Spitfire MKIV Restoration Newbie.

[LouisW]

Thanks very much rotoflex, I will be sure to take a look at the seats this weekend and get a look at the floor. I'll take some pictures aswell as i may miss somethings that other people are able to point out.

The seats did seem fine moving wise, and the rails were suprisingly rust free, however the hard top has been on since it was bought (apart from on sunny days 😎) so has kept the inside in pristine condition.

The bulkhead and master cylinders I think will be next to deal with!

Thanks again, knowledge from experts is very very helpful and i think i'm finally starting to get there  

[Pete TR7]

I don't class myself as an expert.  Earlier this year I replaced the o/s floor and sill on my Spitfire, this seemed a very daunting task but is now complete.  Take your time and plan your work.

I would get the tub and chassis sorted first, strip out the seats, carpets and trim to see what you have, tackle one side at a time.

I still have much to do, more work on the body tub in a couple of years and currently I have the rear suspension apart again.

I use the angle grinder with a flap disc to remove as much rust as I can and then treat with dilute phosphuric acid to create a barrier.

Breaking down the work into stages makes it easier to get done.


Oh and by the way the only original panel on the bonnet is the top, I replaced the wings, front strengthener and headlamp panels.  Lots cheaper than a new bonnet  

Good luck.

[LouisW]

Your spitfire looks stunning Pete! I'll remove the seats and take a better look at the tub at the weekend, but when i looked the other day it actually seemed in perfect condition. This wasn't a proper look mind and wouldn't be suprised if i've overlooked things 😀

Where did you get the bonnet parts from if you dont mind me asking? I must have read over 20 restoration projects now and still have questions!! 😲

[Pete TR7]

The car always looks better in photos, i am only halfway through the rebuild really.

I think some panels from Moss some from Fitchetts and some from Rimmers.  the main thing is too get heritage panels where you can. BMH still use some original tooling and i believe Fitchetts do as well.  BMH supply the trade so you  can shop around.

Check the BMH website to see what they make, i thing they also own steelcraft which are reproduction panels.

[LouisW]

Got a bit more done today with the help from my brother! I fitted the bonnet back onto the car and made sure it wouldn't fall onto me whilst working We also took out the rockers and spark plugs in order to get some wd40 and oil onto the pistons where this will sit until we try to turn it over tomorrow. It's good to see that all of engine was oiled up already under the rockers and in the spark plug holes.. God knows how long the oil had been there for though 😀

Time for some questions

The rad was also removed to discover that the waterpump is stuck solid. I sprayed some wd40 onto it but it wont budge at all, any ideas onto trying to get this sorted? There was also loads of crud/ rust when looking down (After removing the non functional thermostat) and i'm wondering how I would go about getting this out? It surely isn't good to be in there.

I'm going to strip the bulkhead of components tomorrow and get that rustkilled and painted up. Will i have to completely drain the brakes/ clutch or is there another way when i remove the master cylinders? I dont really want to have to bleed everything as i'm unsure on whether I would get time to re-fill it and dont want to seize anything up.

Sorry for all the questions and sorry for the lack of photos but i'll be sure to take some tommorow 🙂

[LouisW]

Any ideas?

[Sheepy]

I would suggest for the brakes, to drain them completely, then you can remove the cylinders without the risk of getting fluid all over the place, especially once you have painted! You will be more upset then!

You will need to bleed them after anyway, no matter how you remove them, so best to drain it.
Then you can replace the fluid with new, (this should be done every two years anyway) 🙂

[LouisW]

How long am I able to keep the brakes and cylinders without any  brake fluid in them? Have you got any ideas  on the waterpump and rad?

[Sheepy]

The cylinders should be fine, the fluid remaining in them should keep them lubricated, but if you still worried, take them off and wrap them in cling film.

How old are the seals? It may be worth replacing them anyway.

As for the rad, flush it, using the specialist auto rad flush, or I have heard people using vinegar, or even dishwasher powder (but I have not tried these, so can not say if they work or not)

If the water pump will not budge after a good soaking in penetrating fluid, then I think you may have to take it off to check it, or replace it.

