Piglet Posted May 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2022 Apologies! Yes of course it's 12v. I blame the lateness of that hour lol. Ordering some now. Alex 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piglet Posted May 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2022 Today revealed a few more issues. Oil leak for one. I have yet to own a Spitfire that didn't but there was no evidence of this when I first saw the car. It seems to be coming from the sump, either the gasket (oh oh) or the sump bolt...if the latter then it might just need a new copper washer. And the offside front coil is slightly twisted, though it works fine. Never seen that before. Plus the squeak is back from the bonnet so I bit the bullet and ordered a new latch. On the plus side I have fixed the number plate light! So a little bit of progress (sort of). Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 10 hours ago, Piglet said: And the offside front coil is slightly twisted Do you mean the road spring is kinked? If so, that's normal, especially when jacked up. Squeaking from the bonnet latch is also very common. Check the height of the rubber cone - a slight adjustment of the tension may help quite a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 bonnet squeaks are very often not the bonnet , if the cup washers on the shocker top mount are worn the shocker shaft squeaks on the hole in the turret can be a right pain to locate without a lot of jumping and levering if you get an incessant squeak when driving it will be the shocker top mount not the bonnet bonnets give a rattle more than a squeak took me ages to solve mine but got there in the end Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 one set of Herald Vitesse poly bush's I got had little lips/annulus's on them that located in the upper spring mount centre hole to ensure the shock top rod/spindle was correctly located thro the spring mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 Just a trivial thing for the bottom of the list. I notice bullet wing mirrors, very pretty, I have the same. But are they convex or plain mirrors? Plain were absolutely useless until I replaced them with convex. £6 on Ebay. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piglet Posted May 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 Pretty mirrors yes and totally useless. I had no idea you could replace the glass with convex! Do you have an eBay link? Good to hear the shock is okay though it does look a little odd. The nearside one is fine. Bonnet squeak is the latch...well, I'm pretty sure it is. It wobbles about and I put a circlip in to stop it moving and that cured the noise...until the circlip fell out! Still annoyed about that oil leak. I was seriously considering contacting the seller about this and a host of other things. One of his claims was that 'everything works'. It simply doesn't. However I do love the car dearly so I can live with her little foibles and will fix them as I go along. Not looking forward to taking the dash out and, of course, my new Haynes manual only shows how to do it on a MK4! Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 20, 2022 Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 if you go searching oil leaks be aware the front bridge to cover the front main is alloy there are long and short bolts on the sump fit a long one into the bridge and they bottom out and strip .very common oil leak also any gorilla hands on these will strip them quite easily so dont go wrenching up the front bolts 6lbft is just a nice nip steel bridges are available or some up to M8 or 3/8"unf as a repair Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piglet Posted May 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 Thanks Pete. I didn't know about the different length bolts so best to place them in order when removing! I'll try the sump bolt and washer first though. Hopefully the easy option might work. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted May 20, 2022 Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 I’ve repaired several bridges with heli coils using the short thread inserts they work well I replaced ALL the threads just for longevity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piglet Posted May 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 I agree helicoils are very good. Done a few on bikes and all have worked perfectly. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted May 21, 2022 Report Share Posted May 21, 2022 Hellicoil`s. They where even used in the factory!!, The first batch of a (very) expensive 9ft+ dia, dredger bearing ring, stripped several on assembly, the torque calculation had been wrongly calculated. The "official" rectification process, was to helicoil the entire ring!. And then use the correct torque. To my knowledge that ring was still in operation 40 years later!. In Poole Harbour. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piglet Posted May 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2022 The saga continues and it's the usual one step forward and lots in reverse. The new bonnet latch arrived, fitted perfectly and the squeak has gone for good! Went off for a celebratory espresso nearby, went to change into third and the clutch went down to the floor and stayed there. Thankfully some frantic leg action got it working again. Got home and decided to adjust the brake light setting on the pedal as they only work when you really shove your foot down and I noticed the door latch...oh dear. Gave up. Went inside and had a glass of red. I shall resume the normal chaos tomorrow. