Graham C

I have used his seat covers and foam a couple of times, and his door cards. Excellent quality and price. The man to go to for car interiors. Graham

Hello Karl Sorry to hear about your Mum. It is hard getting over these things. Some time ago I lost my Mum, Dad, Auntie and a close friend over a few years, I struggled for a number of years, even packed in working on a car which I was hoping to turn into a bit of a rally car for my friend and I to drive in rallies. It took a number of years to restart the project. I hope everything goes well and you continue to work on the car. Graham

Later spitfires had inert three point seat belts fitted. Inertia reel fitted on rear wheel arch,the other end fitted by the floor between the rear of the seat and the sill. The clasp/stalk fitted on the tunnel - the raised section at the rear of the seat where the tunnel flattens out next to the rear heel board. Hopefully that helps. Graham

Interestingly not a curve on the body, Based on a square, must have a square piece of paper and a straight ruler Graham

I spilt some milk under the spitfire seat in the 1980s, could not remove the smell until I wiped it over with white vinegar. This neutralized the alkaline of the milk then I washed the vinegar out. Still got the car but not got the smell. This seemed to work. Graham

From memory when I came across this problem I replaced the stud with a bolt which was either brass or stainless steel and applied a load of grease. Good luck Graham

Another great triumph stalwart gone. With out these people we would not have the Triumph group we have now a days. Sorry to hear this news. Graham

Sorry can't provide too much advice on bending stainless steel however my limited experience it is a very hard material to work with. Have you considered having the damaged section replaced, I am sure you have a small fabrication company near you that can sort it out. I wish you luck. Graham

Very sad to hear this news, I do not know whether I met him but I enjoyed his articles and comments on the old forum. Feels very disconcerting that people I was aware of in my younger days are disappearing. Sorry can't make the funeral but hope things go well. Very sad news. Graham

Also the light cables should sit inside the bonnet upon the lip between the bonnet curve, the main feed should then follow alongside one of the hinge bracket. (Driverside from memory). You may find some metal tags on the bonnet lip which bend to hold the cable in place. These originally had rubber tubing to protect the cable from rubbing. The position you have the in would lead to rain water entering the connectors and corrosion. Graham

Very interesting but what is the car next to it? Sorry to ask the the question as the your project sounds very interesting and yes it will be a FUN car to drive Anyway how do you intend to keep it on the ground? Graham

Hello Considering the rarity of the panel then it makes sense to give it the best treatment possible. If the rust is deep then you may have a panel coming back with holes. If it was me I would rub it down by hand and wire brush on a drill and go from there. From the pictures it does look to be surface rust but this could result in pin holes, but these can be filled with weld. Graham

Adrian That's a good piece of engineering. I would image it will still be around after the car has gone. ☺️ From the picture I assume it is in the car, so is it comfortable? Graham

I remember watching a classic car program where a new car wind screen was cut out of a larger one for another vehicle. You need the original one to get the profile and shape. Graham

With regards to the number plate affecting the airflow to the radiator. I would agree it does if you have the brackets attached to the bumper, when I had my Spitfire back in 1983 and used as a daily runner I fitted home made brackets to the front chassis rail and then had holes for two positions. One for summer, lower down and for winter which was higher to restrict air flow. In addition I would fit either a summer or winter thermostat as well. I forgot about this with a GT 6 and it would over heat until I moved the number plate, which resolved the problem, kick myself for this stupid mistake. So move the number plate, it will help. Graham

Latest update, following the fitting of the gearbox I took the car out down my street last week to test the box. Good news everything worked with the gearbox. Could not try the OD as it was not wired up. Today thanks to Peter Lewis who supplied an OD gear lever I wired the up the OD, again it worked OK. So a £250 gearbox from e bay approx. 7 years ago, where the gentleman said it was sound has been proven right. Thank you all for your help, information and interest in this project. Hopefully the information I have posted Willl help someone else. Graham

Thanks, Will send pm with telephone number.

Good point, Single rail. Graham

Does any one have a spare spitfire overdrive gear lever that they wish to sell? Graham

Also "I like the smell of grease in the morning" Graham

Pull the plunger back down the handle via the black handle/chain and then latch the chain into the keyhole slot. Unscrew handle and press grease into handle. Re attach handle and release chain/ plunger. Open the air breather cap, located below the hanging loop. Release air and when grease starts to come out, close breather cap. Now start greasing. Graham

Happy birthday, she is catching me up. Get her on the road before she needs a zimmer frame. Graham

Colin, for nuts, washers and bolts I generally go to engineering suppliers they seem quite happy to supply very small quantities. Generally I buy six if I only need 1 or 2 then I put the spares into stock for next time. Cheaper than motor factors, halford, etc. as well. I have been in these places when someone from a small workshop is ordering stock for a job and they may only ask for a couple items. For example of cost I was after 10 mm studding to make and secure boards to make concrete wall capping, 3 mtr for £3 while B and Q over £2 for a mtr. And they are very helpful with good advice. Graham

I did think about a hole and also an external magnetic around the bell housing but I not sure whether the nut had actually fallen into the bell housing as I did not see it fall. I am surprised that it took some time for the thread to drift. Anyway for £15 pounds I have a useful tool for looking into those hard to see dark spaces such as under floor boards when feeding cables. Graham

Last weekend when tightening all the bolts around the bell housing after fitting the gearbox in a GT6 I drop a nut that was going onto one of the top studs, not hearing it drop the floor I suspected it had dropped into the bell housing though the clutch lever opening. I spent Sunday night attempting to convince myself this had not happened and failed miserably. So to avoid separating the prop shaft, gearbox and engine I thought though various options. End up searching Amazon for an endoscope found a wireless one that links to an iphone for £15, brought it. This Sunday spent a few minutes searching the inside of the bell housing though the starter motor opening found the nut and with the magnetic attachment pulled the nut out. Very impressed and saved me a few hours of fruitless work. So this weekend this cheap endoscope is my favourite tool in my garage. Graham