Spitfire 1970 Spitfire Dash

[MikeMcD]

Just bought my first Triumph. It's a 1970 Spitfire and I know nothing to very little about it so I'll have all kind of questions. To start with, what are all the dash controls? My electrical is not 100% so several things are not working. Is there a schematic I can download somewhere on the dash controls or wiring in general?

 

[sabot]

just try typing , Triumph spitfire wiring diagrams, into google and a few sites will pop up. if you can't find a good one let me know i can send one if no one else does. and welcome to the forum.
tom

 

[Andrew Mace]

Try this wiring diagram from triumphspitfire.com. It's technically for the MkIV, but it should be at least 99% the same as your 1970. Meanwhile, for the components that seem not to be working, first point of "attack" is probably the fuse box, where simply wiggling the fuses around might be enough to scuff off the film/corrosion and make good contact again.

 

[TR3driver]

Just a thought, might be worth picking up a copy of the owner's manual for your car. It has both a wiring diagram (although the diagram is for RHS cars) and a description of all the controls. Also a detailed maintenance schedule that is worth following.

Used ones show up occasionally on ebay, or I see TRF has new reprints available:
https://www.zeni.net/trf/spitfireGB/170.php

Here are some scans from my somewhat degraded original:

https://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/TR3driver/SpitMk3wiringRHS.jpg

https://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/TR3driver/SpitMk3wiringRHSkey.jpg

 

[MikeMcD]

Thanks for the diagrams. They will help when I get into the wiring. I do plan on getting a manual, is the Haynes book any good? Unfortunately I'm so new to this I don't even know what all the knobs and levers on the dash a supposed to do. Any chance there is a picture or diagram of a dash with everything labeled?

 

[Andrew Mace]

Randall, the problem I see with those diagrams is that they don't seem to include features I suspect are present on Mike's car, which I'll assume is a "Federal" 1970 Mk3. The dashes are different in layout, and the "Federal" cars would have the brake failure warning light, hazard flasher circuit, etc. that the home market cars didn't have. As for the Owners Manual reprints, I honestly don't know if the reprint TRF offers is for the "Federal" cars or the home market cars. If it's the latter, the same lack of information will be present there. That's why I suggest the MkIV diagram above, as it appears at quick glance to be rather closer to what Mike likely has.

Some of the Bentley Manual reprints included both the Owners Handbook and Workshop Manual. I don't have mine handy at the moment, and I can't recall if it included a US version of the Owners Manual.

 

[sabot]

Hi guys, if i can figure out how to email the pictures and diagrams from the
heritage Dvd, i will send them tonight, but should i do that on this link, or as a private message?
tom

 

[TR3driver]

AFAIK, Haynes only publishes a workshop manual, which probably won't have much of the information found in the owner's manual. For example, your photo of the dash is in the owner's manual, but likely not in the Haynes. But I don't actually have a Spitfire Haynes, so I could be mistaken.

In general, I prefer the factory manuals over the Haynes, but it is just a matter of preference. The Haynes tends to have more diagrams and details for basic procedures, but gloss over some of the more complicated ones; while the factory workshop manual has everything that a professional mechanic needs to know about the car. I'd also say that, in general, the Haynes has more mistakes than the factory manual (but again I don't have the Spitfire Haynes so it might be better than the others).

 

[TR3driver]

I can't recall if it included a US version of the Owners Manual.

Did the Mk3 even have a "Federal" version of the owner's manual? I believe that the one I have was originally delivered with a 1968 Federal Mk3; but the wiring diagram does lack the features you mention, and the PDWA warning lamp is shown only in the "Emissions" supplement (which specifies "For North American-type markets only).

PS, my (Brooklands reprint) of the "combo" (Herald/Vitesse/Spit 1,2,3) workshop manual does show the wiring to the PDWA as an inset, but also fails to show a hazard flasher.

Perhaps the hazard flasher was only on 1970 models?

 

[TR3driver]

Hi guys, if i can figure out how to email the pictures and diagrams from the
heritage Dvd, i will send them tonight, but should i do that on this link, or as a private message?
tom

Unless you are a paying member, BCF severely limits what you can post directly. One way around that is to post photos on photobucket.com, then give a link here (as I did above).

 

[Andrew Mace]

Did the Mk3 even have a "Federal" version of the owner's manual? I believe that the one I have was originally delivered with a 1968 Federal Mk3; but the wiring diagram does lack the features you mention, and the PDWA warning lamp is shown only in the "Emissions" supplement (which specifies "For North American-type markets only).

I'm pretty sure that my 1969 Mk3 came with a "US" Owners Manual showing the "Federal" dash and most, if not all, the wiring changes to include Hazard flashers, etc.

PS, my (Brooklands reprint) of the "combo" (Herald/Vitesse/Spit 1,2,3) workshop manual does show the wiring to the PDWA as an inset, but also fails to show a hazard flasher.

Perhaps the hazard flasher was only on 1970 models?

The hazard flashers were on at least as early as 1969; I don't recall when the Federal government standards first mandated them on imports. They were required as early as 1966 on cars sold in New York State, though, and those were definitely added-on kits. And, oddly enough, the factory Herald/Spitfire/Vitesse 6 manual was very spotty on what it did cover in terms of US-spec. models. That manual never had a proper wiring diagram for US Heralds, but I think some of the latest versions did cover at least some of the "Federal" Spitfire Mk3 stuff.

I understand the Herald omissions in the Workshop Manual, since Triumph didn't sell at that many here. They did do a US-specific Owners Manual for the first Heralds, but not for either the Herald 1200 or Sports 6; more importantly, they always did Owners Manuals for US Spitfires from the very start, but that probably had a lot to do with the fact that a very large portion of Spitfire production was sold in the US.

 

[Mark Jones]

Hi Mike,

The North American Spec 70 Spitfire is an odd duck. It is almost a 69 with a 70 dash.

Here's the UK owner's handbook: https://www.totallytriumph.net/spitfire/handbook_mk3.pdf

I do have an electronic copy of the N.A. Mk3 handbook.

The dash layout is different but the electrical diagram is similar.

The switch in the middle part of the dash with two gauges on either side is for the lights. The switch above the steering column is the hazard light switch. There may be another one but I haven't been in my Mk 3 very many times (recent acquisition).