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The Number One Club for owners of Triumph's range of small saloons from the 1960s and 1970s.
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 Post subject: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:11 pm 
I started this project in December 2012 as a new challenge to take on after having the car sat on our driveway not moving for over 30 years. It started as a plan to get it back onto the road for my Mum who was the second owner all those years back who had it pulled off the road with believed OD problems. I had ideas on using it as my first car, but recent checks (after passing my test last week) show the insurance premiums are ridiculous!

I'll try to keep this thread pretty brief but I may struggle as I have hundreds of photos of how it went a long but wont be going into exact detail of each one as I'm sure you'd just get bored :D

Anyway, some pics of how the car started -

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Thankfully I had a nearly mint interior with basically solid floors.

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Low mileage too.

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I stripped the carbs down rebuilding with new gaskets and seals and replenished all hoses for new.

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Stripped the starter motor which had no wear on the bendix coinciding with the mileage of the car. But a new solenoid was source as the old was seized up.

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New spark plugs, leads, distributor cap, rotor and condensor and I had a spark! This led me onto finally getting her fired up from a bottle of petrol connected up to the fuel pump.

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Although there had been only one PO, it was a DPO for sure! New patches had clearly been bodged in with underseal and filler.

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Pulled my fuel tank and tested out electrolysis with good results! Got a completely clean fuel tank within a few days, very chuffed with the results.

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Even tried the method on my discs which came up well. Will be replacing these anyway but should be OK for MOT as they've got a bit of chunk left in them.

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Removed the bodged rear quarter, cut away the bad metal and welded in some new with a repair panel. Much better... Bare in mind this was the first thing I'd ever welded in my life!

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The chassis also got a going over and primered up.

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Everything off the bulkhead and that primered.

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Everything back on after cleaning up brackets and painting them. Also gave my MCS a rehaul whilst I was at it.

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Stripped my steering rack down repacking with grease completely with a new steering knuckle.

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I also carried out some repairs on my bootlid after finding replacements on eBay at ridiculous prices with the same rot in the same places as mine!Both sides needed repair. I've since sanded down the "brushed" primer and sprayed it.

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Next challenge; My sill! Rust Rust Rust.

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Cut it all out and welded in some sheet panels.

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Spraying my sills inside whilst I was at it.

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Other side was the next challenge...

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Bought some KN Filters too for a bit of bling. Will need new needles when on the road to avoid any lump idle though I believe. At £40 I got a bargain on them.

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Painted my chassis black after the primer and also cleaned up the insides of the bonnet hinge boxes which as awkward even with the smallest wire brush on the drill...! :lol:

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Picked up some new valances in fibreglass for another bargain price of 99p! Fillered, sanded and primed those ready for the future. Can't go wrong at those prices.

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Picked up a new bonnet as well as my metal one was knackered beyond repair. Came with bonnet latches and lights for only £60. Got lucky with my purchases :P Will sell the latches and lights to recoup some of my money too.

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Cut away more sill rust on the drivers side...

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Getting there ;)

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Fillered and primered the doors, sills, rear quarters on both sides and then the rear deck. First time without the roof in a LONG LONG TIME!

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My drivers door also required some restoration

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Next task was the cleaning up of the door jambs and all of the sills.

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Rehung the door with a pleasing door gap and new hinge bolts.

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Again I completed more sill work this time replicating the passenger side. Very patchy, but strong!

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I have a bulkhead panel to weld in to this side, but havn't gotten round to it yet. I also started painting the underside of my bonnet, and reinstalling the hinge location brackets into the bonnet hinge boxes.

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That's it basically upto date! Sorry for the massive picture dump. I have probably missed some steps out, but it's difficult to remember everything which has been completed.

Well done if you got far enough to read this!

Cheers,
Louis.


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:27 pm 
Well I think that's pretty damn impressive for a first restoration ! I've had a couple of spitfires in the past so its always good to see another one saved Good on ya !!! :mrgreen: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:07 pm 
Hi Mike,

Thanks for the kind comments. I have a few more pictures I will need to upload to photobucket but will do that tomorrow. Basically just some pictures of both bulkhead sides sprayed up, more panels welded in etc.

I'm getting there... I should be done in 2 weeks I would have thought. Just waiting on some more panels to arrive.

Cheers,
Louis.


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:47 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:46 am
Posts: 298
Location: Leiston, Suffolk
I was 8 years old when my dad bought my mum a MkIV Spitfire for £200.The car is a 1972 so it was only 14 when we had it in 1986 but it was totally rotten and probably had a dodgey MoT.How many modern cars go beyond this age and yet never see a mig welder?Anyway,what was supposed to be a quick renovation turned into an 8 year quest.I grew up watching this car recieve new metal,parts and paint and then trips to spain and back (overdrive essential).Your pictures take me back to my childhood in a fond way!

The reason dad bought it was to relive the experience my parents had when they were initially married.They bought a 4year old MkII Spitfire - the prettiest version in my opinion - and despite its young age,dad had to repair the floors with fibreglass!!It amazes me any of these cars still exist. Once my brother came along,the 2 seater had to go and they sold it to work colleague in Coventry,who's wife managed to put a rod through the 1147cc cylinder block.

I would recommend you fit a Lucas 1500 distributor and rev counter as those old Delco ones rob the engine of smoothness.Electronic distributors improve things even more.If you can afford a tubular exhaust manifold and system,the combination of those K&Ns and the right richer needles make the little cars breathe well and really fl y.You'll get nearly 50mpg with a light right foot too.

