DaveH

Top man, thanks Mike!

Would anyone be able to provide the approximate dimensions for a Mk1-3 Spitfire hardtop please? Thanks in advance.

Brilliant, thank you!

Lovely, thanks Pete.

Hi Pete, I don't actually have the car yet, and will update my profile once I do, though it will be a Spit. I was generalising really, as I assume there must be some 'beyond the norm' checks people like to do with their classics, be it a Spit, TR6 or Herald, and thought it might be nice to have readily available for those (like me) that have never encountered a classic before. But then I have no idea how many new joiners are genuinely new to the world of classics, or just new to the club / forum. Cheers, Dave

Good to know, thank you. Which would cover the Mk3 1300? All I can see are for the Mk4 1500, or GT6 in the shop.

Having moderated on a few car forums over the years, as a newbie here there's a couple of things I would find quite useful here, as perhaps would others new to the whole classic car world. Maybe they've been attempted before, maybe not, but as I've only been here 5 mins I'm still learning. Firstly, a section on recommended garages / services etc. and maybe tagged by region. Obviously we have our local WhatsApp groups, but would be good to build up a resource on here as no doubt people need to make use of one or two at some point. Secondly, and this really is one for newbie's, basic routine maintenance. I'm used to 'modern' cars and weekly checks like oil / water / tread / wipers etc, but am an absolute novice when it comes to classics. Should I be greasing my pancake seals, re-torquing the fleegle-nuts, or checking the dilithium crystals? No idea what level of additional care these beasties may need, and there's such a great hive mind of knowledge on here that just know what to watch out for etc. So maybe a sticky topic in the introduce yourself section. Cheers, Dave

Ta, and no doubt! Probably starting with what's the workshop manual of choice? Haynes?

Happy to now be a proper member, just secured my Mk3 Spit & boost the Essex presence by +1 😁 Now just have to collect & plan the 240 mile drive home with it. That could be a fun / interesting shakedown drive!

Oh right, thanks Colin, appreciated!

Whilst embarking on the mammoth task of clearing my garage of 20+ years of junk, I’ve come across a Mk3 Spit for sale for 6k, well under my budget, which would give a reasonable pot to spend on tinkering etc. Its had a fair bit of maintenance work in recent years, and looks in decent nick. However, it’s a bit of a trek from me for a quick visit to kick the tyres etc, but looking at the pictures I’ve a couple of questions I’d like some advice on. Firstly, bonnet gap. This looks quite large at the scuttle, and I’m wondering if it’s the result of bulkhead sag due to iffy sill & floor pan replacement, and whether it’s reasonably straight forward to correct. The sills have the poor fit / gap at the door bottom I've seen on lots of Spits. Secondly, are the windscreen pillars on a Mk3 supposed to be ‘split’ on both sides? I know the rake is adjustable, but this looks odd to me. Pics below. Part of me says it’ll be okay, you wanted a project car, and my gut says keep looking for another Mk3.

Good to know, thanks chaps.

Hi Colin, I'm SW Essex, and will absolutely get to a meet at some point, providing everyone looks away as I pull up in my....."EV"! 😬 As much as I love the sound of a nice GT6, the looks just don't do it for me. A nice Mk 1/2/3 Spit with the removable hardtop is my goal, not really given much though or research into engines etc yet. I'll likely budget around 10-12k for a nice example, which I would hope leaves me with little to do for now other than some light fettling. Need to clear the garage of accumulated junk at some point, and broach the subject with the Mrs! Also need to see what insurance costs are like too, as car insurance seems horrific this year, our EV insurance has practically doubled, and that's with 32 years of accident free driving. I've noticed there seem to be two camps that the cars fall into, those that have had fully stripped back chassis that has been resprayed, or those that are covered in black porridge, which I assume to be Waxoyl? Is one more desirable than the other? Like the example pics below, in my mind, there could be all sorts of issues hiding under the black gunk, but I don't know enough about this. Cheers Dave

Yeah, nice to know it was still about 20 odd years ago. Maybe someone still has it somewhere, though probably scrapped or shipped overseas as there’s no record in the motor insurance database. it was definitely royal blue, don’t have had a registered colour change at some point.

Hi all, Been interested in Spits since I was little, as my father owned a Mk2 from new back in '65. His pride & joy which he sadly sold to buy furniture when he bought a house! As I'm approaching 50, I though it appropriate to start my mid-life crisis and give some serious though to indulging in a hobby I can really get on board with, so I'm researching all I can about Spit ownership. I've always been a tinkerer, in part thanks to my dad & his love of cars, and my Granddad, who used to make parts for the Supermarine Spitfire. So all going well, I hope to be looking out for a mk I/II/III this year that doesn't require chassis / body work, and be something I can happily maintain. A bit grainy, but this is my Dad's Royal Blue Spit that got me interested. Cheers, Dave