Spitfire Spitfire Rebuild Update

[SteveTheBrewer]

It’s been a hot and rough few months here in Florida. The heat has been set to 11 for the last few weeks and getting out into the sweat box that is my garage has been tough. I have been managing to get out there though but usually for short periods of time before coming in soaked in sweat.

I have cleaned up the metal on the drivers side B post and finally got the cross member patched up as well.

Today I put it all together and got it mostly welded up. Still have some added grinding and sanding to do but the drivers side is almost done. Once I get it finished up I will have to move to the passenger side, remove the wing, and do the same work on the B post.

Once that is done, I’ll be working on putting the new heelboard on. Oh!! I forgot. I also need to patch up the small deck above the heelboard. It is rotten near the wheel arch.

About all I have for now. I’ll be uploading a video soon highlighting the work. It’s slow, and it’s ugly but I’m brand new to all this, so any forward progress makes me happy.

Cheers

 

[Trevor Triumph]

I agree, getting motivated to sweat can be tough. We experience much the same here; the thermometer showed 118 the other day. But, it is a dry heat.

Looking forward to some pictures.

The Spitfire restoration is a labor of love, I think. When I started mine in 1997 the joke was spend ten thousand dollars on the Spitfire and have a five thousand dollar car when you're done. But I wouldn't do anything any different - love the car.

T.T.

 

[SteveTheBrewer]

Hi Trevor!
Thanks for the support. 118º? No thank you! You must be out west somewhere lol. Here are some pictures that I took recently. It isn't pretty, and I still have some flap disc work to do, but its getting there. Also posted a new video today. I'll share a link.

 

[Trevor Triumph]

We here in the desert southwest have advantages... Many times the body survives pretty well; plastic, rubber, vinyl not so much.
Cleaning the gas tank is a chore. Some how a piece of dry wall was in the tank. The carb float bowls and carbs filled up with the plaster - rusty plaster - the car stopped. I used a chain, gallons of vinegar sitting in the tank for days. Lots of sloshing, then lots of water. Fortunately the heat here helped dry the tank. I still use two fuel filters - one before the electric fuel pump and one under the bonnet before the carbs. Initially I used three filters.

Electric gremlins are also a problem. I had to replace a complete harness due to a short in the tail light. The culprit was the assembly. Any way it was on the road again. Now a steering glitch. Oh well. I tell myself this is a hobby, I like crawling around on the floor chasing stray nuts and bolts.

Thanks for the update.

 

[SteveTheBrewer]

We here in the desert southwest have advantages... Many times the body survives pretty well; plastic, rubber, vinyl not so much.
Cleaning the gas tank is a chore. Some how a piece of dry wall was in the tank. The carb float bowls and carbs filled up with the plaster - rusty plaster - the car stopped. I used a chain, gallons of vinegar sitting in the tank for days. Lots of sloshing, then lots of water. Fortunately the heat here helped dry the tank. I still use two fuel filters - one before the electric fuel pump and one under the bonnet before the carbs. Initially I used three filters.

Electric gremlins are also a problem. I had to replace a complete harness due to a short in the tail light. The culprit was the assembly. Any way it was on the road again. Now a steering glitch. Oh well. I tell myself this is a hobby, I like crawling around on the floor chasing stray nuts and bolts.

Thanks for the update.

I am going to have to refurb my tank too. It doesn't look all that bad, but it will need a similar treatment. I am also considering putting a POR style liner in it. I have read good stuff about them. This whole thing got started because of an electrical gremlin in the rear lights too. How ironic. I am going to totally ditch the stock style wiring and will be upgrading to a 12 circuit hotrod hardness.

 

[Trevor Triumph]

A friend with a MKIII Spitfire got tired of having a spaghetti bowl of wire on the scuttle and behind the instrument panel and rewired the car. He used the standard harness to get power from his new panel to the lights and such, but everything was on a panel the lived under the dashboard. The under bonnet looks quite tidy now.