Triumph Repair: 70 Spit nut sizes, metric wrenches, english cars

Question
Hi Jim, a real strange question but very serious to understand.  The Spit is a British car but my metric wrenches don't fit.  I have to use SAE type. Was there a special design for the US with US standard hardware?  One friend told me that there was a third standard that was used in England that was different from metric but close to SAE.  Not sure what type hardware to use to replace rusted out bolts etc. Thanks

Answer
Lamar,

At the time that your Spitfire was produced, the "standard" hardware used in the UK was UNC and UNF, which are basically the SAE course and fine sizes.  The English and the Americans had agreed on the common standard size during World War II to make it easier to share parts, etc.

There is an older English sizing standard knowh as "Whitworth".  Older English cars like the pre-war MGs had Whitworth nuts/bolts.  By 1970 there were very few manufacturers still using Whitworth hardware.

In the Bentley manual for your car there is a very nice chart of all the bolts used in the Spitfire with the details that will make it easy to order replacements.  I've seen the list reproduced on the web over the years, so you may be able to find the information online.

In summary, yes, you'll need a good set of SAE wrenches and sockets for your Spitfire.


Cheers,

Jim