kilroy
Part of things
Suit you sir...
Posts: 251
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Is your fuel pump a mechanical item.?
Have you noticed whether the distributor shaft still turns.?
Sounds as if you may have lost your timing chain - that would stop both at once methinks..
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DutyFreeSaviour
Europe
Back For More heartbreak and disappointment.....
Posts: 2,944
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Aug 10, 2009 13:30:26 GMT
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Kilroy has a point.... fuel pump low down rear side of engine (opposite exhaust of course) should be mechanical driven. Take off the dizzy cap - and disconnect the fuel pipe going into the first union on the carbs - you can manually turn the engine over to see if the dizzy rotates. trying on the starter will check that and see if the pump is working (catch the fuel if it is  ). If both gone - take a quick look with the rocker cover off and you may find that not all valves are opening closing due to a knackered camshaft IIRC. |
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Back from the dead..... kind of
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Aug 10, 2009 22:45:49 GMT
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You've effectively made me hate myself for giving up on my Spitfire project.  Ride is so sweet.  |
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Aug 12, 2009 11:01:38 GMT
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Lovely car and well restored would happily drive that!
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rr69h
Part of things
Posts: 313
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Thanks for all your ideas and support, the solution was in fact much more simple. When I stranded on the Autobahn the other day I immediately started thinking about catastrophes like a broken crank or damaged valves due to the misfire...
...but the most obvious reason had totally slipped my mind. If I had lifted the dizzy-cap I would have seen right away that the rotor-arm had simply snapped: the metal strip on top was broken off about halfway and I guess right before this happened this caused the odd misfires.
And the best bit: I even had a spare one in the boot! ;D
As to the fuel-pump: I've spoken to a number of Spitfire owners and the almost empty fuel-filter seems to be normal. So it's running again, but I haven't dared to take it out for a spin without an emergency recovery vehicle (=Dad and his huge collection of towing-ropes) behind me. But hey, so far, so good!
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"Racing drivers never carry cash"
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Speedle
Posted a lot
Need a Country Rock band in the Hampshire Area? https://www.facebook.com/DirtRoadDiaryUK
Posts: 2,221
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Aug 13, 2009 13:28:31 GMT
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grats dude! what a gorgeous eaxmple of a fine car she is! enjoy!!!!
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rr69h
Part of things
Posts: 313
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Jun 26, 2011 13:52:56 GMT
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Apologies for not updating this thread in ages! When we left the action we were about to embark to the Goodwood Revival 2009 so after about 1000 miles of actually driving the thing I felt confident that it would make the trip. So we met up with a mate and his Mercedes infront of the casino in Aachen.  It pays off to have a good friend and petrolhead following you sometimes. He reported some rather interesting wheel-wobble going on on the Spitfire's rear axle so we stopped to investigate what was wrong:  Turns out one rim is bent, but it's not too bad. The interesting visual effect was caused by the hubcap not being tightly fixed to the rim so we pushed on, but at a somewhat limited pace. I didn't want to risk damaging the axle or the diff on the first day of the trip. We've made it to the port and were the first in line:  ...one boat later than we initially planned, but hey. ;D  We've spent the two hours waiting for the next ferry trying not to starve:  But once on British grounds the little Spitfire felt happy as... a very happy thing. It probably was its first return to the country where it actually has been built. We've spent a trouble-free vacationrumbling through the British countryside:      Goodwood of course was spectacular, we even met another German there:  All was over way too soon for our liking. One last snap of us waiting for the return ferry:  And it could have ended so well. But on our way home I noticed a slight rattle coming from the engine. I've made it home, but was now sure that the main bearings have had it. Bummer! During 2010 I've only used it very rarely due to the rattle being unbearable above 2500 rpm. Since funds are tight at the moment I occasionally take it out and tell it about the great new engine it'll be receiving next year. Sad times. |
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"Racing drivers never carry cash"
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rr69h
Part of things
Posts: 313
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Hi there, as I wrote in my last post the engine has pretty much had it so there was not much happening with the car this summer. But it was pressed back into service for a couple of days when I found that all the other members of the fleet either had engine troubles ( retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=99573&page=2) or even no engine at all ( retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=51874&page=2). This gave us time for a couple of snaps and a rather important installment:    The eagle-eyed may have spotted the addition of a Goodwood badge:  But with a car that low and with such a convinient placed bumper it's almost invisible. But at least I know it's there. So with all that Mercedes-related involvements that kept me busy this year it was hard to focus on the Spitfire's main issue: what to do about the knackered engine? Sitting down with a fizzy drink one evening I went through my options: 1. repair the engine: this would involve getting the lump out and taking it to pieces. A great opportunity to check for wear and tear indeed, but it would have meant no alternative than to get it fixed. With the fear of an unrepairable crankshaft and the hassle of finding another one in central Germany I thought that maybe this option should be my 'plan B' and I should think of another way to get the car back on the road soon. 2. getting a replacement MK3-engine: yes. These are rare, but not über-rare. Especially since this type of high compression 1.3 was used in the dolomite as well and I had all the Spitfire-specific parts on my engine anyway. 