Dave O

Can anyone advise me what size solder iron I need to desolder the stator loom wires from the rectifier on this spitfire 1500 alternator? (See photos) I’ve tried my 40w draper iron and nothing happens after about 30 seconds, it doesn’t seem to want to melt even though it’s at full power setting! Im hoping to replace the rectifier and regulator but need to remove the old ones (which look pretty corroded) first. thanks for any advice DaveO

Hi, I finally figured out why I couldn’t get my idle speed to anything less than 1000 without the engine conking out. I had the fuel mixture too weak! Had previously set this by turning jet screws down 2 whole turns from bridge then finer tuning from there (ended up with them about 2.5 turns I think). But thanks to some advice on this forum (Pete) I tried again starting at 3 whole turns down and ended up setting at probably another 1-2 flats down from this. Car now idles great at around 750! This is for HS4 carbs on a Spitfire 1500 if of use to anyone else. Just need to set fast idle now - presume I just do this with engine cold and choke out, and then just adjust fast idle screws to the correct speed? Many thanks again to everyone for the advice I’ve got through this forum Dave O

Many thanks all these are v helpful suggestions. i might try taking off one tyre first to assess the situation then decide. personally I like the idea of blasting and spraying the whole rim but I have the added problem of not having yet chosen a compressor to power my blast cabinet ( see posts in tools section) it is very chicken and egg and I think I’m still very much at the egg stage!

I have a 1978 Spitfire 1500 that I bought 2 years ago to do up. Hasn’t been road legal since 1987 going by the tax disc and also the last MOT. I’m now at the stage where I think I can drive it but the tyres are looking a bit worse for wear and really need replacing before I take it on the road. it has its original steel wheels which are also in need of a bit of TLC and I plan to media blast and paint them in time but meanwhile wondered if it is safe to put new tyres on them to give the car a go or would you recommend restoring the wheels first? Can anybody recommend a good tyre supplier who could also fit the tyres to the wheels and any good brands of tyre that are also good value? Also is it easy to take a tyre off (to restore wheels) once on or does that risk damaging the tyre? thanks Dave O

Hi I realised I hadn’t backed off the throttle screws. Very little light now. Out of interest how do you centre the discs? If I remember they are screwed in with screws that split at the back so not sure I can loosen?

Hi, I,ve just done this and I can see a little light around the edges on both is this normal? The discs look quite central and I think the chamfer is the right way around please see photos. Do they need any further adjustment? Thanks for your help

I’m restoring a Spitfire 1500 as my first classic and need some advice about some of the bigger tools please. I hope to do everything myself including welding and spraying the bodywork as well as sandblasting some of the rusted components. I have already purchased a blast cabinet from machine mart. So I’m looking at compressors and have read that a realistic minimum would be 100L/3hp/>10cfm to do spraying but I’d go for a higher spec if it makes the job easier? Can anyone advise me when I look at the SIP website, it mentions 2 cfm readings, free air delivery and piston displacement. Which one is the right one to use when comparing and what would be the minimum to do HVLP spraying with for example? Also what are the advantages of going for a larger tank eg 150 or even 200L? Do these sizes benefit even more for spraying or blasting? Some of the larger sizes appear to need 16amp supply, is it worth getting an electrician in to put in an extra loop off the ring main? Would this be of use if I’m also thinking of MIG welding in the future? Sip compressors appear to be the most popular from reading around on this forum. Any advice appreciated - I realise these are big decisions and want to make sure I get my equipment right. Thankyou, Dave O

I’m restoring a Spitfire 1500 as my first classic and need some advice about some of the bigger tools please. I hope to do everything myself including welding and spraying the bodywork as well as sandblasting some of the rusted components. I have already purchased a blast cabinet from machine mart. So I’m looking at compressors and have read that a realistic minimum would be 100L/3hp/>10cfm to do spraying but I’d go for a higher spec if it makes the job easier? Can anyone advise me when I look at the SIP website, it mentions 2 cfm readings, free air delivery and piston displacement. Which one is the right one to use when comparing and what would be the minimum to do HVLP spraying with for example? Also what are the advantages of going for a larger tank eg 150 or even 200L? Do these sizes benefit even more for spraying or blasting? Some of the larger sizes appear to need 16amp supply, is it worth getting an electrician in to put in an extra loop off the ring main? Would this be of use if I’m also thinking of MIG welding in the future? Sip compressors appear to be the most popular from reading around on this forum. Any advice appreciated - I realise these are big decisions and want to make sure I get my equipment right. Thankyou, Dave O

