Neil Clark

Thanks Pete!😊

I got the car into a good place but now the rent for the garages round here is going up by a huge amount. I can't afford two classics so I'm afraid to say, and probably will regret, I've sold the Spitfire which was driving really nicely. It's gone to a good home in a family of real enthusiasts. But will I be allowed at the Duxford Triumph day now in the MG?

Moss had a sale on the cheap tonneaus this weekend and I couldn't resist at £75.00 or so and bought one for the Spitfire Mk1. I've read some pretty grim stories on the MGB forums about getting the poppers, the stretch and the fit right on those so since I'm starting from scratch, are there any do and / or don't hints please?

I think the pub methodology has a lot going for it. When I was still at school (1969) I had driving lessons in the evening after classes. On the way home from the last lesson before the test which was the next day, the instructor said that I had to understand the changes in our driving after alcohol. To my amazement he promptly steered to a country pub and we went in for two pints. I thought I drove wonderfully on the way back. This was in Rutland so a real backwater then but I was still in uniform and would have been instantly expelled if caught. But the pub psychology worked - I passed the next day first time!

I think I'll take my daughter to the pub a few miles down the A3 on a quieter traffic day and get her to note down the revs and mph at steady GPS speeds! Then contemplate them over a pint or two. I've insured her on the car so she can drive home again after the beer.

It's all making me wonder, so many variables! I suppose the only speeds that really bother me are 20, now that almost all the suburbs around here are 20, 30, 40, and 50 and it's only because of the vast number of speed cameras we have now. Perhaps in the short term I'm just better getting a passenger to look at the revs / GPS speed at each of these and pay attention!

Sorry it was 3000rpm looked to be about 50mph, not the typo of 40mph..

Brilliant website Minty. Thanks all. Plenty to look at now. I've just been out for a run but the traffic on the A3, where I can normally keep a steady speed, is horrendous and without a passenger to check I couldn't keep my eyes on the rev counter and speedo long enough. At 3000rpm it seemed to be about 40mph but don't trust me. It's just nice to have had a dry day to take the car out for pleasure.

I'm confusing myself badly, not unusual! My car has the later swing axle fitted and per my GPS the speedo under reads by about 10% - at an indicated 30mph I'm actually doing 33mph. The speedometer is marked SN6121/16A 1248. I think that's 1248 turns per mile. But there are variables to original spec on my car which can affect what I see on the speedo. Apparently there are two swing axle final drive ratios which are different to the Mk1 Spit - do both fit my early car and can anyone help with what they might be? The car came to me with 13" wheels with 155/80 R13 tyres fitted. The wheel supplier MWS recommends 155/70 R13 on their website so I wondered if it is the taller aspect of my tyres affecting the speedo - larger rolling diameter. Per Google, the 155/70 R13 tyre will be 67.8 inches circumference and the 155/80 R13 will be 71.5 inches. So the 70 aspect tyre is 94.8%of the 80 aspect if my maths are correct. My foggy brain says that at 1000rpm I'm travelling 5% further on my tyres than on the 70 aspect tyres so 5% faster as well. Can that be right? Once I know if this is the correct speedo and the possible final drive ratios along with the tyre size I guess I can work out if the speedo needs changing, servicing or is faulty. My wife's dodgy back is not keen on pushing the car for a fixed distance on the road while I count the turns of the wheel!

The only fine point everyone told me about body removal for my Spitfire was "brace brace brace" between the front and rear of the doors, undo a few bolts, then to my amazement it just lifted off and dropped back on once the chassis replacement was finished. It was like going back to the kit cars of my youth.

Tubeless wires, it's not the first time, pressure speed down from 25 to 5psi. MWS had showed me what to do before. It's not temperature affecting the pressure , no other wheels are affected, but it might be the cold just widening the gap between the rim and the valve nut. I posted it simply as a caution to others with similar wheels.

Not sure if it's definitely related but since parking and covering the Spitfire outside with tyres inflated correctly, one started to go down in the extreme cold. The threaded rim securing the valve needed nipping up. All well now but worth checking these regularly.

