Adrian Cooper
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Posts posted by Adrian Cooper
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Hi Anthony,
When I bought my Mk2 in 1984 it had round buffers made of quite soft rubber under the passenger seat. I think that they were about 4-5mm thick, but they may have compressed over the first 18 years of the car's life (if indeed they were original). I assume that they were there to add some tension to the seat catch. They are long gone now but I put blanking grommets in their place just to stop the seat rattling when I am driving without a passenger.
Adrian
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There should be one press stud at the bottom of the rear panel on the Mk 1 & 2 and it connects with a popper on a short strap on the rear 'seat' pan. This acts as a crude hinge to allow the rear panel to open for storing the hood which fits in the space in front of the petrol tank.
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Hi Neil,
My Mk2 has cup washers and self tappers screwed into spire clips as you suggest. But I have always assumed that this was a PO's bodge and that something invisible, like the clips that hold the door cards in place, would be neater. However, those holes in the body are too big as they stand for the door card spring clips. I have a plan to try to make something like a spire clip with a bigger hole, or even just drill out a smaller one to take the spring clips but haven't had time to try that yet.
Adrian
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Colin,
I had repeated failures of the angle drive on my Spitfire. I eventually worked out that the drive cable was too close to the exhaust because each time the angle drive broke it was after pausing during a long run; the drive would heat up on the hot exhaust pipe and seize up and destroy the angle drive, but be perfectly free when I came to take everything apart for repair. I got very good at repairing the angle drives. I did a post about the repair method on here several years ago but Pete outlines the method in his post above. Check the route of your drive cable?
Adrian
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But isn't Lora a MK3 Spitfire? I didn't think that the cold air pipes came in until the MK4s. I also have a feeling that the MK3 does not have the breather pipe from the rocker cover to the air box either. So Johny's idea that it is the fuel pipes are the ones in question seems right to me. If so, I would see if the two 'P' clips from the air filter box will fit on the K&N filter mounting bolts and continue to support the fuel pipe that way.
Adrian
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21 minutes ago, Josef said:
How did you fix the cable inner to the actual pull
I did solder it. The first attempt was a total failure, but that was because I hadn't realised that the bike cable was teflon coated. I had success with a non-coated one. The piano wire pulled out of the pull part surprisingly easily and the braided cable fitted into the hole very neatly. This is version 4 of of a long running battle to get a choke cable that did not need super-human force to pull it out, and one that actually stays where you want it. It works really well.
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Hi Alex,
I also found that nobody seems to make a choke cable that is right for the early Spitfires. I ended up making one from a heater control, with the nice ratchet, but I replaced the stiff piano wire with a braided bicycle brake cable (the stiff wire is wrong for the Spitfire because the angle is too tight where it joins the carbs and it tends to bind up. Also it does not need the push of the solid wire to return the choke as the spring loading on the carbs is usually strong enough)
I couldn't find anybody who supplied the correct knob so I used the heater one with a choke symbol that I drew on the computer and printed onto silver card. I have a couple of spares and if you PM me your address I will pop one in the post.
Adrian
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40 minutes ago, Josef said:
(Also, on your question about a loaner seat. The passenger side might fit well enough on the wrong side for the car to be drivable, have you tried that?)
It does indeed. When I had my seats re-trimmed by a local upholsterer, he did them one at a time and I swapped the passenger seat over so I could keep using the Spitfire to get to work while he did the driver's seat.
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Can you get a picture of the back of the master light pull switch? You mention that the instrument lights don't work and they should be fed from that switch. It might be that some of the wires have been pulled off or put on the wrong terminals.
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It looks like the PO has used the indicator repeater that DanMi mentions as a warning light for the fuel shut off. Certainly it should not be wired into the ignition feed.
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Hi Colin,
While we wait for one of the wiser members to reply I'll just say that I would swap the oil pressure warning light switch before doing anything else. The way it stays on for several miles and then goes off is the opposite of what I would expect for driving until the oil warms up. I would also expect that your engine would not sound too healthy after driving for long periods with the oil pressure too low to switch off the warning light.
My 1147 engine has just passed the 200k mark since I had it rebuilt in 1985 and, like you, I have always changed the oil every 3k miles or every 6 months, whichever came sooner, so these little engines can go for long distances if looked after. Mine is a bit noisy now but it still has excellent oil pressure, uses next to no oil between changes and revs very sweetly. The 1147s are jewels.
Adrian
Ah, Clive got there first. What he said
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18 minutes ago, 1969Mk3Spitfire said:
Despite the grief, the black top on a white car looks absolutely fabulous.
