Well, this past weekend was the first "long drive" of the restored 64
Spitfire 4!! By "long" I mean more than a couple of times around block.
The missus and I checked all the fluids, warmed her up and departed for
beautiful Laguna Beach, CA at 7:30 a.m. Since we live up the coast only
about 12 miles we were there in a little over 20 minutes. Car ran great,
although we did have to turn around after 2 blocks when I turned on the
heater fan blower and blew the way undersized 3 amp fuse I used while
originally testing the electrical circuits and subsequently forgot to
change. Popped in a new 15 amp fuse and away we went.
Nothing like a cool morning, top down, heater keeping the tootsies warm
drive along the coast to put one in good spirits. We stopped at a little
side street cafe, had breakfast, got tons of compliments on the car and had
a good laugh when a leather bomber jacket, gold chain, baseball cap clad
40ish guy and his heavily made-up significant other parked right next to us
in a brand spanking new black BMW Z3 roadster. The Spit drew more looks,
thus confirming my hunch that deep down inside most people actually do have
good intentions when presented with a choice between "good" (LBCs) and
"evil" (late model German sports car wannabees). May the force be with you.
Stopped by a friend's house on the way back and he of course was pleased to
see the final product at least until his wife walked outside and said "Oh,
it's darling. Robert, why can't you do domething like that?" Back on the
road, got many stares and smiles. This is really fun, although everybody
was blowing by us due to my self-imposed 50 mile per hour break in speed
limit. The exhaust system sounds absolutely wonderful as it burbles through
narrow streets bouncing off the walls and echoing back.
Back at home, wiped off the road grime, and put her away for next weekend.
The car runs just about perfect, although there is a good size flat spot in
the upper end of the rev range if the plugs are fouled. Once you blow her
out, though, no more flat spot. I suspect it might also have something to
do with the non-functional mechanical advance in the distributor. Anyone
who has read this far may remember that I am still looking for a replacement
distributor for my Delco unit. Any sources yet? Thanks again to everyone
this past year who answered questions, swapped or sold needed parts, and
generally came to the rescue from time to time. I've made some good e-mail
friends and hope the fun continues. Maybe I'll see some of you at the next
VTR event. Regards,
Ross D. Vincenti
64 Spitfire 4
64 Porsche 356C Coupe
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