Nautam Mistry

Hi all...being a newbie I apologise if this is in the wrong area of the forum... Well, cleared out the garage and this is what I have after 15 years...Im quite sad and embarrassed seeing her like this...cannot move her as all wheels flat and 2 tyres are off the rim...I think the chassis is good as I can't see any rust on the sills or panels....only up on a ramp will the true position be determined...doors and some panels probably needs some realignment and I think a full respray will be in order at some point as there are some scratches and marks on her... the engine turns manually but I suspect will need some bits and pieces to get her going again..possibly get it reconditioned with an unleaded conversion. I suppose my next step will be to get an assessment of her from someone who is willing to come and see me...then I can get some practical advice on what I do next. I think over the next couple of weeks, I will take the wheels off and get kiwk fit to see if they can get the tyres on the rims provided the tyres are not too damaged...in that way I can least get her out of the garage...will also try and free the seized rear brake drum but will be awkward given the space in the garage. Being a newbie its easy to get too carried away and excited with everything...Sorry! Nautam

OK understood...suppose it's pot luck...will give each a shot and see how comfortable I feel...I suppose these little babies are quite straight forward to repair as I've tinkered a bit on mine when it was running. Key priority to try and get the MOT out of the way first provided nothing catastrophic turns up....it shouldn't as the car has been garaged and not exposed to the UK elements....fingers crossed. Nautam

Are Moordale Motors not that good or reputable?...Looking at both websites and reading what they do, JY appears to be better....I think I might err on the side of caution and see what JY can do for me...will sort out the garage this weekend and share some pics...the car's body seems OK with some scratches however there are bits missing and the interior looks quite scruffy...Over the years I have set aside some cash as I knew I wanted to get her running at some point...have a couple of grand set aside for her to get her back on the road plus some contingency. Anyone used JY before and are their labour rates reasonable...cant seem to find anything on the forum under restorations? Nautam

Thanks Doug...I seen some threads on this and researched a bit on You Tube too...all useful stuff but will keep you all posted on how things go...getting excited on getting her running again...we have some lovely country lanes and pubs around here so if all goes well it will be good if I can get her running again for the summer...cant wait!

Fabulous, thanks Pete...I think my first course of action is to empty the garage of rubbish so I have enough space to look at the seized brake and check if the engine turns manually...will be in touch to let you know how things are going.

Hi... I thought I'd introduce myself. I was a member 20 years ago and my Spitfire Mark IV was the first car I ever bought...used to love this car especially during the summer months with my fiancé....after marriage, kids and family commitments, the car has been sitting in my garage for the last 15 years! Now the kids are teenagers I wanna bright her back to life again. Unfortunately, I tried to move her out of the garage to clean her up but couldn't due to a seized rear drum....I really want to get her started but am worried about damaging the engine so my next course of action is to call a nearby triumph specialists who can help me get her started and start the process of getting her restored and MOTed. I live in Elstree and note JY Classics are reasonably nearby so will drop them a line to see if they can help. Will keep you posted on how things go and will post some pictures...She's a Damsel Red 1973 Mark IV 1.3 - HCL 889L. Nautam