SpitFire6

Hi, If the drive-shaft was on one side and developed a "crack", certainly putting it on the other side is asking for it to snap? I see no reasoning why a quality shaft should not handle opposite forces. That's what I think. Cheers, Iain.

I, don't disagree with anything you have said. Iain.

Hi, here's mine. The car, after losing the wheel, came to rest wrong way round after 100+ meters. Wheel + car missed other cars and signposts. Nobody hurt thank God. Alhamdulillah. This was the rear end of my Spit 2.5 EFI. I had it fitted to my GT6 so that I could fit the CC CV kit to my Spit. If this had been on my Spitfire; I would not be here now. Iain.

Hi, I learn something every day on this forum; "If you remove the condenser, as suspect, then car will run ok" "condensers also buffer the coil to aid it discharge cleanly, a failing condenser can cause backfires if it discharges when you don't want it" & saving best for last: "if you get a duff one cut it open should have around 9ft of waxed insulated foil wound up inside." Hats of to the Dizzy Doctor: "Still looking at the condensers from the Dizzy Doctor, he has them made to his own specification David, with the full length of foil in them." Somebody that's helping car owners. Great information for everybody. Should make this sticky so everybody can benefit from this information and save trouble in the future. Thank you, Iain.

Hi, I'm running 330# on 175/55/15's. Spring heights adjusted to make wishbones parallel to the ground. Dampers set very low. Harsh as ****. Richard, I will be interested in how lower # springs will behave. Might try 220# myself.. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, OK, the academic part. The condenser must match the coil. Too little capacitance or too much and the spark will suffer & the points will erode with a crater on one of the surfaces and a tit on the other. Have a close look at your points. Is there a transfer of metal from one side to the other? If so, the capacitance is wrong & you are losing spark power. I don't remember which way the metal transfer is, as left the notes at work.. You can add capacitance easy by connecting an additional condenser between -VE of the coil and ground; saves trying to fit one under the dizzy cap and close to the points, where ideally it should really be. Ideally, the condenser should match the coil primary. Like a tuned circuit at resonance. Tiiinngg. How to measure one? Capacitance meter or capacitor range on a multi-meter. Additionally, a large >50Uf Capacitor on the +VE terminal of the coil to ground will increase spark power. If a capacitor is required on the +ve terminal, you will find that you have measurable AC voltage on the +VE terminal WRT to ground. Cheers, Iain. Edit: for around 10 quid: EBay # 372129918210 will measure dwell, frequency/RPM and voltage. & current up to 10 amps AC/DC. I've ordered one to keep in the car. My Fluke is too expensive to leave in the car and this cheap one does it all!

Hi, I will add that a condenser/capacitor needs to be of the correct value to minimise wear at the points. Having the correct value of capacitance will also increase the power of the spark. Incorrect value will leave a tit and crater on the points contact; The tit & crater shows that the capacitor/condenser does not match the coil, leads and plugs. Increase or decrease the value to decrease the erosion; can't remember which way to go. Fit a Sparkrite ignition system and don't worry. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, Just did a calculation; If the adjustment thread is 5/16" UNF, 1/2" UNF it is 24 tpi. 1" / 24 is 0.0417" a turn. Therefor 87 degrees of turn should be around 10 thou/mils. I see Dave has already said the same above.. It was fun calculating. Hi Mjit, If the tool compresses my springs; it will be going back to the seller as, as you say it will not work as intended. I had purchased the original SPQR adjuster in the early 80's for my Datsun Sunny (B310) and from memory it worked fine. When i set it manually, it sounded like an MG. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, Why don't you use a ClikAdjust, AKA a SPQR adjuster to set clearance? I have just reinvested in same, so would recommend one. Cheers, Iain

Hi Clive, Just ordered a couple of litres from screwfix. + three grades of wire wool. Will try some of the chemical in a black bin bag and go from there. Thanks, Iain.

