After much waiting and worrying, my 'new' 71 Spit has arrived. The PO delivered it on Friday evening. Then the fun began.
The second time I tried to start the car, it would not start. Nothing. Like the battery was dead, but it wasn't. Then we noticed a plume of dark smoke rising from the starter motor. Eek! I was able to catch up with the PO and he offered to pay for a new starter. The next day I went to Advanced Auto and asked them to test that starter and another that had been dwelling in my dark and dank basement. The one out of the 71 smoked and made worn-bearing noises. The one that sat in the basement worked, but I ordered a 'new' one anyway. Just wanted to be sure. I put the new starter in today (had to remove the oil sending unit and oil filter to get the darned things in and out), pulled the choke all the way out and it started with the first turn of the key. It runs very nicely. I changed the oil and put 20W50 into it. I ran it down the road and the engine temperature went up to the third mark quickly. AND THE OIL LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AT IDLE. Looks like the only problem with the oil pressure was the thin oil. And it looks great. There are some dinks and such in the paint, but generally it is good. BRG! There are some indications that there is more rust than originally noted, but it seems bearable. They replaced the floor pans and the transmission tunnel with what seems to be one piece of fiberglass. Hmmmm. There are some bits and pieces that need to be looked after, but nothing major. Anyway, I'm happy to have the car. Now I am no longer just a guy with a sportscar. Hell, I have two. That makes me a collector. Thanks all for the advice on this purchase. Jeff Gruber 71 Spitfire Mk IV 77 Spitfire 1500 combined mileage 82,000 /// [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list /// Send admin requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool /// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive /// Send list postings to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// Edit your replies! If they include this trailer, they will NOT be sent.
