Spitfire 75 Spitfire progress

[Norton47]

Good Day
Here are a couple of photo's of progress on my '75 Spitfire. After sitting four years with the engine out and such. Daughter #3 wrecked her Miata, so finally had the push to get this finished, as we needed another car. This is for me.
The car still had 80% of the paint on the frame, so I wire brushed out the surface rust and treated it with MarHyde One step. Lightly sanded again with Scotch bright and painted using acrylic enamel that the local shop put in spray cans.
Then installed the suspension which has all been powder coated and sitting in boxes for 4 years. I decided to use the front shocks for now as they were Koni Special D units and were not leaking.
The engine is one I bought that has been rebuilt. There's an old post with the details. Anyway I pulled the pan and checked to verify it had been assembled with assembly lube and I added more cam break in lube to the cam shaft. It looked beautiful inside. I checked the timing and set the valves. The valve spring coils do not bind but get much more compressed compared to old engine. I think I will measure the lift on the cam before installing.
I am adding a oil cooler with a thermostatic valve.
I upgraded it to two 1.5 HS4's and a Euro 4-2-1 manifold. The stock overdrive trans has been gone through and I had the flywheel resurfaced, do I hope to assembly that today and maybe install the engine and trans.
I have to get the stainless steel brake lines made up and installed and do something with those calipers.
Thanks for looking.

 

[DNK]

Getting a little nasty taking the BMW to work as the rainy season nears?

 

[dklawson]

The stainless brake lines will look nice. However, why do you say you are having them "made up". There are a number of places that should have them as catalog items as long as you are using the stock calipers.

If you haven't already done so, check the condition of the steering column flex joint before putting the engine in. They can be rebuilt but it is more work than buying a replacement. Regardless, it is much easier to access as your car is now with few things blocking/obstructing the joint.

Is that a GM alternator?

The engine bay looks like it will be spectacular when you are done!

 

[Norton47]

Doug
Thanks for your comments and compliments. The reason I say make up, I have found a local supplier (Williams Oil Filter) that can make up SS lines that are priced competitively and with all the proper parts. I want to get a quote from them and see.
Good point on the steering coupler, I did check it and cannot see any deterioration of the rubber parts. The car has an indicated 65K miles. It's sure not like a TR6.
I am using a GM alternator, it's a 63 amp unit. I am installing some Bosch (https://www.busdepot.com/0301600118) headlights and will be adding relays, as driving to and from work is often in the dark. The wiring will be upgraded also to handle the boost in current.

 

[dklawson]

We still have the Lucas alternator (albeit a later 3-wire in place of the 5-wire) on our '72. I have a Ford Fiesta (Bosch) alternator as a spare for when the alternator dies in the car. I have the Delco 10SI 63 Amp unit on the GT6 and it has worked very well. I wasn't sure how the GM unit would fit on the Spitfire as I mounted it "low" on the GT6 and didn't see that as an option on the Spit.

I also fitted relays for the headlamps but all I installed were sealed beam-type halogens. I mounted the 2 relays on a small aluminum plate. I folded the top of the plate over into a U-shaped bend and hooked it over the body edge of the scuttle panel near the washer fluid spray bottle. The weather strip/windlace goes over the U-shaped bend to hold it in place. I wasn't sure where else to mount the relays so they wouldn't get too wet. Of course... I could have mounted them inside the car if I had been smart. Hindsight is 20-20.

Be sure and post pictures of those brake lines. I think I paid about $80 for Goodridge hoses from a guy on eBay. However, that was at least 5 years ago so I am sure prices are higher now.

 

[Norton47]

Good Day
A quick post with some progress to show.
Engine and trans/OD almost ready to go in.
Chassis back on it's wheels.
I did have one set back, I found that the brown and blue wires for the headlights had been overheated and melted at some point in her past life. New wires (correct color even) had been run outside the main harness. Although I had ran the car some prior to tearing it down, I can't say I remember using the headlights much. So I cut open the harness and removed the bad wiring and making sure it was disconnected. Luckily, no other wiring was damaged. I am going to recover the harness with aftermarket harness cover and tie into place. I am adding upgraded headlights and will be using a relay for the new ones. Some kind of mess.

 

[dklawson]

I'm glad you found and addressed the overheated headlight wiring. You said you have used the correct color codes for the repairs so the following comes to late to be helpful unless you want to backtrack.

Britishwiring.com sells the headlight sockets, terminals, and bucket grommets should you ever want to make sub-harnesses for the headlamps. They sell the correct color coded wire in heavier gauge also (bigger wire, less heat). Obviously they can provide both bullet and spade terminals for any custom wiring changes you want to make (like adding relays). Britishwiring.com also has vinyl harness wrap to re-cover the harness with an OEM look.

If you want other options for covering the harness, Painless Wiring sells a "split" loom cover that gives an older, traditional braided look. That's nice because you can open and close the cover to fix or add wires as needed. See the link below at Jegs.
https://www.jegs.com/p/Painless-Performance-Products/Painless-Classic-Braid/2180408/10002/-1

Other members of this board who have wanted a cloth wrapped harness have bought Tesa (brand) harness tape off eBay and had good success. (Go to eBay Motors and search for "Tesa Harness Tape").