I can't thumbs-up this video enough! If/when I start a resto those are the steps I envision having to take. Now I know what it may be like. Thanks for posting!
I am a complete novice when it comes to cars but have picked up a 79 MG Midget as a project to get my brain working again. I believe it had the same engine as the one in you vid. Great to watch you work around and give myself some knowledge, cheers.
They are both Triumph derivative engines but earlier spits will be 1300 cc whereas 1979 midget is 1500 cc latter also fitted to later spits, believe from around 1975/76 onwards. Always check the end float on these engines, if thrust bearings have failed you could lose your clutch (with a bang) and cause other problems!
Great video! You mention early on that it was "sold" as a 1966 car but you can tell it's a Mk3, hence '67. The front grille is a Mk2 part and the front indicators are fitted on "converter" plates, meaning that this is one of the very early Mk3's that used up surplus Mk2 bonnets.
ive got two spitfires... a 72 and a 67... the 72 runs and drives... its pretty rough though... but the 67 is in total pieces.... its a project that my wife and I are planning on starting to restore both of them... starting with *her* 67. which led me here... I really like the style of the vid... I will gladly go through the rest of your vids. and consider me subscribed. keep up the great work!!!
Thanks for this video. Great fun. Loved the sump plug fun. You got lucky as those things normally fight to the death! Unlike most moderns My Spit never failed me and any repair to get it home often involved a bit of chewing gum and a piece of string somewhere... oh and some gaffer tape for the roof when some git ripped it. Been in modern very fast cars but nothing beats an old classic and the extra skill it takes to get the best from it. Great video.
I like this video. I get excited about seeing something like this that was drug out of the bog running and then they skip most of the good stuff. I'm hoping if the body went to a sand blaster it'd look like swiss cheese because it really doesn't look so bad from what I see of it. You ought to see the 71 Beetle I started with. It was laying in a flood plain for years so I figured I couldn't mess it up too badly. Good vid!
Catching up on replying to older comments I missed - thanks for this! It's ready to hit the sandblaster, just need some time to haul it down there - but the body is all removed and prepped, so it's time to load up! I really think it won't be all that bad upon doing the diassbembly. Yes, some bad spots for sure, gonna need floors, rockers, and prob rear quarters, but the structure, doors, and etc seem quite solid. But - will know for sure when we get it back!
Awesome video! It kept me entertained the whole time. I'll watch part 2 tomorrow as its getting late and I have to work in the morning. I'm thinking about getting one of these off of craigslist. It seems to be in pretty good shape for its age. Where do you order your parts from? Is there any advice you can give me? Thanks! Keep up the great work, man!
Sorry for the slow reply! Catching up on older comments I had missed. For parts, check our Moss Motors and Victoria British as the main sellers. You can request free catalogs. There is another place that may have some parts called The Roadster Factory that has parts for MG's and Triumph's. I would say the big thing you'll want to look for is rust and body damage! I've seen cars like this where the rust and body damage is covered by bondo. Luckily it's fairly easy on these cars to see the backside of each panel. And use a magnet to see how good the metal is. Honestly they are fairly simple mechanically and parts are available to fix them, but a lot of hidden issues with rust can be found on older cars like this, and that can be a real pain to deal with.
I'm confused. You stated early on that you assumed 12v Negative ground. I had a '67 at one time and it was definitely positive ground. I burned up a CB radio I tried to install finding that out. Accessing a shop manual confirmed that. I wonder if this one was converted, or whether the positive ground wasn't universal.....
Jack Dedert agreed - I am not sure if there was an exact cutoff point. And I suspect that conversions were popular. this car had battery cables that states it was negative ground and it indeed appears to be. assuming BL didn't make cables like that so it's def possible this car had been converted at some point.
this is a great video. However I can't fathom why you don't use gloves when working on the project like this. too bad I can't give you two thumbs up on this posting but I'll give you a verbal written and affirmative two thumbs up. keep up the good work.
Catching up on some older comments I missed replying on - you are def right about the gloves! When I did the disassembly I was much better on that...tetanus and all, haha. Suffice to say such bad habits have kept me up to date on my tetanus shot! I'm sure many agree, it's hard sometimes to work on things with gloves on, the loss of dexterity is annoying. But really covering your hands to prevent cuts on old rusty metal, not to mention exposure to chemicals, is really a good practice to do. Thanks for the kind words!!
I think you will find they are not metric nuts and bolts,But imperial.I agree with some of the others It would be a shame to cannibalize a car that is getting rarer to come across especially in America.
We remastered both of these with no music - this one can be found here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DFvIiLBf5_o.html I know some folks don't like music, and years ago I thought it was needed. So I've slowly tried to remake the old videos with no music. Hope you enjoy!