3. upgrading to Triumph's magnificent two litre straight six: having THAT torque and especially THAT sexy exhaust note made me grin like a mad man. But in reality a conversion like this would be more than I could chew, sourcing a rotoflex rear end, a different gearbox and various other bits and bobs let alone a GT6 MK2 bonnet! So my master plan was: let fate decide. If I was going to find a rusted out GT6 with healthy mechanicals I would definitely do it. If I'd find a MK3 four-pot first I'd go for that one. With the fizzy drink still in my hand I had a quick look at ebay and exactly ONE DAY after finishing the engine-job on the Mercedes I was the lucky owner of this:  ...which contains all of this goodness:      A completely reconditioned 1.3! Yay!  So yesterday involved my Mum's Kia Carens, a fearless co-driver, a spare tyre and a little 800 Km round trip up to Hannover to get it home. Sorry, but I left my camera at home! Everything went rather smoothly. In the very best fashion of ruthless German efficiency we got to our destination right on time and were greeted by Neil, a top bloke who certainly knows his way around various Triumph sportscars. We had a jolly good time talking cars and exchanging the hatred for German TÜV officials over coffee and his rather magnificent Spitfire 6. We plonked the engine into the back of the Kia, set up a meeting at Stafford next year and sadly had to leave much too early for our liking. After an uneventful drive back home we dropped the engine off, I returned the Kia (yes, a bit of a relief here) and that pretty much was it. Over the winter the engine will somehow end up under the car's bonnet. If I do it myself or let my trusted mechanic do the job hasn't been decided yet. But he has a heated garage at least... I'll keep you updated. |
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"Racing drivers never carry cash"
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Sweet Spitty dude! Is it fixed yet?
Some Revo 4 spokes and some 175's would look awesome on there. Would you get through the tuv though?
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Last Edit: Nov 6, 2011 19:05:04 GMT by mdh
Koos
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aar0sc
Part of things
Posts: 73
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Lovely!  |
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rr69h
Part of things
Posts: 313
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Thanks! I only got the new engine this weekend so I think we'll have to wait for a bit until we hear it roar for the first time. But the spanner-itch is getting unbearable... Yes, I thought about Revos. German TÜV should give them a thumbs up since they are "historic" (=meaning they could be bought a couple of decades back), but for now I prefer the steel rims. But I kind of like the rims from a Peugeot 206:  Add a chrome ring to the bed of those maybe? They are a little wider and have some resemblance to the magnesium (?) ones of the light weight e-types. No idea if they'd fit though. Opinions? |
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"Racing drivers never carry cash"
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Nice looking Spitfire ;D don't see many old timers over here only saw a few around Koln when the weather was good.
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Thanks! I only got the new engine this weekend so I think we'll have to wait for a bit until we hear it roar for the first time. But the spanner-itch is getting unbearable... Yes, I thought about Revos. German TÜV should give them a thumbs up since they are "historic" (=meaning they could be bought a couple of decades back), but for now I prefer the steel rims. But I kind of like the rims from a Peugeot 206: Add a chrome ring to the bed of those maybe? They are a little wider and have some resemblance to the magnesium (?) ones of the light weight e-types. No idea if they'd fit though. Opinions? Not sure about those steelies, the offset is all wrong, they need more dish! How about some wires? |
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Koos
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andyf
South West
Posts: 415
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They won`t fit your Spitties PCD either I`m afraid, you have 95.25mm or 3 3/4" in old money.
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1980 Triumph TR7.
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mikeymk
Part of things
'85 Polo Coupe S 1.6 16v
Posts: 931
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Looking through this thread, all i see is eye candy!
Lovely Spitfire, Nice Mercs too.
There are deep dish Spitfire wheels, were fitted to later models. Otherwise there are not many options, you may be interested to know of some other wheels which have the old 3.75in bolt pattern the Triumph uses;
Rover 100/Maestro/Montego
MGF and MG TF
Or use adaptors to fit wheels of other bolt patterns.
My own suggestion is to widen the wheels you have, by only a sensible amount, but not by banding - instead cut your outer rims off and replace them with the wider inner rims from another set of 13's, ideally from a high offset wheel.
This means less than half the welding of a banded wheel and no sheet metal so it's arguably safer, plus this way gives a factory profile (banded wheels always look banded because the wrong part is widened). Also, you can place the air valve wherever you want, it'll still stick out near the edge with banding.
This does limit you to width over banding, unless you cut the donor rim from a very wide wheel such as a Weller or Mattig (i personally don't think it wants more than 1.5in wider anyway, which you'll get from a Corsa wheel).
