DerekS

It's all personal choice and depends on what you want from your pride and joy. I had a tubular manifold and pancakes on, they had been professionally fitted for the first owner, however there were problems. The main one was the heat in the cabin at foot level, on a warm day especially, was a horrible experience. This combined with the racket and the effects of drawing hot air into the carbs was not for me. Taking it back to factory spec made it far more civilised to drive. As I say though, depends on what you want. Derek. P.s. memories of going out on a cold day, me turning the heater off because my feet were melting and 'er indoors complaining that her feet were freezing...

I swap between summer and winter thermostats. I've tried the Klingersil gaskets from Moss and wasn't impressed, had a couple of events with "gasket creep", so back to using a standard gasket with a thin smear of Hylomar on both faces. No problems. Derek.

I've had this phenomenon ( don't want to call it trouble ) since I bought my Spitfire 1500 years ago. When hot, she fires up immediately. Been right through the car chasing non-existent faults, starter solenoid, leads etc, ignition system top to bottom, even relaced the mechanical fuel pump like for like. Some slight improvements but nothing groundbreaking. Late last year I took the plunge and fitted a Huco electric pump, as recommended on the forum. In short, I wish I'd done it years ago, turns over a couple of times then away we go. Evaporation is the cause, I'm absolutely convinced, after a run there's a whiff of fuel in the garage for a good few days. Hope this helps. Derek. P.s. let's not forget since our cars were built fuel and modern fuel systems have changed considerably.

Nice looking car you have there Josef!

Adrian, a delicate subject, as an apprentice I was always told that if you borrowed something you took care of it and returned it to it's owner asap. Over the years I've lent gear to friends and neighbours and been annoyed and disappointed when it has come back damaged or I've realised months later that it's gone. Even had to buy replacements for my own use. Not now. I genuinely do not like to see people stuck, only yesterday a neighbour asked if I had a particular set of items for her son to use in her house... what do you do? I'm not the local branch of Toolstation. I felt awful saying no. There are close friends that I wouldn't hesitate to help, they would trust me and I would trust them. Derek.

I can thoroughly recommend www.key2code.co.uk I have one of the last 1500 Spitfires built, both doors, boot and ignition are all different keys. I got 2 sets cut and all are perfect, in fact the ignition switch itself works better than it ever did. You do need the key numbers. Hope this helps, Derek.

I have a CTEK charger connected 24/7, have had it for years now (12/13?) and the odd thing with it is at certain times in it's "cycling" if I brush against the bumpers, wearing shorts, I get a definite sharp tingle. Enough to make me jump! Derek.

As an aside,a few years ago I bought a new set of quality shoes and, try as I might, just could not get the drums back on either side. It turned out that the linings were bonded on in the wrong position, further round the shoe than the should have been by about half an inch. Shouldn't have made much difference I know but it did, the replacements flew on. Derek.

Pete, a quick question... I have a ctek, had it for years and still going strong. It is connected via a hard-wired socket straight to the battery and with the battery still connected to the car. The aldi ones, can they be connected the same way or do you have to disconnect the battery to protect the alternator? Derek.

I worked in the chemical idustry and frequently had to have cast iron welding done. Two main points were in preparation, get a good vee groove ground deeply in and, if possible, drill a small hole at each end of the crack to stop it spreading as it is being welded. Preheating can help, too, but again not always possible. And yes, it is definitely an acquired skill. Derek.

I'm with Clive, I always carry a pack of ce-it, makes a permanent repair. Derek.

In engineering it is good practice, if at all possible, to orientate bolts so that if the nut comes off, then the bolt is still in place ( hopefully ) ie top to bottom or front to back. Derek

There is a website that covers raising the oil pressure with a quick tweek, tr6.danielsonfamily.org It simply involves putting a thin washer/spacer behind the spring on the pressure relief valve...

II drilled this one (Spitfire 1500) in situ, no problems, instead of Pete's idea with the card I used an aerosol cap, drilled the same size as the drill and on the drill to catch any oil and keeping the drill speed low, it all went well. This diff and it's replacement both had a dimple in the casting as a convenient marker point for drilling. Cast iron is lovely stuff to drill, just take it nice and easy. Also, I went for 5/16" UNF and believe me it's plenty big enough, very effective as a drain, even with cold oil. When I'd finished drilling I put some of the old oil back through the diff to ensure there was no swarf inside. Well worth doing. P.s. It's a short 5/16" UNF set screw with a washer and a sealing washer but also, as it went in to a dry hole, with a smear of loctite on for good measure. The one shown and it's replacement have never leaked.

Thanks Pete, you are absolutely right re downloading. It seems a shame but I'll take them all to the paperbank tomorrow. I should have done this before we moved!

Evening all! Further to the above, I'm now trying to find a home for 32 Courier magazines, 2 from 1982, a complete set from 1985, a nearly complete set from 1986 and 3 from 1991 into 1992. North Cumbria again or I can post them, 2.4kg in weight, sorry but I would ask you to pay the postage. I still haven't got round to disposing of the newer ones and it wouldn't seem right at all binning these.

Please.

You did ask for a hot curry, the hotter the better...

Alan, I've been trawling through some old magazines in preparation to get rid of them and have found this. It's from May 2009 and I'm wondering if you are interested still? ( I remember looking for this quite a while ago!) Derek.

Part of the problem is we all appreciate just how much work goes into producing them and the quality is second to none.

Evening all. We moved house recently and I'm trying to get things sorted and organised. Unfortunately I've realised that my Courier magazines ( going back to 2007 ) are taking up too much space. I've always kept items like this with a view that they are part of the car's "history". They are far too "valuable" to recycle/dump so I'm wondering if anyone within driving distance of North Cumbria would be interested? They are all in as new condition, in A4 box files. Derek.

Thankyou Richard, that's brilliant, very much appreciated! Derek.

Thanks guys, your input is vey helpful, something to think about now while I'm painting. Derek.

Evening all... does anyone know the approximate weight of a Spitfire 1500 factory hardtop, please? I'm wanting to hang it on the garage wall and any hints, tips and your experience would, as always, be very much appreciated, thankyou! Derek.

Well worth having, hopefully never to be used. Give it a good shake up annually to stop the powder from compacting, check the pressure gauge and it will be ok for years.