LocostUSA.com

Thanks anyway. I found molded plastic online for a tad over $100 to my door.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

A few parts have started arriving for the Spitfire. First to show up was a new starter solenoid. Yeah, I could have gone to Autozone and bought a generic Ford 4 wire, but I bought a Brit part (I may regret that before this is done)

Trans doghouse came in next. Tires are somewhere in Greensboro NC, but FedEx doesn't know where
New convertible top and master cylinder rebuild kits are on backorder.

Yesterday after the A Mod was loaded and gone I thought I'd work on the Spit for a bit and see if it would run.
First, pull the plugs and stick a borescope down the holes. No mice, no water, and no bad rust. I shot a bit of penetrating oil down each hole.
Next, check the oil. Clean, not stinky, no water.
Next, turn it over by hand. Not stuck. Took it through a few revolutions and shot a little more penetrating oil down each hole at bottom dead center.

Solenoid is here, so popped the new solenoid on and turned it over with the key.
It spins freely and very quickly got good oiling up to the rockers
Put the plugs back in, it's time to see if it runs.

Hooked up a temporary fuel tank and cranked it over, gas, but no spark.

Go digging around in wiring and see the start power wire to the coil is broken. Fix that crank it over Vroooooom, then stop. Again, Vroooom, then stop.
Out comes the multimeter and go probing wires.
13.4V to switch
13.4V from switch to solenoid (yeah, I already knew that, but never hurts to probe and see voltage.)
13.4V from switch to ballast resistor
2.5V from ballast resistor to coil. Bad ballast resistor

got the meter, so might as well check coil primary winding. There's a ballast resistor, so I'm expecting 1.5 ohms , aka 6 volt coil.
probe it annnnnnnndddd 3 ohms 12 volt coil

I unplug input wire from ballast resistor and plug it into coil.

Turn the key and Vrooooooooommmmmmm vroooommmm vrooom
It comes to life and idles.
Charge light on the dash goes out, oil is pumping around the rockers, and i see water moving in the radiator. I guess there's no thermostat, but at least I know the 1500 runs well.
The carb needs adjusting and the timing set, but it runs remarkably well after sitting for so long

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Short Spitfire update.

Yesterday I took apart the clutch master cylinder.
Did you know that brake fluid, sitting and weeping slowly and untouched for 10 years turns into a kind of crystalline goo?


I cleaned up all the bits, flushed with clean fluid, bolted back on and bled the clutch. AMAZINGLY the MC built pressure AND the slave worked.

Bad news this morning I went out to the garage and saw wetness on the MC boot. Checked the fluid and it was down about 1/4" overnight.

All new hydraulic bits on order. New clutch MC and slave. Brake MC rebuild kit, new wheel cylinders, caliper rebuild kits, rubber hoses.

Hopefully in 2 weeks it will start, go, and stop.
When those are accomplished I'll get to work cleaning up electrical and dash.

This is all fill in work around the 7 project.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

I made a Spitfire doghouse years ago by covering the transmission with wet newspapers and then laying fiberglass on it. It wasn't the prettiest effort, but did the job.

That sure meets the Locost concept

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Short Spitfire update
2 weeks later and not all hydraulic parts are here.
Bake MC rebuild kit arrived.
Caliper rebvuild kits arrived.
Clutch slave is here as well.

Clutch master is "somewhere" in transit.

I took the brake MC off the car, pulled the snap ring, pulled the pin and washer. No matter what i do, the piston won't come out of the bore. Tossing this in the trash and HOPING, the ne MC I ordered will show up. Some of the triumph forums are showing backorders and long waits for replacement aftermarket parts. No surprise to me as most of the aluminum die casters and aftermarket hydraulic components suppliers are in China and India.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Tommy, did you try the grease gun trick on the MC?

BTW congrats on attempting the rebuild kits instead of new or rebuilt cylinders. I generally have good luck rebuilding them if the corrosion isn't beyond honing.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

I did. My grease gun doesn't push enough grease per stroke to overcome the blown seal. I just get pretty ribbons of grease from one side of the piston.

Looking at some of the paperwork that came with the car this was a "new" master cylinder... in 1989

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Another Spitfire garage day working on hydraulics.

Clutch master arrived. It is bench bled and ready to install.

Rear wheel cylinders.
I jacked upthe car, removed rear wheels and noticed there weren't any brake drums. Went scrounging through the boxes of parts and found a pair. Rusty, crusty, but in spec.
I chucked them on the lathe and took off a few thousandths to clean them up.

I really had forgotten what a PITA it is to do anything brakes on a Spitfire.
To remove the wheel cylinders you have to tear the brakes down.
clips, springs, cotter pins, e-brake hardware, then disconnect the hydraulic hose from the steel line and loosen it on the chassis mount so it can turn to come out of the wheel cylinder.
Then a couple more clips and you're finally ready to swap it out.

Then there's the guy at Triumph way back when who thought it would be cute to put the brake shoe springs on the inside between the shoes and the backing plate.


Eventually got it back together and moved to the front.

Removing the calipers is easy by comparison.
Miracle of miracles; the front calipers don't leak, aren't stuck, the check valves work, and the bleeders aren't rusted to death.
They are actually usable as is.

Now I get to scrounge in the parts boxes again as the front brakes were put back together way back when with worn out pads.
I "think" I saw pads when I gave the parts boxes a cursory look, so I'll find out tomorrow. If not, Rock Auto has them in stock and can get them here sooner than my local parts house.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

I had a '69. Overall, I noticed that there an American engineer would put in a 3/8" coarse thread bolt, British engineers would put in three 1/4" fine thread studs, flat washers, castellated nuts, and cotter pins...

It was a fun car to drive, and pretty, but mine was an endless money and time pit, and not reliable enough to be a daily driver.

I used to have a 69 and a 74 as my daily drivers. Why two? There was a reasonable chance that one of them would start when I needed it to...

Yesterday was another hydraulics day.
The new brake master cylinder arrived. So I bench bled and put on the car.
Head to right read to bleed with the vacu bleeder and pull and pull and pull, no joy. I just can't get fluid.
Move to front, vacu bleeder, pull and pull and pull and nothing.

SO I loosen the lines to the brake failure switch, press the brake pedal a couple of times, fluid pumps out.

Back to the caliper. pull pull pull vacuum and still nothing.

Cracked open the fitting at the T down low. A few seconds later gravity has fluid coming out.
Tighten that, then open the fitting to the hose. A few seconds and fluid.

Basically I had to crack open every fitting on the brake system from front to back and let fluid creeeeeep along the lines from gravity.

Once I had fluid to the rear wheel cylinders, vacu bleeder made short work of the last bit of air.
For the calipers it was just no joy. I could pull 20+ inches of vac and nothing.
Wifey Dearest got home and I called for an assist.

pump pump pump, hold. bleed. repeat, repeat repeat.
10 minutes later good firm pedal.

The last part 10 minutes, the first part 3 hours.

At least it's done

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

More work on the Spitfire this week.
First up, install the new Robbins top. I can say without one single doubt that I will never buy another Robbins top.
The fit was absolutely awful.
First, snaps were supposed to be pre-installed. Nope! Snaps (not enough to do the job) came in a plastic bag. No snap tool supplied, and no instructions supplied.
Then, The top didn't have any center marks, not what I'm used to seeing on other tops I've installed at any rate. After a whole lot of searching I found 1 V notch on the under flap at the back. Wasn't put there for my benefit, but for the sew crew.
Last and worst of all, it's too narrow at the back and too wide at the front. I can barely get it stretched enough for the window flaps to reach the windows at the back. The front has puckers at the corners that I can't stretch out. If I stretch any wider at the front, the reinforcing strips at the sides won't be on the header rail. It may work for a while, but it surely won't be long before the header slices through a single layer of vinyl.

I guess I'll call this close enough.



Getting the top stretched and on was the better part of 3 days this week. You have to stretch, clip in place, and let it relax a couple of times before gluing it down.


Then on to one of my favorite British car jobs, attempting to Exorcise the Prince of Darkness.
When I started yesterday the car would start and run and one corner light would come on.

Right now and for the time being I have head lights, tail lights, turn signals, hazards, gauge lights, windshield wipers (both speeds even) and a heater fan (again both speeds)v


I honestly think my life would be simpler if I just one by one, separated every single bullet and spade connector, cleaned, lubed, and re-assembled. That's what I've basically been doing for each circuit as I work my way along.



Once again, you know why Brits drink warm beer? Lucas refridgerators.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Funny, I've always had fewer issues with Lucas than Delco.
You posted that the car sat, the connectors will have a light layer of corrosion from that.
So yes, you may as well just clean every connection now.

_________________
If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!

Sometimes I think we give Mr. Lucas too little credit. What could be simpler than a a car with just a single 30 and another 50 amp fuse? Of course, the wiring sometimes melts and gets smokey (speaking from experience), but you don't need to replace the fuse.

Anyone else here own a Renault. M. Ducelier makes Mr. Lucas look like a hero.

_________________
Warren
Isuzu Pickup/SR20DE, +401 COLD frame
Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601

Yes, I once owned a Renault Caravelle.
Have you met Mr. Marelli of Alfa Romeo and other Italian cars fame?
Lucas is sledge-hammer reliable by comparison.

_________________
If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!