DVD3500

I'm with Clive and "lavivalasvegas". I will be putting the brightest lights I legally can (LED headlights are not allowed yet, nor are brake lights I think). But I will be adding front and rear fog lights (though I will likely try for more subtle, smaller, LED ones than the originals available for the car) as well as a 3rd brake light that will be integrated into the lip of the trunk/boot (I have to replace the chrome piece anyway...). I am trying to find daytime running lights that don't look too daft....

This was all over the German press as Osram made a road-legal H7 LED replacement BUT only for certain vehicles as they have gone through the pain and effort to ensure that the pattern "correct". H7 as you guys likely know is one of the most common types of bulb and the shape of the headlight can vary greatly. One could hope that they will make an H4 version but it all comes down to money and if it is worth it. Having said that, I know in the US the sealed beams rectangular and round headlights all had the same pattern in the lens so maybe that was the case in Europe as well? I have seen a Spitfire with an LED replacement and it was ... different... I won't say off-putting but I can't decide if I find it attractive or not.. much like many wives of royalty... 😄

Small note: I think I figured out the wiper switch. There is a hole you put a thin rod into and pull the knob off. The problem is getting the bezel off and on without damaging it too much. Some people I guess have made tools. Any pictures appreciated!

Greetings, I spent all morning taking out the dash on my '72 Spitfire MKIV (LHD). The dash is plastic which surprised me as I thought it would me metal... It went well until I started tackling the drive's side. The main problem is the knurled nut (is that correct term?) holding the speedo in is rusted stuck and it even looks like it is cross threaded as it is at an angle. I soaked it in various chemicals to loosen it but even with vice grips it isn't budging. I will likely take a Dremel to is and cut it off. Question is: When I put the Speed back in how to do I mount it to the dash? If the thread further down is OK I figure I can shorten the fixing arm use a new nut. I was also thinking of using some sort of easily removable adhesive but I would rather have a mechanical solution. I can't see or get to the other nut. I have the same problem on the tach. I can get to one nut but not the other. Any tips/ideas? So I want to try removing the fascia panel which means removing the wiper switch. Problem is. I can't figure out how. I learned by searching here these switches are really rare and I really dig the bellows version and I know mine works so I don't want to damage it. Haynes doesn't cover it and the German version of the factory repair manual says (roughly translated): "Insert an appropriate probe into the hole below the know and remove the knob.".... errrr... what? I am guessing there is some sort of release to get the knob off and then you can unscrew the (faux)chrome bezel. Finally, the fascia seems to be attached somewhere else. Even the German manual doesn't really mention how to do it and Haynes doesn't either. I know the instruments are not holding it in as when I pull on it they move with it. My guess is there is some sort of bolt or maybe a plastic connector somewhere on there. Any ideas/tips? Thanks!

Ha! Best post I have read in a LOOONG time! I actually have run into a problem this morning but I will make a separate thread in the correct sub forum.

Wahey! Weyland is just up the road! Yeah they got somewhere between 12 and 24 inches by this morning!

Thanks for all the warm welcomes! The beauty of Triumphs and Spitfire (as you all know) in particular is you don't need ton of space or special tools. Mind you, as I was driving home with the car in tow I was kicking myself for telling my Mom in the US that she could gift my tools to my uncle.... Thanks to the Interwebs I have a small set of Imperial tools again. My first car was a '76 Pontiac Firebird my Dad and I had fixed up. While I was tempted to get one of those my garage isn't big enough for me to open the door! (much like Richard Hammond and his Charger..) Pics will be forthcoming. The dog is the most photogenic. 🙂 I go by Andy. I was named after my Grandpa, whom I never knew. My parents only found out AFTER the baptism, that his legal name was Andy and not Andrew (my real name) as he was supposed to be more "American" being the first of the family born there... Likely TMI, but you's guys (a Michgander term) likely don't have much else to do. 🙂 I am a bit of an Anglophile. Even in the States we watched British TV on the Canadian CBC. I still don't get Eastenders though... 😄 I have been to the UK many times but mostly for business (London). Twice to Gaydon for the "Slotfest" as I am a slot car (you likely know it as "Scalextric") enthusiast. I am absolutely hopeless at it but it was a nice, safe past time, unlike go karting where I got sent off for moving the barriers back 1 meter with the front of a go kart.... that I was driving... for some reason my arguments that I was only making sure they were safe did not sit well with the owner... I can confirm Germans don't have a sense of humor... The twisted chassis made me tend to agree though.. so a bottle of whisky, two cases of beer and a handshake lined with an non-disclosed amount of cash meant I was allowed to drive again. And people those us fighting for second to last place aren't trying hard enough! 😁 My first time to the UK we went to Portmerion (I know it is Wales. My English friends always sent me to the bar to get the drinks because they were afraid of the locals) because I am a huge Prisoner fan. While deep down I would love a Caterham/Lotus 7 I find Spitfires slightly more practical and I have yet to find someone who doesn't like the style. I am a member of the First German Spitfire Club but they are a little crusty and slow. Most of them have immaculate cars that they simply maintain (the workshops they used have all closed shop or died off) and "young upstarts" like me in my mid 40's are just crazy hooligans! Fog lights?! Tail fog lights?! Bluetooth speakers?! LED Dashlights?! Pshaw! I should point out there is a special class of car here called "Oldtimer" yes, the English term, which we would call a "classic" or "vintage". They get a break on taxes, insurance and are not restricted from going into city centers because of emissions. The problem is EVERYTHING has to be original or "in period". Yep, even the color outside and in and the radio! I am trying to find some sort of middle ground but as a non-German legally I can't do a whole heck of a lot. So I am trying to lead by example and finding out what one can and cannot do to make a beautiful car as reliable as possible. I have found an engineering firm that is willing to look at things like the trunnionless conversion, uprated front axles and such things and determine how (or rather if) one could get them road legal. It will be a long, long, long process and likely only one relevant to Germany and maybe Austria (I doubt Switzerland). The Dutch, French and Belgians laugh at the German's pednatic approach to these things ... and I tend to agree... but having lived here most of my adult life I also "get" the German point of view. It is, theoretically possible to wind any car out on certain sections of the Autobahn and most drivers simply cannot cope with that speed so the cars have to be in perfect shape to make up for the shortcomings of humans. So the theory... My word, I have waffled on a bit.. The dog says "woof".

