Fixed 2 coolant leaks and a fuel leak yesterday. Also replaced voltage stabilizer, tuned the new dual carbs, timed it, and slowed an oil leak at the fuel pump. I thought it was totally fixed untill I found one drop of oil under the fuel pump this morning. attached the choke cable, replaced the turn signal switch assembly (which fixed the headlights). also fixed the header. it was vibrating against the frame so i had a small piece cut off. Then I took it on a long drive to the beach along PCH.

Next I plan on replacing the bumpers, brake hoses and waxing it.

My Spitfire is only about 1500 miles from 100,000 miles and I'm more than a little bummed out. Piston #4's connecting rod was bent and completely detached and blew a chunk off the block. the piston is lodged cockeyed in the block. the oil sump was a mess to say the least. parts and rings everywhere. there are all sorts of pieces but there is one bolt that looks untouched. I'm wondering if that bolt loosened first and shot right into the oil sump, freeing the rod from the crank thus destroying the rest. Im on the prowl for parts and engines now. If any of you are local to Orange county, LA, or SD let me know.

I passed a mileage milestone today. 10000 miles since I got it going again last november. I am proud of my triumph. What an aptly named marque!

fixed a dent recently

After a hot July I decided I needed to fix the heat on my feet at speed. My toes were toast if if my feet were toting sandals. The first time I tried to fix it, it only helped by about 5 or 10% and that job involved removing the interior and and sticking some 1/8" foam/ aluminum all around the interior. this reduced the sound by about 10 to 20 % as well. after feeling the heat was coming from the vents. I realized it was a faulty heater valve. I bypassed the heater and that worked WONDERS. practically all the heat was gone. it was july and I knew I wouldnt need it for a month or two. recently on a ntght drive I froze my butt off because I wasnt dressed properly. it was then I knew I needed to address my heater valve. I removed it and tested it on the garden hose and it worked. it turns out my heater cable wasnt set correctly, it must have stretched out or slipped over the years and it wouldnt fully close. . theres a catch / hump it gets to when the valve is fully off or is on 'cold' . so I fully closed it wire wheeled it and set the lever on the cold setting and attached the cable. for some reason the heater lever wouldnt get to heat so I moved the valve by hand. once I did that the heater lever worked perfectly . the heater valve shined up real nice. didnt know there was brass under there. gotta love wire wheels.

holy shit overdrive is amazing. the revs are soooo much lower now. I cant believe how easy it is to go seventy five. I can cruise there no problemo - its wonderful. it is what 65 used to feel like without o.d. I can accelerate in o/d as well. the car feels different, more mature, less toy like. i can safely cruise on the freeways now. the fast lane is no longer an aspiration, the slow lane lane no longer a pen. it feels rejuvenated. Cant wait till the next drive.

the foam padding works well. it definitely adds to the refinement. conversations seem less like arguments. the engine and tranny are much quieter. I bought 30 sq ft for $35 at home depot. it covered the front 75% of the cockpit including the front firewall and most of the tunnel twice. I think one more package of 15 sq ft would have thoroughly covered the entire interior all the way back to the differential. I may have been able to stretch 30 sq ft across the whole interior by diligently avoiding all overlapping, but decided to double the noisiest spots and not cover under the back 25% of the tub. The diff seems a bit louder (because everything else is quieter) so Ill grab another roll of padding.

I lost a channel from the stereo and while there I'm going to swap it out with a 4 channel head. I have that and some extra speakers. I would have had to swap out all the p.o.'s ghetto twist together electrical connections anyway so might as well do it. the only reservation I have is that the is no aux input on the other stereo.
I would love to instal headrest speakers. oooh maybe I will...