Odometers just rollover so at 100K it will roll over to 00000. Brake fluid can bubble and eat paint especially old versions. That's how the rust probably got started. Nice old car. Take care of it.
Lardmarc no it’s real wood I have a dash from a 1970s Triumph Dolimite Sprint I think it’s s sprint... and it’s solid wood..... and it all works... just needs a clean a bit dusty..
Yup, it's real wood. It also means its relatively easy to fix if you feel like taking all the panels out. Sauers & Co makes thin veneer sheets that you can glue down. Glue any serious cracks you might find and sand down the face to clean wood. Then using plain old wood glue, apply a thin coat to the veneer and a thing coat to the original panel, a foam brush works well for this. Work out any bubbles or ripples so it lays flat. Then lay a piece of wax paper on top and set some weight on it. You need to make sure the whole panel is pressed evenly. 50lbs or so should be fine. Give it 24 hours to dry and cure and pull the weight and wax paper. You can give it a light sanding if you like with some high grit paper and finish as you please. A little clear gloss polyurethane for exterior use works great.
Great video, always glad to see a Spitfire on the road. Yours looks beautiful. One tip for you, don't lift the bonnet by the latch handles. They will break (if you are lucky) or bend their mounting ears. Instead, lift at the top of the wheel arch for many years of trouble free maintenance.
I had a 1974 Spitfire 1500 (Carmine (or deep maroon) with tan interior). I bought it in Montrose, Scotland when I was in the US Navy stationed at RAF Edzell. I paid $2,800. Drove it all over Scotland and down to London a few times. Wonderful! Wish I still had it. Next duty station was Skaggs Island, Calif. (north of San Francisco). Traded it in for a 1976 Ford Capri II S. They gave me $3,500! Only car I ever made money on. My wife married me because I had such a cool car! HAHA
One thing I noticed. Your rust is right under the break/ clutch master cylinders. Break fluid is corrosive. It could be a leak in the system that caused the rust issues. I hope this helps.
Great job with a great Spitfire! I a long history with Spitfires, still have two. I can tell you are understating your knowledge of them, but let me help on a few items. First, don't lift the bonnet by the latch, hold it by the wheel well arch. You will see the point at once. Next, the dash is actually wood, I think a walnut species, but do know it can't be matched now, and I have unusually good wood sources. It's finish is cracking a bit, depending on how deep, it may be repairable. Ask an accomplished wood worker or furniture repair expert for advice, I mean an excellent one, high end stuff. It is not worth pulling the dash apart over yet. It can be refinished, use nice laquer, Overdrive is likely wiring or wrong fluid. There are good web pages on the overdrive. If it is the switch, make your own and epoxy it into the old cap. The new ones are junk. Joe curto on long island for su carbs is the only carb choice if you need anything there, he does zeniths also. The european cast header with double pipes is great, use 2 inch pipe to a nice turbo muffler if you need an exhaust. Sorry everyone, Monza is trash. Have a craftsman exhaust guy fix it up nice, it's worth it. When you get the alignment worked out, you won't believe how good that car is. Teglerizer.com! Then, whatever else you do, keep it the rest of your life! Sorry for the long windednes
When people ask if its fast, take them for a ride and see what they think. These little bouncing, hard suspension, noisy, wind - in - the - hair fun boxes on wheels feel fast just rolling down to the hardware store.
Thank you so much for an AWESOME upload. I am from North Yorkshire, England and I used to see these Spitfires all the time. I just loved the design, utterly beautiful and not bettered today. A friend of the family had a yellow 1500 and it was a stunner. This video brings back so many memories. Thanks again.
Great survivor Spitfire. Unrestored is best when the paint still looks that good. They are only original once. The odometer will roll over to zero after hitting 99,999 miles. Cars form 1970's and older typically only had a five digit odometer, because cars were thought to be worn out at that point. Thanks for showing the car, it reminds me of a Spitfire my friend had back in the early 80's when we were in high school.
