QuestionI've been looking for a Spitfire for a while and I've just been told
about one for about my price which apparently is in good
condition but had been garaged for a few years- I believe it is a
1972ish Mk4.
What should I look for to decide whether it's worth my time or
not? If the engine and brakes are siezed, which I suspect they
may be, how difficult would they be to get back to working
order?
For the money, I could get a runner which isn't as structurally
sound, do you think that may be a better bet?
Thanks for the help, Simon.
AnswerHi Simon,
If it was garaged I would not expect the engine to be siezed up, brakes maybe. On cars like that the condition of the car determins the price. I would look for rust first and condition of the interior too. Than base the value on weather you are going to find an engine rebuild, clutch & brake rebuild necessary.
Put the car in neutral and see if the brakes are locked up and if they are not put it in 4th gear and rock the car back and forth to see if the engine is free. If not put a little penatrating oil like WD-40 in the plug holes and try rocking the car in 4th gear to see if you can brake the engine loose. If you can then that was just surface rust on the cylinder walls and you can than remove the valve cover and spray the valve stems with WD-40. Then put in a good battery and with the plugs out spin the engine with the starter. Check to see that the oil looks good and spin the engine with the starter (plugs out and small wire removed from one side of the coil.) spin the engine untill you see oil pressure on the gauge. (35 PSI or above is normal with the starter) Any car setting in a garage for years will most likely need the fuel tank cleaned. (Radiator shops do that) You will probably need to rebuild the clutch and brake hydrolics and the complete fuel system. Any rubber parts may need replacing also, ie, hoses etc. It is also common on British cars for the clutch disk to be stuck to the flywheel. Most parts are still available for the Spitfires but there are a few that are particular to the Spitfire that are a little pricy. Triumph unwisely used large needle roller bearings in the rear wheel that ran directly on the axels so if (and when these bearing went bad) it would destroy each half axle. Another problem was they used such a taper fit and a light duty hub that many hubs were destroyed trying to remove them to service the wheel bearings. This was even when the factory hub puller was used. Like most smaller British sports cars this is a fun car for back winding country roads but not good for expressway or heavy down town trafic on a hot day. It is a good car to restore as parts are still available. If you purchase it and need advise on component overhaul you may want to look at my web-site and I will be glad to give you advise as you proceed. http://www.mg-tri-jag.net
HMF
