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Spitfire 1980 California Spitfire, Help Figuring What To Do With It?

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dilburrito

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I am looking for advise regarding the disposition of a 1980 Triumph Spitfire. It is a California car with all the smog stuff.

I am interested in advise about selling the thing, or saw it up and take to the dump in pieces. I'm honestly looking for advise, this is not a sales pitch.

The car is sound although isn't running now because I have the carb and clutch system dis-assembled. But it runs fine when all together. The body and paint are good. It can't pass California smog because I purchased it "as is" and at the time didn't realize that meant it had headers. I can get a waiver from the California Air Resources Board for the headers, but that requires an annual smog inspection at a certified station. It is doable but a colossal PITA. So needless to say, I have not successfully smogged the thing which is my problem, I am tired of messing with it.

In the years I've had it I have purchased a pile of new parts that are sitting on the shelf, brakes, interior, front end rebuild kits, a lot of stuff. I even have a spare engine that I spent a lot of time, trouble and expense rebuilding. I really tried hard to build a nice engine, all new parts, lots of machining, balanced, etc. I have a pile of used spares also, transmission, front end, etc.

Basically this car has potential, it would be a nice project for someone who is patient. That's the only good thing I can say about it at this point.

In it's current condition it needs to be towed, can't be started to prove it runs, etc.

I'm trying to figure out if it is worth the effort to sell it, if so how? I've done plenty of eBay selling but that doesn't seem like the place for this problem. I know about Craigs List, never used it, heard lots of bad stories about it. I've called around to the very few British car shops in California and none of them want to mess with this.

I'm tired enough of the thing that it has little value to me, even with the expense of the pile of parts I have. Does this have any value at all, do any of you think? Is it worth any effort to try to recover some money and get someone to tow it out?

Kind of a funny story about an MG Midget I had years ago. Had pink slip problems, got the thing for free, couldn't get rid of it as a complete car. But if it was a pile of parts, I can take it to the dump. I dis-assembled everything I could from the car, used my Sawzall to cut the body into quarters, threw the entire mess into my pickup and took to the dump, problem solved. This Triumph is a lot nicer that the MG was but the Sawzall solution is a proven one for sure.

Thanks in advance for opinions and comments.
 
Definitely sell as a package, too messy to sell by parting out.
I would try Craigslist, as there are potentially thousands of potential buyers, both in North America and overseas.
Even Aussies visit USA CL hoping for a bargain. :p ...[although Spitfires would appeal more to a UK buyer].
 
Yes it would be a shame to part it out. To me the best solution is to sell it out of California. Another option is Bring a trailer.
Charley
 
dilburrito said:
I am looking for advise regarding the disposition of a 1980 Triumph Spitfire. It is a California car with all the smog stuff.

I am interested in advise about selling the thing, or saw it up and take to the dump in pieces. I'm honestly looking for advise, this is not a sales pitch.

The car is sound although isn't running now because I have the carb and clutch system dis-assembled. But it runs fine when all together. The body and paint are good. It can't pass California smog because I purchased it "as is" and at the time didn't realize that meant it had headers. I can get a waiver from the California Air Resources Board for the headers, but that requires an annual smog inspection at a certified station. It is doable but a colossal PITA. So needless to say, I have not successfully smogged the thing which is my problem, I am tired of messing with it.

In the years I've had it I have purchased a pile of new parts that are sitting on the shelf, brakes, interior, front end rebuild kits, a lot of stuff. I even have a spare engine that I spent a lot of time, trouble and expense rebuilding. I really tried hard to build a nice engine, all new parts, lots of machining, balanced, etc. I have a pile of used spares also, transmission, front end, etc.

Basically this car has potential, it would be a nice project for someone who is patient. That's the only good thing I can say about it at this point.

In it's current condition it needs to be towed, can't be started to prove it runs, etc.

I'm trying to figure out if it is worth the effort to sell it, if so how? I've done plenty of eBay selling but that doesn't seem like the place for this problem. I know about Craigs List, never used it, heard lots of bad stories about it. I've called around to the very few British car shops in California and none of them want to mess with this.