GearheadTed Thank you sir, the car sure does mean a lot to me! Also, thank you for sharing that information! Like I said, I doubt it'll ever hit 99,999 miles!
Chad Miller have you thought about swapping it and giving it a new life? I saw one on the local CL with a Buick 3.8. I would go for an all aluminum 4 cyl maybe k series.
GearheadTed just bought 2 '73 '75. family member past great deal everyone says I'm the one to do it all right or close to it. I'd like more look at engine compartment side shelds
@@chadmiller7033 You might be surprised! I had a 65 Spit which I owned twice (with refurbishment in between), and it got to 75,000 before the speedometer cable broke and I couldn't keep track of mileage anymore. I feel sure it got to 100k before the tin worm killed it.
Nice! I have a 66 Spitfire, which I have owned since 1980. I just had the engine rebuilt, the 1147 runs great. They are really fun cars, and remember...in 1965 Spitfire won the 1100 cc class at Le Mans.
My first new car, 1974. BL at its finest i.e. build quality very poor. The front discs worn out in the first 9000mls. That was a Laycock De Normanville electric overdrive as memory serves. It was noisy, slow, unsophisticated and attracted blondes; what more could you want!
The quality of anything rubber in those days was far less than we have now. I would replace all rubber hoses hoses, and brake & clutch rubbers seals in the master and wheel cylinders. And as mention use DOT 5 brake & clutch fluids. Also find out the best fully synthetic oils to use in the engine and gearbox. Penrite do synthetic oil for older cars. Use latex radiator hoses as they will outlast the car. Also find out the best combination of tyres/dampers, fitting quality performance dampers. The road holding will improve.
It's nice to see the younger generation appreciate the car for what it is ( a roadster) not a hot rod. I've had 4 roadsters a 65 datsun fairlady in 68 to 70 a 72 Tr6 in 78 79 a 79 mgb 94 to 2007 and now at 75 i have a 91 Miata for the last7 years. I also had a 69 Fiat 124 coupe i bought new and a 72 Mgbgt 08 12. Once get bit by the roadster bug you are hooked!
Why in the world do you sound like you're apologizing for having suspension work done??? Maintaining it and replacing the consumables is part of taking care of it!! It's a sign you care!!
They were a very pretty little car for the year, and she is a credit to you, there is no need for masses of power to have fun in these cars and you will spoil the character if you upgrade the Engine too far, they were designed to be affordable with gas and purchase Tax, Look after her, Regards from the UK
Robert Kirk Thank you, Robert! I completely agree with you. I would very much like to keep the 'ol Spit as original as possible. I've been back and forth about putting a Miata motor/gearbox in, but I always come back to wanting to keep it original. I think I'd rather it be that way for as long as I have the car. Cheers from the USA.
NO! NO! NO! Mazda engine, you have to understand that if/when you're done with this little car, the only people wanting it will be collectors, and with them, it's "Originality" all the way, besides your will ruin the Character of the car and soon get bored with NOT having to "Bumps start" it in the winter, Keep working on it a little at a time getting it as good as you can for the money and avoid the temptation to modernize it. well done and look after the old girl, Regards
Apart from if you are going on long journeys, who needs a radio in a fantastic little sports car like that... You are lucky, keep up the good work with keeping it on the road
I currently own a 1978 Spitfire with 128,00 miles on it and it runs great! It is my third Spitfire. As far as your dash goes, it IS real wood veneer(walnut) sandwiched together. The out layer(s) often crack with age. The stains around the master cylinders are due to brake/clutch fluid leakage which is a common problem on Spitfires. As far as the odometer goes, it WILL turn over to 00,000 when it hits 100,00 miles; I know, mine did. These cars developed 57 horsepower from their 91 cu engines.
The firewall rust is from brake fluid leaks. I too have a '77 Spitfire, though mine has a '69 1296cc dual-carb engine in it. Small, but more power. We are both lucky to have overdrive - VERY rare option in the US. The overdrive unit is the same as that used in Volvos. The O/D issue is probably just the wiring, they are very robust when bolted to only ~70hp. I've owned mine for 27 years- still just as fun as day one!
