Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal

Minnesota Triumph Sports Car Club

Thu, 20 May 2010 06:40:48 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2010-05-20 06:40:48

I have always wanted to go to a Minnesota Triumph Sports Car Club meeting, but it meets at Fort Snelling's Officer's Club, and when I was unemployed last summer I couldn't afford the drive. Now I work five miles away and decided to go. They meet the second Thursday of the month. The meeting itself was boring, conducted as it was by classic rules, but I met some interesting people. It seems that almost everyone who drives a Spitfire is an insanely tall or large person. I thought I was big at 6'2" and 250 lbs., but I was average or even on the small side compared to most of these guys! After the meeting we all went out to look at the cars, but it was crappy weather and there were about six Spitfires and one TR3. I tried to get some ideas of where everything went so I could use it on my car, and some carb ideas as well. One guy had a four pack of Mikuni carbs on his that was interesting. We didn't stay long because as it got towards dusk, te temp dropped to around 40 degrees and the wind was blowing 25 to 30 mph along with light drizzle. It was freaking cold! I think I will hit next months and hope for nicer weather. I will have to bring my camera along as well.

Dammit!

Sun, 09 May 2010 19:46:41 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2010-05-09 19:46:41

I installed the clutch master and bracket onto the car. I was going to install the brake master, but I never tried test fitting it before I rebuilt it, and guess what? It is the wrong master. I bought it last summer from an out of state junkyard. I can't quite get it to fit and line up the bracket's mounting holes, and even if I did, the brake line in the rear would never attach. I guess I am better off buying a new one anyway. They aren't that expensive, and then I can be sure it will fit. Time to sell the old one!

We Can Rebuild It...

Sat, 08 May 2010 23:33:11 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2010-05-08 23:33:11

I brought the brake and clutch masters into work at the transmission shop I work at. I disassembled the clutch master and it had dried up crap and corrosion but was not too bad. The brake master was full of very rusty fluid. I put all the pieces in the heated parts washer and cleaned them all up. Today I worked at Vrooom and after work I used the wire wheel to clean the external surfaces and they came so clean I changed my mind and did not paint them black. I polished all the internal plungers and put on the new rubbers. I honed out the bores and they cleaned up well. I got them both back together, bit the clutch master is a little sticky. I will have to work it a bit more. I cleaned up and painted the brackets as well. Tomorrow is Mother's Day, but I hope to get out in the garage and at least get them mounted on the car. I still have to pull off the calipers and wheel cylinders and rebuild them.

Back At It

Thu, 06 May 2010 19:26:29 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2010-05-06 19:26:29

Well, it has been a long time and many things have happened. I haven't touched my Spitfire since late October when Mom died. Dad has been in and out of the hospital and I spent most of the time living with him and taking care of him. I finally came back home and found a job and am working full time and more. Six days a week at two jobs. I really need the money.
I had a new fuel pump, which I hoped would cure my running problems. The car would start and run, but had a hard time staying running when the throttles opened. The pump was the new style, so I had to buy a spacer. I finally had the money and bought the spacer and gaskets a few weeks ago. I installed it today and charged the battery. I finally got it running again and I have the same old problem. Dammit! I have to believe the problem is in the carb, even though it was the easiest rebuild I ever had. I will continue to play with timing and such and see what I can do.
I was looking on eBay for a clutch master cylinder and the mounting brackets for both it and the brake master. I scored a $10 clutch master with the bracket and asked the guy if he had the bracket for the brake master and he did. I got it for $5.25. I disassembled the rusty old pitted clutch master and tossed it and the brackets in the heated parts washer at work. Then I hit Victoria British and ordered rebuild kits for the clutch master, brake master, slave cylinder, and wheel cylinders. They were out of caliper kits, but the local Napa had them in stock for some reason. I also ordered clutch and brake pedal pads. I have to buy a small cylinder hone, but I cleaned up and put new seals on the internal parts of the clutch master. I put my dirty old used brake master in my car so I can take it to work tomorrow and clean it up. I would like to get this thing mobile, even though the body work has yet to be done. The interior is almost complete, so mobility would be nice.

Lots Done Today

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:51:59 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-09-04 19:51:59

I painted the steering wheel hub the final coat. I pulled off the tape from the steering wheel and mounted it to the hub. This is where I learned that clearcoat does not adhere to metal very well. I could rub it with my fingernail and it would flake off. I sanded all the clear off and used a good wax and rubbed it in well. I got it remounted on the hub and will have to decide what to do about the cover. The old one is very worn and the new one I have is a bit too big. I could pad it with the foam I have for the interior panels. It would feel good and probably fit very well. I masked off the dash and took the covers off the steering column and painted it as well. I forgot to do it when I had the dash out, so like an idiot, I am doing it the hard way. It turned out well, though. I took the opportunity to clean the covers and remounted them. I don't have any of the horn electrics or horn pad. I have a horn button coming from Mark Jones, but what else I need remains to be seen. I sanded all the fish-eyes out of the front cowl area, taped off and covered everything up and re shot the cowl and windshield frame area. Now I can finally put the windshield back in and get the dash pad installed. Things are coming together fast.