I bet it does! Pictures! we love pictures.
Adrian
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Hi Dan,
Rob's solution would certainly give you the neatest result. If you have time and want to do something more cheaply then have a look at this 'universal' wiring loom from Car Builder Solutions https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/14-circuit-wiring-loom
They have other types too, some with many more circuit options and relays. A good crimp tool is expensive but the connectors are not too bad. I do agree with Rob that you shouldn't underestimate the time that neat wiring takes to do yourself.
What stage of the rebuild are you at? Is everything apart and access to the back of the dashboard easier?
When I rebuilt my Spitfire I modified a standard wiring loom to include multiple relays and other circuits to a design that I was given by the great John Bonnet (of Lightweight GT fame) How I wish that I had just bought the correct colour coded wires and started from scratch as it would have been much quicker, easier and neater, probably.
Adrian
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Where does the driver sit? Not behind the bottom window surely, with those vast A pillars. And not at the top either with no view of the road in front.
I have a recurring nightmare about having to drive a bus from the top deck but this would be even worse. Come on Pete, (and Colin too) what is the story?
Adrian
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This is excellent advice Alan, thank you for sharing. The mechanic who mentioned this to me also stressed the importance of having the spare wheel bolted to the floor too.
On the very early Spitfires, the petrol tank pipe exits underneath the tank and this was changed to exiting from the top with the Mk3? When our cars were new the bottom connection was fine because the narrow, original tyres were small enough to pass under the petrol pipe in any rear impact. On my Mk2, with its modern, wider profile tyres, in a rear end impact there would be a real danger of the tyre being pushed forward and 'collecting' the petrol pipe on its way to banging up against the chassis. To reduce this risk I placed a thick rubber block between the tyre and the front of the boot wall, beneath the fuel tank, limiting the chance of the tyre coming into contact with the petrol pipe.
Adrian
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I'm sorry I can't remember but Wins will know
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I picked up a reconditioned wiper motor from Wins International 01342 327018. The owner (I can't remember his name, great chap) asked what car it was for and fitted the correct gear while I waited. So Wins not only know what type of gear you need he should be able to supply it too.
Adrian
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Is there any other topic that divides the forum 'Big Beasts' like the fitting of electric fans?
Just for the record, I have an electric fan on my Spitfire and it has been faultless for over 20 years. (Triumph Acclaim thermostatic switch tapped into the thermostat housing) Quieter, engine warms up faster, rock solid temperature in traffic. Alternator conversion a must though.
Adrian
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One note of caution. I restored and refitted my hardtop last autumn and when I took it off last month it had left quite deep marks in the paint on the rear deck. I don't think that the rear deck seal, that is available from our usual suppliers, is up to the job. It is just not thick enough to protect the paint from the inevitable movement of the hardtop against the deck in normal use. I presume that you have bought the available seal as part of your restoration, or do you have the old one still? If not I would suggest that you take the new one with you if you visit Baines and get something more substantial.
Please show us pictures when it is completed, a black hardtop on a white car sounds great.
Adrian
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Hi Colin,
How about uploading the mobile video file to Youtube and posting the link instead. This seems to work reliably in this forum.
Adrian
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If Pete's trick works, check the earth connection of the solenoid before you condemn it as I think it needs a good earth to work, and your freshly painted surfaces might be preventing a connection via the mounting bolts.
Adrian
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Hi Colin,
I used pop rivets but I made the 'shoulder' smaller so that they would fit down inside the popper. I did the first ones with a file but I hit on the idea of putting the rivet in a drill and 'turning' the shoulder down, much quicker. This method allows the use of the ones with the thick business end that will work with the existing holes.
Adrian
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11 hours ago, Wagger said:
Since having the Orchiectomy, hardly any bad days in two years now.
Sensible move. I view them like night dimming relays, They may well have had some use in the past, but they are pointless now and most of us have had them disconnected.
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54 minutes ago, DVD3500 said:
Maybe you need to scare up a Messerschmitt.. bubble car 🙂
We were 'buzzed' by one on the way to Goodwood one year. It was crewed by a charming couple in 1950s costumes. Her dress and petticoats completely filled the interior of the canopy, leaving just a small clear patch in front of the driver.
Seat rubber "plug" 608297 - Mk 2 Spitfire
in Bodywork & Fittings
Posted
It might be worth checking that the seat back hasn't broken where it joins the base frame. I've seen a couple of seats that have been 'fixed' by being welded in the wrong place. This gives a twist to the seat that makes it uncomfortable to sit in and prone to hitting the b post.