1971 Spitfire MKIV - An Adventure
Okay, so here's a list of all the things that I can find in need of attention:
The Ride:
Terrible - the back of the car is all over the place, even in a straight line. New tires and rear shocks must be put on asap.
Gears - The gears are difficult to find and change, but they are all there and they all work. Downshifting from 3 to 2 is particularly hard to do. Practice will help, but I'm sure other Spitfires aren't as bad as this. I'll change the transmission fluid and see if that helps. Seems to be geared very low or else it has no power from the engine...compression?
Engine
Turns over nicely; new ignition coil and distributor probably helping with this. Idles at 1000rpm. Looks in rough shape, but what do I know?
Electrical:
The following do not work: horn, front right headlight, front side marker lights, radio, signal lights, hazards, right bulb on license plate light, reverse lights, fuel gauge.
Body:
Rust is chronic: Both front valances are shot. Sills and bottoms of A post were badly repaired. Bondo replaces any metal that once was the passanger side lower quarter rear panel at the bottom of post B. The driver's sider was repaired with sheetmetal and looks ok, but underneath is a different story. There's a hole in the trunk and on both the front wheel arches.some small rust holes where the fenders meet the hood.
Paint:
The color is great, but is cracked, chipped, pitted and rusted all over the car. Looks t=like the original paint job though.
The Hood - Previous owner bolted a 4'x 1' piece of 3/16 sheet metal across the front to stiffen up the hood. he didn't align this properly as the gaps aren't even.
Chassis:
Looks straight and like the car has never been in a serious crash. While the chassis has surface rust it doesn't look like there are any holes. Needs to be sanded and primed to prevent further damage.
Interior:
Seats are junk, no carpet, mold behind the seats, torn cover that is useless, frame is good though.
The Ride:
Terrible - the back of the car is all over the place, even in a straight line. New tires and rear shocks must be put on asap.
Gears - The gears are difficult to find and change, but they are all there and they all work. Downshifting from 3 to 2 is particularly hard to do. Practice will help, but I'm sure other Spitfires aren't as bad as this. I'll change the transmission fluid and see if that helps. Seems to be geared very low or else it has no power from the engine...compression?
Engine
Turns over nicely; new ignition coil and distributor probably helping with this. Idles at 1000rpm. Looks in rough shape, but what do I know?
Electrical:
The following do not work: horn, front right headlight, front side marker lights, radio, signal lights, hazards, right bulb on license plate light, reverse lights, fuel gauge.
Body:
Rust is chronic: Both front valances are shot. Sills and bottoms of A post were badly repaired. Bondo replaces any metal that once was the passanger side lower quarter rear panel at the bottom of post B. The driver's sider was repaired with sheetmetal and looks ok, but underneath is a different story. There's a hole in the trunk and on both the front wheel arches.some small rust holes where the fenders meet the hood.
Paint:
The color is great, but is cracked, chipped, pitted and rusted all over the car. Looks t=like the original paint job though.
The Hood - Previous owner bolted a 4'x 1' piece of 3/16 sheet metal across the front to stiffen up the hood. he didn't align this properly as the gaps aren't even.
Chassis:
Looks straight and like the car has never been in a serious crash. While the chassis has surface rust it doesn't look like there are any holes. Needs to be sanded and primed to prevent further damage.
Interior:
Seats are junk, no carpet, mold behind the seats, torn cover that is useless, frame is good though.
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