Greetings from near the Hockenheimring

[DVD3500]

Good day,

Hopefully everyone is staying healthy and safe!

I am ex-Pat Yank originally from near Detroit who has lived near the Hockenheimring for over 2 decades (no connection to the military).

My first car I ever bought with my own money was a '72 British Racing Green Spitfire MkIV. It was essentially my daily driver until I bought a '80 Porsche 924 for the really cold winter months leaving the Spitfire for the balmy months.

Alas, life made me leave the US and the cars behind.

Last November an ad came up for a motorless and gearbox-less "cobalt blue" (similar to Royal Blue) MKIV near Bremen, exactly 1000k (621.4 miles to you and me) away.

It has ALL the typical problems a Spitfire does: Rust. Rust on the sills, rust on the floors, rust on the bulkead, rust on the chrome. Even some of the rust on the door handles has rust!

Otherwise though the car seems in good mechanical condition (what is left of it). It seems very true, I can't discern a bent chassis (which thankfully does NOT have rust).

The previous owner (PO) replaced all the Lucas electrical plugs with standard screw/clamp connectors (usually used indoors).

Door gaps look OK but the bonnet/hood is figerglass and much more flexible so it is sometimes hard to tell.

They guy only wanted 1600€ for it and gave me pretty much everything I need to put it back together (sans motor/gearbox) including rear fender/wings in fiberglass, front valances and boot/trunk in fiberglass. I know fiberglass has its naysayers but it doesn't rust and is lighter. I would likely have a shop graft the fenders in as opposed to replacing them completely.

I got as much as I could shipped from the UK before 31 Dec. and am holding off on ordering more until Covid and the new rules seem to be running more smoothly. Even with shipping (and some admin fees) most UK parts are better and often cheaper than here. I just want more confidence things will arrive within a decent amount of time.

The biggest bear is the German MOT aka TÜV who for years didn't really care what is on a car as long as it passed its brake and emissions test (and didn't have visible rust) is now clamping down on such things as fiberglass body parts and things that are not "original".

I have pieced some things from other Spitfires, like a beefed up 1500 gearbox w/balanced prop shaft I got from Mark Field late of Jigsaw racing (I had shredded my 3-rail in the US simply by installing headers, a Weber carb and a happier cam so I wanted something beefier) and some other suspension bits that shouldn't raise to many eye-brows (poly bushes in black instead of blue etc.).  Better brake pads and shoes, etc.

The goal is to make the thing as much a daily driver as possible and there were two conditions to be met by she-who-holds-the-bank-balance:

1. I had to build a bike port for the bicycles that have had to leave the garage

2. I have to simplify the car to the point that she can drive it!

Money willing it will be stripped and sent to a body shop as I can't weld (it is much an art/black magic as science to me) and painting needs to be done properly.

After that putting it all back together will likely take ages as I have 2 teenagers, 2 guinea pigs and a Labrador to take care of. Oh and the aforementioned she-who-holds-the-bank-balance. 🙂

I will be posting picks and more in the "about my car" section once I feel I have enough that someone would actually be interested in...

Cheers..

 

[Chris A]

Welcome, you are a brave man taking that on - I certainly couldn't be able to do it.

[Colin Lindsay]

Welcome!! Post plenty of pics and plenty of questions, it passes the time for us lazy guys with nowt better to do.. oh and post a name, too.

[Gully]

Welcome - sounds like a great restoration diary is in the offing. I'm also sure the International Liaison people from the TSSC would love to make contact and run something in The Courier in due course.

Gully 

[Pete Lewis]

yes we need photo's   guinea pigs and the Lab will do for starters 

Pete

[Ian Faulds]

Welcome, interested already and you haven't posted a pic yet. Plenty help and advice on here. Looking forward to the pics.

The fibreglass bonnet on my gt6 was tight to the bulkhead at the windscreen end, but 3/4 inches gap to doors. So the one I had didn't seem great. I've a steel one now

[DVD3500]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes!

The beauty of Triumphs and Spitfire (as you all know) in particular is you don't need ton of space or special tools. Mind you, as I was driving home with the car in tow I was kicking myself for telling my Mom in the US that she could gift my tools to my uncle.... Thanks to the Interwebs I have a small set of Imperial tools again.

