Projects/Restorations advice please

[Kitchster_uk]

Just thought I'd ask some advice before I do something stupid that I wouldregret so here goes!

I am looking at buying a Triumph Spitfire to fix and fettle. A few reasons behind the choice - it's cheap, dead easy to work on the front due to the bonnet and it will end up as a run-a-round for my wife to be when she starts driving again (she has been diagnosed epileptic and lost her licence and her MX5).

The other reason behind the project is my 12 year old nephew. Freddie has ADD rather badly and struggles at school. However, he is very good with his hands and working with his hands keeps his attention. My self and my old fella both agree he would enjoy doing something like this and it will give him at least a taste of a trade. Anyway, I digress.

The thoughts I have had so far is to look for something structurally sound. The old man is great with bodywork so that isn't an issue but welding would be. I would belooking at getting a full set of workshop manuals and going from there. Any advice, hints or tips?

Cheers

 

[Lashout_UK]

Aye, just buy one with a sound chassis and one that looks nice. The mechanicals are so cheap, easy to come by and swap out that if you're going to take it off the road, it's rather irrelevant anyway.

Hell, even I've got a 1300 small bearing (the best motor of the bunch) and box in the garage, great little thing. It's for sale for 50 quid including box, for example!

Get one with overdrive, as it makes the car viable for motorway work and try to get one with a 1300 as the 1500 is a long stroke, only suitable to a maximum of 5500RPM and tends to spin and eat bearings, bend rods and generally try to escape from the car, whereas the 1300 doesn't.

Might be worth picking up a Mk 4 or 5 Spitfire as these are the more refined cars that have some of the foibles worked out

The chassis is a seperate entity from the body but it's worth making sure the main tub is free from grot, as are sills, any complex box sections and so on. Just poke around and don't be afraid to lift carpets to check.

http://www.tssc.org.uk/spitfire.asp?article=buyersguide.xml

http://www.triumphspitfire.nl/buyersguide.html

http://www.triumphspitfire.com/Buying.html

 

[Glaucus]

first off you need to decide what you want to achieve. are you just going to mod the engine and sort small problems out, you going to strip it down to the shell and redo all the wiring and everything else.

Do you have space?
Although the charger is sitting outside, There is a single garage and half a loft and the boot filled up with parts. Once you start stripping, you really are talking about a lot of space. and that's just the interior, wheels and door insides.

Time?
When I first got it I was like yeh few months it'll be on the road, 18months latter and I still have a lot to do. Welding takes a long time, well not the welding fabrication and preparation. But you've already said you don't wont a rust bucket.

But the biggest advice would be decide exactly what you are capable and willing to do. then when you find a car make sure it matches those criteria.

The chassis is a seperate entity from the body but it's worth making sure the main tub is free from grot, as are sills, any complex box sections and so on. Just poke around and don't be afraid to lift carpets to check.

And when we say poke get a screwdrive, or even better a sharpend file (old metal file ground down) and give any suspect parts a good beating. If its good metal it will simply chip any paint. If its rust, 10 hits or so should start showing pin size holes or bigger.

 

[Kitchster_uk]

Cheers guys.

Acidhell - I have a large single garage (wider and longer than normal) and my old fella is about 200 years royund the corner with another garage so storage isn't a problem. Was hoping to start snsible, making a fair example look very good, do he brakes, fluids, chnage any ancillaries that need working out, sort the bodywork, clean and sort any metal to stop future rust, fix any niggles etc.

The point is to achieve something the missus can use day to day for the 5 minute run to work and that we can both take out in the summer.

 

[Glaucus]

The point is to achieve something the missus can use day to day for the 5 minute run to work and that we can both take out in the summer.

Then your looking at rust free, MOT'd cars, with niggles . Just make sure any metal that can't be easily swapped, chassis, roof ect are rust free and most of the mechanics are in a reasonable shape.
If your looking to swap out suspension to make it handle better, then look for something with worn out linkages and rubber grommets, which you can the knock price down, as you'll be replacing those anyway. (suspensions, just an example)

 

[Lashout_UK]

Oh by the way I highly recommend NOT using a Spitfire for short 5 minute runs to and from work - not only will the engine be wrecked by short stints (classic engines and boxes don't take kindly to it) but also, when cold, they can be less than cooperative to drive smoothly