Steering wheel sanded and clean

Parts Arrive

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:20:42 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-09-02 21:20:42

My parts showed up today. I replaced my leaking water pump and decided that it was much easier when the engine was removed. Still a simple job, but getting at the nuts was harder with the radiator in the way. I filled the coolant and started it up to bleed the air and I noticed I have a leak where the nipple that goes to the reservoir hose meets the radiator filler neck. Not a problem when the car is operating normally but when it is shut off and cooling and pushing coolant back into the bottle it is going to leak. I will have to braze it up and of course the new paint will be destroyed and I will have to repaint the dang thing. When I was a kid we used a torch to blow the paint off our radiators and polished the copper until it shined like a new penny. If that is the case here, I might do that. It looks cool if you take the time to polish it well. I finished clear coating the steering wheel and sanded and painted the hub. No horn wiring, so possibly my horn is on the stalk. I have to clean up and touch up the steering column as well before I remount the steering wheel.

Steering Wheel

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:38:34 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-09-01 21:38:34

My steering wheel was rust pitted and filthy. I thought it was an original leather wrapped steering wheel, and maybe it was, but the leather wrap was a sewn on overlay that I think was added aftermarket. I have on much like it for one of my other cars that is now going to go onto the Spitfire's wheel. I took off the steering wheel nut, threaded it back on until it was flush with the end of the shaft and hit the shaft with an air hammer. It popped right off. The three spokes were bolted onto the hub, so I removed the wheel from the hub and then untied and pulled the stitching from the leather wrap. I cleaned the wheel with Zep 40 and a toothbrush. It came so clean it looked new. I used some 220 grit sandpaper on the spokes and they cleaned up very well. It was hard getting into the slots in the middle of each spoke, but i sanded the whole thing and went back over it with 320 grit. It was very shiny and metallic looking, better than I hoped. I was thinking of painting it to match the car, or a chrome paint or metallic silver. Once I saw how nice it looked, I taped it off and shot it with clear-coat. Now I get the nice brushed steel look and it won't rust again. Tomorrow I will clean up the hub and paint it and throw it all back together and onto the car. I need the horn button still. Gotta check with Mark on that.

Ready for clearcoat

Dash Pad

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:25:11 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-09-01 21:25:11

I decided to tackle the dash pad. In retrospect I would have done things differently, but you live and learn. My dash pad wasn't split or cracked. It only had one small dent with a few small cracks in the vinyl around it, but it was right in the center of the front edge of the dash . I stripped off the old vinyl, which was kind of hard, almost like a shell rather than fabric. The foam underneath was a bit rotted here and there and had some tears. I had read someone else's blog about how he used spray foam insulation and it was almost like the material the dash uses originally. That is what I tried. That would be number two on the things I would do differently, but I will explain all that later. I used the stuff very carefully and did not use very much. It does not spread well and you would do well to use gloves. I got it as close as I thought it would get and let it sit. While it rose and dried I tried to figure a way to get the inner wheel wells covered in vinyl without any cuts or folds. The problem is the dang thing curves two different directions and I spent almost two hours stretching, sliding, heating, bending, crying and swearing and could not get the damn thing to work. The original that I took out was one piece and I used it as a template! I had to walk away before I pulled my gun and unloaded on the car. I went back to the dash and found that using the spray insulation sparingly is too much. I spent quite a bit of time cutting with a razor blade and then sanding with 220 grit sandpaper. I finally got it where I wanted it. I knew it didn't have to be smooth because the vinyl would hid a lot of sins. There was one spot I needed to level better and instead of the insulation I used what I was thinking about using all along, wood putty. It filled in well, dried fast and sanded beautifully. I cut a piece of vinyl in the general size and I brushed contact cement on the entire pad. I laid the vinyl on and rolled it with my roller till it was nice and smooth. I turned it over and sprayed adhesive on the bottom edge of the front of the dash, let it set a few minutes and pulled the vinyl tight and down. I turned it over and it looked great. I started cutting and gluing the back edge, working towards the corners that I knew would be a bear to do. Halfway through I turned it over and the vinyl was bubbling just like the rear panel had done. After a few minutes of swearing, I pulled all the glued down tabs and lifted the vinyl off one half of the pad. I stretched it and used the roller to roll it back down. Then I did the other half. I turned it over and began re-gluing my tads, checking every so often to be sure the other side looked good. It was fine. The corners were a little tough but i am getting to be an old pro at this an I finished it up. I cut the opening for the ashtray, then turned it over and with the fabric cut I worked my fingers along the molded edges on either side of the ashtray. I kept working the fabric and it molded very well. once I was sure it was glued in well I glued the tabs I had cut, then with the dash right side up, I held the fabric along the molded edge and tucked the tab in and glued it to the backside. This kept me from pulling too tight and pulling the fabric away from the molded edge. I glued all for tabs and my daughter cut the slits for the demister vents. Done deal and looking good. Then I saw the bumps. Apparently the glue soaked through and the original foam was pulling off the metal backing in spots. Or maybe it was just swelling. I put it out in the sun. I am hoping when the glue dries overnight it will shrink back down. I notice it, but likely no one else will. In retrospect, I should never have removed the old vinyl. I should have just recovered over the top of it. I also should have used the wood filler and would never recommend that foam insulation. Also, had I known, I would have spayed a sealer of some sort on the foam pad first, and then put the glue down. Regardless, it did turn out pretty nice. It was really easier than it sounds.

