Spitfire Spitfire MkIV/1500 - Factory Front Spoiler?

[dklawson]

Our project MkIV Spitfire came with an unmounted, used, OEM front spoiler. It clearly was mounted at one time as there are extra mounting holes in it that line up with holes in our car's valence corners.

I'd like to clean up spoiler and install it. However, when lifting the spoiler up to the car body, it seems to interfere with the filler panel that goes between the valence corners. When the spoiler is installed is that filler panel removed? If the filler panel is left in place, is the spoiler supposed to push against the filler panel? Lastly, there appear to be two captive nuts molded into the back of the spoiler. If those bolt holes are used, what do they line up with?

 

[Andrew Mace]

By "filler panel," do you mean the little black plastic grille pieces in the quarter valences? They go away when the spoiler is fitted (which, as I recall, first happened around the 1974 model year, btw), as does the front valence (oh, maybe THAT'S what you meant?). If your car had the spoiler mounted at one time, it was a replacement due to collision damage or, perhaps more likely, due to personal preference.

 

[dklawson]

By "filler panel," do you mean the little black plastic grille pieces in the quarter valences? <span style="font-weight: bold">They go away </span>when the spoiler is fitted (which, as I recall, first happened around the 1974 model year, btw), <span style="font-weight: bold">as does the front valence</span> (oh, maybe THAT'S what you meant?).

This is all beginning to make sense! After your post I went to Spitbits and compared your descriptions to their parts diagrams.

Our car is a '72 but a PO did a lot of conversion work on the car so it's a bit of a Frankenspit. Our car did not come with the plastic grille pieces in the quarter valences. The spoiler appears to have been attached to those panels using coarse "lag bolts". The panel you referred to as the valence is what I was asking about.

You have confirmed what I suspected, that the valence panel is not retained if the spoiler is installed.

Thanks Andy!

 

[rikiwho123]

i have a 71 spit and added a spoiler to the car and yes i had to remove the front valence to make it fit and with the spoiler in place you wouldn't be able to see the valence anyway.