Rayven's 1980 Triumph Spitfire

Finally. I was able to get outside and start working on Syren (March 23, 2014). She has been parked behind the garage and buried up to the headlamps in snow most of the winter (since I brought her home in Jan 2014.) due to lack of room.

She still needs some brake work ( I have new masters and slave cylinders) to be safely driveable. I also have a complete tune up kit and need to change all the fluids. Due to limitied time today I thought I'd start with the paint and body as this is her best feature and the one that should be first preserved. By going over the body with wax and an orbital polisher I'd better see any imperfections and problems as well as give her some protection from the elements.

I got into her and hit the ignition 3 times in 30 seconds with it being 34 F outside. She roared to life on the third bump. I never held the starter for more than 5 seconds on any attempt.

She had to do some climbing uphill (~ 60 degrees) and most of the incline was still icy. I ended up putting her in reverse and backing her up onto the flat grass. I then popped her into second gear and on the third trial she cleared the icy grass onto the dry asphalt of the drive way.

I polished the bonnet and the hard top. No appreciable paint buffed off the car and I was using a light polishing compound designed to remove old oxidized paint. I know it was a good job because I am now unable to place any object on the hood or bonnet without it immediately sliding and striking the asphalt! Good ole simple carnauba wax is truly amazing.

While going over the body, the shining polish/wax highlighted any small dents in the bonnet and on the hard top. All the felt and rubber body seal parts are going to have to be replaced for the lights, windows, hood, and the bonnet. Only the boot weather stripping was intact. It evidently had been recently replaced. No interior work will be started until the interior of the car can be totally protected from the elements.

After the polish/wax job was complete, I decided I need to straighten up and remove all the things that had been stashed in the boot. I hadn't gone through the boot contents previously. All the boot internal trim was strewn about. This might have been a good thing as it kept any moisture from collecting between the fabric trim and the metal. Rust definitely wasn't an issue in the boot.

I removed the vinyl convertible top. It was in fair condition with no mold or mildew. The clear vinyl side windows were totally cracked and now opaque and a slight tear was in the body of the material. The good news was the frame was intact but in need of cleaning, sanding, and repainting to arrest the little of rust that had been formed. I wonder if a canvas style convertible top is available with the hard style of window? This is the style I generally prefer.

Getting further down I found the spare tire cover - but no spare tire. Among the mishmash was a green jack, handle, and a simple lug removal wrench. Strewn about were some belts, bulbs, screws, spare filters. I sorted the items into various ziplock bags.

I was now at the boot base. Evidently mice had found their way here in the past due to the chewed conditions of a pair of gloves. One of the body rubber plugs was missing and the hole was big enough for a mouse to fit through. Also the grommets for the fuel lines were much too big as they would allow moisture to be sprayed into the boot. Looks like plenty of room exists to place an electric fuel pump for emergencies back here.

The trunk was vacuumed to remove sticks, leaves, insects, and accumulated rubbish, rinsed with soapy water, and the water sucked out with a wet vacuum. I then reversed the wet vac and blew the boot area totally dry and took inventory of the missing internal boot trim.

To give a higher level of protection, the boot area will be coated with an anti-rust primer, followed by a rubberized coating. The coating will be painted to match the final selected body color. Someone had done a fair job with such treatments previously but had not covered the entire boot area.

Care needs to be taken to insure the body plugs are in place before the rubberized coating is sprayed. This will insure a flat and smooth seating surface is maintained for the body plugs. If this area is rough a little sanding is in order. The plugs can be removed for the final paint color coat and then replaced for maximum moisture sealing and protection of the metal. Auto wax, petroleum jelly, or sealing polymer on the metal mating surface for the body plug will further assist in excluding moisture and protecting the metal and painted area in contact with the rubber body plug.

Loose boot miscellaneous items were tagged, bagged, and replaced into the boot space after cleaning and waxing with the exception of the damaged vinyl top. It was instead placed into the garage.

One thing of surprise found among the contents of the boot was a trophy -a momento from the glory days with a loving master. Syren had won first place in the Spitfire and GT6 division as best in class on September 14, 1991 from the Triumph Car Club of the Carolinas.

Perhaps the champion will soon return.

The temperature has now dropped to 26F and its now much to cold for this native Southerner. More snow predicted for this week. AAARRGGHH!

Rayven