On Fri, 7 May 1999 nib@birkeroedkom.dk wrote:
> Du to my mishap with my beloved 1500 a few months ago, I'm in the market
> for a new spit at the moment. I've seen a 1967 MKII , but according to the
> owner, it has got a herald engine (haven't seen it yet). Now I wonder, why
> would anyone do this. I suppose it is not a conversion for power - would
> this car possibly have had an accident earlier???
Most likely the original engine wore out or otherwise failed and was
replaced with the Herald engine. Depending on exactly which Herald engine,
the block, crank and such are basically identical to corresponding Mk.2
Spitfire parts. A later Herald 1147cc engine with a Spitfire head, carbs
and manifolds would yield pretty much the same output as the origianl
Spitfire engine.
> To the point. What should i be aware of when looking at an MKII. The car
> has a slight rust-problem. Mostly edges on doors etc. but the owner says it
> is nothing serious. Should I worry a lot??
I always worry when someone describes a "slight rust-problem"! You should
look very carefully at both inner and outer sills, as well as the floor
pans. Although the Spitfire does have a separate 'backbone' chassis, the
body relies heavily on the sills to maintain a fairly rigid structure. If
the sills or floors are at all suspect in any way, be sure also to check
the rear suspension radius arm mount to the body.
Since you're familiar with the Spitfire 1500, I won't go into more detail
-- most aspects of the car's basic structure and systems did not change
over the years. The Mk.2 will have pretty much the same strengths and
weaknesses that the 1500 has.
--Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Andrew Mace, President and *
* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
* Vintage Triumph Register <www.vtr.org> *
* amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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