SpitfireGeorge Posted December 14, 2019 Report Share Posted December 14, 2019 Hi Guys, Is there any difference between the front valence on a Mk 3 Spitfire to that on a Mk1 or2? My car is in the body shop and they think it is the wrong one as it does not fit even though it has the correct Rimmer's part number. To me it looks like the glassfibre one I took off. Cheers, Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 14, 2019 Report Share Posted December 14, 2019 Rimmers show two different part numbers: 807136 and 811676, so there must be a difference even if quite small. Mk3 is the lower in the photo below but any differences must be minimal as I can't tell from the photos! Canleys are the same and there is a price of a tenner between the two - MK1 / 2 being higher - so that definitely points to differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Clark Posted December 14, 2019 Report Share Posted December 14, 2019 6 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said: Rimmers show two different part numbers: 807136 and 811676, so there must be a difference even if quite small. Mk3 is the lower in the photo below but any differences must be minimal as I can't tell from the photos! Canleys are the same and there is a price of a tenner between the two - MK1 / 2 being higher - so that definitely points to differences. Hi Colin, Sorry but I think you have the photos the wrong way round. Part no. 807136 is the Mk1/2 valance, which has extra slots toward the outer ends, which I assume are for the low bumper mountings on the Mk1/2 cars. Part no. 811676 is for the Mk3 and doesn't have these slots as the bumper is of course higher on the Mk3. Interestingly (or not depending on how much of an anorak you wish to be), my 1967 Spit Mk3 has the earlier valance fitted. My car is about commission number 1,000, so quite early, and has the earlier style of front valance. It's rusty enough that I can believe it's original from the factory! When John Fairey (TSSC staff member and fellow Mk3 owner) greeted me at the TSSC Open Day last weekend, his first comment on seeing my Spitfire for the first time was 'why has your Mk3 got those extra holes in the front valance'. So to answer Brett's question, there is a difference between these front valances and part no. 811676 without the extra slots is correct for a Mk3 (at least if it's not a very early one). But either valance should fit okay on a Mk3. Sorry to ramble on so much but hope this helps. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Clark Posted December 14, 2019 Report Share Posted December 14, 2019 So to finish my ramble, I suspect my very early Mk3 has a Mk2 valence because the factory was still using up old stock when my Spitfire Mk3 came down the track. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanMi Posted December 15, 2019 Report Share Posted December 15, 2019 yep the difference is just the slots for the bumper iron on the early cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted December 15, 2019 Report Share Posted December 15, 2019 They were certainly using up Mk2 bonnets on early Mk3 as they fitted the alloy pods to cover the round light holes. Nigel, is yours early enough to have the pods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 15, 2019 Report Share Posted December 15, 2019 15 hours ago, Nigel Clark said: Hi Colin, Sorry but I think you have the photos the wrong way round. You're right! As I said, I couldn't tell the differences from the photos... apologies to the OP but glad it's cleared up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted December 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2019 Thanks guys as always. Cheers, Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Clark Posted December 15, 2019 Report Share Posted December 15, 2019 9 hours ago, thescrapman said: They were certainly using up Mk2 bonnets on early Mk3 as they fitted the alloy pods to cover the round light holes. Nigel, is yours early enough to have the pods? Hi Colin L, Glad we got that sorted! Hi Colin (Scrapman), Just checked my latest Mk3 and the bonnet doesn't have alloy pods for the side lights/indicators. The front valence is certainly Mk1/2 though. It's also got a fly-off handbrake and Herald/Vitesse style hood catches. I had a '68 Mk3 as a teenager and it had a normal handbrake, TR6 style hood catches and a normal Mk3 valence. How I wish I'd kept that one! Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted December 15, 2019 Report Share Posted December 15, 2019 I wonder if the bonnet has been changed at some point, all the other clues point to the ones made with left over Mk2 bits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Clark Posted December 15, 2019 Report Share Posted December 15, 2019 6 minutes ago, thescrapman said: I wonder if the bonnet has been changed at some point, all the other clues point to the ones made with left over Mk2 bits. No idea if the bonnet was ever changed... 52 years is a long time! Presumably, as Mk2 parts ran out, the Mk3 was built with the later parts we would expect. Like the front valence, the bonnet is rusty enough to be original. But there's no way to tell if it may have been changed earlier in the car's life. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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