My first car was a '76 Pontiac Firebird my Dad and I had fixed up. While I was tempted to get one of those my garage isn't big enough for me to open the door! (much like Richard Hammond and his Charger..)

Pics will be forthcoming. The dog is the most photogenic. 🙂

I go by Andy. I was named after my Grandpa, whom I never knew. My parents only found out AFTER the baptism, that his legal name was Andy and not Andrew (my real name) as he was supposed to be more "American" being the first of the family born there... Likely TMI, but you's guys (a Michgander term) likely don't have much else to do. 🙂

I am a bit of an Anglophile. Even in the States we watched British TV on the Canadian CBC. I still don't get Eastenders though... 😄  I have been to the UK many times but mostly for business (London). Twice to Gaydon for the "Slotfest" as I am a slot car (you likely know it as "Scalextric") enthusiast. I am absolutely hopeless at it but it was a nice, safe past time, unlike go karting where I got sent off for moving the barriers back 1 meter with the front of a go kart.... that I was driving... for some reason my arguments that I was only making sure they were safe did not sit well with the owner... I can confirm Germans don't have a sense of humor... The twisted chassis made me tend to agree though.. so a bottle of whisky, two cases of beer and a handshake lined with an non-disclosed amount of cash meant I was allowed to drive again. And people those us fighting for second to last place aren't trying hard enough! 😁

My first time to the UK we went to Portmerion (I know it is Wales. My English friends always sent me to the bar to get the drinks because they were afraid of the locals) because I am a huge Prisoner fan.

While deep down I would love a Caterham/Lotus 7 I find Spitfires slightly more practical and I have yet to find someone who doesn't like the style.

I am a member of the First German Spitfire Club but they are a little crusty and slow. Most of them have immaculate cars that they simply maintain (the workshops they used have all closed shop or died off) and "young upstarts" like me in my mid 40's are just crazy hooligans! Fog lights?! Tail fog lights?! Bluetooth speakers?! LED Dashlights?! Pshaw!

I should point out there is a special class of car here called "Oldtimer" yes, the English term, which we would call a "classic" or "vintage". They get a break on taxes, insurance and are not restricted from going into city centers because of emissions.  The problem is EVERYTHING has to be original or "in period". Yep, even the color outside and in and the radio!

I am trying to find some sort of middle ground but as a non-German legally I can't do a whole heck of a lot.

So I am trying to lead by example and finding out what one can and cannot do to make a beautiful car as reliable as possible.

I have found an engineering firm that is willing to look at things like the trunnionless conversion, uprated front axles and such things and determine how (or rather if) one could get them road legal.  It will be a long, long, long process and likely only one relevant to Germany and maybe Austria (I doubt Switzerland). The Dutch, French and Belgians laugh at the German's pednatic approach to these things ... and  I tend to agree... but having lived here most of my adult life I also "get" the German point of view. It is, theoretically possible to wind any car out on certain sections of the Autobahn and most drivers simply cannot cope with that speed so the cars have to be in perfect shape to make up for the shortcomings of humans. So the theory...

My word, I have waffled on a bit..

The dog says "woof".

[Colin Lindsay]

15 minutes ago, DVD3500 said:

I am a bit of an Anglophile. Even in the States we watched British TV on the Canadian CBC. I still don't get Eastenders though... 😄 

I am a member of the First German Spitfire Club but they are a little crusty and slow. Most of them have immaculate cars that they simply maintain (the workshops they used have all closed shop or died off) and "young upstarts" like me in my mid 40's are just crazy hooligans! Fog lights?! Tail fog lights?! Bluetooth speakers?! LED Dashlights?! Pshaw!

Eastenders was a program invented by the BBC as they had a lot of hideously ugly actresses who couldn't find work, so it gave them a chance to appear on the screen.

The problem you'll find here is that we may be mostly getting on a bit but never actually grew up, so we have the benefit of pensions and too much free time without any of the responsibility that goes with it.

[DVD3500]

Ha!

Best post I have read in a LOOONG time!

I actually have run into a problem this morning but I will make a separate thread in the correct sub forum.