Mike wrote:
Just bought a 1975 Spitfire for $1195.00. It's running, but in the
shop for a couple of U-joints, some other stuff. The previous owner
had it painted black which I guess is not the usual thing for this car.
It's really pretty though. Someday I would like to see it in its
original yellow.
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Congrats! I restored (and then sold - sniff, sniff) a 64 Mk I. Fun
cars! Black, huh? Well, if you like it, great, but IMHO the brighter
colors look better on LBCs - the bright yellow was always one of my
favorites.
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The mechanic says & the other posts on this list say that these are
good running cars. Is it reasonable to think I could make this my main
vehicle (I probably drive about 100 miles a week)?
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Yes, but... The good news is these are VERY simple cars to wrench and
maintain. The bad news is they are NOT a 1999 Honda that you simply
hop into, turn the key, drive, park and repeat the next day, day in and
day out for months on end with nothing more than topping off the oil.
These cars all require constant maintenance - note, not excessive or
expensive maintenance, just REGULAR maintenance. Examples? Checking
point gap, plug gap, rotor, cap, condensor and timing. Changing oil &
filter. Adjusting valve lash. Adjusting carbs. Changing fuel filter.
Topping off coolant. Check brake fluid level, pads, shoes and parking
brake operation. Checking diff and gear lube levels. Etc., etc. But
this is all easy stuff. Pick up the Haynes manual - it describes all
the regular routine maintenance you should perform and shows you how to
do it. Realistically, if you drive it 100 miles a week, plan to set
aside about 2 hours every fourth weekend to check all this stuff and I
guarantee your Spit will run like a Swiss watch for a long, long time.
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Also, are they supposed to be loud or quiet?
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>From the factory, relatively quiet, but keep in mind your talking early 70s
noise standards. Compared to today's cars, I think most people would say it's
on the loud side. But hey, it's an LBC, they're supposed to be loud. ;-)
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I used to have an English motorcycle -- a Norton -- and I never
developed enough skill as a mechanic to keep it on the road myself. Is
the Spitfire a different experience?
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See above...
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BTW I can't get over how nice this car looks. The only car I've seen
nicer is the 1969 Spitfire in the mechanic's shop that he's just
finished restoring for somebody. Wow!
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Check out the May, 1999 edition of European Car magazine. Page 92.
There's a five page spread on a drop dead gorgeous 64 Mk I Spitire
that some fool spent a year and lots of $$$$$ restoring, and then sold
it for far less than he had into it (sigh). ;-) C'est la vie.
Ross Vincenti
Temporarily Triumphless
64 Porsche 356 C coupe
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