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted May 22, 2022 Report Share Posted May 22, 2022 Oh dear… I’d stick with treating that door check strap gently for now. I’m afraid that repairing that area is potentially pretty awkward. It might be possible to do it without removing the skin, damaging the paint visible from outside the car is likely though. From the photo you’ve definitely got rot through both of the layers of the shell and it extends under the top hinge plate at least. However, it is an issue you can put up with, and nothing that should upset an MoT tester, so something to stick on the long term list (If you were closer I’d say I’d take a look at it in the winter, as shown in my resto thread I’ve rebuilt much worse!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Faulds Posted May 22, 2022 Report Share Posted May 22, 2022 It looks to me like metal fatigue. You'll need to take the door off cut that section out and weld in new metal. Take some reference positions for the hole from a decent door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrishawley Posted May 22, 2022 Report Share Posted May 22, 2022 The door strap is really important. If it lets go (as it's on the very cusp of doing) a freely swinging door can result in a lot of secondary damage (as well as being unsafe). It's been subject to prior bodgery: There's evidence of prior use of a welder and there is recent paint on the edges of the ripped metal (i.e it's received paint with the failure already evident). Close inspection of the photo show not only rust crawling up behind the upper hinge plate but also a crack extending down behind the lower plate (again with paint in the crack). All repairable - but intricate and time consuming and potentially £££s if not DIY. But before embarking on repairs I'd have a serious look at the front seam (door skin lip to door frame). It looks markedly decayed, but has been painted nonetheless. It may be that more general repair is needed or to source a door in better condition (do you have a paint code or paint name for the current colour of the car?) On an easier note: Have you sorted the oil leak? If not, have you excluded a leak from crankshaft seal on the timing chain cover? Usually evident after a hot run and a teardrop may be visble, as the car cools, which may either drip to the ground or track around the sump gasket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted May 22, 2022 Report Share Posted May 22, 2022 True @chrishawley, but I’d not put it in the ‘take the car off the road immediately category’. It will likely be rotten all the way inside as the double skin construction if the shell is a superb rust trap, and water can run in from the top. I was thinking the door skin looks like it has been replaced, but not very well crimped though. But you’re right, could be rotting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piglet Posted May 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2022 It's not pretty is it? I'm fairly confident a small plate could be knocked up to fit in there and then welded in. Not done the oil leak yet. I need to get her up on some ramps and degrease the engine first to see for sure where it's coming from. I did go for a drive today and did some emergency brake tests to try and bed in the (new) pads. Slightly better and yes they are green stuff ones. Also surprised to notice she has drilled discs. Not sure of the point in that. I've tried them on bikes (and wavey discs) and they make zero difference in the wet or dry. But it's nice to see that they are new. As are the hoses and the calipers look very good. Might try different pads and see what happens. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 23, 2022 Report Share Posted May 23, 2022 ive only found green stuff is easy to clean the wheels but dont stop the car Doug says drilled discs are just ...noisy if you want braking get some mintex1144 or similar on your wish list Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted May 23, 2022 Report Share Posted May 23, 2022 I'm with Pete on the Green Stuff - my Vitesse was fitted with them when I bought her, and they were awful. I replaced them with nowt-but-very-ordinary (possibly even unbranded) that I had lying around and the brakes suddenly actually worked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted May 23, 2022 Report Share Posted May 23, 2022 3 hours ago, Pete Lewis said: ve only found green stuff is easy to clean the wheels but dont stop the car 58 minutes ago, Mathew said: The green stuff in the 2500s were terrible. Did they make the brakes all spongy? Sorry, it's raining . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piglet Posted May 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2022 Mintex it is then! Found the right ones on eBay. Wow. is everything expensive on a Spitfire? 😀 Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piglet Posted May 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2022 Edit that. Just bought the mirrors Doug suggested...not expensive at all. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 24, 2022 Report Share Posted May 24, 2022 get a tube of Mintex Ceratek paste for the anti squeal back of the pads club shop sell M1144 for type 14 calipers not always the best price but good for comparing ££s and no fakes you must seriously bed in 1144 Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted May 24, 2022 Report Share Posted May 24, 2022 Missed at first that the three lines for the different grades of pads were not the whole of the instructions. Thought 90mph bedding in instructions were a bit much for road pads! Belting up the inside lane and then breaking down to 30 a few times is unlikely to win many friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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