citybreeze

I'll check those screws, I fitted a new condenser recently, so could well be that. So just to check I'm following right; is it best to set the timing slightly more advanced (say roughly 10 degrees BTDC) and then work it backwards from there to find the point of smooth running, then tweak it back just a little bit more so that it revs around 800rpm-ish? Also, I don't have that adjuster wheel on my vacuum unit. I'm not sure if it's something that's missing or if this model isn't meant to have one? The pin moves in and out with vacuum, but there is no adjustment on the vacuum unit itself.

Hi, apologies if this is a bit of a silly question, but I've never checked/adjusted the timing before. On my mk3 Spitfire, I do not have a graduated timing marker as described in the workshop manual. I have a single point (white tipped piece in image) to work from. So is this marking TDC? And I've got to guesstimate the angle of advance from that, Or is it marking the correct timing setting (8 degrees BTDC I believe) so i just match the markings together? Also, I tried to check if my vacuum unit was working properly, which it is off the car, but the distributor base plate sticks (does not always move freely back or forth) when tested on the car. I have added lubrication in the indicated places, but this has not helped. Currently the car is running ok, but the top speed seems to be about 60mph. I wanted to make sure the timing is spot on before moving onto resetting and balancing the carbs (again) and investigating other possible causes of the lack of power. Any advice greatly recieved!

I think I'm going to take the plunge and go for the Canley swing spring conversion then, seems like it'll be worth it in the long run. As for shocks, I wasn't intending on getting adjustables because as has been said, I just know I'd spend the rest of my life adjusting them...and never getting it just right. If the standard black ones are poor then I'll probably keep an eye out on eBay for something decent. Those KYBs sound like a good option.

I've had a look at the anti-roll bar and it doesn't look obviously bent to me, but one of the mounting brackets is, so I'm guessing it can't be the right shape. The bushings also look cracked and worn. I've been considering the conversion kit from Canleys, for doing the rear spring and bigger anti-roll bar in one go. Does anybody have any positive/negative experiences of using this kit? It's £260 so I'd ideally like to know if it's worth it first. I don't know how old the shocks are, but from appearance they look very old. They are a lot cheaper than I was expecting, so I'll probably replace all four.

I'm trying to work out what is the most likely cause of the rear end sag on my mk3 Spitfire, and work out why it seems to have gotten a whole lot worse. I've been fixing the car on the driveway for the past few weeks, and had already noticed a bit of a sag on the offside rear compared to the nearside rear. I could get three fingers between the top of the tyre and wheel arch on the passenger side, but only two on the drivers. Today, I took it out for a spin (only acouple of miles) too see how it was running, all felt ok (maybe a little bit 'floaty' at the back end). Now both tyres are sitting up inside the wheelarches, seems like hardly any damping when I do the bounce test, and both tyres appear toe out (I think that's the term, further out at the bottom than the top, opposite to when I jack it up). Is this more likely to be a tired leaf spring? Or shock absorbers? Or does it sound like something else has gone wrong? There was no knocking or bottoming out, even over speed humps.

I took my Spitfire out for a road test at the weekend now that I've got the engine running (reasonably) well, but had to turn back just after getting up to speed on the main road. There was a horrible sort of vibration from the rear offside area. After spending a while checking around the suspension and finding nothing obviously wrong, I decided to check the tyre, and found a huge egg in it. The tread had started to separate and it was bulging up and out by quite a lot. The tyres are very cheap looking remoulds of unknown age, and after finding this problem I don't trust them at all. So... I'm now in the market for 5 new tyres! The current tyres are 165/80(?)/R13 (profile is not marked, so 80% I believe?), but i'd like to change to 165/70/R13 as there seems to be much more choice available. According to one of the calculators posted on here earlier, that would be a -33mm or 5.5% change down in the rolling radius, which seems quite a lot. So my question is; is the correct original tyre size for a Mk3 Spitfire 155/80/R13?? so by fitting 165/70/R13 I would now only be about 3% out? I'm thinking a set of Dunlop Street Response 2's would be good...

Yep, that's the same as mine, with the metal rings. I'll have a go around it with some brake cleaner tomorrow and see if it's leaking or not.

Visually, my gasket looks fine, but I'll have a proper check with the engine up to temperature in future. The one I fitted is a Payen, but is part number JB765 listed for 'BL Cars' rather than JA502 listed at that link. Looks identical though, and looks identical to the one I took off too.