It may be blocked behind with crud etc, or it may be knacked!
But if there is alot of crud in the system, it will also be in the engine, so you will need to flush it all!

[alex4wwl]

Hi, suggestion, c an you not just disconnect the pedals and pipe clips and let the cylinders hang on the pipes,
this way no bleeding and no brake fluid mess
Just a thought

[Marcus]

Posted by: alex4wwl     Date Posted: December 17, 2012, 8:46am
Hi, suggestion, c an you not just disconnect the pedals and pipe clips and let the cylinders hang on the pipes,
this way no bleeding and no brake fluid mess
Just a thought.


This is how I refurbished my scuttle.  With some stiff wire you can hang the M/Cs out of the way from the top of the screen.  Just be careful you don't kink the pipes.

Mark.

[LouisW]

Righto, got some work done over the past few weeks albeit not alot but have been spending more time with the family! 😀

I've remove the radiator as well as remove surface rust from bonnet (which i'd previously worked on) and applied a light coat of paint to stop further rusting. My brother took out all the spark plugs and removed the fan belt which was solid and stiff into the shape from the waterpump and alternator.

I also put some engine oil in her and got her to turn over by hand, but my brothers taken the rockers into work (with push rods) in order to clean them up from rust etc. He has said they all move freely however and the pushrods are the last thing which need cleaning up!

I've removed the window wiper motor and was going to disconnect it from the wipers but this would have meant completely stripping it down. I'll just move it to the side for now and get it stripped down inside the house tomorrow

I'm also hoping to spray the wheels up in order to bring some more life to her. The mild steel should hopefully be delivered today

I have also removed all the bolts I can get too with the master cylinders but i've misplaced the extension bar to reach the rest!! I've washed the bulkhead down best as I could and hopefully will get everything removed off it to give it a coat of paint.

Anyway, enough of me rambling...  Some pictures!   (sorry about the quality, they were taken on my phone)











I also found some more rot ...

[rotoflex]

Metal cap on the clutch master cylinder!  So far, so good!

[LouisW]

I never knew they were ever different 😀 I cant actually remove the caps though, but it was freezing outside today... not that i need them open at the moment but it's always nice to investigate!

I got the master clutch cylinder off today and have tied it up just passed the bulkhead so i can clean/paint the bulkhead. Removing the cylinders from the brackets is a completely different story however... the bolts are stuck solid!! I've sprayed so much wd40 on them and guess i'll have to just wait :/

I sanded down the side of the bulkhead (where the door brackets are) and painted it up.

It looks okay, but could be better   Not bad for a first try though 😎



Theres a small hole which will need filling (can be seen in the picture) and then i'll be able to just remove the rust and spray up the rest.

I heated up the panels using a heat gun and have added makeshift sides to the carport which stops wind and muck getting onto the paint.  Will it be okay to add clear coat in a week or two/ later?

In certain areas there are orange peeling paint, can i wet sand this with fine paper to get rid of it? Up close it looks bad but from a distance it isn't too bad.

Masked off some other areas and also removed the wiper motor (with advice from wim) and will spray that up tomorrow

[WIMPUS]

hi louis ,

nice to see your work 😉  Did the clip from the wiper motor fly away ?  
i was thinking today that maybe the seals in you master brake cylinder & from the clutch cylinder are rotten  (because it was standing for so long outside).. so maybe need to rebuild it in the future ..

But you will see 😉

Kind regards wim

[LouisW]

Quoted from WIMPUS

hi louis ,

nice to see your work 😉  Did the clip from the wiper motor fly away ?  
i was thinking today that maybe the seals in you master brake cylinder & from the clutch cylinder are rotten  (because it was standing for so long outside).. so maybe need to rebuild it in the future ..

But you will see 😉

Kind regards wim

I got a tiny screwdriver and managed to slowly just pull out the clip I clipped it back on straight away so i didn't lose it aswell!

