New toy! Small update.

[Timewaster]

Its about time I posted something interesting on here..

So this all started with a conversation with a mate a work late last summer.

I was on about my plans to build a garage (still not done) and what I might do with it, and classics and / or shite that might eventually fill it.

He mentioned he had an old car that had sat in his garage for years and it was about time he did something with it.

 

The idea of me taking it on has been bandied about ever since, and we finally negotiated a deal last week.

 

This wasn't to be an epic collection mission with A frames, ferrys, Little Chef olympic breakfasts and desperate searches for all night garages as

happily, we have a mutual mate who owns a recovery truck or two and the car was only 10 miles away.

 

The owner had sugested that it would take us a couple of hours to extract the car from the stuff in,on, under and around it in the garage, the truck owner said he could winch it out "a F** sight quicker, but you might not like it".

The owner took him at his word, and Saturday afternoon I got a call to say that he had cleared the garage,put some air in the tyres and all we had to do was turn up and push and or pull it out.

 

Sunday morning I headed over to the truck owners house and we made the journey to give the car its first glimpse of daylight in what turns out to be a decade.

 

You might notice that I have been deliberately cagey about what this shite may be.......

 

Well I was pretty much in the dark myself, I knew what the make,model and year. Thats it.

 

I wasn't even sure if I needed a truck or a dustpan and brush to collect it.

 

Well I was plesantly supprised. Here it is:

 

 

Its a 1969 Mk3 Spitfire 1300 and the tax disc sugests that it hasn't been on the road since 2003

 

 

Even with a broken tail light, don't these look so much prettier than the later ones?

 

Anyway, out came the winch and away she goes.

 

 

So far, all I have had time to do is store away all the parts that came with it and turn it into a CPTC

 

Early signs are good though. Windscreen surround is rotten but a new one was supplied, the original seats are beyond repair and the Lotus replacements are so big that the hood had to be removed, The crank seal leaks (well Duh?!), the battery is missing (but would be borked in this time anyway) and that is about it. There is some rot in the front corners of the bonnet and I havent been able to get underneath it yet but I'm not expecting to find any horrors.

 

I will keep you up to date, but dont hold your breath, afterall there is still that garage to build (the spit is undercover for now) and of course a job, a 2 year old daughter and another on the way....

It might be another 10 years!

[skattrd]

Nice, I agree that mk3's look much nicer than mkIV/1500's

I had a 1500 a few years ago, bought on a whim, I spent ages getting it road legal then decided I didn't like driving it; I'm not a fan of the offset pedals.

 

edit: I've still got a spare 1500 engine, std 4spd box and a few random bits left over from mine ... you can have them if you collect them

[Cavcraft]

Defo the earlier these things were, the prettier they got.

 

You've had a right touch with that, looks a lovely little thing. Congrats!

[Timewaster]

I've still got a spare 1500 engine, std 4spd box and a few random bits left over from mine ... you can have them if you collect them

 

I'm told its had a recon engine relatively recently, but the random bits might come in handy

[michiel]

Nice! You can't beat Italian design... with a few exceptions.

[messerschmitt owner]

cool - was it dear?

[HillmanImp]

 

Thats a Sebring GT hardtop. Pretty rare IIRC. Think they are worth a few bob. Would suggest doing a bit of research and maybe heading back to pick that up.

 

Hardtop for winter?

 

I agree with the looks. I think the earlier Spitfires look better but oddly the Mk3 GT6 is much much fitter than the earlier ones. The earlier styles did not work for the GT6 IMO.

[Timewaster]

 

You could be right there.

[boobydoo]

Nice save! It looks a solid old thing! Sounds like I'm the only one who prefers the later cars with the big lights.....and garish BL seventies colours!

[vulgalour]

Not at all, as much as I like the early ones the later ones float my boat significantly more... on the whole, especially in bright yellow or purple.

 

What an excellent garage find, all the same, I certainly wouldn't have said no had I been in your proverbials.

[Timewaster]

Small update. Sadly work, life and man flu have kept progress to a minimum so far but the oversize Lotus seats are out and it is time for my latest Ebay purchase:

 

A pair of seats from a Westfield which if anything are a bit small, but look the part.

 

Being the 3rd set of seats and sods law being what it is, the floor is begining to look like swiss cheese with the number of mounting holes. Some large bodge washers and a dab of silicone on the new mounts should seal most of them off.

Got the roof back on now too.

 

Slowly but surely......

[eddyramrod]

Excellent! FWIW I totally approve, well done with that. And while it certainly is pretty, I have to side with VA: I also prefer the later style. But as a random save, I couldn't and wouldn't quibble. Got one of my own going on here which might not have been my first choice, but came in a suitable condition at a suitable price, so what do you do? Same as you, of course TT, and grab it. I suppose I'd better upload some snaps now and write a thread.......