1969Mk3Spitfire

Thanks, Chris, yes, it is the DMM300. I don’t think it’s the condenser. As I wrote above, I have a bit of an obsession with meters so I have an LRC DMM, too. I’ve measured the condenser at 0.21 micro Farads which is pretty much bang on spec 😀

I’m generally quite happy to not know engine oil pressure or dynamo charge rate etc but I have a bit of an obsession with DMMs. Any excuse and I’ll buy one……..I need therapy. I’ve already contacted Draper. Their interweb Help desk was very quick to respond but couldn’t help so passed my query to tech support. This is the response:- “you can’t use them functions on a negative earth in the same way as you usually would” I’ve very politely and courteously asked the Help desk to refer my query back to tech support as I didn’t understand the comment. The points have been set with “a fag packet” so I’m sure that dwell angle is fine………..sadly, I’d like to measure it and not impressed that my new meter doesn’t work.

I have recently bought a Draper DMM which includes dwell and tacho for 4,6 and 8 cylinder engines. I've just replaced the points and wanted to check dwell (compared to the time-honoured method of simply relying upon the feeler gauge). I hasten to add that I have managed without such a device for my entire motoring career. Connected the com (black) terminal to earth and the dwell (red) terminal to coil/contact breaker. The DMM will not hold a steady reading. When first connected, it displays around 40 deg (my car spec is 40-42 deg) but very quickly counts down to zero, over say, 10 to 20 seconds. When I change to setting to 4 cyl tacho, it reads approx 2 x rpm but reduces to about 1.2x actual rpm. All very strange. Not sure if this is operator incompetence, faulty meter or an indication of a potential issue with the ignition system. The cars runs well. How does this compare to your experience?

I've just replaced plugs, points, cap, leads etc using the Club kit The condenser is slightly larger than the one I removed, 19.35mm dia vs 18.25mm. The difference was enough to cause a foul against the dizzie shaft so a bit of bracket fettling was required to give clearance. Anyone else had this experience? It could, of course, be operator error and I'd be happy to receive constructive advice as to what I may have done wrong. Many thanks.

Very helpful, thank you, both.

Per the title, I’ve obtained a missing piece of dash for my car but it requires painting before installation. Is there a way to reproduce the surface finish, don’t know how to correctly describe it but I’m sure you know what I mean 😁 Many thanks.

Do these pictures help?

Rightly or wrongly, I prefer to have an original steel one for my Mk3 Spitfire.............haven't as yet been able to conclude the deal per my OP so potentially still looking?

Everything about the head seems in order, at least as far as I can tell without removing it. I’ll fit the new condenser, points, arm, cap, leads and plugs when I receive them but in the interim I was thinking about giving the car an Italian tune 😀 My trips out tend to be between 5 and 10 miles, max speed 50 mph, mostly a lot less as some of my route is on a congested A road. I don’t think that I’ve ever taken it over 60. Albeit a revvy little engine, I’m happy to drive it with a little mechanical empathy, it is 52 years old, after all. There are plenty of motorway and dual carriageway options near home so, what do you guys suggest as an Italian tune (distance and engine speed cycle)?

Pete, I found around 0.001 inch difference between the points gap on each lobe, possibly measurement or more likely operator error. I put a DTI on the shaft and it was around 0.04 to 0.05mm different between each lobe. Again, with operator error I’d say that the shaft is turning symmetrically and that there are no irregularities between lobes. Still open to other suggestions?

It seems that I need 4 different plug spanners for my Spitfire. For No 1 and 4 Cylinder I can use my million year old 14mm, 1/2 inch socket. For No 2 I have to use a 3/8 drive because the larger diameter of the 1/2 extension just fouls on the dizzie and I don’t like to risk out of line fitting. No 3 needs the T bar to undo but will not articulate full circle so I also use my million year old box spanner with handle at 45 degrees. Oh to the joy of Triumph designers 😀

Thanks, Pete, Fairly sure its soot as it has a mat appearance, not shiny oil. Breather is clear and I cleaned the gauze filter earlier this year (but I'll check again). Just done the tappets, that's how I found the problem, didn't spin the pushrod to check for bend but the engine sound is good, no hint of a tappet noise. A good tip to check points gap, I'll measure all 4 to see if there's much difference. Not sure if it's relevant but dwell angle is very stable on Draper digital multimeter. From memory, it's 1 degree out of spec, so close that I didn't adjust it (especially given that the car runs well, if it aint broke, don't fix it syndrome).

My new cylinder compression tester has arrived so opportunity to check plug state. I'd previously swapped No 2 spark plug, the sooty one, with another cylinder. Despite only doing 20 or so miles since their clean, No 2 is already sooty while the others are fine. That's ruled-out the plugs. I can only check compression on 3 cylinders, frustratingly, as the tester fouls the dizzie on No 3. No 2 has the lowest reading at 11.2 bar. No 1 reads 11.7 and No 4 11.8 bar. Engine cold. Is this approx 5% difference significant? There's nothing visually obvious looking at the cap and leads. As I said in the previous thread, I'll probably buy a Club ignition service kit and replace everything. Car starts and runs well. Acceleration (I don't drive hard) is smooth and progressive. Any additional thoughts, opinions and recommendations most welcome. Thanks in advance.

