Is this Spitfire project worth it...?

[Hector Pascal]

 

Hello Everyone,

I acquired a '76 Spitfire 1500 MkIV (I think) some ten years ago and stuck it in a lock-up. I was planning to restore it in retirement.

The retirement has happened, I have time and funds but as yet no decent double garage to do the job. I dragged it out of the lock-up recently, freed off the jammed clutch master cylinder and got it running. It's fine generally but doing a proper job would be the only way I would tackle it. It is presently British Racing Green but the original lime green shows in the odd area. Instinct would suggest that I should restore to original. I anticipate parts would be easy enough as would tech advice etc. I do have experience in early career working with cars.

The thing is.... is it worth the trouble, time and money. Although I don't expect to make money from this I don't want the thing to become a money pit either.

I have just joined this forum to ask this question of all the experience out there and see if you can help me come to a decision?

 

[Alex]

Pictures tell a thousand words. 
Biggest expense is body work, bonnets are very expensive …… otherwise if you can weld and as already stated you have the space then go for it. 
originality isn’t key here. Build the car you want,your choice of colour etc. It’ll never make you rich but in the right colour and condition will make you very happy.

A money pit ……yep bound to be, but done right you should still get to drive it more than fixing it. 
Biggest problem with these cars is that value has always been low. As a result people cut corners and try to do everything cheap. It doesn’t need to be like that though. There’s sourcing out there of varying quality but also cost…..and cost doesn’t mean anything in regards to quality!

 

[Adrianb]

In my opinion it’s not a matter of is it worth it but will you get enjoyment from doing the restoration then when it’s done the best bit Driving her knowing you saved her. Yes it will cost but life does and if you chose a life of restoration good for you and enjoy.

[65redspit]

We purchased ours in Dec 2014, each winter we do a bit more and then do “stuff” with her during the season … she’s starting to look ok and mechanically she is brilliant but it has taken a good few years and £’s to get to this point … was it worth it? Absolutely… really enjoyed working on her (well most of the time anyway) and she’s better and more fun to drive than I ever expected … if you enjoy the tinkering, go for it !!!

[Steve AKA vitessesteve]

If you are aiming for a concourse car you will spend much more time and money than you would building a useable fun car.

I recommend getting it going and doing a rolling restoration. Enjoy it in the summer fix improve it out of season.

Concentrate on one area at a time. It is all too easy to attempt to tackle many jobs in parallel. However unless you are disciplined you will find the project taking up more and more space and the car being unusable for long periods. Been there and still am with one of my cars!

Get yourself along to a club meeting. Talking to fellow sufferers will be helpful.

[Hector Pascal]

Thanks folks for your time in offering your views.

Since my last post I have had quite a close shave with the old car. After fixing the clutch master cylinder, I thought I would run it up the road for a quarter-mile or so just to see if the brakes/wheels were running freely.

What can only be considered bad luck, during this short run the brass outlet spigot which is factory-pressed into the aluminium fuel pump body decided it had been factory-fitted long enough. Odd because we had not been working on the fuel pump, it had just been sitting in a cold dark lock-up for nine years. 
 

Petrol was being splashed around the block and bulkhead and, during my very short drive - on the way back to be exact - I became aware that I was in fact on fire. Jumping out the car and raising the bonnet confirmed this and I sprinted back to my house for an extinguisher. I sprinted back, shooing our excited dog out of the way, and let it have a dose of CO2.

Had I been further from home my old Spitfire may well have lived up to its name and died right there.

I pushed it home and dampened off the smouldering bits with water from a hose and considered the damage; 80 percent of the HT leads were gone with other plastic bits melted, looms damaged etc.

While I feel sorry for the injustice to this innocent daft little car, and, if I am going to renovate it, this damage hardly signifies, I know in my heart that these cars were pretty awful things right off the production line (the UK’s automotive output was increasingly grim and frankly, got what it deserved) but there is something loveable that has only been burnished by age. It brings smiles. It is mini skirts. A bit Kings Road. 007 on the cheap and harks back to a time when life had oodles more built-in fun.

Maybe I have just reached an age where I start looking backwards more than forwards. Maybe it’s just that I find it hard to throw old stuff away and abhor use-once-throw-away modernity. 
 

Whatever it is, this mischievous, semi-scorched, ignoble primitive little relic of a sports car is sitting here quietly imploring me to put on my old flares again and boogie once more. 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by Hector Pascal

[65redspit]

Blimey !! I had that happen with my TR6 back in the 80’s too …