Really fun to drive up & down California coast. Had a '77 1500 Spitfire Inca yellow with black racing stripes and walnut steering wheel. Very maneuverable - turning radius only ~33 ft. During gas crunch, appreciated 29 mpg. Car was so low, you could fit under the bed of tractor trailers. Bad electrical system experiences. Started up one day and fried electrical wiring. While parked, battery overheated and spilled acid. Top of ignition switch exploded one day when a lightly staked retaining cover let go which held a large compression spring in place. Throttle spring failed while driving down a residential street and throttle went wide open. Getting into reverse was tricky. I installed an LED indicator light to show when it was in gear before engaging clutch. Sadly, a steel hauling truck ran into it while parked at a stop light and totaled car. Triumph had great ads for the car in magazines like Playboy and beautiful sales brochures. I have framed copies of the adverts. Car appeared in some episodes of the Avengers. I have some nice scale models of this car and these do not require maintenance! Still wish I had this car.
Hi Chad, Here in the UK, the Spit (I think) is under rated. They are such fun to drive and are the best looking of the british budget sports cars. I love my 1500 which was very much a hobby car of the previous owner. I dealt with the cosmetics and now looks like a new car. I'd advise you to get the overdrive fixed, it makes the ride even more pleasurable. Enjoyed your video. Keep driving your Spit and have fun!
Unlikely to be a serious problem with the overdrive , probably there is an electrical solution . Fix the problems when they occur otherwise the mountain just gets bigger .
Brake fluid removed the paint around the master cylinders, silver is the normal colour for the rocker cover and the faux wood is lacquered walnut. Sand it down and re- lacquer it lol
Awesome car. Glad to see it in appreciative hands. I had to chuckle on the 2 keys, one for the trunk explanation. Sometimes I forget about the time that has passed and newer generations would not have had experience with that. Keep up that enthusiasm, the Spitfire's longevity depends on you. Cheers
I just picked up a 79 spitfire, and have taken the dash apart. I chipped off that plastic top layer, and will place a walnut burl veneer on top. I compared that to buying a new hard wood dash kit, and think that's the best way to get the exact grain and wood finish.
Amazing those US cars always had those emission control systems already back in those days. The engine also only had 1 carb, that teally astonishes me! In Europe they are twin-carb. However, good review and nice car!
That being said - many times I now see - I love older British cars. My stepfather ran a USA BL dealership in the mid 70’s, and before then we owned a series of Jags, Triumphs and MGs. My first car was a MkIII Sprite. Take good care of that lovely little Spitfire.
I remember when those first came out, great looking little sports car. Yours seems to be in really good condition for its age, take care of it, and if there is any way, keep it, as you get older you will be glad you did.
The voice of experience. Cylinders that leak that much would create serious and obvious problems, this leakage was caused by idiots overfilling the reservoirs or not draining them before working on the systems.
Thanks for taking the time to give us a good looksee at your Spitfire. I've loved Spitfires since I was a kid in the '60s. They may not be particularly powerful or fast, but they're still fun and about the coolest looking cars there are. They're about as close to riding a nice old thumping British motorcycle as you can get on four wheels. For right now, you'd do well to give that rusty area under the brake main cylinder a good thorough scub ASAP with a few nice tough oily rags to slow down the rust until you can attend to it properly, or it will very quickly get much worse. My hunch is brake fluid was spilled there, which is a corrosive paint remover.
