23 FebWeaknesses of Triumph’s 1500 Engine
Here’s an article by Deborah Evans that was originally written for the MGOC (later MG Midgets used the Triumph engine) and reposted on the pistonheads forum: In 1968 Triumph became part of BLMC who were intent on cost saving such that in 1970 a major revision was made to the engine with the release of […]
Read More ...09 FebAvoiding Door/Bonnet Chips
This looks like a handy product. Many Spitfire owners have found the bonnet occasionally chips paint from the leading edge of the doors, due to flexing in the wings or improper lifting of the bonnet assembly. I’ll be trying a pair of these soon as they’re so cheap, will report back my findings. http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=80_115&products_id=3843
Read More ...23 JanUS Spitfire Commercial – Guy vs Girl vs Cop
Nice cheeky little advert here on youtube. An pair of early Mk.4’s are used, which you can identify from the lack of front spoilers on both cars.
Read More ...02 JanRecovering a Cracked Dashboard Top
…with a kit from Park Lane Classics. My car was extensively restored by the previous owner, and to solve the problem of the cracked dash-top he used a popular plastic overlay. While the job was well done and totally seamless, I really didn’t like the feel of the product at all. The plastic was hard […]
Read More ...28 DecHardtop Tie-bar Fix
If you want to use a hardtop yet don’t like the idea of stowing a hood, there are long tie-bars that fix the hardtop directly to the car’s bodywork in the middle of the hardtop. Unfortunately though these are quite rare and expensive, so an alternative is to use the tie-bars that attach to the […]
Read More ...29 NovVideo: ‘Tuning BL’s A series Engine’
Very interesting and informative talk by David Vizard. Although it’s about the A series engine, its still highly relevant to the 1147, 1296 and 1500 Spitfire engines produced by Triumph. Here’s part 1, you should be able to find the following parts at the end of each video section.
Read More ...21 NovA Post / Hardtop Seals
An interesting feature of the Spitfire in the Heritage Motor Centre’s collection is the orientation of the rubber seals used on the hardtop, door surround and A post. You can see what I’m talking about here: Notice how the two seals extend longer than the A-post, to the point where they’d stick out above the […]
Read More ...18 NovBoot Locks
Parts availability for Spitfires is fairly decent, 30 years after the last one rolled off the assembly line, however don’t be fooled into thinking this is down to the popularity of Spitfires. There are many crossover items for cars in the British Leyland family, so for example Spitfire owners benefit when Mini owners require identical […]
Read More ...18 NovHood Stowage Cover (for hardtop use)
One part I’ve been trying to find lately is a factory option that you could purchase for your hard top. Unlike the normal hood stowage bag, this one fits inside the hardtop and goes around the folded up hood – perfect for those like me that are too lazy or too space-constrained to take the […]
Read More ...05 NovPeriod Licence Plates
Am I the only one who finds it bizarre that people go to such great lengths to make a car original, then put modern plastic number plates on the car? The popular plates seen on our cars are usually either black plates if allowed, or just boring modern plastic ones. Surely though that doesn’t mean […]
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