The Donor Arrives

 So the start begins. I have been watching a few Spitfires over the past few week/months and getting a feel for prices against condition, and after finding a few that were ropey to say least I found one that was relatively local in Scunthorpe. It looked to be an honest enough machine and videos of it running were reassuring despite my intentions of a full strip down anyway, it’s good to know I’m starting with something that isn’t a total dog. And only a couple of hours drive away is just a bonus really. I had a couple of contingency cars online, one in/on Anglesey which was a GT6 to be fair and a couple of other Spits in and around Birmingham. The GT6 was very appealing in all honesty but the owner wanting nearly 4K for it was way way over my donor budget it was also a non runner and looked like it had been in situ for a good many years in a stable/barn. Whilst it was very appealing the cons outweighed the pros, and with such a journey to view and attempt to strike a deal it was just never going to happen. 

So the other contenders were all of a similar age and condition really. One Spit was a 1500 from 1982 but looking at the pictures looked extremely well, and far to good to be stripped and used for my intention, it looked like it could have passed an MOT with very little work. But again an unrealistic price to start and far beyond what I had for a donor budget just kept me watching from the sidelines. The other Spit was in Birmingham and was only a 1300. It was partway through a restoration or strip down from the current owner so that puts me off slightly, as part of the learning curve is disassembling everything yourself and learning how it operates. However this car was well under budget through the auction so could have been worth a cheeky bid towards the end as a bit of a dice roll. Lastly there was the Spitfire in the pictures which is what I have ended up with, a 1981 1500 and whilst it’s far from a roadworthy vehicle currently, it is relatively solid all over especially the chassis and running gear, which is all I really want.

So it came in at the top end of my budget, and when I say top end I mean it was a little more then I wanted to pay, however the deed was done and it was back in the short lived empty garage. It’s actually a very nice little machine, very basic in functionality and looks easy to maintain yourself. 

After having the Cobra also for a number of years now I have learned how to enter and exit the car with relative ease and dignity.... but this little Spit is on another level. I literally have to fold my knees backwards in order to get in. However these issues shouldn’t be so bad on the finished product due to the difference in body style and no roof like the Cobra so a slide down into position should be possible, and I’ve also only had my riggers on while getting in and out so far due to the snow.... and they don’t really help. Another thought is a quick release steering wheel boss if needed which I used to have on one of my mini’s many many years ago for security. That could help the situation massively if needed..... but I’m a long long way off that yet. So next is to get a little run from the engine (need a battery) and start on the strip down. 

Last on the road in 2015 and a honest little machine, screaming to be given some love and attention. I’ll try to get a battery over the next week or so and will see what life we can get from the old girl. A compression test at least should be sufficient to decide if I’m completely rebuilding the engine or just a possible top end and carbs. Either way I need to figure out why the clutch seems to be non existent, could be a knackered master/slave or clutch itself or possibly even the gearbox is past its best....all part of the strip down fun!