Beautiful and rare classic, take care of that rust it quickly spreads and will become serious before you realize, even if you just spread some rust converter over it but do something to contain it👍👌👍
Glad to see young people enjoying and restoring Spitfires and this one looks great. Keep up the good work there! I've had my Spitfire since I was 16, my first car, and I still have it 37 years later thru time in the Navy, college, and other life issues. Two years ago I bought an '80 that runs but needs work and last year I bought another '80 in better shape that was parked for 25 years and only has 11k miles. Yes the odometer rolls over back to zero and continues. The dash is wood with a wood veneer on top that cracks with age and wear (replacements available). The brake and clutch master cylinders must have leaked (common issue) and the fluid ruins the paint, so w/o paint the rust comes. Their control levers come with rubber covers that fit into those slots, see parts companies. Lots of British car shows and clubs in your state and nearby, so when you finish college, you'll be able to get out and have fun. See North American Spitfire Squadron and Spitfire Enthusiast group on Facebook. Cheers!
My girlfriend bought a 66 spitfire and it was the first engine I ever rebuilt, never missed a beat after the rebuild. I then found a 64 for 150bucks and rebuilt that one. A friend of mine had a 68 gt6 he sold me for $500 in about 1973, and I used if for a daily driver for awhile before embarking on a restoration. went thru the engine, Trans and Rear end, did paint, and bogged down on the seats and interior. So I've owned it going on 50 years. They are fun cars, I don't get in and out of them as well as I used to.
One thing I remember about mine (In the 70's, I somehow put a chunk of metal through the crankcase, and had to give it up) was that even with the manual steering rack, I could stick one arm out, lock my elbow, and twist the steering wheel around quite easily while sitting still on pavement. I only wish I owned it later in life, when I wasn't such a drunken idiot.
Chad that is a nice Survivor 1977 Triumph Spitfire built during the Golden Age of less regulations for cars. These cars can be easily rebuilt and restored. I also own a vintage 1978 Cessna 152 aircraft built June 1977, 40 years also. I like this occasional detour from our 3rd gen. Tacomas Mine with 1900 miles after 4 months, not the daily driver, hopefully a future survivor Tacoma
Ross Hernaez I also enjoy taking detours from the Toyota/truck world. This car is a very pure experience for me because it tells a story, and it's heard loud and clear. I wonder if I'll have the Tacoma in 30 or so years to be able to talk about it!
I've got a question on my 1977 Triumph Spitfire if anyone can help. I'm new to old cars and was wanting to know where can i find the cars VIN number for the car?
On the driver's side door plate. Open door and while facing rear of car you'll see it in the door frame. The car vin# should also match a plate on the engine but I don't know where that's at. Additionally the vin# should be visible on a plate inside the driver's side windshield about 1/2 way up to the top on the edge where the glass meets the metal frame. It's a metal plate, about 3" long and 1/2 " wide. Those 3 places. If the windshield has been replaced that could be missing and if the engine is not original it may not match door metal label that contains Vin#, color, yr made etc. Some people tore off those plates because they caused a problem when shutting the door. If once they became somewhat unattached to the body they would rub on the door when closing or opening the door and people would pry them off often making the original vin# hard to obtain. But those 3 places should all have matching vin#'s if it's original.
Your little 1500 would benefit from a weber carb upgrade. Don't throw away the SU! Put it in a box!... but yeah its a nice performance boost, particularly in the mid to high rpms
I would rather get the complete inlet system from the UK--twin S.U.s. looks much prettier. And that carb is a Stromberg, not an S.U. The S.U.s are less finicky.
@@mescko No kidding! The factory switched from SU to the Zenith Stromberg in the 70's for the US market. I didn't know that! My 1976 had a weber upgrade before I bought it. Agree twin SU's are very pretty. My Austin Healey has twin SU's, kinda finiky if you want perfection. My Fiat spider has a Weber original from stock, that thing is bullet proof. Set it and forget it.
The car came with a Stromberg , not an SU.. and a Weber is inappropriate and an ignorant a cop out and neither solves a problem nor improves a thing on a stock engine. . Get a pair of proper SU carbs.
Jeff Hildreth the Weber on my little 76 1500 was an excellent carb. Good throttle response, and nice induction noise. I was quite happy with it. Not that I’ll be doing a conversion on the Healey.... EVER! 😂, but the little Spitfire wasn’t exactly a classic car when I had it. No pressure to show it, no resale appreciation. Just a fun cheap car. This was late 80s
Thank Chad. Nice to see my current obsession in working order. I'm looking to buy a 1975 Spitfire that's not currently running. Anyway, enjoyed seeing it on the road. Thanks!