Thanks Pete ill check the throttle cable then see how she runs. She’s not been on the roads for a long time but save from getting some new tyres on her I think I’m almost there. Dave

Replying to this late as only get limited time for car at weekends. But just to say thanks for all the advice so far I really appreciate it. v coils were great for the thermostat housing fix and really easy to use. Used the 2D coil not the one included in the kit which was 1.5D as seemed a better length I checked the car for potential air leaks. Throttle plates fine they were replaced with new ones (without the port) when I serviced the carbs and the chamfer was right way round when I fitted them. Breather system all fine the hoses were all replaced recently all the fittings seem snug. I noted no jubilee clips on the hoses where they fit onto the carbs, should there be clips on there? Filler cap okay. air filter gaskets not obstructing and checked jet tubes and no leaks, stray o rings etc. ive tuned engine it seems to run fine but as you say no difference with the 88 stat, just managing idle speed of around 1000 or slightly more when warm and choke off. Hopefully this okay for time being, like you say “forget Haynes” I guess it isn’t rocket science and if the car appears to run fine then maybe just go with that for now

Thanks to answer Pete, they are waxstat jets but I completely overhauled the carburettors using a repair kit so the wax stats are both new. I wanted to replace like with like.. Overhauling the carburettors is the reason I’m now having to resynchronjse them im not sure if I’m doing the right thing by replacing for a higher temp thermostat. I should mention the car hasn’t been driven since 1987 and I wanted to get the settings as good as I can do before trying it out on the roads. I think idle speed is meant to be about 750 rpm or so but wondered if anyone else gets down to that or whether I should worry about it at all? The car really seems to struggle whenever throttle screws are turned down to achieve an idle any lower than 1000 (basically it’s hard to keep it running with choke pushed in unless I have it revving at over 1000). This was previously with mixture too rich going by the black soot appearing on the spark plugs. Not sure if running on a weaker mixture/ hotter engine will make any difference to idle speed or not.. How much does it matter to get near to recommended idle / fast idle settings??

Thanks for your replies so far. I’ve followed the steps for setting mixture and idling speeds but still reckon I’m not able to run at recommended setting possibly because engine not warm enough? I went to change from 82 to 88 stat because I wanted to see if running the engine slightly warmer would allow me to set lower idle speeds. But think I’ve now threaded one of the thermostat housing bolts, see pics. I’ve found something online called a v coil thread repair kit for £30 - before I take a drill to my waterpump housing has anyone used this and would you advise it to repair the threads? V-Coil 4126 5/16-inch UNF Thread Repair Kit many thanks

Hi, I’m struggling to set fuel mix/ idle speed on my spitfire 1500. Bought as a non runner 2 years ago, have since overhauled entire fuel system including tank seal, new pipes, pump and serviced the carburettors, so really happy these are working fine. When I looked the car had no thermostat so I fitted the 82degree one because the Haynes manual suggests the 88 one is for N America models? Have tried to set fuel mixture and idle speed a couple of times. Basically following Haynes manual for tuning HS4 carbs. When engine warm temp gauge reading just under half way but Haynes suggests should be around 3/4 hot?? Cant seem to get idle speed below about 1000 when engine warm without it conking out. It runs beautifully when the choke is on though. Initially thought because the fuel mix too rich - engine began misfiring because plugs got sooted up and this rectified with cleaning plugs but trying to run on leaner mix it just conks out again. im wondering if it could be because the engine isn’t running hot enough? Would it make a difference switching to the 88 thermostat? And also wondered if I need a gas analyser - some folks seem to say this essential to set fuel muxture but these things are expensive and I’d rather just set mechanically and by ear if I can??

Thankyou for that johny I’ll check for the anti drain valve at the weekend