Aaah, I fell into the trap of assuming it was an electrical connection because it looked about the right size/shape for a spade connector. I did have an issue with the choke not returning all the way, so I adjusted and lubricated everything so it all moves freely now. As for the carbs, they could indeed be out of balance. I can hear a different pitch of 'hiss' next to each of them at the 12-1500 rpm tickover. I'll get onto the YouTube videos for setting up the carbs. It's something I've never done before, so I want to make sure I get it right! I've recently replaced the manifold gasket, so I'll check that again too. Many thanks for all the suggestions!

Hi everyone, this might be a bit if a basic question, but I'm struggling to find the answer. While doing an ignition system service, I noticed this connector (highlighted in picture) on the back of the vacuum unit, which isn't connected to anything. It looks like it has an 'E' next to it, and seems to be internally linked to the earth point on the top of the distributor. All my instincts say there should be a wire connecting this to an earth point, but I can't find a loose wire in the engine bay, and the Haynes manual doesn't mention a great deal about the vacuum unit. Can anyone confirm if this should/shouldn't be connected to earth? I've had some issues with a lumpy idle, and can't get the engine to idle below about 1200 rpm (hence why I'm using the club shop ignition service kit), could this have something to do with it? Maybe causing vacuum unit to not work properly or at all? Many thanks Matt

Cancel that. Quiller Triumph got back to me and they have one available.

Hi, I'm trying to find a replacement inlet manifold for my mk3 spitfire 1300. It needs to be the one with the opening for the PCV valve on the top. Many thanks Matt

It originally had a pair of small diameter (blower type) electric fans mounted to the outside of the radiator in addition to the standard metal fan. I took them off because I thought they were doing more to disrupt the airflow to the radiator than assisting with cooling it. I have ordered a full width replacement for the knackered standard radiator, but I might add the fans back in later to help with post switch-off cooling. I did consider this, but they are very expensive IIRC. I've gone with a standard replacement dynamo for now to get things running, but I might look at upgrading in the future. I wasn't sure if I was just expecting too much, having not driven a classic for a while, but the brakes did feel pretty awful. I've not got around to investigating closer yet, but is there a particular brand of disc/pad you would recommend? and similarly, ones to avoid? I did not know this! I will investigate further before ditching the original wheel. I'm assuming you are referring to the crankcase breather / PCV valve setup? (https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GRID005619) At present, there is just a long hose from the rocker cover venting straight to atmosphere around the NSF wheel arch, and the fitting for the PCV valve is blanked off with a plug. Apart from being the original fitment, does this setup offer any major benefits (worth the £75 for valve and hose) over just venting to atmosphere? is burning off the excess gasses more environmentally friendly than just venting them? I think it is both. The driveway does slope away towards the road, but I remember thinking it looked low at the rear end when it was parked on the flat. I haven't got around to looking over the rear suspension yet, though I understand that 'sag' is quite common after a while. Any advice on how to remedy this? Maybe it is, this is my first time owning a soft-top so i'm not sure what is 'normal'. The material seems tight over the rear edge of the windows (I cant open/close the doors when the windows are all the way up) with a gap at the top leading edge that is about golf ball sized. I'll try and get some pictures tomorrow while i'm waiting for my Rimmer Bros delivery to arrive. Thanks to everyone for all your replies, it's always great to have extra pairs of eyes looking at things, especially as i'm still learning what is 'normal' for a Spitfire and what the standard fittings should be.

I might fabricate something to feed cold air up to the OE airbox for the time being then, it'll still be useful when I (eventually) get round to fitting the K&Ns too. I had a feeling it was running a little lean beforehand, so I suposse setting it back to standard on OE equipment as a starting point does seem like a very sensible idea before I start changing things. As for the red fuel hose, I'm not convinced it's the proper spec either, as are some other sections of the fuel line. I've ordered a few metres of SAE30 rated fuel hose, so 'ill probably work my way around and replace the whole lot eventually. Hopefully, the new radiator, water pump, and dynamo will be arriving tomorrow, so should have it back up and running before the weekend

Thanks for all the replies and advice, and I will definitely try and make it down to the next monthly meeting! I was planning on going with the K&Ns (once I've got it running well first) as the OE airbox looks really REALLY restrictive to my eye. As far as I can tell, the filters are completely encased, save for the two oblong apertures at the top (pictured), so this setup would surely only draw in a limited amount of (warm) air from within the engine bay? I cant see any sort of cold air intake, unless some parts are missing(?).

