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Newbie from Elstree, Herts


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Hi... I thought I'd introduce myself.

I was a member 20 years ago and my Spitfire Mark IV was the first car I ever bought...used to love this car especially during the summer months with my fiancé....after marriage, kids and family commitments, the car has been sitting in my garage for the last 15 years!

Now the kids are teenagers I wanna bright her back to life again.

Unfortunately, I tried to move her out of the garage to clean her up but couldn't due to a seized rear drum....I really want to get her started but am worried about damaging the engine so my next course of action is to call a nearby triumph specialists who can help me get her started and start the process of getting her restored and MOTed.

I live in Elstree and note JY Classics are reasonably nearby so will drop them a line to see if they can help.

Will keep you posted on how things go and will post some pictures...She's a Damsel Red 1973 Mark IV 1.3 - HCL 889L.

Nautam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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welcome back.  if you get stuck (bit like the brake ) give me a call I run the herts a nd beds area and getting locals out of trouble is a offshoot  we do travel to 

restore hope, but JY have a good name , let us know how you get on

you dont need a classic but look up herts and beds in the club web  area directory  we meet just outside hitchin , nice run ut when the suns up

busy eveings  , lots of help at hand .

Pete

 

 

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Nautam,

Welcome! A lot of us follow the same pattern, the car sits in the garage for years, then life changes and we think "Now's the time!".  A few threads on here regarding revival after a long lay off, worth doing a search to gain some tips.

Pete "The Guru" Lewis comes highly recommended, he once went all the way to Guilford to help a chap who wasn't even a member. But, Herts & Beds have far too many members, East Berks is about the same distance and has an elite exclusive membership, near Maidenhead! :lol: There's also South Bucks who meet in High Wycombe. 

Doug

 

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Thanks Doug...I seen some threads on this and researched a bit on You Tube too...all useful stuff but will keep you all posted on how things go...getting excited on getting her running again...we have some lovely country lanes and pubs around here so if all goes well it will be good if I can get her running again for the summer...cant wait!

 

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Welcome from another Herts based Triumph owner!

You have Moordale Motors at Potters Bar close to you - they're a Triumph specialist and seem to have a good reputation, often supporting Triumph magazine cars and doing preparation for Club Triumph's Round Britain Reliability Run.

Keep us posted as to how you're getting on - and we like photos!!

Gully

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Are Moordale Motors not that good or reputable?...Looking at both websites and reading what they do, JY appears to be better....I think I might err on the side of caution and see what JY can do for me...will sort out the garage this weekend and share some pics...the car's body seems OK with some scratches however there are bits missing and the interior looks quite scruffy...Over the years I have set aside some cash as I knew I wanted to get her running at some point...have a couple of grand set aside for her to get her back on the road plus some contingency.

Anyone used JY before and are their labour rates reasonable...cant seem to find anything on the forum under restorations?

Nautam

 

 

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that doesnt mean they are good bad or indiferent, the motor trade has been like it for years, its all down to personal preference or experience

All do a  good classic friendly job, and understand the old cars, just passing on some clues without any condemnation of anyone

We have just fixed a vitesse bought from a south coast trader with a useless mot and found a repair that cost £££ to find the rear wheel cyl attached to the back plate with a cable tie   only the drum stopped it all escaping

Its a fact some get on very well with traders other have a nightmare  

One thing is common they will always take  your money with a smile

Both JY  and  MM have a good reputation

Pete

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OK understood...suppose it's pot luck...will give each a shot and see how comfortable I feel...I suppose these little babies are quite straight forward to repair as I've tinkered a bit on mine when it was running.

Key priority to try and get the MOT out of the way first provided nothing catastrophic turns up....it shouldn't as the car has been garaged and not exposed to the UK elements....fingers crossed.

Nautam

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Not supporting the demise of MOT for 40 year old cars , if you wait till may you probably wont need one

Read the post on historic 

Peace of mind needs a thrid party safety check  

If you can get at the car, wheel off, and give the drum a good hidding with a mallet ,   not a  club hammer 

It should release the stuck  linings  with a clout and a wiggle , if recomisioning it will probably need new shoes and pads anyway

Yes take you pic,  lucky dip,  let us know how you get on

Pete

 

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Hi all...being a newbie I apologise if this is in the wrong area of the forum...

Well, cleared out the garage and this is what I have after 15 years...Im quite sad and embarrassed seeing her like this...cannot move her as all wheels flat and 2 tyres are off the rim...I think the chassis is good as I can't see any rust on the sills or panels....only up on a ramp will the true position be determined...doors and some panels probably needs some realignment and I think a full respray will be in order at some point as there are some scratches and marks on her... the engine turns manually but I suspect will need some bits and pieces to get her going again..possibly get it reconditioned with an unleaded conversion.

I suppose my next step will be to get an assessment of her from someone who is willing to come and see me...then I can get some practical advice on what I do next.

I think over the next couple of weeks, I will take the wheels off and get kiwk fit to see if they can get the tyres on the rims provided the tyres are not too damaged...in that way I can least get her out of the garage...will also try and free the seized rear brake drum but will be awkward given the space in the garage.

Being a newbie its easy to get too carried away and excited with everything...Sorry!

Nautam

 

 

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Nautam,

Tyre manufacturers recommend replacing tyres after 7 years, worn or not. Your tyres are at least 15 years old and are almost certainly cracked and have ceased to be rubber. So, wheels off and down to Quickfit. Good news is tyres for my GT6 cost £25 each, buy 4 get one free! Yes really. :lol: Never make do with tyres .:angry:

Your car looks in reasonable nick, I've seen worse on the road with MOTs! An ideal restoration project for a novice. Get the teenagers out there with soapy water, sponges and Autoglym, the transformation will amaze you!

