QuestionI parked my '77 the day after my father died in 1992 and it is still sitting in the same spot. It ran well at the time, needed some brake work. Needless to say it needs a lot more work now. I am looking for a good mechanic in the area that I can trust to bring my baby back to life. I am in San Gabriel, California (near Pasadena). Also, I am wondering if doing this will make it a feesable daily driver. I just remember the incredible gas mileage I got (ave. 50 mpg) and how much fun it was to zip around in. It passed smog tests at the time but ran better when the device was disconnected. I was just reading the California bill AB2683 that passed here in 2004 and how my Spitfire won't be eligible.
My question to you, other than finding a good/reliable/honest mechanic is: should I even venture upon this endeavor?
I am a 40 yr old single professional woman that has never owned a younger car than this Triumph. I am currently tooling around in a 1971 type 3 VW, prior to this I was pre-1970's muscle car gal with a spitfire back.
I would love to hear what you think.
I have been shopping for a new car for about 6 months now and NOTHING appeals to me. I have narrowed it down to 2 vehicles, but either would be a compomise in my mind. I just hate the look of post mid 70's cars.
Any help, direction, advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Nicole
AnswerNicole,
I guess you need to decide whether you really want to drive the Spitfire again. In terms of economy, reliabilty and comfort you can find many newer cars that could fit the bill. So the question I can't answer for you is whether it'd be worth the price to you personally to get the Spitfire running again.
There are two national level clubs that have local chapters that I can recommend as a way to find a mechanic and other advice as you bring the car back to life.
The first is the North American Spitfire Squadron (NASS) at www.nasshq.org . As the name implies it's a group dedicated to the Spitfire (and GT6... :D) so you'll find people who know your car.
The second group is the Vintage Triumph Register (www.vtr.org). At the very least you can see if there is a local club near you, they also may be able to help out in finding a reliable mechanic.
On the plus side the Spitfire is a fairly basic car and isn't too hard to work on, especially compared to modern front wheel drive vehicles. There were a good number built (300,000+) originally and there is still good parts support via mail order parts houses. Since the engine/trans were also used in the late MG Midgets (1975-1980) some of the basic parts are still stocked by the better autoparts chains.
At the very least, I guess I'd suggest getting someone familiar with Spitfires to look the car over and figure out what you'll need. I'd suspect complete brake hydraulics, and most likely the clutch hydraulics too. Hopefully the mice haven't gotten into the wiring harness (they love that stuff) and the car was protected from the elements. If the engine has seized (possible but not definite) then it will add quite a bit to the rebuild bill.
Cheers,
Jim