I'm tired enough of the thing that it has little value to me, even with the expense of the pile of parts I have. Does this have any value at all, do any of you think? Is it worth any effort to try to recover some money and get someone to tow it out?

Kind of a funny story about an MG Midget I had years ago. Had pink slip problems, got the thing for free, couldn't get rid of it as a complete car. But if it was a pile of parts, I can take it to the dump. I dis-assembled everything I could from the car, used my Sawzall to cut the body into quarters, threw the entire mess into my pickup and took to the dump, problem solved. This Triumph is a lot nicer that the MG was but the Sawzall solution is a proven one for sure.

Thanks in advance for opinions and comments.
Click to expand...
Sounds like an excellent candidate for electrification.
Wish I had the funds for the project.
 
Here's a link to the northern California Triumph club's classified ad web page. I'm not a member, but "Triumph Travelers" has been around for a very long time and is completely reputable. The advertising page has a contact for submitting an advertisement to the club. Someone will definitely want your car!

 
Appreciate the responses, I'll give the Triumph Travelers a shot then Craigs List if the Travelers don't pan out.

I was expecting everyone to give the thumbs down to a 1980 Calif Spitfire, glad to hear that there may be value in this thing still. I love the little car, just tired of messing around with this idiotic State I live in. I would so love to drop my new engine in the thing and throw a couple carbs on it and yank all the smog garbage, and actually set the timing where it should be instead of 10 after TDC. I'm thinking of looking for a pre-smog TR or another Spitfire if I can find one, run the thing like it's designed to be run.
 
I live in Calif. , so know of what you speak. The only work around that I can think of is to find a 1974 or before Spitfire and put your engine and updates on it. Then sell what parts are left . I have seen post 1974 LBC's locally that have given up and sold out of state or just junked them out. We even had one couple very into cars that moved out of state.
Charley
 
1975 cars are also free from smog checks. The Kiss of Death begins with the 1976 model year cars. I've seen a number of '76 TR6s shipped out-of-state because of the difficulty is passing smog - particularly in the metropolitan areas that have the most stringent smog tests. My '76 Java Green TR6 was one of them.
 
Well, it looks clear to me that you have three options:

1. Fix it and get it to pass smog;

2. Junk it;

3. Sell it out of state.

You've pretty much eliminated (1) and (2), so that leaves you with (3). Shouldn't be too difficult, especially if you are realistic about price. But in any case, we all know what the rules are here in CA, and they exist for good reasons. That does not make the state "idiotic."
 
Or, #4: Sell the car to somebody in California who wants to play with it, despite its smog status - If it's cheap enough. A buyer might have an old as-removed set of smog components and exhaust manifold sitting on their back shelf, which could be used for bringing this car back toward stock condition.

Posting photos here on the website might help attract a buyer.
 
I do believe your 4th choice still requires a current smog certificate before the title can transfer in state.
Charley
 
An in-state buyer might very well purchase the car as a source of parts for restoring another Spitfire that he already owns, and may not care if the car being discussed here is ever registered again.
 
groupdeville said:
An in-state buyer might very well purchase the car as a source of parts for restoring another Spitfire that he already owns, and may not care if the car being discussed here is ever registered again.
Click to expand...
Even though it's done all the time, it's actually illegal.
You are supposed to have a dismantlement license and they will check your facility.
When I went to the DMV I learned about it.
They had a big sign hanging right there making it clear.
Still, I've done it dozens of times before I knew and might do it again.
 
Madflyer said:
try Valley British Auto Club Fresno Ca > Garage | VBAC 9/8/2020 < they may be of help but sell complete. Contact me PM I know people out of CA that may have interest.
Click to expand...
Hi Madflyer, I just noticed your comment, don't know how I missed it. If you know people outside CA I would really appreciate it. I have decided to get the thing running again so I can demonstrate it runs (and stops). Then was planning to use Craigs List or FB or something to try to get an out of stater interested. I'm pricing it to move, not looking to recover money. It will be running soon and I have several thousand in new parts to go with it.
 
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