Brake and clutch fluid leaks. Paint comes up. Rust starts. You are missing the rubber boots that seal the brake and clutch pedal holes. You should get those in after you repaint the shelf.
Amazing seeing a fellow college student driving and loving his spitfire. Mine is a '72 mk4 that I have had with my dad for about 5 years now, but I haven't driven it for the past two since we had the car fully restored. Now I'm only working out the last few mechanical problems. I can't wait to put it again on the road as it is quite an amazing and fun car!
Brake fluid removes paint so yes the rust is from the former owners leaking master cylinder, and him not sealing it or painting it... and as far as taking care of that issue, you could unbolt everything sand, prime, and paint that with color matched Factory spray paint in an afternoon dude.. it is nothing near a major project.... It would be comparable to prepping and painting an accent wall in a room.. Nice car by the way.. I love British sports cars... they might not be fast, but there is nothing more fun to drive...
Really cool sport car I like the the windows up with no frame around them. It looks like way back your master cylinder leaked that cause the rust under the brake & clutch cylinders. That type of fluid really rust everything out. Bad ass nice car. Thanks
Nick Freyermuth Yes, I believe that's what happens to it, unfortunately. One day I'll get that cleaned up and looking good again! She's not fast, but she is bad ass!
Chad, you are really gonna want to clean up the rust around the brake master. Need not look great, but you wanna stop the rust. I have owned two Spitfires, a 1965 and a 1979. The missing belt is for the air pump and is not needed as your car likely not requires emissions testing. The overdrive is electric and likely has an issue in the switch or wiring. Very common problem. You are also missing some trim rings for your wheels :)
Todd Quigley Yes, that rust is the next thing on the list to take care of. You are correct, I misspoke. Either way it's not necessary because this car won't be getting emissions tested! I have already checked all of the electrical connections, including the switch, and they are solid, so I'm thinking a sticking solenoid or low oil level in the unit. More investigation will solve this! I wasn't aware I was missing any trim for the wheels, as I haven't had another car to compare it to! Thanks for your comment!
The UK spec ones are definitely far better than the US spec cars. Twin carbs, no EGR, no catalytic converter, higher compression ratio and I think there are a few other differences. Plus the choke lever isn't on the other side of the car. It all adds up and my car doesn't feel sluggish whatsoever and can even keep up with some modern sports cars.
I would have to agree with you! The US Spec'd Spits definitely were restricted in many ways. It's a very lightweight car compared to the heavy cars of today, so I definitely see why you say that! That's cool that you've got the same year and color car! Thanks for sharing!
@@PhilUKNet Clock not block, so yes, it applies to a car. I have a Ford with 75,000+ miles on it but seeing as it was made in 1975 I think that it will be much more like 175,000 miles.
@@baylessnow You're right! I stand corrected. Thank you. I've been living in a non-English speaking country for far too long and now I'm starting to forget my own language. I heard somewhere that it was the Japanese who introduced an extra digit. It was only when Japanese reliability was introduced that cars stood a reasonable chance of consistently passing 99,999 miles. Not sure how true this is, but it sounds reasonable.
I had a 76 Spitfire 1500. Had a Borla exhaust and Webber side draft carbs on it. Loved the car, it was a real head turner, ran real nice. Had to sell it when I got married in 1982.
Brian Toncray Wow, I bet that did turn heads with that Borla exhaust on it! What a car, thank you for sharing that with me! It's too bad you had to sell it, it's a great car to drive around with your partner!
Why'd you have to sell it? Raise a responsible kid and you don't have to buy their first car! Pull it out of the garage, clean it, put a new fuel pump, coil, HEI distributor/converter, water pump, and carburetor in it, and you have an overly reliable, not too powerful but not too pussyfooted first car.
