Spitfire My first Spitfire

An elderly neighbor had this in his barn for 20+ years. Needs lots of work.

Welcome and best of luck.

You've found a good place for sympathy or advice or whatever you need.

Welcome. May you get the car on the road without emptying your wallet.

Is that a 74? Looks like an excellent project! I always like the Spits. One of our former friends had a new one, SHE loved it! PJ

PAUL161 said:

Is that a 74? Looks like an excellent project! I always like the Spits. One of our former friends had a new one, SHE loved it! PJ

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Do I detect an inference that the Spitfire is a girls car?

Looks like a good cleaning and sorting will make it a good driver. Congrats and happy motoring.

Rhodyspit75 said:

Do I detect an inference that the Spitfire is a girls car?

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I think I detected the same thing.

PAUL161 said:

Is that a 74? Looks like an excellent project! I always like the Spits. One of our former friends had a new one, SHE loved it! PJ

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Its a 75 and going off the engine number seems to have an engine out of a 79

LarryK said:

Looks like a good cleaning and sorting will make it a good driver. Congrats and happy motoring.

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Thanks. Its going to need a lot of work on the engine. From what i can tell from pic's on the net the previous owner installed Dual SU HS-4s but never hooked them up. As well as other wonderful half done things that i have no idea where to start. But at least it will keep me busy.

Rhodyspit75 said:

Do I detect an inference that the Spitfire is a girls car?

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Not really, but she looked pretty sharp behind the wheel, even not behind the wheel!

I drove a Jeep Liberty for years, also considered a "girls" vehicle. Had a blast driving over things.....as for the Spit, you're in the game - let others think whatever they want! Congrats!!!

So Question No. 1. Where does the vacuum line go from the distributor if there is no Thermostatic Vacuum (TSV) Switch that i can see?

For now... plug the vacuum line. Worry about it later.

At this point focus only on checking the engine and getting it ready to be started. Since it sounds like the engine has not run in 20+ years, start with mechanical things.
Mark and remove the spark plugs.
Make sure the engine is not seized from years of sitting. Find a very large wrench and put it on the front pulley nut. With the gearbox in neutral, turn the engine clockwise (looking at the pulley).
If the engine turns over with the big wrench, change the oil and antifreeze. If it does not turn over with the wrench post back here and let us know.
With fresh oil and a charged battery, remove the spark plugs so there is no compression and turn the engine over on the starter until you see the engine has developed oil pressure.

Once you have gotten to that point post back. You will need to go through the ignition system, set the static timing, and do some basic carb checks and adjustments.

With a car that has been off the road for 20+ years, plan on rebuilding the brakes and replacing several brake components.

Welcome, these are fun cars. Enjoy the process of get her sorted out, and as you have already found lots of good people here.

Adding my welcome here, and here's an article written by one of our own some years back. Tony's no longer with us, but was quite the character! Though this is specific to MGB's, it applies to just about any old car that's been off the road a while.

Keep us informed of your progress!

https://web.archive.org/web/20080802055123/https://www.theautoist.com/awakening_a_sleeping_b.htm


Mickey

Thanks for the advise dklawson. I made sure the engine turned over before i bought it so we know that is good. The last owner put on Dual SU HS-4s but never hooked them up. No fuel line from the pump to them. No wire going to the distributor or vacuum. Keys were lost a long time ago so his son cut the lock off and got keys made but never put it back on. I need to drill out whats left of the screws and find some more. Im sure there's more but that's all i can think of right now. Lots to do before i get to start her.

sbrmalott said:

The last owner put on Dual SU HS-4s but never hooked them up.

No wire going to the distributor or vacuum.

Keys were lost a long time ago so his son cut the lock off and got keys made but never put it back on. I need to drill out whats left of the screws and find some more.

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There are basic settings for SUs that will get things close enough to get the engine started. Since the carbs sat for a long time, you will need to go through them making at least a cursory cleaning and to make sure all the parts move freely. Be sure to open up the float bowls, clean out the crud, and inspect/set the float valves.

There were a couple of different distributors used over the years and you mentioned that your engine is not original to the car. Post back with which distributor you have and I am sure one of us here can advise you on basic connections to get it wired up. Also mark and remove the wires from the coil long enough to measure the resistance across the coil terminals and let us know what it measures. Pictures help also.

So is the lock on the steering column, half on the column? The locking steering columns used a lock that is secured using shear-off tamper-proof bolts. The easiest thing to do is take a thin cut off wheel and cut a screwdriver slot in what's left of the bolt heads. Use a screwdriver or impact driver to remove them. When putting the lock back on the column, do not bother with the tamper-proof bolts. Buy regular 5/16-18 (UNC) socket head cap screws. They will thread right in and you will be able to install and remove the lock as many times as you want. The tamper-proof screws were probably a great idea at one time but are really annoying when working on these cars. If the lock is off and not on the column, connect it electrically and just use it as is until you are ready to start driving he car. Some owners buy an earlier dash-mounted switch and move the wiring there to do away with the steering column mounted lock altogether.

Welcome. The members of this forum know a lot about a lot; not just British cars. The bigger carbs are a good addition- more power. Headers too?

Some Photos of the mess I'm in
Just changed the oil and it looked new and didn't smell burnt which i guess is a good thing.

sbrmalott. You have lots of fun in the future, but get a metal pipe for the fuel hose that goes from the pump to the carbs, not a good idea on the rubber. Have a look at some photos of the Spite's and you will see the routing, along with a clamp that goes to the top of the thermostat housing.
Wayne