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Early Spitfires didn't have the best reputation for great handling. For the most part, that was due to the swing spring setup in the rear. It was hardly a rare setup, and worked well... but with the limitation that it had a tendency for "jacking" when quickly maneuvering from one direction to another (such as in a slalom). In any case, most of us will never drive our Spitfires that fast; and on a normal road the handling is pretty good for the period.
That assumes, of course, that the suspension is kept properly maintained. The standard shocks available today are generally made by the same few places regardless of where you buy them from.... and they're terrible. The performance is okay, but put any amount of mileage on them and the don't seem to hold up. We'll demonstrate that here, as well as how to change them. On a Spitfire, the rear shocks are amazingly simple to swap out (the fronts require special tools--or at least a quick trip to your local mechanic with the removed coil over assembly).
While we're back there, it's always a good idea to adjust the rear brakes. Modern cars with drum brakes typically are self-adjusting... but apart from the last of the GT6s, Triumphs generally aren't. This will be very similar to how you would adjust the brakes on an Austin Healey 3000, a Triumph TR6, MGB, or most other sports cars of this vintage. If you have a soft pedal or less-than-enthusiastic braking, this is the place to start.
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11 окт 2023
