Cheers,
after you all know the car in front (retrorides.proboards86.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=51874) I shall now tell you something more about that rustbucket on the trailer.
This is a 1969-ish Triumph Spitfire MK3 I bought back in 2005 for silly money.
The car was delivered new as a CKD to Milan and was sold and maintained by Autoassistenza Arlotti, Via Olmetto 13, Milano. Sounds great, doesn't it? ;D
Rumours are that this is the exact car that was on display at the Geneva Motor Show in 1969. But so far this hasn't been confirmed in any way.
I got it as an abandoned project. A few jobs have been done to the engine, it was otherwise complete, but almost completely dismantled.
So I spent the first week going through all the boxes I got with the car and immediately giving it its eyes back so that it can see what's going on:
Bodywork was up next. It needed sills, rear quarters, A-pillars, one B-pillar and a complete respray. I decided Old English White was the way to go:
Mods so far: black rims. This is a pretty subtile modification, but it looks much meaner I think. I really like the original hubcaps and I personally can't think of any other wheel that fits it better. Feel free to convince me otherwise.
Brightwork was next:
New H4 headlamps and rechromed bumpers make it look much more like a car. Had some swearing to do as I fiddled everything from a box labeled "doors+dashb." back into place. Rimmers' part diagrams were a big help here.
I went for a grille with chromed inserts:
Interior was next. I made some new carpets and got some new trim and it started to feel like a car, too. At this point I had a seat in it for the first time ever. Which resulted in me looking like this ;D for quite some time.
The Missus immediately fell for it and started practicing her "I wasn't speeding, was I?"-face:
Electrics were next. This is something I've never done before, but a Spitfire's wiring diagram won't give you that much of a headache.
And this is where we're now:
Done the brakes, new shocks all around, polybushed every suspension component I could get my hands on, fitted a wider radiator, electronic ignition, reconditioned the carbs... you get the picture.
I had it out on the roads just once on my garage's plates and it was a blast. You often read about the 'rewarding first drive' in classic car magazines, but when you experience this for yourself it's all completely different anyway as I'm sure you all will agree.
This very special moment when all the details you have been working on for so long suddenly become a whole car. The trust you gain after depressing the clutch and the car actually starts to move. It's breathtaking.
I have to say that the last time I've heart the engine running was in 2005 and it wasn't more than a very distant memory. You open the top, wind down the windows and all of the sudden there's not a moment to lose. You just have to get going. What was planned to be a 15 min trip round the block turned out to be a one-hour cruise through the Bergisches Land.
What's left to do is to pass a TÜV-inspection (=MOT+ a little German bureaucracy which - trust me - is the worst kind!) which makes it road legal and gives it its status as a historic vehicle. So I finished the last details and left the car in the garage to get it tested the next morning. Only to find out that 7 inches of snow turned up over night.
So there's nothing left to do but sitting in it, listening to an old Who album and waiting for the roads to become a little less salt-infested.
I hopefully will see some of you at the Goodwood Revival next year. Providing the Lucas electrics are on my side and we'll be making it. ;D
after you all know the car in front (retrorides.proboards86.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=51874) I shall now tell you something more about that rustbucket on the trailer.
This is a 1969-ish Triumph Spitfire MK3 I bought back in 2005 for silly money.
The car was delivered new as a CKD to Milan and was sold and maintained by Autoassistenza Arlotti, Via Olmetto 13, Milano. Sounds great, doesn't it? ;D
Rumours are that this is the exact car that was on display at the Geneva Motor Show in 1969. But so far this hasn't been confirmed in any way.
I got it as an abandoned project. A few jobs have been done to the engine, it was otherwise complete, but almost completely dismantled.
So I spent the first week going through all the boxes I got with the car and immediately giving it its eyes back so that it can see what's going on:
Bodywork was up next. It needed sills, rear quarters, A-pillars, one B-pillar and a complete respray. I decided Old English White was the way to go:
Mods so far: black rims. This is a pretty subtile modification, but it looks much meaner I think. I really like the original hubcaps and I personally can't think of any other wheel that fits it better. Feel free to convince me otherwise.
Brightwork was next:
New H4 headlamps and rechromed bumpers make it look much more like a car. Had some swearing to do as I fiddled everything from a box labeled "doors+dashb." back into place. Rimmers' part diagrams were a big help here.
I went for a grille with chromed inserts:
Interior was next. I made some new carpets and got some new trim and it started to feel like a car, too. At this point I had a seat in it for the first time ever. Which resulted in me looking like this ;D for quite some time.
The Missus immediately fell for it and started practicing her "I wasn't speeding, was I?"-face:
Electrics were next. This is something I've never done before, but a Spitfire's wiring diagram won't give you that much of a headache.
And this is where we're now:
Done the brakes, new shocks all around, polybushed every suspension component I could get my hands on, fitted a wider radiator, electronic ignition, reconditioned the carbs... you get the picture.
I had it out on the roads just once on my garage's plates and it was a blast. You often read about the 'rewarding first drive' in classic car magazines, but when you experience this for yourself it's all completely different anyway as I'm sure you all will agree.
This very special moment when all the details you have been working on for so long suddenly become a whole car. The trust you gain after depressing the clutch and the car actually starts to move. It's breathtaking.
I have to say that the last time I've heart the engine running was in 2005 and it wasn't more than a very distant memory. You open the top, wind down the windows and all of the sudden there's not a moment to lose. You just have to get going. What was planned to be a 15 min trip round the block turned out to be a one-hour cruise through the Bergisches Land.
What's left to do is to pass a TÜV-inspection (=MOT+ a little German bureaucracy which - trust me - is the worst kind!) which makes it road legal and gives it its status as a historic vehicle. So I finished the last details and left the car in the garage to get it tested the next morning. Only to find out that 7 inches of snow turned up over night.
So there's nothing left to do but sitting in it, listening to an old Who album and waiting for the roads to become a little less salt-infested.
I hopefully will see some of you at the Goodwood Revival next year. Providing the Lucas electrics are on my side and we'll be making it. ;D