Good day, Hopefully everyone is staying healthy and safe! I am ex-Pat Yank originally from near Detroit who has lived near the Hockenheimring for over 2 decades (no connection to the military). My first car I ever bought with my own money was a '72 British Racing Green Spitfire MkIV. It was essentially my daily driver until I bought a '80 Porsche 924 for the really cold winter months leaving the Spitfire for the balmy months. Alas, life made me leave the US and the cars behind. Last November an ad came up for a motorless and gearbox-less "cobalt blue" (similar to Royal Blue) MKIV near Bremen, exactly 1000k (621.4 miles to you and me) away. It has ALL the typical problems a Spitfire does: Rust. Rust on the sills, rust on the floors, rust on the bulkead, rust on the chrome. Even some of the rust on the door handles has rust! Otherwise though the car seems in good mechanical condition (what is left of it). It seems very true, I can't discern a bent chassis (which thankfully does NOT have rust). The previous owner (PO) replaced all the Lucas electrical plugs with standard screw/clamp connectors (usually used indoors). Door gaps look OK but the bonnet/hood is figerglass and much more flexible so it is sometimes hard to tell. They guy only wanted 1600€ for it and gave me pretty much everything I need to put it back together (sans motor/gearbox) including rear fender/wings in fiberglass, front valances and boot/trunk in fiberglass. I know fiberglass has its naysayers but it doesn't rust and is lighter. I would likely have a shop graft the fenders in as opposed to replacing them completely. I got as much as I could shipped from the UK before 31 Dec. and am holding off on ordering more until Covid and the new rules seem to be running more smoothly. Even with shipping (and some admin fees) most UK parts are better and often cheaper than here. I just want more confidence things will arrive within a decent amount of time. The biggest bear is the German MOT aka TÜV who for years didn't really care what is on a car as long as it passed its brake and emissions test (and didn't have visible rust) is now clamping down on such things as fiberglass body parts and things that are not "original". I have pieced some things from other Spitfires, like a beefed up 1500 gearbox w/balanced prop shaft I got from Mark Field late of Jigsaw racing (I had shredded my 3-rail in the US simply by installing headers, a Weber carb and a happier cam so I wanted something beefier) and some other suspension bits that shouldn't raise to many eye-brows (poly bushes in black instead of blue etc.). Better brake pads and shoes, etc. The goal is to make the thing as much a daily driver as possible and there were two conditions to be met by she-who-holds-the-bank-balance: 1. I had to build a bike port for the bicycles that have had to leave the garage 2. I have to simplify the car to the point that she can drive it! Money willing it will be stripped and sent to a body shop as I can't weld (it is much an art/black magic as science to me) and painting needs to be done properly. After that putting it all back together will likely take ages as I have 2 teenagers, 2 guinea pigs and a Labrador to take care of. Oh and the aforementioned she-who-holds-the-bank-balance. 🙂 I will be posting picks and more in the "about my car" section once I feel I have enough that someone would actually be interested in... Cheers..

I drove my MKIV as a daily driver in Michigan (pronounce Mish-again) USA and had no problems (no hard top). The trick was really thick upper-body clothing and very good gloves. I also put a bit of cardboard in front of the radiator if it was RALLY cold. The car is so light it is like skiing!