Doug

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Thanks guys...A trip to Kwik Fit seems in order for all 4 tyres, then see if I can pull her out and give her a quick wash weather permitting...I suppose this will bring how bad the scratches are and whether there are any dents on her...will post some more picks next week once this is done...then comes the engine!

Nautam

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Hi

If that was me to DIY , to get it running, I would see if it turns over by hand. If so, then check it has oil in the sump and coolant in the rad.

Fit a temp remote fuel supply, above the height of carb to gravity feed them with fresh fuel (eliminates fuel pump/blockages in fuel line problems).

Crank the engine over with the rotor arm removed until the oil light goes out to get oil pressure and feed the carbs with new fuel.

Then see if it starts.

If not, then prob quite a few reasons, around ignition/carb and you need ask more questions on here/buy an old book/s etc on mechanicing ,including starting problem diagnosis.

There will probably be a bit to sort out if not run for that long time even when it's running.

I can't see how that advice could cause damage, but please chip in other members, otherwise.

Dave      

 

 

 

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Thanks Dave...will take it easy when starting...battery probably needs replacing, need to check spark plugs too but the engine does turn manually which is a bit of a relief....will also need to inspect cables, pipes, bushes etc...lots to do but that the nice thing about these cars in that you can do bits and pieces bit by bit.

My priority is to get some new tyres on her, free up the seized rear break drum, move her out of the garage, clean her, then look at the engine and visually inspect her....then make a list on what to do next, but engine start will be the priority....this in itself is quite a task...will see if I can drain the fuel tank and put some fresh fuel in...I've ordered the workshop manual  as this will no doubt help...may possibly give the car to JY to see if they can help with this...I'm a novice but keen to learn so this forum is really useful for me.

Finally, went onto The British Motor Museum website to get a heritage certificate, tech spec and folder to keep everything in...

What tyres are best to put on her or does it not matter really...just thinking of replacing the old ones on her now...will do a bit of research on this and see if Kwik-Fit have them in stock.

Nautam

 

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Nautam,

I don't think you'll have a problem sourcing tyres, somebody will have them.

You may or may not be lucky with the fuel. My car was put in the garage with half a tank of the good stuff and started irregularly over 20 years. Do as Dave says for the first attempt to start, but worth trying the existing fuel once you know it will run. If you do have to drain, dispose of a small quantity at a time into a modern (ensuring it has a petrol engine! :lol:)

I used garden strimmer nylon cord to "dyno rod" my fuel lines and got out some nasty pink sludge.

There are rubber sections in the fuel line which may well have gone plastic and should be replaced with modern R9 specification rubber pipe. Modern fuel will eat anything that's not R9, don't ask me how I know! :( 

I keep meaning to buy a proper workshop manual. :wub: It's worth have several sources to cross reference, I've got by with Haynes and an Autobook, lots of pictures.

Doug

 

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If you are only intending to roll the vehicle back & forth on site to carry out the work you need to do at the moment, I would hang fire getting brand new tyres until you reach the stage where the car is either going to be MOT'd and / or ready for the road.

Out of interest what is the tyre size currently on the car ??

Kwik-Fit are good, but also have a look at Blackcircle and National Tyres; in addition to that there are a number of other tyre suppliers on line.

Regards.

Richard. 

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Hi Richard

Looking at the tyres, I have only one tyre that I managed to fill up with air...the other 3 tyres have become so flat that one rim has cut into the rubber plus another tyre has completed come off the rim...it may be salvageable...the spare is flat so I may use that however the other one may need to be replaced....I will check tonight to see what the tyre sizes are then will search the web for the appropriate tyres...given the size I hope there will be some available but I suspect they may be expensive....I did do a quick check with Kwik-Fit, put in my car Reg and it came up with 145/13 or 155/13 as a suggestion...none of which are available at my local branch...will do some more research and post up what I find.

I take your point in that if I can use the old ones then yes I will use them while restoring, then and swap them out once I'm ready to hit the road...last thing I want is multiple punctures on tyres that are over 15 years old :o

Many thanks

Nautam

 

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Agreed.

Lets say you go for 155/70/13 - better than 145 and you may be able to go 165, but will leave that advice to other Spitfire owners.

National Tyres with their discount code RT5ALL will get you a set of 155/70/13 Goodyear Efficient Grip Compact fully fitted for just under £190; it's a quality tyre make no mistake.

I believe Kwik-Fit & Blackcircle stock these but I have not compared prices.

Regards.

Richard. 

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The original tyres would almost certainly have been on 4.5J rims and sized 155 R13 - current equivalent is 155/80 R13. The latter is a very common size. If you were to move up to a 5J rim, many people (me included) fit 175/70 R13 tyres, but they are a bit wide for 4.5J rims.

Gully

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Well he's a pick of my tyres....what a sorry state of affairs!...doubt if any of these can be reused even when moving the car in and out of the driver as the rubber is not rubber anymore!...you can see they are 155 R13 78S...looking at National and Kwik-Fit, they have 155/70/13s varying in price from budget £34.50 to Goodyear Vector 4 seasons at £66.50 each...Continental and Michelin are around £55....National are a bit cheaper with Firestone, Toyo, Yokohama at around £39 to £45....

At the end of the day it will probably be down to budget, brand preference and use...I will probably go mid range as it will give me the impetus to push me to get her back on the road as soon as I can.

Regards

Nautam

 

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