Electric Ready?

[jcw67spitfire]

Just looking for some opinions and personal experiences on small electrical repairs. I went ahead and ordered a new starter solenoid/relay but haven't installed it yet, The old one with the push button on the back looks fine and sounds strong, and I assume it is the original one for our1967 Spitfire MK2. I'm debating going ahead and changing it out for the new one (if nothing else, to make sure it works properly), or just letting the old one ride until is goes kaput! I'm not sure whether to expect it to kind of putter out gradually toward the end and offer up a few more volts to turn the starter motor, or whether it will just Bite the Bullet all at once at some unexpected time. So far, besides a Pertronix electonic ignition in the Delco Demy, I've put in new coil and plug wires, a new coil, a new ignition and key, and one new inline fuse (I think I put a 30 amp fuse in there where the original might have been a 35 amp one). I'm also thinking of going ahead and ordering a new control unit (dynamo voltage regulator) in case the one in there now suddenly fails us. Yea, I guess I could be going overboard, but then I worry about some of these parts that will fit Spitfire MK1s and MK2s from '62 to early '67 being harder to find or going out of stock all together. What do some of y'all think about having some basic electrical tools and extra components along for the ride, and anybody have any interesting stories about electrical repairs out on the roadways, either with the right part that you happened to have with you, or rigged-up temporary fixes that got you back to the garage? Oh, and for those of you also owning a 60 something Triumph auto, what do you think I can expect to be a weak point in the electrical system I might expect to need attention soon?

 

[NutmegCT]

Just my two cents, but over the years I've found modern "replacements" have low quality, most likely due to their not being made in USA or UK. Not always of course, but dodgy replacements have driven me toward seeking NOS or "well preserved" OS.

Unless I'm doing a long trip (coast to coast, for example ...), for electrical I only take a multimeter, ignition wires and a battery replacer with cables, and a few bulbs. Have to admit, seems that when I take a supply of whatever ... that whatever part never needs work.
Tom M.

 

[John Turney]

I carry

• a multimeter,
• a jumper cable with short pieces on the ends that can be switched out to match whatever the existing connections and a 30-amp inline fuse, with spare fuses.
• a cap
• a rotor The only thing I recall replacing on the road was a distributor rotor, and it was for someone else's car.
• some fuses
• some bulbs
• a couple of spark plugs
• points, condenser, and other distributor parts, even though I have a Crane system
• jump starter.

 

[John Turney]

.... Have to admit, seems that when I take a supply of whatever ... that whatever part never needs work.
Tom M.

That's a given.