Shaun5190

I pulled off the hub today and as you say, the key had sheared off, but fortunately it had not damaged the hub or the axle! I installed a new key and replaced the other side too for good measure, now it is all back together and torqued up to spec both sides. Also had the wheels aligned so now she drives in a straight line too! Thanks for your help everyone!

Hmmm, you raise a good point! I am certain i would have installed the keys, whether it wasnt seated properly or has fallen out somehow? I shall have to pull that hub back off and investigate. Thanks for the observation!

Thank you for your suggestions eveyone, i have it sorted now, turns out i was double stupid!! I got down the yard last night to work on the car and try to diagnose the issue, where i started off by turning the propshaft by hand to see what happens. The gearbox and clutch held firm, however i could freely turn the prop shaft without the back wheels doing anything. I thought it must be the diff and set about removing it to see whats up. It was only by chance that just before i finished removing it i accidentally rotated one of the driveshafts with the handbrake applied... The drivshaft rotated and the hub stayed in place! Turns out i never torqued up the hub nutes and the jolt of putting it in gear freed the driveshaft from the hub. I got back over there this afternoon and finished putting everything back together, then i torqued up the hub nuts and all was well again.

Hi Guppy, I do have overdrive, but it wasnt engaged at the time, i had tested it during the day and it worked fine. I havent checked the UJ but i imagine it would make a lot of noise if they had failed?

Thanks Pete, Good to know someone else has had the same symptoms, I just hope it is as simple as the clutch plate being broken! I will be taking the gearbox out this afternoon and have a new clutch on order so fingers crossed that is all it needs! I was hoping to give the car a shakedown before a day out this weekend, so i have my work cut out!

Hi glang, The clutch doesnt seem any different it just makes a grumbly noise and vibration when you put it in gear and try to drive, the gears seem to select just fine still just no drive, i havent tried putting in gear without pushing the clutch but not sure i want to risk it!

Hi Rob, The restoration was body and most mechanical parts, however the gearbox and clutch are a few of the only original bits left! The gearbox seemed fine before the restoration and the clutch seemed serviceable, i will have to pull the gearbox out on Monday but i hope its as simple as a failed clutch plate as you suggest.

Good evening all I have made a stupid and probably expensive mistake with my spitfire! I had just been out on my first drive after the restoration, got back to the yard and stupidly put the car into reverse without depressing the clutch... Crunch. Now when i put the car into any gear and lift the clutch there is a vibration but no movement. I assume i have fatally wounded the input shaft or something? Has anyone had a similar problem? (Unlikely that else anyone has been so dumb) or any recommendation for what i should do next to diagnose or fix? Thanks

Thanks for the advice Clive, I haven't tightened any of the bush bolts yet for that very reason, I just need to remember to tighten everything up before driving it! I will have to try settling the spring as you suggest once it is on the road. It is the swing spring setup so hopefully camber change with the larger wheels shouldn't be an issue. I have new non adjustable spax coilovers in the front, but I thought they were the standard spring height (perhaps not) but wasn't sure if the lifting at the back would cause the front to dip? Spacers may be the way forward though if this is not the issue.

Hi Guys, I need some advice on the suspension setup on my spitfire. I am now in the final stages of the rebuild and pushed it outside to start it up yesterday. The rear leaf spring is new and seems to be jacking the rear end up and causing extreme positive camber. Will this settle down over time? There isn't much more weight to add in the rear end to bring this down. Also, would this cause the front suspension to drop? The front wheels are close to rubbing on the arches but they are not height adjustable. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks  

Thanks Andrew, It certainly will! Hopefully not long to go now!

Thanks Danny!

Thanks Conor, Its certainly taken some work to get it this far! Looking forward to getting it back on the road now. Blimey, I don't see how the car would have needed so much bodging after such a short time!

Got the call Wednesday evening that the car was finally on its way home! Here she is all loaded and leaving the paint shop. And a little while later she was home! Unfortunately I didn't have time to start tinkering that evening so she was tucked away for the night. I was away at a festival for the rest of the week so I had to wait to get started. I had an extra day booked off on the Monday though so I booked to hire a van with a plan to get the engine back in. Unfortunately the weather was not on my side! so lots of waiting around for the rain to stop. This is the closest the engine has been to the car for 7 years! Whilst waiting around I installed the propshaft and bolted it up to the diff. Finally there was a decent break in the weather and I managed to manoeuvre the engine and gearbox into place and reunite it once more! I had read that it is possible to get the engine in and out with the bonnet in place, so rather than damage my new paint trying to remove the bonnet on my own I left it there. Fortunately it was quite straightforward and slotted into place easily. The only problem I have is that the rear gearbox mount doesn't seem to line up with the mounting holes as if the engine is too far forward. I ran out of time to figure that one out so will leave it for another day.

Unfortunately the car was in the body shop for a lot longer than expected due to staffing issues, however it is now almost ready to come home! The bonnet and doors needed a fair bit of work to get them smooth enough to paint which is another reason it has taken a while. The underside was painted with stone-chip, then primed and finally painted with the new body colour. Needless to say it was a great feeling to finally see some fresh paint going on after such a long rebuild! Next up the lower portions of the cills and rear quarter were painted with stone-chip and then the whole thing primed ready for colour! I was getting very excited by this point to see the final outcome. First to get colour coated were the doors and boot lid, and the outcome is better than I had ever hoped for! However, the moment I had really been waiting for was to see the body in colour again. The results speak for themselves! Just the bonnet, headlamp cowls and front valances left to be painted now, and she should be coming home on Wednesday. Then the fun of reassembly can begin at last!