1965 Triumph Spitfire

[Pullstart 68,289]

We didn’t know what we were getting, we just knew it was free to us.  And small. My memory told me it was red, but maybe dark green.    It had been 8-10 years since I had seen it.

 

 

[Pullstart 68,289]

The previous owner had it for 12-15 years, untouched.  It was last registered in 2004 in Illinois.  
 

I got it to run yesterday on spray!  It sounds great and there is bright hope!

 

 

[Achto 29,936]

57 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

 

 

So this is a TRUMP model H ??

[squonk 44,675]

25 minutes ago, Achto said:

 

 

So this is a TRUMP model H ??

Guaranteed to leave you stranded by the side of the road with an empty wallet! 

[ri702bill 10,112]

Lucas electrics??? Haha - don't get it wet!!!

 

[formariz 12,267]

@Pullstart  Kevin if you need any information or assistance with that car I have my very close friends Tony and Carol in West Virginia that are experts on it. They collect them, fix them and show them.

Edited 10 hours ago by formariz

[Handy Don 14,737]

Some years back a friend bought a TR6 and insisted I take it for a spin. It was pretty darned cramped and uncomfortable for this 6’2” guy. At the end, I needed help to get out of it. 

[Pullstart 68,289]

12 minutes ago, formariz said:

@Pullstart  Kevin if you need any information or assistance with that car I have my very close friends Tony and Carol in West Virginia that are experts on it. They collect them, fix them and show them.

I will be looking for the oil dampener cap for the top of one of the SU carburetters, it is stripped out.  I’d love to chat with your friends, after all if they are friends of yours, they must be good people!

[squonk 44,675]

40 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

Lucas electrics??? Haha - don't get it wet!!!

 

[formariz 12,267]

11 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

I will be looking for the oil dampener cap for the top of one of the SU carburetters, it is stripped out.  I’d love to chat with your friends, after all if they are friends of yours, they must be good people!

Than you Kevin .I will speak with them tonight and tell them about you and your project. You are going to love them and they will certainly will love you. I will then give you the contact information.

[Wayne0 1,363]

Great score! I learned to drive on British sports cars. When I was 16, my older sister had an MG.

When she would go out with her boyfriend, I would "borrow" her car and cruise around the neighborhood learning the stick.

After that, all I drove was sports cars for many years. Loved them, still do.

Good luck on that project!

[Handy Don 14,737]

Yep. About sums it up!

[JoeM 8,937]

7 hours ago, squonk said:

Guaranteed to leave you stranded

Oh yeah.....I got vivid memories of my neighbors. The carbs are a night mare. the rest not far behind. 

 

Might work out, who knows, interesting to see the journey.

[953 nut 62,276]

7 hours ago, Handy Don said:

At the end, I needed help to get out of it.

My wife's Mercedes 560 SL was not as cramped as the Triumph but I found that the best way to get out was to slide my butt out on the ground and then stand up. Arthritis made bending my legs that far nearly imposable. 

[8ntruck 8,168]

I used to own a '73 Spitfire 1500.  Single carb.  Spun a rod bearings and disassembled the engine in the driveway, had the crank ground.  Worked fine for the rest of the time I owned it.  

 

Took it out on the MIS road course with the Porsche club for a couple days of road track instruction.  Had a hole in the carb diaphragm, so throttle response was lousy.  That sure taught me about being smooth and preserving momentum.

 

Oh, ya.  Got to warn you about the SEVERE tailing throttle oversteer these things have, due to the swing axle rear suspension.  If you are really hard into a corner and lift off of the gas suddenly, the back end comes out and tries to pass the front wheels.  Another clue that it is about to spin is if you feel the inside rear corner of the start to lift - you are right there on the edge.  NO SUDDEN CHANGES TO THROTTLE OR BRAKES AT THIS POINT, and be ready to counter steer.  Smooth and gentile until the corner sets back down.

 

Then again, once you know about this, it can be fun - kind of like turning brakes on a tractor - but at a much higher speed.  SCCA requires a Z bar on the back axle for competition to mitigate this feature.  With your kids at or near driving age, I strongly suggest installing one.

 

A spare set of points and condenser aren't a bad thing to have on board - especially with our damp Michigan weather.

 

Something I was never able to figure out was the whisp of smoke that came out of the steering column from time to time when I used the turn signal.  In the end, I wrote it off to one of those quaint Lucas flukes.

 

Looks like i need to visit your magic barn in the near future.

[JimSraj 551]

Moss Motors is a source for parts for most classic British sports cars.
I’ve had a ‘74 MGB for more than 25 years now and have received very good service from them. This ‘74 has been quite reliable. However, the ‘66 that I had back in the early ‘70s was anything but. Of course it was my only ride back then. Never understood how a car made in England , where it’s cool and damp most of the time, would not run under those conditions. It was the car I loved to hate, so I bought another one later in life. We only put 1k-3k a year on it now, taking it out on nice days through November then it’s stored in the garage until spring except for the occasional few mile run to get the fluids moving and the flat spots out of the tires. 
Hope you get it roadworthy by spring.