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Spitfire Found a spit that needs a home... experts?

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N

nberggreen

Freshman Member
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So I love roadsters. I really do.

I've wanted a spitfire for a long time, and I think I finally found the perfect one (a '75 1500)

Here's the lowdown(according to the seller):

"The body is in generally fine condition with no rust other than a few spots on the side of the hood (bonnet). It has all it's trim and the lenses are in perfect condition.
The interior is complete and in good condition except for the driver's seat which needs reupholstery. The carpet is acceptable. Unlike many Spits the seat frames are perfect and un cracked. The dash is in very good shape and looks fine as is. All instruments are intact and work. There is a top, a toneau cover and top boot.
It has alloy wheels and the suspension is in excellent condition. It has new front tires and the back ones are passable while working on it but really should be replaced for the road.

The previous owner had the engine rebuilt and I added a new water pump and a Weber DOCE sidedraught carburetor on an aluminium manifold. There is a high performance dual outlet exhaust fitted as well. The radiator is in fine shape and has been flushed and tested.

Structurally it is excellent, rust and damage free."

More from the seller, when I asked him what would be required to get it on the road:

"It will need tune and time, reinstall of the radiator (which I had tested and flushed) battery installed, new ground strap, wiring hooked up, master cylinders bolted in, 2 wheels need inside polish to seal wheel surface leaks (the wheels being alloy could stand a good polishing)Ignition key needs to be made or (better solution) install remote starter kit as original design is too easy for thief to bypass all other work would be cosmetic."

Pics:

frontmq0.jpg


interiorrx3.jpg


leftit5.jpg


reardl7.jpg


So there you have it.

The seller is asking a very modest price. (Think under $2K.)

What do you all say? Any warning signs I'm missing?
 
Check with the local triumph clubs and listing for cars for sale to determine if it is worth the money in your area. If possible, see if any local club members could look at it for you, they can give you a much better idea then us from just looking at pictures. Good luck and if it's what you want, I hope it works out for you.
 
I think that price at $2000 is totally reasonable. You might be able to find another that is driveable, but in that price range it will probably have rust or other problems. Any Spitfire in that price range will have problems, but the problems this car has are easy to fix.
Major issues, like bad engine or major rust are not an issue here, seems to me you could just go over the entire car, change all the fluids and get the brakes done and you could drive it soon. It would take a little longer to make it pretty though.
I say go for it. Whatever feels good.

Adam.

____________________________________________________________
1973 Triumph Spitfire.
 
Buy the way, I think the actual color of this car is green - you can see the color below the driver's hood latch and on the dash support above the gear shift.

Adam.

____________________________________________________________
1973 Triumph Spitfire.
 
The only "warning sign" I see is the license plate. Your seller hasn't had the car long, and it's up for sale again... I wonder why?
 
Sorry, I don't have a really good feeling about this car; seems top dollar for what I see in the pictures. Those pictures make me wonder what sort of bodywork is under that complete color change that is now quite deteriorated. I wouldn't call the dash pristine, especially the top of it.

As a '75 California car, how does anyone get away with the Weber carb change?

Why is it conveniently partially disassembled, meaning that it can't be test driven?

Seats look like they're overdue for restuffing at least.

If you're not personally very familiar with Spitfires, I second the notion that you find a local Triumph club member or mechanic who would be willing to look at the car with you.

My "gut" reaction is that, whatever you pay for this car, you'll spend another $4000-6000 minimum to make it into a $5000 Spitfire.

Hopefully, I'm wrong, but....
 
Where is the car located?

If it is close by, and it looks like it is in SoCal, maybe one of us could check it out to offer up confirmation / second opinion.
 
I think the green that is mention is the Spitfire green. Not BRG!
 
Bugeye58 said:
It looks like a solid $1000 Spit.
Jeff
Click to expand...

I would have to agree with Jeff. I bought a Midget (via craigslist) a while back that is a bit better, for $250. But I was patient and kept watching the ads.

Just as a test, you might try searching the various California craigslist sites. Here in NJ, craigslist changes every day, so be patient if you don't see anything.

Also: You may want to consider this....I saw one Spit in your area that looked *real* nice and was (apparently) turn-key asking $3500. Depending on your time and skills, it might be better to buy something like that, which is ready to go.

Whatever you do, G'luck!

California craigslist:

https://geo.craigslist.org/iso/us/ca
 
Be carefull. The interior shot is the most telling to me. The trany cover is gone, as is the center bracing, and a lot of wiring is hanging down.

This car's a scruffy project. I don't think it's worth $2k myself. At $500 I'd buy it, but not at $1500.
 
The description sounds a lot better than it looks. It would definitely pay to have someone familiar with Spits look at it. It's kind of dinged up and may have more rust than described. What kind of condition is the top in? Floor? Engine compartment? Crawl under with a flashlight and get a good look at the frame. That said it could be a great project.
 
I agree with Andy;SPRING FEVER can grip your senses pretty strong.I would hold off(my personal opinion)And keep looking
BUT from what i see and have seen time and again it looks like an $800.00..$900.00 car.Make sure you have $3000.00 financial back-up,because thats what it'll require to be road worthy.MEANWHILE just keep dumping money into savings to draw on as buying fixes on credit to fix a Spitfire is not good,Although their easy to fix & maintain their also labor intensive & requires extra time from ones regular habits. Good Luck keep us informed.....And you came to the RIGHT place BEFORE the commitment for advice
Ken & Whitelightning
 
Thanks for all the opinions.

The seller is letting go of the car due to health reasons.

I've yet to see the car in person, that will be the deciding factor.
 
What is that under the tarp in the background?? . It looks exotic.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Specifically, it appears to be "Java" Green. Not a bad color (although not one of my favorites), but certainly not what most would consider a "classic BRG"! [/QUOTE]

'76 was the only year for that color Andy. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif You are right,that does appear to be my favorite Spitfire color! I'd say $1000 is a little high for it. I'd think closer to $500. Does it have OD? Any underhood pix?
 
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