Nautam Mistry

Well this lucky Pierre tested the lights, indicators and radio and they all worked including full beam...Only problem was the indicators didn't flash...they just stayed on....I liked the green lights on the speedo and rev counter dials too..looked great!...will look better after a clean though...apologies for the blurred image but you hopefully you get the point... Nautam

Thanks Pete....Will check tonight and see whether I fried the electrics or not...hopefully by putting in the battery the wrong way around, nothing too serious has happened apart from the alternator issue...will not start her as the fuel may be stale and don't want to cause more damage...lets see if the lights, radio, wipers work or not. Nautam

Not sure on the width of the battery posts Pete but will check...I suppose its me getting overexcited and not thinking straight...owning a classic car is a serious distraction...better keep tabs on my marriage too! Nautam

Just checked the battery connections online...the shorter lead is the positive....Dammm!!! Ahhh the joys of being a novice mechanic....Doh! Nautam

Ah ok, thanks for that Doug I have a 41Amp, 360 Halfords 063 battery which I think should be OK...on the Spitfire, the shorter lead is the ve- isn't it? Will double check the leads to the battery...feel a bit Homer Simpsonish....Doh! Nautam

Also, put a new spring on the clutch pedal, but the clutch pedal still seems limp...I can change the gears and I manually turned the rear wheel whilst in fourth gear and noticed the engine turned over as I could see the fan turning...I suppose this means that at least the engine hasn't seized...put some oil in her and manually turned her over again... I suspect the clutch system will definitely need an overhaul...amongst other things! Nautam

Hi all... I have JY Classics coming to take her away this weekend for recommissioning so in readiness, I gave her a little clean while in the garage...still can't move her as I rear drum is still seized...I also got a Heritage Certificate and the car colour states it is Carmine Red...Anyway, discovered a few scratches on her plus I think she was painted and not resprayed judging by the pictures below...Is this colour Carmine or Damsen...I can't tell.... I also got a new battery from Halfords so I thought I'd check the electrics, lights etc...unfortunately, when I connected the battery, some smoke started coming from the alternator at which point I immediately disconnected the battery! I suspect the wiring will need to be checked/replaced and probably a new alternator but lets see what comes out of the initial assessment.... Ahh, the joys of owning an old classic!! Will keep you posted... Nautam

Got my Heritage Certificate today for by 1973 Spitfire Mark IV... Car was built on 4th January 1973 and despatched to Lex Mead in Southampton on 7th February 1973... Car was originally Carmine Red with Tan interior and black hood....pretty much as its looking now which is great....she will be re-commissioned shortly. My factory fitted equipment is quite substantial by todays standards - Heater, Seatbelts and 155x13 tyres! Brilliant! Nautam

Little update... Contacted JY and have arranged to take the car to their garage for re-commissioning and an assessment on 17th March Will post some pictures and provide an update on the next course of action. Should I post these pictures on the restoration section or just add them to this thread? Nautam

I have just purchased a Heritage Certificate...I intend to keep the car so I thought this will be nice to keep with the car so at least I have some reliable information on her....good investment document to keep with the car I think. Mines a Mark IV 1973 which I want to re-commission. Nautam

Being a Newbie myself, I have the Owners Worksop which I purchased from Rimmers recently plus a Haynes manual when I bought my car over 15 years ago! Nautam

One could argue that the High Street has become more exciting with little chic pop up shops and boutiques that come crop up from time to time...Also some places have little markets with people coming over from Europe to sell their wares...the demise of certain industries will open up opportunities for something else...its how we progress as a society I suppose...

Pity really...however the variety of restaurants that have cropped up on our high street is great...all service based industries will benefit but then makes you wonder what will happen to the large retail parks we have....will they be next?

Another store bites the dust...Amazon and the internet must have a long list of companies it has indirectly killed off from giants like Woolies to Maplins....Just means there are more vehicles on the roads make these internet deliveries...pity but this is a sign of the times with us all being responsible for the sake of convenience and the progression of technology. Nautam

Saw a nice Green Spitfire going towards Watford on the A41 today...having not driven mine for the better part of 15 years, you forget how small these babies are in comparison to other cars...It bought a real smile to my face thinking that could me once I get my baby recommissioned...

