Kyp
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Just been to see this Spit 1500 which I'm considering to replace mine. Not in bad shape, had a slightly second rate restoration by the sounds of things. Will give me a decent starting point anyway. http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/1981-Triumph-Spitfire-1500-/152202089772?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE One thing that I noticed is the small carbs (dash pots at least). I guess these are the Hs2's? Mine are definitely bigger and are the standard Hs3s I think... Did 1500 engines come with both?
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Cleaned up my valves and top of the block this weekend and all seemed to be in order until I noticed the extra amount of moment in piston 4... they can all be rocked very slightly but number 4 just has that little bit more movement. I guess this means worn or damaged rings? All pistons are currently soaking in ATF and I'm hoping this will improve the compression so that I can address the piston at later date as budget is limited and the main objective is to get it back on the road before working through all the issues. Before coming off the road, when compression was ok, the engine had a tapping that sounded just like a loose tappet but I was able to solve through adjustment. I'm now wondering whether this was a bit of piston slap. On the plus side this would mean the piston already had some movement and isn't related to the low compression which was caused by the some seizing during the period of standing. Anybody have any thoughts? I imagine popular advice would be to just inspect and change the rings! Can this be done without honing the cylinders?
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Thanks Nick, will see what I uncover when I start cleaning it all up tomorrow. Trevor
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Picture of scoring attached...
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When I first got it running again several months to a year ago it was running very unevenly (as you might expect) so I did a test and compression looked ok - was getting 147-160 across the four. I since decided I wasn't finding enough time to get everything done and took it to a garage to push thing forwards. Three garages, a trip around the Oxfordshire countryside and no small amount of teeth sucking later, the car was home again, nobody wanted to take it on. But the last garage did another test and got low readings, to be honest I can't remember want these were, low hundreds I think. Anyway, I'm kind of glad it has motivated me just to plough on myself. So, I haven't started cleaning anything up yet but the cylinders look clean, with the exception of number 4 which has some very faint vertical scoring, fairly evenly spaced lines every 3mm, which you can't feel but can't rub off either. As for a wear lip at the top, I need to investigate there is certainly a build-up non all four between the end of travel and actual rim of the cylinder... ATF? Excuse the ignorance... transmission fluid?
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Hi all, I started working in earnest to get my Spit back on the road (after too many years standing). Having got it running I now have bad compression which I'm hoping is the reason it will struggle along for half a mile before giving up and not restarting without a rest... Anyway, I figured that the bad compression is caused either by leaky valves or piston rings. So the head is off (gasket looks ok) and valves will be reseated, but is there a way to check the piston rings with the head off. I've heard of pouring oil in to the cylinders and recording the amount of time it takes to drain past the rings? I'm suspicious of the rings as plugs 1 and 4 are black and as if the mixture is rich (fed by different carbs) and appear to have oil on the threads, the top of those pistons is also particularly cruddy. I haven't been loosing oil but then haven't driven very far! I could just replace the rings of course but figure it's better not to disturb them if they're ok. Any advice would be appreciated!
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I'm no electrical expert but just thought I throw this in. I had trouble getting a spark not so long ago, despite getting good power to the coil. Changed points, leads, dist cap to no avail, eventually figured out that one of the leads at the points was just coming into contact with the side of the distributer casing and causing a short so that the distributer was asking for current all the time, which the coil couldn't manage as it had no time to build up enough whack. It was a while ago but I think i diagnosed it by bypassing the distributer straight to an earthed plug. Don't know whether this is any help but took me ages to get to the bottom of and your original symptoms of dying under load sounded like points or coil related to me. Trevor
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Thanks. I have ordered replacement cylinders for both, despite being on a tight budget! But got them both for about £61 delivered from ANG in Nottingham. Haven't come across them before but look as though they could prove useful - slightly cheaper than Rimmers. I was tempted by the refurb option as in sentiment I agree with Herald948 but as the clutch is going to unlock everything else for me I wanted to be sure.
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Evening all, Having decided last minute that I couldn't part with my Spit I'm getting stuck in (current condition photos to come soon). I plan to run through an MOT to get a to do list but need to get there first. So here is my first question. The clutch was seized on again and after a bit of a push the pedal went loose. Assuming one the cylinders has blown it's seals. Is there any way of telling if it is the slave or master. Nothing particularly obvious at the master... I understand it's probably worth renewing both sets of seals anyway? But I know the slave is a pain to get to and I only want to get to the test station at this point. Any advice welcome! Thanks.
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That particular Spitfire is now sold so the combination will remain a mystery in case anyone is interested. Budget Spit's in reasonable condition becoming more and more scarce... Seems to be increased interest in classic cars in general I think.
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Hi all, It's been a while since I posted anything and now that I am I'm sad to say that I'm selling my beloved Spitfire. It's been off the road for over two years while I've been too broke to address any real issues. Now I've made the big decision and it's on ebay for someone to restore it to former glory while I buy something road worthy and start slightly further up the ladder. So I'm back and will be loitering around giving the odd two pence worth. As always there is so much to read! I've just spend almost an hour flicking through Wimpus' progress! My first question is whether anyone has come across a 1500 with a Herald 1360 GE (small crank) engine? There's a slightly tatty Spitfire on ebay with one in that fits my meagre budget and I'm wondering whether they are to be avoided, celebrated or otherwise.... It's a long way from me so I'm trying to assess as much as I can through armchair research.