Hi everyone, I'm a new member of TSSC and a first-time Spitfire owner, So I just thought I'd introduce myself any my new project; My new car is a 1969 Triumph Spitfire Mk3, currently finished in a rather poor coat of (I think) Primrose Yellow. The original paint code (26) I believe refers to Wedgewood Blue, It seems a previous owner decided to have a go himself with some spray cans at some point, and the effect is....not good. In terms of history, the previous owner insisted that the indicated mileage of just 2,700 was correct, though i'm naturally dubious. Apparently the owners for the first 30-years were in the Royal Navy, and only used the car as a runabout when back in Portsmouth. Even so, I don't believe a 40-year old car with six previous owners on the logbook could have done so few miles, so i'm working on the assumption that 102,700 is more likely. Having checked the previous MOT history as far back as I can, the car seems to have been MOT'd every year since at least 2004, but has covered only a little over 100-miles in that time. So it has spent most of the last 14-years (at least) standing around rather than being used. Mechanically, the engine sounds good and seems solid, if a little down on power, but does not seem to have been cared for in recent years. I spent the bank-holiday weekend working through When I removed the air filters, they were marked up as last changed in 1993! so I'm working on the assumption that it has not been properly serviced in the last 25-years. The incorrect oil filter was also fitted, and when I drained the oil it was very thin and black. When the cooling system was drained, only about 2-litres of 'brown soup' came out, and several of the hoses were almost completely blocked, as well as the thermostat being absent. The dynamo also seems to be completely dead. The electronics are in right state, again, I think one of the previous owners had a go himself at some point. There are random wires and connectors all over the place, additional switches of indeterminate function have been added, and there are poor earths (either rusty or painted in the home-respray) everywhere. Due to the issues listed above, and the unclear history, I've decided to adopt an 'if in doubt, replace with new' policy as a general rule. No doubt this will lead to me becoming intimately familiar with the deeper depths of the Rimmer Bros catalogue over time . As the car has already been significantly changed by previous owners, I'm not going to go for hardline originality, but will concentrate on making it as useable as possible through sensible upgrades where appropriate, but i'll try and keep it looking fairly standard externally. The jobs i'm currently working on or have planned (in no particular order) include; 1) Oil change, with correct filter and grade of oil (I used Millers Classic Sport 20w50). 2) Replace faulty dynamo, and voltage stabiliser if required. 3) Remove aftermarket electric fans. 4) Replace radiator with new full-width kind, along with all cooling system hoses. 5) Replace water pump. 6) Install correct thermostat. 7) Replace air filters/box with K&N filters, set up carbs to suit, reduce idle speed (currently idles at 1500-1800 rpm!) 8) Check HT-leads and re-gap spark plugs (all seemed OK). 9) Fuel gauge not working - check gauge, wiring, earths, and sender unit. 10) Trace wiring for unknown switches, remove or rewire as necessary. 11) Check complete braking system (seemed fairly poor performance, despite front discs/pads being nearly new, seized calipers?) 12) Check suspension system, and lubricate as required. 13) Check gearbox/diff/etc oil levels, and lubricate as required. 14) Possibly replace steering wheel for smaller item - I'm quite tall and have some difficulty getting in/out. 15) Respray - The current paint finish is really poor and i'm not a big fan of the colour. I'm thinking of either going back to the original Wedgewood Blue, or for Old English White. 16) Additional mirrors - I think they are known as overtaking mirrors(?) placed on each front wing. I cant see the passenger side mirror at all from my seating position. 17) Interior - Re-cover seats (a few tears in each). 18) Hood - doesn't seem to fit right, leaving a small gap at the front at top of windows/windscreen. Remove and re-fit to see if that helps. 19) Locks - There appears to be a different key for every lock, and the bootlid lock does not work. Replace with new if available. 20) Hopefully...drive it as often as possible! I have owned a few classics in the past (Austin Allegro, Lambretta Li125), but have not had one for a few years now. I decided a Spitfire would be a good/easy project to get me back into things, and I was able to find a solid enough example of the model I was after (Mk3 1300) to play with. I'm probably going to be a regular on these forums, asking for help with the random gremlins that will now doubt arise. I'm also hopefully going to try and get to some shows this summer, though as a visitor rather than an exhibitor (the photos don't do justice as to how bad the paint finish is), and hopefully get to meet some of the TSSC community . -Matt