On Tue, 30 Jun 1998, Victor Michael wrote:
> recently purchased 1977 Spitfire... unsuccessful attempts to
> separate the existing wheel cylinder from the steel brake line [and] the
> rubber line from the frame.. connections seemed to be rusted closed.
> The emergency brake cable/hinge assembly is quite rusted also.
>
> Question: How does one get beyond these rusted or otherwise hard to crack
> connections? Is this just a sign of an old car and should I just expect to
> replace all these parts after having to demolishing them to pieces or the
> sign of an inexperienced "mechanic" or what?
Ultimately, you probably did the right thing in replacing these bits. If
they were that rusty, it's likely that even penetrating oil, heat and the
like wouldn't have been enough to remove them. Even if it were, no doubt
they were due for replacement regardless.
> ...given it a new pair of shoes. The driver side drum was harder than
> I expected to get over the shoes, but I figure I might have to wear
> them in? A little smoke at first....
Forgive the question, but did you back the adjustors off all the way
before installing the new shoes? In rare cases, new shoes simply don't
fit. Most of the time, however, they just require that the adjustors be
returned to their lowest position, then you readjust once the drum is
on and the shoes are recentered.
> ..The previous owner had plopped a Honda radiator into the
> Spitfire...He said Spitfire radiators were a bit "under powered" for
> North American weather.
WHAT HE REALLY SAID: I'm cheap and I happen to have this used Honda
radiator sitting right here, so.... :-)
> Question: would you recommend repairing the leak in the
> Honda radiator or replacing it with a Spitfire radiator?...
> Is the Spitfire radiator large enough?
Since the car has been "re-engineered" ;-) for the Honda radiator, repair
the leak in it for now -- if you can do it cheaply. Otherwise, you might
want to look into a new Spitfire radiator. It might run you around $250,
but it will fit better.
You really should find if sufficient for most driving conditions, so long
as the rest of the cooling system is in good shape and various shrouds are
in place to keep incoming air going through the radiator instead of around
it.
Relative to this and other needs you might have, I strongly suggest
joining a club or two. Illinois Sports Owners Association is a great group
of knowledgeable and fun folks (they even give "pet" names to most all
their members, but I'll let them explain that :-) ). Check them out at:
<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/buja/isoa.htm>. And, of course,
there is The Vintage Triumph Register <www.vtr.org>. Clubs are a wonderful
source of help and often a great starting point in a search for parts.
Someone might have a good Spitfire radiator just waiting to be installed
in your car!?
And stick with the e-mail lists awhile, too. There's a wealth of knowledge
out here.
--Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Andrew Mace, President and *
* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
* Vintage Triumph Register *
* amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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