I suffered the indignity of breaking down within a few miles of home during my first drive after my car was delivered 😂 I tried Machine Mart Rust Remover flush including agitation with an added assortment of nuts and bolts etc etc. Pretty much a waste of time. I researched Fuel Tank ReNu versus the cost of a replacement and chose the latter. My new one is a lot lighter than the original - enough said. With hindsight, I wish that I’d have had the original restored, albeit it was slightly more expensive than buying the new one.

Thanks, Pete, I believe that the linkage is set correctly; the first 1/2 or thereabouts increases idle without adjusting the jets. Carbs are original SU HS2s. Incorrectly set, wouldn't explain why only a single cylinder appears sooty, would it? I've bought a new compression tester but waiting for it to arrive. My ancient Gunsons, from the 70s, expired when I pressed it into service but before doing so it gave me some confidence that all was well. I suspect either plugs or the spark distribution system. Electrickery remains the work of the Devil in my experience so my only option is to change it. I don't think it's a big issue, I only found it by accident, as I wanted to check the tappets. I seem to recall that in 1976, when I last had a Spitfire, I had to adjust the carbs virtually once a month as I had a 300 mile weekly commute. My Mk3 seems to run at least as well as and probably a bit more stable than my Mk4 at that time. 😃

Thanks, both, very helpful info. There's no side play on the rotor spindle and it rotates moderately freely anticlockwise, viewed from above. I last lubricated it as part of its start of season service in April. My car has done 55,000 miles and was last MoT'd in 1987 prior to completion of its resto a couple of years ago. Subjectively, the rotor arm fit into the spindle doesn't seem as secure as I'd like it to be but I have no reference. I may buy an ignition service kit from the club shop as it seems good value. Since cleaning the plugs, the engine runs well both cold and hot. In retrospect, it had started to feel a tad rough when on choke, but smooth when at working temperature. I removed the plugs to adjust the tappets and found a single, sooty plug. I imagine that it will take a few hundred miles for the issue to manifest itself again. This time, I'll be more aware of the telltale signs. Finding the culprit is all part of the joy of ownership.

I have one of this type but for the smaller thread dia plugs. I've had positive experience with it from my RS Turbo days so I did an interweb search. It seems that Toolstation are selling their stock cheaply and will not replenish. Hence I've just bought one for £2.15. I had to check stock on-line at 3 branches before I found that Manchester Ancoats had stock. Travel there was free, courtesy of my Rite of Passage concessionary Metro travel card. Not tried it yet. Will it bend around the distributor to remove No 3 plug..........

......still pondering my No 3 cylinder sooty plug...... The issue manifested itself after a few months use since last plug clean so it will take a while for me to find the issue by elimination. I'm thinking of replacing the NGK plugs in favour of Champion N9Y. Later, I may change HT leads, cap and rotor arm hence I've attached a few pictures and asking those with knowledge and experience to tell me which dizzy is fitted such that I can source the correct parts? Many thanks in advance.

What do you guys use to remove the plug from number 3 cylinder where the designers thoughtfully hid it behind the dizzy? I use a spanner that I bought in 1970 for use in my Lambretta days. It is a completely open box with handle/lever welded at about 45 degrees. The AF fit is sloppy and before now, if the plug is really tight, I’ve broken the insulator due to it rocking. Now that it is being pressed back into service I could probably fashion a rubber bung to keep it straight (common with plug spanners) or I could splash out on a new one that works on No 3 cylinder. Any recommendations?

I've put the miscreant plug into a different cylinder and I'll go for a ride just as soon as the drive is no longer blocked by the Disbeliever of the house. Thanks for posting background links, Pete, but, as you wrote in one of the threads "after a few pages I lost the will to live". There seems to be a lot of contradictory comments. On a cross reference site, there's no mention of Bosch W78. Google also suggests that it's hard to find. Now very confused.......................

In another post I've reported that for the first time today I've used my 40+ year old Gunsons "push and hold" compression tester. Gutted that it barely worked on one cylinder before giving up the ghost. If I can find the original receipt I may make a warranty claim. 😄 What tool do you guys use for this seldom needed but valued piece of kit, any recommendations?

I’ve just removed the plugs and found that No2 cylinder is sooty. The other three all look fine. Plugs are NKG BP6ES. All gaps were fine. I’ve recently noticed that choke/high idle feels a bit rough, hot engine idle is smooth. May or may not be relevant. Car otherwise seems to accelerate and run smoothly. Found my 40+ year old Gunsons cylinder pressure tester in the loft and just about assured myself that cylinder pressure is ok before the aged rubber seal fell apart (one for the “I need a new one” list). Also, adjusted the tappets but only a small tweak required on one or two of them, no real issues. Any ideas? What are generally considered to be the best plugs for this revvy little engine?

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Interparcel service / Tufnell is looking quite promising. I know the x, y and z dimensions but not sure about weight - can anyone help with an estimate, please?

Any suggestions for moving a hardtop from south coast to north west, distance is approx 200 miles? I have an Audi A3 but I've been told that a hardtop will not fit inside. Thanks in advance.

Yes, my chain wrench is similar to the one posted by Doug. Despite having owned it for almost 50 years, it’s still in its original package. I have a bright orange plastic one with rubber strap, bought from the Pound Shop a few years ago. I don’t have it at home, unfortunately, it’s kept on the floating money pit. It is remarkably good. My favourite tool anecdote concerns Mole Grips. I was issued with a pair when I started my apprenticeship in Sept 71. We were told that they were tools of last resort, that’s there is almost always something more appropriate. 50 years later I still have them, wrapped in their VPI paper, still in their box, unused.