it was sitting down on one side, i left the car with Ron & he shimmed one rear corner of the body up, it was the only way to get it level. I then sold it via Classic & Sportscar magazine, to a Father & son from Oxford way, i hope its still around !
Had 3 of these, the first was ONK 847L, orig Mimosa but re painted Ferrari Red by the previous owners b/f, my ex Wife loved it, i dont know why we decided to sell it, but would love it back !
Next one was a really rotten L plate one, rescued from a driveway in Buckhurst Hill, with a pal, but we moved it on.
The last was a Orange W plate one, rescued from a country lane verge near Maldon in circa 94. I was W registered, so a v late one.
I spent several months graft in a pals body shop, rebuilding its rotten inner & outer sills, rear arches, etc, it took me forever and my pal fully re painted it.
I fitted a set of black Revolution alloys which really set it off.
I used a really lovely Spitfire spares specialist Jamaican guy ( from Forest Gate from memory ) called Ron Sharpe & his wife Jean, for spares, he had a workshop at the bottom of the garden of his huge Victorian house. He knew Spitfires inside out & was a literal treasure trove of info on these cars. He had a yellow TVR Vixen that i tried hard to buy from him.
Guessing he & Jean have passed away by now
I had a problem with my one, in that it was sitting down on one side, i left the car with Ron & he shimmed one rear corner of the body up, it was the only way to get it level. I then sold it via Classic & Sportscar magazine, to a Father & son from Oxford way, i hope its still around !
Magnum 475 said:
First job for you.
Lubricate the front suspension trunnions. NOW!
They need EP90 gear oil, not grease (despite the thing that looks like a grease nipple) - grease is too thick too pass through the vertical link and lubricate the trunnion threads.
Failure to keep these correctly lubed will cause the vertical link to snap, usually in low speed manoeuvring, and leave you with a comprehensively broken suspension where one corner of the car is sitting on the ground
Had dozens of small chassis Triumphs and never had a trunnion shear... I did sort a fair few sheared trunnions for other owners tho', usually let go when left dry, full lock, let out clutch... BANG! Lubricate the front suspension trunnions. NOW!
They need EP90 gear oil, not grease (despite the thing that looks like a grease nipple) - grease is too thick too pass through the vertical link and lubricate the trunnion threads.
Failure to keep these correctly lubed will cause the vertical link to snap, usually in low speed manoeuvring, and leave you with a comprehensively broken suspension where one corner of the car is sitting on the ground
Such an easy car to work on. Wished my old Chevy van had a flip front.
Should be a fun purchase, enjoy.
Coolant changed, new thermostat on order, it’s insured so been out for a quick drive.
Brakes have improved with use, slight hesitancy low down so needs some more tuning but what a fun car.
It’s better than expected in terms of drivability, old cars need actual driving, forgot what it was like but am enjoying that aspect, nipped in my local and it got some attention.
Brakes have improved with use, slight hesitancy low down so needs some more tuning but what a fun car.
It’s better than expected in terms of drivability, old cars need actual driving, forgot what it was like but am enjoying that aspect, nipped in my local and it got some attention.
spoodler said:
Had dozens of small chassis Triumphs and never had a trunnion shear... I did sort a fair few sheared trunnions for other owners tho', usually let go when left dry, full lock, let out clutch... BANG!
Such an easy car to work on. Wished my old Chevy van had a flip front.
Should be a fun purchase, enjoy.
Same here, really great cars to work on and fun to drive when set up properly.Such an easy car to work on. Wished my old Chevy van had a flip front.
Should be a fun purchase, enjoy.
A few lessons I ve learned:
- The 1296cc engine can be taken to around 125bhp, if overbored, fitted with appropriate cam, ported, etc.
- The updated, 125bhp engine will snap its crankshaft in #1 big end.
- The standard rocker shaft has a simple plug in each end. If one plug falls out, you lose most of your oil pressure. Uprated roller rocker shafts were available from TriumphTune.
- Vitesse / GT6 Mk2 rear springs are massively stronger than earlier versions, and require a lot more force to re-fit. A massive amount more.
- Replacing the standard rubber steering rack mounts with alloy items from the early Herald improved steering feel & accuracy.
- Replacing the standard brake master cylinder on 4 cylinder cars with the unit from 6 cylinder cars gives much more responsive brakes.
Edited by Magnum 475 on Saturday 22 August 09:40
J4CKO said:
Brakes have improved with use, slight hesitancy low down so needs some more tuning but what a fun car.
Older cars really do love to be used.Once you know the fundamentals are ok, clean fluids in engine and driveline, hoses all look ok, ignition system all in good heatlh, if you give it a good few hours of driving and build up to drive it harder and harder I bet it'll respond very well.
This and another recent post have me looking at Midgets and Spitfires, they look a lot of fun for the money.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff