Lordy, lordy look who’s forty! Happy birthday, old girl, and props for starting up after winter hibernation on only the 4th try
Onward to your 4th decade On The Road…
The birthday girl on her inaugural outing of 2014 and her 4th decade.
So Ends Another Mardi Gras
34 degrees = topless season is over for the Spitfire for another season 🙁
Not too yet cold for hardtoppin’ it tho…
Special Delivery
Finally found out what actually fits in the Spitfire’s boot (aka trunk).
To set the record straight, that’s a FULL SIZE pie, and it only takes up HALF the trunk… so it could fit 2 STACKS of SEVERAL PIES EACH, if I was willing to remove the Safety Milk Crate full of Britcar indispensables like jumper cables, flashlight, tonneau, tire iron, ratchet set & carb/choke cleaner.
Gas Crisis & the Palindromic Hawaiian Odometer Moment
Harkening back to its 1970’s roots, the Spitfire is back on the road after running outta gas for the first time. Had to be rescued by my Hawaiian missus (mahalo!) toting a gas can – whereupon being resuscitated, the Spitfire had this Palindromic Hawaiian Odometer Moment.
Also, now know that the graduated marking on the venerable (if not trusty) old Smith’s gas gauge (the distance between marks gets larger for the lower readings) is inversely proportional to how quickly the gas is consumed: under spirited driving conditions, that last 1/8th of a tank goes by almost as quick as you can say “Blimey! How far is it to that gas station” and “Do I have cell coverage here?”. Apart from some colorful language, this was also a valuable teachable moment for more 8yo son in the passenger seat, regarding how engines work (and don’t).
A Shocking Discovery
Managed to install new rear shocks before needing new fillings!
Shockingly, the trusty Factory Workshop Manual neglected to mention that I’d need to exert significant upward pressure with a floor jack to counteract the leaf spring, which pushed the wheels too far down for the shocks to reach the linkage. Thx again, editors @ British Leyland!
This bit of restoration definitely made a difference in ride quality though – cornering is much improved, with significantly less wheel tuck and rear axle hop over bumps (plenty of frost heaves here this time of year in VT).
Rites of Spring
Winterization only gets a Triumph Spitfire so far in VT. But, Spring is here: Prepping for the season opener!
Winterization
Sure there’s a bit of snow in the background, but 50 degrees on January 14th & a marginally airtight hardtop installed: that’s enough of an excuse for me…
Compact Car Only parking
Who said 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500’s weren’t practical?
Breathing Easy!
Sure, diamonds may be a girls best friend, but guys appreciate shiny things too. Kicking the anemic OEM Zenith Stromberg to the curb in favor of this Weber DGV downdraft carburetor has made the Spitfire (and me) quite pleased with ourselves. It’s like a new car: full of pep and torque, chirping tires at green lights, bellowing along at highway speeds… Also, relatively painless to install: had wiring already in place (from the Painless wiring harness I’d fitted) for the electric choke. Do miss fiddling with the manual choke on the dash a bit… but don’t really miss stalling, taking forever to warm up, and having the general sensation that the 1500 was always gasping for air.
Miss Mardi Gras 1974 Cover-Up
Topless no more, Miss Mardi Gras 1974 now has an optional hardtop roof. This fetching little barn find is a funky brown color that only could have come from the 70s – no need to even check if it was a repaint. Only only little tear in the headliner, otherwise in great shape – the rear quarter windows even work.
Pros:
- Noticeably stiffens up the ride
- Comfortable down into temperatures in the mid-30s, despite the heater modifications
- Stylish & authentic 1970s brown color
Cons:
- Noticeably louder in the car when driving. You thought a stereo was useless in roadster mode? Fuggedaboudit now.
- Stylish(?) & authentic 1970s brown color