He always crops up like a bad penny, a Fire Extinguisher because of Joe Lucas, the "Prince of Darkness". My 650 BSA was also afflicted with electrical problems. Ya learn to live with it by carrying black electrical tape, wire strippers, or a pocket knife, a torch and a few tools. ..if possible, a small multimeter for voltage and continuity checks. Praying is not unheard of, especially when the bike dies on the road at night for seemingly, no reason.

I owned one and it was a complete nightmare!

My ex-wife’s dream car was a Spitfire. ( thank god ) Back then you could pick them up used for $1500, and they would be advertised “with Spare Spitfire”. I kept looking for several years before I found one a guy had restored to showroom condition. Replaced the top, badges, original paint color refreshed, and such, And he wanted $3600 for it. When I went to test drive it, he tried to fire it up and it wouldn’t start. So he told me he had a new fuel pump for and hadn’t installed it yet, so he had me get in and crank the motor while he pulled the fuel hose from the carb and literally suck-started the engine. Sucking fuel and jamming the hose onto the carb. Once fuel was pulling thru it the fuel pump coughed to life. I told him if he could deliver it the next day with new fuel pump I’d pay his asking price. It was a fun little car. Made a lovely noise. Not fast but it sure Feels fast when your rear is just 5 inches above the road. And in my book , prettier than an XKE. Sadly that marriage did not last, and my ex took the car. But one day she had left it idling in the driveway because she had not driven it in some months. Summer day in Southern California and no forward speed to keep the radiator cool. Fuel line melted and sprayed gas all over the engine bay and my ex went outside to find her Spitfire literally spiting fire.

Nobody would fault you if you took those ridiculous bumper additions off. YUK ps I had a mk3 1969 spitfire (until the rear wheel fell off) sad

I own two vehicles that are an absolute delight to work on. My 1970 Spitfire and my 1975 Harley Davidson FL. I know that there are any Sayers out there who will say that you have to wrench these vehicles, the are always breaking down. To them I say "bunk" . I've had other cars ,trucks and motorcycle and they break down just as much. It is as I stated delightful to work on them. In both with some good tools, some mechanical skill there are few repairs that are hard to make. And replacement parts are readily available. As for spending time working on one of them. Well, I enjoy doing mechanic work. The most important thing is to stay on top of maintenance and repairs.

I bought my first 1970 Spitfire from Fulton Motors Sacramento CA. I paid 2826 dollars new. I was 21 and it was my birthday gift. What is it like. Fun.

Lovely car!

I had a 1500 overdrive - overdrive was good for motorways, with a removable hard top, I enjoyed it, but I had several differentials and fuel around the carbs got too hot in summer traffic, and rust was forever trying to gain a foothold, it's a good car if you have the time, skills and patience for it. I now have a Mk 1 MX-5, which I prefer.

I had one in High School. I was very popular with the ladies.

I had my first one in NW Arkansas, They are tons of fun on hilly curvy roads, They handle like a dream... and while it get's cold in that part of Arkansas, they don't put salt on the roads so i drove mine year round and loved it! I put a header and a weber carburetor kit on mine and it would smoke my mothers which was stock. I have a few of these now, 5? and 4 TR3's with a range of different years from 58 to 81. My 81 has a stroker engine in it.. & overdrive (original engine rebuilt stroker) It sounds Amazing!.. but I haven't driven it much yet. I am in the process of putting a weber on it, will be done with that this week and start the fun... though later i will do a bumper swap, and paint. I live in Florida now, and am really looking forward to enjoying this car as I have my others. I am about 6' tall maybe slightly more.

Oma ❤.🎉.

Hey...!! Quinton tarentino... Cool car

Every time I drove my Tr I got laid

Thank you great video bro!

Thank you ! Nice video, installing a Bell 4:2:1 header and need to raise the engine so much and also do the oil pan. I might as well do the engine mounts too now😂

They should share the link to this video on their instructions because they are absolute trash. Great video, made my install super easy. Thanks again!

I loved this car at 16 and still do at 61.

Springs are supposed to be inside the shoes. See Haynes manual.

That was piss weak off-road performance

I got one, awesome ride.

Any tips on getting that last top spring fitted behind the shoes..? It really is difficult! Great video, thanks.

Great video!

My first car was a TR6, but I always had a soft spot for the Spitfire. Great looking car. Dare I say, one of the coolest small cars out there and up there to me with the Bugeye Sprite and TVR 2500m.

Great video!!

What exact color is your spitfire painted? Thanks

Nice review of ur '76 spit! She's a beauty. My friend owns a '76, too, and he likes it a lot.

Pity he didnt do it right !. The springs go inside the shoes which makes it much harder !

I have to change the transmission mounts on my 78 spitfire. The driveshaft was rubbing 😬 do you think I can do it from a jack under the trans without having to losses the front mounts??

I have a vacuum assist unit on my 1980 1500 in place of the battery which is in the boot (or trunk) and greatly improves the braking. The gas units on the bonnet (hood) are also the better than the old unit. Poly bushes also help. You could also do with the side screens on the engine (original equipment) which directs the airflow through the radiator and assists cooling, otherwise a nice car.

What wheels are those on youre car? I would love to put difrent wheels on mine but i can’t find any that will fit😭

Gorgeous...

Bought my Mk 4 new in 1972 for £1004. Heater included, but the radio was an optional extra. 😊

Vous êtes très beau, une barbe savamment taillée, mais ce n'est pas vous que je suis venu voir... mais le petit cabriolet anglais que vous cachez derrière vous! Donc non...

Lovely looking Spitty. They're a great little car. Fast enough, easy to work on and cheap to keep on the road. I wouldn't bother putting the roof up in the rain as there's usually plenty of water finds its way in even when up😂

i had one its an ok car not the best in many way, i now have a twin carb 1964 Austin 1100 a far better car all updated goes like a bat out of hell

If your fuel is boiling then run a return line to the tank so youre always getting cold fuel.

Not a great idea to pull a Spitfire by the Sway Bar!

Giovanni Michelotti wasn't "one of the designers" of the Spitfire, he was THE designer.

Hi, have you ever thought about converting it to E-Triumph Spitfire? Peace out to you.

Enjoyed your video! My first car was a 69. I bought it slightly used in 70 when I was 18. Such a blast to drive! Even with all the problems. I'm old now and don't have the patience to deal with a 50 year old car. Now my "fun" car is a 2001 Miata - just as much fun, but twice the power and great reliability. Have fun!

Get rid off these sports-airfilters and do replace them with the original one with pipes to the front of the car taking in cooler air, helping to maintain a moderate temperature. In addition to this an oil-cooler will be a perfect support to keep that needle in the centre of the gauge.

I like how it sits the car. About the suspension how many turns you have on the springs and are the shock standard length.

I've had 3 over the yrs.

The top tensioner spring is supposed to be BEHIND the shoes, the hold down springs are supposed to have a washer on both sides of the spring, and you are supposed to lubricate behind the slave cylinder and also where the shoes rub against the back plate!

My original heatshield just caught fire (now there's an oxymoron!) so am buying a replacement. Really useful tutorial, thanks!

hackjob

That's a temporary fix, it will repeat in 4-6 months.

Same brake system then Ford Escort 1.1 -1.3 year: 69-74. Very hard get ''force'' balance left and right side. Regards Tuomo Finland, Herald and Escort Mk1 owner.

CHROME THRU 78, RUBBER FOR 79 80

Which spark plugs do you recommend? I have a '79 1500 with same dual carbs.