DVD3500

I sprayed it every where I could find a hole... held it in all different positions and rotated it occasionally on the workbench.... I followed up with Ballistol as a lubricant... Servisol is not available here and because of Brexit most aersols are being stopped at customs for some strange reason...

I got a new heavy duty clutch from Mark Field as well as a billet fly wheel... I will try to be ... gentle..

Mark Field had the box rebuilt before sending it to me so I reckon it is strong. I will put a 3.63 in if I can't find a 3.27. I plan mostly on cruising and not doing drag races.... An there IS a section of non-speed-limited Autobahn near here....

My Spit will be tested soon and we fear that we will be making over 100 HP and 110 lb/feet of torque... not sure the 1500 gearbox can handle it..

I soaked the switches over night in "contact spray" used on distributors and everything looks shiny. I did a quick test and I am getting a reading on the multiometer when set to 200 ohms. (if I am reading it right). The readings on the two settings are different, that I assume is normal...

Well I got the switches (I have 2 because one had the post break off on disassembly) out and tried as mentioned above and and I could not get any continuity between any of the positions. I am using the positions in the diagram Graham posted, not the colored one Doug posted. For clarity "3" is the only connection that I would call "female". I got no or intermittent readings on the multimeter. So I attached a 9 volt battery: negative on the negative of the multimeter and positive with alligator clips to the connector 3 and I put the plus from the multimeter on positIons 2 And 4 I get a reading of nearly 9 volts in the respective positions. All very strange... I am not too terribly sure I have working switches or not...

Some people who switched to fiberglass hoods/bonnets had to cut louvres and holes in them because the metal hood/bonnet actually transferred heat better. So I would guess sound deadening might be a good idea but heat not so much..

Indeed the "trade deal" from 23 Dec. sounded good at first but from what I can see there are a few fine print issues to deal with. I could be wrong but based on what I am hearing from others is that the item must be "made in EU" or "Made in UK" in order to trade freely. Hornby for example of train set and Scalextric fame has stopped sending to the EU because the "made in China" on all their products doesn't seem to comply (my interpretation not fact...) It still has to however go through a customs process which usually incurs cost and paperwork. There are also some limits of 15GBP/22€, 100GBP/135€ and over 500€ that I haven't got my head around yet... Having said that, given that the items are used and were made in UK I would reckon with the correct paperwork you should be able to get them back on the island fairly easily...

I actually tested both my switches yesterday and got no connectivity at all but maybe I wasn't doing the right combination or the contacts were not clean enough...

Unless broken up for parts...

Is the "rocker" switch the one you twist with 3 settings: Off, slow, slightly less slow than slow?

HI Pete, I am not sure I follow you. Are you saying the electrical part and the part with the bellows are pushed together, or crimped together or twisted on using pivot lugs? Thanks...

I have successfully jumped the motor using the connectors directly on the motor. Use the wiring diagram as a guide...

Some of them don't look too terrible to be honest... I am sure a clean up would do wonders... I don't see them mention where this is in France and they say the owners are "unknown".... Still a huge pity to be honest...

How does one get the switch apart without destroying it? The base with the pipe connections seem to be tightly fixed/glue to the part with the switches...

Funnily enough I was just researching this today. The closest I got was here: https://www.distrupol.com/polymer_abbreviations.html -> Cellulose Acetate Butyrate which is a type of plastic so probably not correct... I finally found the color my car is: RAL 5013 Cobalt Blue... a little darker than royal blue..

OK Thanks! I guy up the road is selling a pair for about 15 € so I reckon I might do that...

As I was getting all chuffed and overzealous from my progress on the dash I realized I hadn't tested the horn yet. Maybe the 23°C/73°F weather made me heady but I did not check a wiring diagram and just proceeded as I had for all other electrical components: I wiring in a ressettable fuse to ground and ran wires to the two terminals on the horn (while it was still in the car). The fuse tripped so I reset it and swapped sides... nothing. So I took the horn out and tried to see if there is a circuit in there and ohm -meter is not registering anything. I cleaned the contacts and retried a few times again on both sides and nothing happens. The fuse doesn't even trip. I double checked that the fuse is indeed working and the cables I am using for testing is OK. I searched here and while and I can't see that my method was inherently wrong but I can't be sure. I am thinking I may have broken it somehow... Since I am likely to replace it with a good used one (or a better aftermarket) I want to know how to test it (with a 9-vol battery for example) so I can make sure I get a working one... Thanks!

Small update. Dash is nearly completely out. Apparently there is an order to getting the heating vents out... I had to take the wiper bars out first to be able to wiggle them out. I was surprised at how tight the top of the dash was to get out. I had to peel the seal on the windshield frame back to be able to slide it out. I was originally going to recover it but there are only 2 small cracks on the top and frankly, it was so hard getting out I doubt putting another layer on top will help it fit.... The interior of the car will be light beige/cream with "biscuit" accents and floor so I was thinking of going lighter. For example I was thinking of putting in a maple dash... I doubt I can find a color I can put on the black dash though to make it more brown.... I might be able to do a wrap but I doubt it... I got what I think is called a check valve or non-return valve (as well as 15 feet/5 meters of silicone piping) from an aquarium supplier and tested the wiper pump/switch and they work great! I have a valve before and after the switch. I presume that is the best way to do it. I have not checked the electrical connections yet though... I found my multi-meter.. it had fallen behind my workbench so I proceeded to check all things electrical. The electric radiator fan works! It was attached to what looks like a relay (I will post pictures later) so I am curious if it has multiple speeds or not. The wiper motor seems to work. I connected 2 tabs and they moved back and forth at 2 different speeds. I need to test the old and the new wiper pump/switch to see if they are working. I have yet to test the heater fan/blower. I hope to do that soon as I tear down the rest of the interior. Oh... and I found the kill switch. It was that fat black disc on the firewall with the plus cable. I had not seen from inside the car that the hole for the key was behind the "parcel shelf" . I wish I had found it earlier before I started tearing out the dash as I could have tested everything in situ but the previous owner was adamant that it was somewhere near the ignition switch... Oh well. I have a new/used wire harness so it will all be replaced anyway... I used the re settable fuse as you guys suggested and that made me feel a lot safer! It never tripped so I hope it works. 🙂 With any luck the interior will be completely stripped over the Easter celebrations coming up....

I will look into an international membership once I et a better grip on my restoration project. I just found out I have arthritis in my right knee and they want to repair it with titanium (my son seems to think I will turn into iron man). It won't be a financial burden (German national healthcare) but it does mean a lot of Dr. visits I wasn't planning on and I may have to slow things down a bit... I really enjoy this forum and the banter so by not being a member I would feel I am "missing out" 🙂

I used a "half garage" cover on my Spitfire's soft top when I moved to Germany and had to leave it in Michigan. It only covered from the top to the base of the windshield/rear window and only kept water from getting in. The problem was it was very flappy in the wind and my Dad used bungee cords to hold it down and I had nice rubbing marks on the hood/bonnet, the doors and trunk/boot lid. The paint was already shot so I was not too terribly mad bit I reckon something more stable would have been better.

I had written Mark at the beginning of the month and he had mentioned she was ill. This is terrible news on top of everything else he has gone through. Very very very sad...

Thanks for getting back! You can get a set of bumpers front and back in stainless steel for 1000€ so maybe that would not be worth it but for the other shiny bits it might be an option!

OK. I will ask around ...

I was hoping to not have to go to a specialist. If I can maybe get the price down further it might be worth the effort...