What did the TSSC team who attended Silverstone think about this years MG Car Club event (As opposed to MGOC)? I was very pleased to meet them and see them having a stand there. Interestingly the MGOC and MGCC are working together more on big events. It could be a great opportunity to piggyback on a well-run well-attended event attracting people who like our brands of cars. I manned one of the small MG area stands so I had a good opportunity to meet visitors and see all over the show. It's not snooty, not wholly racing focused - the racing goes on around the perimeter and the paddock itself is fascinating, lots of space etc. Camping nearby and B&B's, although some miles may be needed each evening to get to them. The race track stands themselves are all open and free and even if racing isn't your thing can make an entertaining half hour. Some of our members may be put off by a lack of parts stands and the niche Triumph suppliers, which I think would need addressing. Given that the Triumph sports cars such as the Spitfire did outsell MG Midgets and Austin Healey Sprites at times there are enough Triumphs around and synergies to make it a busy event. There's certainly enough space.

How fortunate! Lovely looking car. I have an MGB GT as well as a Spitfire. B's are notoriously subject to squeal with modern pads and discs and the 3M anti squeal shims are usually excellent. Also an MG Owners Club member has discovered that thick self adhesive tape correctly located has the same effect as the shims but I've not tried that. Thirdly, another member has opted for Peugeot 806 anti squeal shims shown. The legs fit inside the calliper apparently. He says it has been perfectly quiet since. Now that I've got onto this topic I expect that mine will start squealing too:(

Welcome Iain.

Looks great! How did you hear about it being available?

Took the Spitfire up this morning. Nice bunch of cars and people, still very informal but getting busier. Hope locals don't get fed up with being unable to get through if it gets too popular.

Very nice indeed. Hope to see it in the flesh ere long

Have you tried the scrapyards SpitBitz and Spitfire Graveyard?

Terrific! Amazing to do all that in a year.

Around here in SW London the big complaint from engineering businesses and I imagine the bodyshops too is that firstly the East Europeans have left and that secondly local rents have driven people out of London. So they have to compete for decent people and throughput suffers while wage rates go up. Takes me back to A Levels - "price elasticity of demand"

Dave, at both of the bodyshops I've used in the last three years, asking them to collect was my mistake. Other customers kept jumping in ahead by turning up with their cars and leaving them there "Go on, I'm desperate for it for work" was the usual excuse. So I hired a trailer and took it over there so that in theory it was mine in the way of others. Even then I kept getting bumped a bit more each week but they said it was always in the corner of their eye...........

Peter, glad you had a result. We had a talk at the MG group near me last week on batteries, old types, new types, C Teks etc by a local battery supplier. The guy made the point that as the batteries age and the plates get eaten by the acid or they even distort inside, a C Tek style maintenance charger eventually won't recover the battery. He was also pretty scathing on the quality of a lot of the batteries he gets offered by importers with 3 years life being good for some of the worst. Made me take the cars out for long runs to top up the charge which he said is the very best way to maintain the batteries over time. Great excuse for a day out in autumn sunshine!

Dave, a really good retired professional bodyshop guy and sprayer I follow in the MG Owners Club just did his sons MGB GT as below, full body re-spray, and although it was for himself he kept a timesheet for us to follow. It was 68 hours plus £600 materials for a really good result including prep and doing it in his (huge) home workshop. At say £50 / hour that's a total of £4,000 plus VAT. My Spitfire, which also needed welding on the new bonnet hinges and fitting the bonnet, removing the windscreen etc etc, cost £3,500 plus VAT last May for a really thorough finish on the bonnet alone and quick re-spray of the tub (which was pretty good before but I wanted a great colour match. (The B GT in the background is their exhibition project car which was on the stand at the NEC) I had mine done at TJR Bodyworx in Kings Norton near Birmingham. Gaz the owner is great. But he's very busy and it was there months.

If you're mobile, a run up the A3 or M3 to Propshaft Services in Feltham (just off the end of the M3 extension towards London) might be worth it. They measure, assess and check the balance for £65. Mine was OK except splines and that the balance was way way out and so they didn't charge for the inspection and instead made a new one for me including UJ's on the the spot for £140.00 plus VAT. Plus free tea and they let me watch the process. Email them in advance.