Thanks for reminding me of my youth! Back before there were Miatas (great car, BTW), MR2s, Datsun Zs, and RX7s...the Brits ruled the sports car world. Look up a youtube video Clarkson's Car Years - Who Killed The British Motor Industry? to find out what happened. Sad story of the death of lot of great cars. My brother had a MG Midget and my father had 2 TR4s so I know those old Brit sports cars were era defining. Great video!
Beauty! A '72 Spit mkIV was my first "proper" car w-a-a-y back in '77 when I was 19...great for impressing the girls! When the 1500 came out I was green with envy...also you are right about the 5 digit odometer as cars were expected to blow up by 80,000 miles in those days. I remember seeing my first car with a 6 digit one (a VW Golf I think - would be those efficient German - huh!) and it was a source of wonder. Here in England that fear lives on - any car with anywhere near 100K on the clock has it's value plummet even though modern cars easily handle 150, 200, 250k miles...My current MINI has 179k and runs like new!
Great car and video. The Triumph and MG Midget 1500 have the same engine and normally the engine cover would be silver as standard. The Speedometer will roll over and start again. The front suspension from this model was used and adapted in Lotus Elan and Europa for the precise steering and handling. Its a nicely maintained and original car and a good video.
I used to have a Spitfire 1500 which was the 30th to last one off the production line here in the UK. I drove it in all weathers and worked on it myself including welding and panel beating. I loved that car but they eat parts and I had to get rid of it before it bankrupted me. Nice video and some great memories.
I enjoyed your video; thank you! I have a Yellow 1500, produced in 1980 and still having the chrome bumpers. It's been tuned to 92 bhp at 4,500 revs and is such fun to drive. You have to be careful in the wet, because the back end is very frisky!! Reckon you should fit a twin stainless steel exhaust: sounds amazing, particularly on over run!
I’ve got a ‘78 Fiat Spider. It ain’t a Triumph. But it’s a blast to drive! Got a couple of roadsters. Looking to get a Spitfire next. You should be willing to work on ‘em. So yeah. A 40 yo car is fun to drive!
Standard DOT 3 brake fluid will strip paint double quick. Replace it with DOT 5 that won't strip paint. The rust under the master cylinders was caused by careless mechanics overfilling or failing to drain the cylinders before removing them. You probably have the same under the battery tray. That rust needs to be addressed as rust is the great killer of old cars. You really need to get that body off the frame and fix it or it won't survive another ten years.
It just clicks over from 99999 to 00001. Cars of that age here in the UK weren't really expected to last 40 years. The biggest problem was rust. It's damp here and also they put salt on the roads in winter so most cars would rot away long before seeing 100,000 miles. They were all made from pressed mild steel. You may be interested to know that Californian examples are often exported back here, due to the dry climate having preserved them, even though they are Left Hand Drive.
catching this a bit after filming, BUT....... There's a resister that reads a funny voltage like 11 point something.... We replaced it with a new one from Moss and even my license plate light started working.
I love the car, my deceased buddy had two. I have heard that the original Spitfires had a heating problem when they were shipped to the U.S. due to the prolonged driving because our great distances we travel. So, I imagine they added the overdrive, please tell me if I misunderstand the stories I have been told. I love your car, although British racing green would have been my first choice. Thank you for your great vid. Good luck in college.
MIne actually used to boil sometimes after going up a long mountain road.Didn't do too much damage due to the cast iron block and cylinder head though.
I have recently begun looking for a little triumph spitfire myself as a little project car and I live in Colorado and have surprisingly found a lot of good options out there but am having a hard time narrowing the search. If anyone had any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. Whether it be the type of engine or the year itself, maybe even some advice about what to look for in the car!
Great job! Glad to hear you worked on it with your dad. Very cool car, good thing you know how to work on it however, Late 70’s weren’t exactly BL glory days...