Keep us posted and keep the hard top on when welding the sills otherwise you may find the A posts will sag.Also,if you dilute molasses 10:1 with warm water,you can strip off rust by soaking parts in the solutionfor couple of weeks.Do a google search.

Tom

_________________
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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 11:14 pm 
Quote:
I was 8 years old when my dad bought my mum a MkIV Spitfire for £200.The car is a 1972 so it was only 14 when we had it in 1986 but it was totally rotten and probably had a dodgey MoT.How many modern cars go beyond this age and yet never see a mig welder?Anyway,what was supposed to be a quick renovation turned into an 8 year quest.I grew up watching this car recieve new metal,parts and paint and then trips to spain and back (overdrive essential).Your pictures take me back to my childhood in a fond way!

The reason dad bought it was to relive the experience my parents had when they were initially married.They bought a 4year old MkII Spitfire - the prettiest version in my opinion - and despite its young age,dad had to repair the floors with fibreglass!!It amazes me any of these cars still exist. Once my brother came along,the 2 seater had to go and they sold it to work colleague in Coventry,who's wife managed to put a rod through the 1147cc cylinder block.

I would recommend you fit a Lucas 1500 distributor and rev counter as those old Delco ones rob the engine of smoothness.Electronic distributors improve things even more.If you can afford a tubular exhaust manifold and system,the combination of those K&Ns and the right richer needles make the little cars breathe well and really fl y.You'll get nearly 50mpg with a light right foot too.

Keep us posted and keep the hard top on when welding the sills otherwise you may find the A posts will sag.Also,if you dilute molasses 10:1 with warm water,you can strip off rust by soaking parts in the solutionfor couple of weeks.Do a google search.

Tom
I prefer the Squareback spitfire, but love the Roundtail GT6's. The current dizzy in it is running great, I'm getting a great spark and my timing, from idle, seems spot on. It could be a whole different ball game when running though.

I had been looking at 4-2-1 pacesetter headers but they're rare to get in this country. If I got another exhaust system, I don't think i'd be able to have a light right foot ;) My hardtop is currently unbolted and I'm getting no flex at all from the sills as they're still solid in the middles thankfully. Doors are left shut however to keep the rigidity aswell (apart from when i had the drivers off for door jamb work).

I'd seen the molasses before, but lately I've just been using a wire brush on my grinder as I don't want to be waiting around. Thanks for the tip though :)


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 11:39 pm 
Thought I'd compile a list of things to do for MOT:

1. Weld rear quarter repair panel
2. Weld sill end plates
3. Make and weld sill/ rear quarter panels.
4. Weld rear radius arm mount area
5. Fill and bleed brake/clutch master cylinders
6. Check transmission fluid levels/ fill where appropriate
7. Clean/ paint bonnet hinges and mount bonnet.
8. Add clamps to fuel lines
9. Disassemble shocks/ springs and replace top joint/rust removal
10. Reassemble front suspension
11. Replace shoes and drums in rear.

I think that's about it. Obviously I have more to do for personal mind, but these are just for my MOT.


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:57 am 
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TDC West Mids Area Organiser
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Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:13 pm
Posts: 13316
Location: Over here...can't you see me?
Good effort Sir! My hat is well and truly removed!!

Now let's find you a toledo...

When funds allow, a grinder may help the appearance of your welds by removing the excess, but by the look of it, you 'handwriting' is improving at a rate which might make this a redundant statement!


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:37 am 
Quote:
Good effort Sir! My hat is well and truly removed!!

Now let's find you a toledo...

When funds allow, a grinder may help the appearance of your welds by removing the excess, but by the look of it, you 'handwriting' is improving at a rate which might make this a redundant statement!
I do own a grinder, wouldn't have lasted without one! I am waiting on some flap discs to tidy up my welds but those in the sill will be left as I don't want to alter the structural integrity by removing any of it. Am I accepted now into being able to own a Toledo? ;)


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:37 am 
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:15 pm
Posts: 821
fabulous post!


:shock: :bluewave:

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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 7:11 pm 
I hit a nice milestone today of getting the bonnet on! I cleaned up the other hinge and after scavenging for all the bonnet clamps was able to find them, prime them and put them on. I am really happy with how the bonnet sits considering it's an aftermarket fibreglass one! Could do with a little more fiddling but I am chuffed to bits, almost as good as the old metal one :)

Does anyone know of any ways to protect bolts which I cleaned? I was thinking a blob of grease or some wd40? I just don't want them rusting and don't really want to paint them.

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Louis.


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:40 pm 
Nice ! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 9:01 pm 
Quote:
Nice ! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Cheers Mike! You got any pics of your delorean?


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 10:30 pm 
Yes of course mate, here's some...
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Just Finishing a lap Of the original Delorean Test track in Belfast
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Driving around the original Delorean Test Track in Belfast
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Parked outside the oringal Delorean Factory
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Mike Brewer and Ed China and my car when they came to our club meet in Norfolk to do the Handover of their Delorean for the show

Mike


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 10:41 pm 
Awesome! That's a stunning example that's for sure. I watched back to the future just earlier today, takes something great to top that film ;)

Not much of a fan of brewer from wheeler dealers, he maybe better in person though?


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 Post subject: Re: 1974 Spitfire MKIV.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 10:49 pm 
Yea its pretty good, it needs bits doing to it as with most classics its always a work in progress, the films are awesome, my fav in fact, Both Mike and Ed are really nice down to earth guys, really normal to talk to and easy to get on with, I can see how he may come across wrong on camera but having met them there top blokes :wink:


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