QuestionHi Jim I need some more help, I was curious if there was any way to tell what kind of key a spitfire orrigionaly had. Moss makes key blanks and My MKIV didnt come with one. My idea was to get a key blank and get a lock smith to make a new one out of it to fit my ignition and doors. The spitfire is 1972 MKIV. According to moss they have different series, MRN, FA, FS, FP, AA, MG, RV, WS, Bl. If you have any idea or any other solutions please let me know id greatly appreciate any help.
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Followup To
Question -
Hi Jim I am 18 always been interested in cars but never got around to learning a whole lot, I know my basics but nothing to fancy. I recently found a (what I believe to be) 1972 MKIV (the reason I believe this is because it has a black dash rather then the wood dash I see pictures of 74's have) It has sat in the rain for 3 years, I live in california but a mountian town were we get decent rain. The cars body is just starting to rust in very few places and seems pretty good, The engine I was told was running when parked after it was moved at the year of sitting mark. The car has no seats but seems to have all the dash parts there. The top is ruined its full of leaves but I think I can completely restore it if I really work. My friend whos a "mechanic" thinks it will run if we change the oil, pour a little bit of oil in the spark plug holes, get a battery, and use some starting fluid. So I need to know (because my friend is questionable about the way he "repairs" certian things) What kinda oil would this car need, Is the battery 6v, or 12v, Where is the date stamp, and do you think this is worth my time or do you think I should sell it being I dont have the car in my posession quite yet (due to not having hauled it yet) and Already have had people offering to buy it from me.
Answer -
William,
Let's see if I can sort this out.
It's a square tail Spitfire, similar body to the 1974 that you've seen pictures of? Then a black plastic dash would normally mean Mk IV. Unless someone swapped in an older dash for the "look".
1. Oil. Engine oil is best. 10W40 for starters... if it's burning quite a bit then up it to 20W50.
Also don't forget to put oil in the carburetor.
2. 12V. Negative ground. Just like any "normal" car.
3. The commission plate should be in the drivers side door opening low on the B pillar.
Is it worth your time? Well... depends upon what you want to do with the car. It is a 30+ year old car so there will probably be a bit of small bits and pieces that need to be replaced. On the other hand there are few cars as basic and simple as a Triumph Spitfire, so most of the repairs are easy to do.
If you decide to keep the car the first thing you should do is get a proper repair manual. There are Haynes repair manuals, and Bentley repair manuals available. The Bentley (Robert Bentley publishers, not the car maker!) are more detailed, including reprints of the factory information on the car. They're also much more expensive.
Cheers,
Jim
AnswerWilliam,
Sorry for the delay... what should have been an easy question turns out to be a bit more complicated.
Your Mk IV Spitfire should have come with 3 different keys:
1) Door lock
2) Ignition
3) trunk lid
For the keys I'll give you what info I know from my own collection
Door Lock Ignition Trunk lid
Original FT
DL brand MG1 DM9 62FD
ILCO brand MG1 FT6R 62FT
Silca brand UNI-19 DM-1R UNI-8
Actually if you have a decent locksmith in the area (they'll have to cut the keys, remember) they can probably provide the blanks cheaper than the specialty suppliers can. At least with the part numbers you won't get a blank stare when you ask for getting the keys cut.
Cheers,
Jim
