On Wed, 7 May 1997, Anthony Green wrote:
>
> Hi - I'm new to Triumphs and am considering buying a '79 Spitfire
> 1500. It appears to be in good shape, has all maintenance records and
> only 24k miles on it.
>
> I have a couple of questions....
>
> 1. The hood rattles when it idles. The seller showed me a couple of
> little rubber plugs on the hood that have worn down, making the
> hood a bit loose when closed. Does this sound reasonable? Are they
> easy to find and replace?
Yes, those little "cones" are readily available from all the usual
suspects, er, suppliers.
> 2. It doesn't have a very smoothe idle. The seller claimed that you
> don't want a smoothe idle. ???? Does this sound right?
Uh, NO! Why wouldn't you want a smooth idle, particularly on what I'll
assume is a stock motor with a single Stromberg carburetor? This, of
course, may be related to #3...
> 3. There was some smoke coming out the exhaust. I saw a little black
> smoke and a little grey. What would be a reasonable amount of
> smoke?
Well, actually, little or no smoke would be ideal. The black smoke likely
indicates a too-rich mixture. A bit of grey smoke might be ok on a cold
start on a cool morning, but if it's really a bit more bluish smoke, then
the car is burning oil, which it really shouldn't do. Too much grey or
white smoke could indicate a lot of moisture, also not good.
I'm not sure I would RUN away from this car -- 24k and service records, if
both are honest, has some potential. But it might be nice for the owner to
come clean with you, and it might be to your advantage to try to find a
mechanic to look the car over thoroughly for you. The smoke and rough idle
conditions could be minor adjustments or tuning, or they could be
indications of MAJOR problems on a neglected or worn or beat upon engine.
If the seller is adamant about NOT letting you have the car checked over
(at your expense, but believe me it would be worth it), then it would be
time to RUN away.
That's my gut reaction, anyway.
--Andy
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* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
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