OK thanks chaps for the guidance...chassis, bodywork, then engine...I will get the ball rolling with a few enquires to see who can do the work for a reasonable price....lets see whats out there...names that I have seen on the web are: JY Classics Moordale in Potters Bar Quiller TRGB Classic Car Restorations Anyone had any experience with the above or suggest anyone not mentioned above...As the car is immobile, they will have to come to me and check her out, inspect the bodywork and give her the once over....then they can look at my Spifire! Nautam

Hi Doug, no the last picture is drivers side rear...will let you know how I get on with drum and what I do with the clutch problem. Many thanks Nautam

Thanks Doug, much appreciated....yes I did take these 2 little screws out on the brake drum...need to be more patient..will use some more WD40 overnight and try again tomorrow. It is easy for a novice to replace brake and hydraulic clutch cylinders?...probably do a you tube search... Nautam

Well today I thought I'd try and push her out to give her a little clean so I have put 4 new Firestone Multihawk 2 tyres on her for £160 and attempted to move her...I have now come to an impasse: 1. Can't seem to get the rear right wheel unstuck and while hitting the drum to loosen it, one screw that holds the tyre nut came off!..see 1st picture 2. I pressed the clutch pedal and now its completely limp...car is in neutral but I think a spring may have snapped...the clutch pedal doesn't come back up. The car is on axle stands and while looking underneath, I am concerned that the car may be hiding a few secrets with regards to the bodywork and chassis... I think my next course of action will be to call a restoration company to get a second option of what they think they can do with her...feel a bit deflated but I suppose this is expected on a car this old...just need to persevere with it I suppose and as you guys have mentioned, I have seem some cars in the restoration thread that are in a worse condition... Not sure what restoration companies charge to do a body off restoration but I think around £10-£15k, more if concourse required...will investigate..perhaps do it bit by bit starting with the engine. Nautam

Many thanks Clive Let me see what I can salvage...I suppose the tyres on these cars a relatively cheap anyway....effectively the cost of a Friday night takeaway for the family....just have to sacrifice 4 weeks of takeaway!...whether they will agree to this is a different story... Nautam

Well he's a pick of my tyres....what a sorry state of affairs!...doubt if any of these can be reused even when moving the car in and out of the driver as the rubber is not rubber anymore!...you can see they are 155 R13 78S...looking at National and Kwik-Fit, they have 155/70/13s varying in price from budget £34.50 to Goodyear Vector 4 seasons at £66.50 each...Continental and Michelin are around £55....National are a bit cheaper with Firestone, Toyo, Yokohama at around £39 to £45.... At the end of the day it will probably be down to budget, brand preference and use...I will probably go mid range as it will give me the impetus to push me to get her back on the road as soon as I can. Regards Nautam

terrific...thanks for that Richard....much appreciated! Nautam

Hi Richard Looking at the tyres, I have only one tyre that I managed to fill up with air...the other 3 tyres have become so flat that one rim has cut into the rubber plus another tyre has completed come off the rim...it may be salvageable...the spare is flat so I may use that however the other one may need to be replaced....I will check tonight to see what the tyre sizes are then will search the web for the appropriate tyres...given the size I hope there will be some available but I suspect they may be expensive....I did do a quick check with Kwik-Fit, put in my car Reg and it came up with 145/13 or 155/13 as a suggestion...none of which are available at my local branch...will do some more research and post up what I find. I take your point in that if I can use the old ones then yes I will use them while restoring, then and swap them out once I'm ready to hit the road...last thing I want is multiple punctures on tyres that are over 15 years old Many thanks Nautam

Thanks Dave...will take it easy when starting...battery probably needs replacing, need to check spark plugs too but the engine does turn manually which is a bit of a relief....will also need to inspect cables, pipes, bushes etc...lots to do but that the nice thing about these cars in that you can do bits and pieces bit by bit. My priority is to get some new tyres on her, free up the seized rear break drum, move her out of the garage, clean her, then look at the engine and visually inspect her....then make a list on what to do next, but engine start will be the priority....this in itself is quite a task...will see if I can drain the fuel tank and put some fresh fuel in...I've ordered the workshop manual as this will no doubt help...may possibly give the car to JY to see if they can help with this...I'm a novice but keen to learn so this forum is really useful for me. Finally, went onto The British Motor Museum website to get a heritage certificate, tech spec and folder to keep everything in... What tyres are best to put on her or does it not matter really...just thinking of replacing the old ones on her now...will do a bit of research on this and see if Kwik-Fit have them in stock. Nautam

Thanks guys...A trip to Kwik Fit seems in order for all 4 tyres, then see if I can pull her out and give her a quick wash weather permitting...I suppose this will bring how bad the scratches are and whether there are any dents on her...will post some more picks next week once this is done...then comes the engine! Nautam