The clutch pedal had been stuck, and i guess this was the master clutch cylinder. Both of the pistons seem to move now, but maybe the seals are rotten. I'll give them a rebuild in the future

[DaveKent]

WD 40 is not realy a freeing agent, you should try plus gas or the like, or even diesel.

[LouisW]

I thought wd40 was a penetrating oil to free things up? I might be wrong 😀

I'll try soaking them in a bit of 'ye ol' petroleum and see how it goes Will that hole be okay to just filler up? Is a hole like that size (can see it just in front of where i painted) bad for the overall structure of the bulkhead?

It had been badly fillered up in the past and I wanted to either get it fibreglassed up or filled up properly. However if it needs welding i'll just leave it for now?

[DaveKent]

Not petrol, that has no lube properties. you need diesel or a proper penetrating oil llike Plus Gas or a teflon solution. WD40 is a dewatering agent, it can be used as a lubricant on exposed threads but quickly dries off.

[LouisW]

Ah, right'o. Thanks for the tip I have some diesel in the garage so will soak them in that tomorrow

Do you think that the paint will be okay without any clear coat on it? Or will it be okay to put clear coat on in a week or two? If i dont need to i wont bother. It's not visible anyway when you close the bonnet.

[Clive]

Not sure what type of paint you have used. Clearcoat may be of benefit though, and no real downside.
Are you spraying the whole car white?

As to filler and holes. Not the best solution, that would be cut out and weld. However, for non-structural stuff and a car that is never going to be a showcar etc, you can use a chopped fibreglass filler.Normal stuff absorbs water, the fibreglass one doesn't and is much stronger. Usually needs a skim of normal filler once the correct shape has been achieved with a coarse file/surform (or in my case a belt sander!) to get the surface smooth and even.
Orange peel can be dealt with using 1200-2000 grade wet and dry used with a bar of soap.....

filler:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00.....ef=asc_df_B000TAUICQ
http://www.halfords.com/webapp.....-1_categoryId_165625
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like.....dtype=pla&crdt=0

and so on. You get the idea..........

[LouisW]

I think I already have some of that fibreglass filler in the garage so will take a look. If not i'll purchase some of that which you linked to.

My brother got me the paint, it's "mean machine automotive gloss white" and has quite a nice finish to it already but i've looked and they also make a clear coat which I might purchase. I was just wondering if not clear coating it would have any bad effects onto the paint?

I also don't know whether the whole body is going to be painted white however under the bonnet it looks nice and clean and gives a quality contrast to that of the car itself. I have some of the original red in the garage however so can get the colour exactly the same if I wanted to.

Thanks for all you help 🙂

[LouisW]

I just won some GRP front quarter valances on ebay for 99p! 😀 Look to be in great condition aswell!

If you want some bargains look at this guys items http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/daijones35/m.html?item=261152410806&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

I'm not associated with him in any way etc etc, just his items are going for very cheap. Could grab yourself a bargain!

I've also just got the spitfire wiper motor sprayed up in primer, will get some black gloss on it tomorrow!

[LouisW]

Oh also... How did you guys connect your fibreglass valances? Obviously they dont have built in nuts (welded on originals) so did you just bolt it up like the rest?

[LouisW]

Hi guys,

I've managed to get the spitfire master cylinders off the brackets and have used the wirebrush on them (in my drill) and taken off as much rust as I could. They're just in some por 15 primer and will be getting sprayed up tomorrow and i'll get some more pictures.

Also found out today that wire drill bits hurt! I caught it on my glove and it still cut me through it! Wont be doing that again any time soon 😀

When i took off the rubber boots however there was loads of white lumpy dust which looked like old grease, is this correct? It was behind the small rubber boot protecting the master brake cylinder. Another thing was that the brake master cylinder is stuck solid, the arm wont move in and out. Does this mean dis-assembly and freeing up... or a whole new cylinder?

I got my freshly painted wiper motor pump fitted aswell and the bulkheads coming along nicely!
I also gave her a wash down due to all the muck coming from grinding and it's looking alot better!