In the event of a gearbox explosion, counting on the upgrade to high-tech century ABS transmission cover to better serve my lower extremities than the OE rotting cardboard one at right.
Plastics! The Triumph Spitfire 1500 gearbox is now ensconced in 21st century better-restoration-through-chemistry in the form of an ABS gearbox cover. I feel safer already.
In the topless world of roadsters you don’t need heaters anyway, especially ones that leak on your feet once turned on. Added bonus for improved mpg: the Spitfire is now about 15 lbs lighter. At some point, restoring and ebay-ing this bad boy is on my list, but for now I’m more concerned with getting the car on the road.
Triumph Spitfire 1500 heater bypass installation – cleans up the plumbing in the engine bay a bit too!
Dear sadistic engineer at British Leyland: Sorry you lost the Revolutionary War, but it’s time to get over and stop senseless retaliation like placing one of the Spitfire 1500’s oil pan bolts 3/4 of an inch directly above the frame rail (at the other end of this open-end wrench, which is allowed about 15 degrees of travel) so as to be utterly inaccessible to any ratchet in the colonies.
Half an hour, several cold ones, a sore knuckle or two and a good deal of colorful language later, the offending oil pan bolt is liberated, and the oil pan is ready for removal.
Solid floors in the Spitfire! Picked up from the shop today with freshly welded floorpans (replacing the previous Tin Worm specials) & inner sills. One major step closer to street legality. 15 mile trip (with a ’95 insp. sticker – only in VT) also was the ’74 Spitfire’s first real road test in 21st century: managed it with just one seized brake caliper and a brief leak from the (otherwise useless) lame-duck heater on my shin. Gotta love the smell of brake pads and coolant in the morning…
New floorboards primed – waiting to paint body color and install new carpet. Watching the paint dry….
