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Regarding originality on TRs --
Kevin Spooner writes:
>believe it is origonal. The car was sold in Cal. in 1962 and
last
>licensed in Cal. in 1975 so I suspect that it is primarlilly
origonal.
>I took a careful look at the ZS carb set up on the TR3A also.
They
>are mounted on the long tube intake manifolds. I see 2
possiblities.
>Based on the late manufacturing date of this vehicle (one of
the last
>1000) they may have used the long manifold and ZS carbs. Or
the
>origonal owner had the carbs replaced with TR4 used parts for
some
As I recall from Langworth/Robson, ZS carbs did not come into
existence until well into TR4 production. Therefore, it seems
unlikely that even a late TR3A would have been so equipped from
the factory. More likely an overzealous mechanic at some level
broke or screwed up the original carbs beyond economical repair
-- not by any means impossible to do!
Regarding Water Based Paint Stripper --
Roland Dudley reports good results with the 3M stuff. I'll
second that, although it is a lot slower than Zip Strip (my
other favorite), but the lack of fumes is worth the extra time.
(DISCLAIMER: I haven't tried the 3M on a car yet, only on wood.
YMMV.) 3M does caution you not to use their product with steel
wool; at least on wood, use of steel wool produces what looks
like bad mildew spots that are then very difficult to remove
without much sanding. I don't know if the same would hold on
metal. 3M's stripping pads are quite good, though.
Regarding Marcus's new '76 Spitfire (Wahooooo!) --
1) You can mount almost everything on the frame first if you
want. Spits were originally assembled and painted with body on
frame, then mechanicals and trim fitted. That's why the frames
are body color. For restoration, it might be a little easier to
have a rolling chassis first, but it doesn't much matter either
way.
2) I would think you'd be OK to replace floor pans (I assume you
mean the front footwells) with tub off frame if that is the ONLY
place on the body where there is any rust. So long as the tub is
supported level, sills and driveshaft tunnel should provide
enough stiffness to keep the body square. If you replace any
more than just the footwells, or if there is any other
significant rust, especially in the sill area, I would recommend
using the frame as a jig to keep things as square as possible.
If the engine number begins with FM, it's a Spitfire 1500 motor.
If it begins with FP, it's a Midget 1500 motor. Same motor
either way.
Andy *still wondering if there's any harm in using that Herald
distributor in an MGA -- anyone got any ideas?* Mace
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