I looked back at a few comments and saw the brake fluid stripping paint, and the mileometer 'going round the clock' had already been covered. Your wood on the dashboard is real, it's just a very thin veneer over most probably a plywood base. It has cracked because it is real veneer and not plastic. And as far as I know, all Triumph rocker covers were painted silver from the factory. Unless things were done differently for the U.S. market, the red rocker cover you talked about was something someone did themselves.
Really enjoyed your video, I know it's a few years ago now, do you still own the car? I've just bought one looking forward to getting it up and running 👍
Sweet spitfire. I enjoy mine every chance I get too. There are a few magazines you can get any part you'll ever need. Keep up with the spitfire vids. 👍👍
As a 61 yr olds Englishman, do not get rid of it, store it if you need but, do not loose this car, you will regret it, kind regards Martin🇦🇺😃🏳️🌈 I live in Australia now😃
This car was a street legal go-cart. It was the most fun I've ever had driving a car. And its Michelotti lines were as sexy as anything on the road, then or even now. A total classic. The best part of driving this car: you could actually feel the grain of the road under your ass, while also feeling the car around you. Twisty, windy roads that change elevation is where these little gems shine. '77 Triumph Spitfire on back roads is as pure a driving experience as one can have. I LOVED my '77 Spit. Bucket list item: drive a mint-condition restoration Spit in retirement. I'd better get busy.
Trunk - It's called a boot my friend. :) (I'm from the UK). The tachometer (Rev counter) is electric and takes several seconds to start from when the engine is started. The overdrive is activated with a solenoid when the O/D switch on the gear nob is turned on, their is also a interlock switch on the main gear box what prevents the over drive from being electrically activated unless you are in 3rd or 4th gear. Also not sure if you know this, but the "Brake" light below the heater controls is connected to the PDWA (Pressure differential warning actuator) what activates the "Brake" light in the event that the back or front hydraulic breaks leak and cause a pressure differential. PDWA is the thing directly in front of the ignition coil with the brake pipes attached to it.
Your video reminded me of my 1500 spitfire, it was a real lemon car and although I bought it brand new, I sold it after less than a year in my possession. The color was mimosa yellow and also had a hardtop for the Northern European climate. After that I bought a TR6 and was more happy with that car.
I've had two Spitfires and can not see how they couldn't be fun to drive. If you have a Spitfire that you don't have fun driving, I will send you my address and you can give that boring car to me.I will suffer through a few miles. Hell I will even put a real good looking fake ear to ear grin on my face. I'm willing to do this rather than see my fellow man suffer.
Apply RUST Prevention Product. ASAP. The Best You can buy in the USA. After 99,000 miles it goes to 00000000 & starts at 1 mile again if you drive it past 99,999 miles. The advantage of that is at 166,000 miles it will show 66,000 etc !! UK cars Used to go " ROUND THE CLOCK " many times. My RENAULT VAN reads 334,000 miles. But to look at Everyone would say it looks like 134,000 or even Less. At least my van has GENUINE Mileage. I have a far newer Van, But the OLD ONE is Far Better & Cheaper on fuel. VERY HAPPY to still have my old Van. It's BRILLIANT ! Virtually ZERO Wear on the Interior. at 334,000 miles. I am the 2nd owner .
Let's see, I had two. Your first impression is always being amazed at just how much room there is in it compared to how it looks on the outside.The stock vehicle had the side draft Stromberg carb that you have to put oil in. I remember stalling out once too many times and having to adjust the floats which are in the bottom of the thing. All spitfires have electrical problems and almost all of my fuses were made out of blown ones wrapped in aluminum foil. I had fun replacing the rear leaf spring... there's only one for both wheels. The thing I loved the most is that when you're driving it, it feels like its a part of your body, or you're a part of it. I remember getting stuck in snow one winter and it's so light being able to get out, lift the back of the car up and move it over. I remember getting it into 4/6th and not wanting to ever shift back out of it - GET YOUR OVERDRIVE fixed-you won't regret it. I gradually went up to TR7s & 8s, sold them after restoring them, but will always remember my first spitfire. The dash is real wood, but thin over particle or plywood.
