Terryb

Thanks Pete just had a quick look--seems an easy job. Terry

I have bought a mechanical Smiths oil pressure gauge as my Spitfire does not have one. Firstly--is fitting this gauge recommended or is it just going to stress me every time I drive the car and spend more time watching it than the road. Secondly, I am unsure how to fit it--do I look for the oil pressure gauge on the engine and unscrew it --then put the T piece in and attach the gauge?? Grateful for any advice

I took my 1976 spitfire to a local welder a couple of weeks ago and would highly recommend him. Anyone in the north east looking for repair work which is not a silly price then a trip to Blyth would be well worth it. Never used this guy before but decided to give him a try. I knew the spitfire needed a couple of jobs doing but this guy gave my car a thorough checking over and even after agreeing on a price he found some extra small bits and did them at no extra cost. He kept my car for a week which did not bother me and pointed out some mechanical jobs I should look at fixing myself. His welding work is excellent, not just a patch stuck over a hole, he made a very tidy job with it feathering into the bodywork and minimum amount of damage to the paintwork. He also rebuilt the rear part of the sill where it meets the wheel arch and even put the small vertical lip on the rear quarter panel to match the rest of the bodywork. Will definitely use this man again. Unsure if I am allowed to mention names or phone numbers on this forum--not sure of the rules, but contact me should you need him.

OK thanks, I had been reading about the lead memory, I guess the previous owner was right to say run it on unleaded as the engine has done 96,000 so the valves should be pretty hard.

I have just found out that the car comes with all the paperwork/MOTs for the last 15 years so there may be a clue in there. Would it do any harm to put the additive in the petrol anyway--as a precaution? What does the additive usually cost and how long would a bottle last?

I have been enquiring about a 1500 spitfire from a dealer and he had been told by the previous owner to "just put unleaded in". I am a bit uncomfortable about buying a car with no proof that the head has been done. Is there any obvious signs the head has been made unleaded, I am assuming not as it's all going to be under the rocker cover.

I really like the mk4 or 1500 Spitfires and more or less decided to go for that. I am looking at hip replacement in the future and low cars are not recommended however I am not very tall anyway and I know people adapt there ways of getting in and out of cars to suit. I wondered if any other spitfire owners have had hip replacement and own this car?

Thanks Ian, Unfortunately I have problems with my right hip due to 30 odd years of martial arts and is the only reservation I have for buying a Spitfire. Ideally it would be great to try getting in and out of the car a few times but unfortunately I don't know anyone who has a spitfire and there is none locally in the North east (Blyth-Whitley Bay area) I did try one which was for sale at a local garage about 3 months ago but only got in once (didn't want to get out!)

Thanks for the information Kevin, the wide doors should make a big difference. I hunted the internet trying to get the specifications on seat height but it is not mentioned anywhere. Now back to hunting down a decent Spitfire thats not 300 miles away!

Can anyone help me with this query: I am looking to buy a Triumph spitfire mk4 or 1500 but need to know how low the seats are. Does anyone know what the height is from the ground to the top of the seat cushion? I ask this because of a hip problem I have and unfortunately there is no Triumph Spitfires up for sale in my area (north of Newcastle) where I can have a look. I have only once sat in a spitfire about 3 months ago which I liked but am curious to know exactly how low down I will be sitting when I do eventually find a Spitfire.