Hi, I have fitted a couple of M6 jacknuts & with a little heat from a hair dryer the nuts are flush and true. Fitted to car again, but will remove again and paint the PE. Anybody know if paint-stripper reacts with Polyethylene? Going to plastic prime it and paint in gold! Cheers, Iain.

Hi, If your not leaking oil & your oil level drops after several hundred miles, you are burning it. Not enough to see though. Where else could it go? Rings and valve guides are a good culprit. Out of the rocker box is more likely on a good engine. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, Have you thought about MGF wheels? Same PCD. I run 175/55/15's on 6" MGF wheels on the front. I run 215/40/16's on 7" MGF wheels on the back. A big selection of MGF wheels available to suit all tastes. Offset is around 35mm I think. If you have long shafts, 6J will be OK. If you have short shafts you will need 13mm spacers if you chose 6J. 7J is fine on the rear with loads of room. CV rear setup & fitment of lowering bracket welded to chassis, will give minimal camber change. Loads of room at front with 175's on the front. Cheap MGF wheels available on Ebay all the time. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, Proper LED reversing lights. Red lights are high powered brake-lights. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, My spit has had 5 watt LED "bulbs" fitted for quite a few years now. Actually illuminate the area behind as directional. Will post a picture tonight when it gets dark. Was thinking of changing the offside one to red for fog as one is plenty enough lumens. Cheers, Iain.

Hi Clive, the 80c surprised me too. I guess the radiator is plenty big enough. Golf aluminium. I always run with with the heater blower on & I have no valve in series with the matrix. I also need to fit the digital temperature gauge I bought a couple of years ago.. The temperature sensor should not change its resistance @ x temp every time you check it. PM me. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, I have a 88c thermostat. At motorway speeds the temp gauge in the thermostat housing reads 80c. If your not sure where to fit the thermo-switch; install both, just wire the contacts in parallel. Simples? My temperature sender is in the normal place and connected to the ECU. Around town & after switch off; 80c it is not. Cheers, Iain.

Keeps them from rusting.Init. Hi The Scrapman, I was unaware that the originals were still available, hence contacting Honeybourne Mouldings. My spoiler has a missing captive nut and has seen a better life. I think starting with a new one to paint will be easier. If you know a supplier that sells the OEM standard front spoilers, please let me know, as not looking for a poor copy. Thanks in advance, Iain.

Hi, Looking to buy a new front spoiler. I also wanted some opinions concerning colour. It appears that new ones are not available. The available ones are a poor copy? Fibre-glass ones from Honeybourne Mouldings are available, but without the two central captive nuts. Easy to add captive nuts to FG I guess. Has anybody purchased a FG or new copy one recently and can give some comments on quality and final fitment issues? Car is black as the ace of spades. Planning on getting the wheels wet sprayed JPS gold. Quater panels are getting renewed for the 5th time due to rust, again. same gold on qtr's, spoiler and grill? Welcome to opinions and thoughts? I will not be hurt. Can even talk about ZDDP or 20w50 crap. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, Fully charged. Around 30 mins needed to bring battery up to max capacity 700 CCA +. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, Across the battery while the engine car is running; you want a minimum of 13.8 and a max of 14.5 ish. 13.8 or below on full electrical load and at 2K plus would have me checking for volt drops as 13.8 and below will ensure a low capacity battery. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, Do you roast whole sheep or pigs in your oven? LOL Cheers, Iain.

Ohh dear, The rear lens gasket is too small? Hard to see on the picture as this light unit had black silicone around the peripheral. How is this supposed to fit and prevent ingress of water? Do I need to stretch it and hold it tight while using some silicone glue? Cheers, Iain.

Hi, Received the screws and some other bits from JP today. They appear to be too long? They also look nothing like the orignal(s). Email off to JP. Cheers, Iain.

Hi, One of the screws is longer, as shown in the picture. Measurement is from end to end. Plastic shows what happens if you fit it in one of the wrong six holes. Actual length made me laugh as the lights must have been for a 1500 Spitfire and not a GT6 III. Cheers, Iain.