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I'd have thought banding would be out, due to the OP being based in Germany and their version of the MOT being stricter than a nun on a vow of silence...
I've seen somewhere some 95.25 to 114.3 adaptors being made. But again, might not be TUV friendly.
Good luck with it.
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rr69h
Part of things
Posts: 313
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Wow, thanks for the feedback and indeed the rather handy wheel-related info! I'm still feeling the love for the simple steel wheels. Widening them could be an issue with the TÜV-regulations in Germany and all that, but the idea of using a second set of rims to sacrifice is indeed a very good one. Thanks for that! To be honest your reactions to the car made me pull it out of the shed for a last drive before we'll start the engine swap. Top down, ready for action:  It was bloody cold, but good fun indeed:  See the condensation on the rev counter? I'm still amazed how much fun this little car provides. The driving-sensation is so much more communicative, especially when switching from the 300 SE (which received some love, too: retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=readersrides&thread=99573&page=2) directly into the Spitfire. Good times. But the rattle of death™ has become much worse now. It's constantly there from 1700rpm onwards so it's about time to do something about it. Oh and swap the alternator while we're at it, seems we're not charging the battery as we move along. |
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"Racing drivers never carry cash"
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Triumph gauges with condensation - that brings back some old old memories! :-D
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Koos
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rr69h
Part of things
Posts: 313
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For lots of complicated reasons the engine-swap idea was put off for another day. I decided to have the original engine rebuilt and maybe learn a thing or two in doing so. This is the point where you have to imagine dozens of detail shots of engine parts in various state of disrepair and some stories to go with them. Unfortunately my camera decided to eat its compact flash card. All I can offer you are three humble pics from my last visit at the garage.  Triumph Spitfire Super Leggera:  And this is what should fill the hole:   The engine has been rebuilt by my trusty mechanic who has over 40 years experience and it was a fascinating thing to watch. Since my office hours didn't allow me to help him much I was very glad that he took this job off my hands. What's particularly cool is that he used this project to teach his son how to do it properly and thus giving some of his knowledge into the hands of the next generation. I couldn't be happier about that! The spec is nothing over the moon. A re-bore to max piston size, slightly higher compression, balanced rods & pistons, a few mods to the head and that's pretty much it. The goal was to get a decent and robust base for a few mods which are still to come. Or maybe these aren't even necessary anymore? After all the MK3 Spitfire was pretty nippy in its days and I'm dying to know how this car feels once the original 75bhp are back under the bonnet. The next update should see a conversion to a modern alternator and - if I proceed to eat all my vegetables - MAYBE the final installment of the rebuilt engine. Fingers crossed. Cheers all! |
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"Racing drivers never carry cash"
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rr69h
Part of things
Posts: 313
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Today I was speaking to my trusted mechanic over the phone just to ask him when I could make myself useful and give him a hand prepping the engine for its final installation. The conversation went something like this: Me: "Hallo Herr trusted mechanic, I was wondering if there's anything I can help you with. I'd like to get my hands dirty and just wanted to know if I shall be bringing some parts, tools, bake a cake or maybe..." Herr mechanic: "Thank you Herr RR69h, but we did ze work already. Ze engine sounds marvellous by ze way." Me: Herr mechanic: "Hallo? Hallo! Operator! Is zis line still working?" Me: "Oy, it's working just fine. I think I just fainted because... the engine does WHAT?!?" Herr mechanic: "...sounds marvellous. Now about that cake. My son likes Strudel very much. Do you zink..." Me "STOP THE PRESS, I'M ON MY WAY!!1!!!1111!" I left work early and rushed to the nearest bakery to get me some Strudel. And no, I don't usually pay my debts with tasty treats. I just thought I'd try a different approach after they kindly refused to take one of my kidneys in exchange for their hard work. Ruthless German efficiency... All I had to do was to board a train to my home town, then take the Benz to my garage. On the friday rush-hour. Just before the summer holidays. With what felt like 10 Kg of Strudel in a very wobbly cardboard-box. And all of that while bursting with excitement! Of course the train was delayed. Of course it was filled to the brim with commuters and fellow travellers. Of course I had forgotten the keys to the Benz at home and had to take a detour running through the city with that Strudel. But did I care? Absolutely not! I just arrived at the garage as they were locking it down over the weekend. Herr mechanic couldn't stop laughing as he saw the Strudel (I always keep my promises!) and of course let me have a look at his handy work. (Note to self: the powers of Strudel will never fail you!) So:   Wow. Not long now until I'll be picking her up. A few last jobs have to be jobbed (it's time for TÜV-inspection already!), but we'll be on the road running the new engine in very soon. Please excuse me for telling you more about Strudel than the actual car in this update. Normal service will be resumed shortly. |
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Last Edit: Jul 6, 2012 22:34:58 GMT by rr69h
"Racing drivers never carry cash"
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).
