Dear All,
One of things I had to do today was to provide details of work carried
out on Carly since I bought her, this time last year, for valuation
purposes. The list turned out to be terrifyingly long:
BODY
New near-side sill (rusty when purchased)
Repair to battery box (rusty when purchased)
Replacement battery retaining clamp (missing when purchased)
Replacement tread-plates (missing when purchased)
Replacement boot-lid (rusty when purchased)
Replacement rear bumper (rusty and broken when purchased)
New soft-top (torn when purchased)
Fully-restored factory hard-top (missing when purchased)
Replacement tonneau cover (missing when purchased)
New hood bag (missing when purchased)
New windscreen and seal (chipped/perished when purchased)
Replacement windscreen trim (missing when purchased)
Replacement wing mirrors (black-anodised replacing incorrect chrome)
Replacement windscreen wipers (black-anodised replacing incorrect
chrome)
CHASSIS/UNDERBODY
Stripped, welded where necessary, all areas, including wheel-arches,
treated with seam-sealer, Waxoil and stone-chip underseal
INTERIOR
Weld repair to driver's seat frame (broken when purchased)
Replacement upholstery for driver's seat (worn out when purchased)
Replacement gear-knob (original replacing aftermarket)
Replacement steering wheel (original replacing aftermarket)
Replacement heater control knob (broken when purchased)
Replacement speedometer (worn out when purchased)
Replacement door and back panels (tatty when purchased)
New (fibre-glass) transmission tunnel (crumbling when purchased)
Replacement window winder handles (tatty and worn when purchased)
Refitted carpets (poorly fitted when purchased)
New boot-lining (missing when purchased)
New boot tidies (aftermarket addition)
New spare wheel cover (missing when purchased)
New inner and outer door window seals (worn when purchased)
ENGINE/CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION
Engine rebuilt with new pistons/rings/bearings (worn out when purchased)
Carburettors reconditioned (worn out when purchased)
New carburettor heat shield (aftermarket addition)
Reconditioned gearbox (worn out when purchased)
Reconditioned clutch master cylinder (worn out when purchased)
New clutch slave cylinder (worn out when purchased)
COOLING AND HEATING
New radiator deflector boards fitted (missing when purchased)
New thermostat (working when purchased, but a sensible precaution to
replace it)
Reconditioned heater control valve
System flushed and tested
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
All wiring traced, tested and replaced where necessary
New coil/points/condenser/HT leads (working when purchased, but a
sensible precaution to replace them all)
New battery (one cell dead when purchased)
New temperature sensor (worn out when purchased)
Replacement boot light assembly (missing when purchased)
Replacement map light assembly (missing when purchased)
New cigar lighter assembly (missing when purchased)
New courtesy light switches (broken when purchased)
Replacement horn (one) (broken when purchased)
New solar-powered battery trickle charger (aftermarket addition)
(NB: Seat belt sensors absent when purchased, and not replaced)
BRAKING SYSTEM
Reconditioned off-side front brake caliper (worn out when purchased)
New master cylinder
SUSPENSION
New rear spring (broken when purchased)
TYRES & EXHAUST
New front tyres (worn when purchased)
New exhaust system (worn out when purchased)
OTHER
Replacement screen-washer pump and reservoir (original replacing Ford
Cortina set-up!)
New bonnet to bulkhead seal (missing when purchased)
I'm not sure that I would have bought the car if I had had any inkling
that I was going to have to have this amount of work done in the first
year. I've certainly spent more on Carly already than I would have
spent on a perfect '77 Spitfire, and I haven't started on the bodywork
rust yet (that's this summer's project). Mind you, if no-one had
bothered to do this work, she would have ended up as a parts car,
meaning one less Spitfire on the road for the future, and I am very glad
to have rescued her from that fate.
ATB
--
Mike
Michael Hargreave Mawson, author of "Eyewitness in the Crimea"
http://www.greenhillbooks.com/booksheets/eyewitness_in_the_crimea.html
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