It does look nice and matches the interior

Never use spray in foam insulation!

Parts Ordered

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:17:09 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-31 18:17:09

I was beat down tired and did not feel like working on the car today. I did use my birthday money and I ordered my water pump, windshield gasket, handbrake gaiter and clutch and brake pedal return springs. I decided to try The Little British Car Co. this time. Their pricing was better on everything but the water pump and they were close on that. The only downside is that they don't tell you the shipping cost ... ever. I imagine I will find out when I see the charge on my credit card. They are in Michigan and it is going Fedex or UPS ground so it shouldn't be too much. I can't wait to get the water pump in and stop the damn thing from leaking all over my garage and driveway.
-
Just checked my card. It is $17.85 shipping. I always think shipping costs are ridiculous, so this sucks, but it is pretty reasonable I guess.

Interior Panels Continued...

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:38:15 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-28 18:38:15

I trimmed the foam on the other door panel and cut and glued the vinyl. Big as they are, they are very easy to fold and glue due to long straight edges. I finished both door panels today. I also cut the battery mat and some smaller pieces of the mat to fill the space under my wiper motor. The clamp won't hold it tight and I had some carpet under it to fill in space but was worried about dampness being held in the carpet. I also filled in the bad spots on the dashboard with expanding foam insulation. There weren't many bad spots and most came when I removed the old cover. I won't be able to get back to work on the car until Monday. I'm going to the Twins game Saturday as part of my birthday gift and then the State Fair on Sunday. Monday I will sand not so much smooth but even. Then I will be able to cut and glue the vinyl to the foam. I am a little worried about being able to conform to the small indented portion around the ashtray. I figure the glue will help. Once that is done, I have to figure out how to form the vinyl onto the inner wheel wells. I cut a piece today and tried to set it in place and it defeated my best thoughts on how to get it formed. I think I am going to try stretching a piece around my knee and seeing how it fits. Then it's glue in the carpet, install the panels, install the seats and seat belts and the interior is done. Any birthday money I get will go to a new water pump and a windshield gasket. I also need to check a few goodwill stores for a cheap car cover. No dust in my new interior!

Finished right door panel

Before, ugly blue.

More Interior Panels

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:59:28 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-27 19:59:28

I met Jon at Rochford Supply, a local textile manufacturer in Minneapolis. The place was incredible. They make all kinds of material for marine, automotive, snowmobile, atv and any other use you can think of. And they have fasteners of all styles. Jon buys material to make backpacks from them. I looked at many different styles and finally settled on a leather look black that is actually a snowmobile application. I was prepared for the worst but it was only $8.88 a yard and was 54" wide. I chose a thick foam padding and it was $5.55 a yard and was 72" wide. While we were waiting for the order to be filled, I saw they had a material called battery mat. It was in several thicknesses. I was looking for a battery mat and was going to go to the local cobbler and buy some rubber heel material. This is even better. I asked how it comes and she says you have to buy a yard minimum. Basically a 3' X 4' piece. Crap. How much, I ask? $1.25 for the yard. I bought a yard and now have a lifetime supply of battery mat. I bought two yards of foam and three yards of vinyl along with the battery mat for a total of $42. That brings my total with hardboard and glue to just shy of $55. This morning I decided to start with the rear side panels because they are not padded. I cut the vinyl and spent quite a bit of time on the backside cutting and gluing due to all the curves and weird angles. It was slow going but turned out very well. I did both rear side panels and then because it was easier, the rear panel in front of the fuel tank. I cut the padding a bit bigger than I needed and then brushed contact cement on the hardboard. I let it set for a while and set it on the foam. I ended up turning it over and pressing on the hardboard to get it to adhere. It took a long time to set. I was very surprised. I thought it would be ready and I would turn it over and an edge would start to roll up. Finally it set and I used a new single edged razor and ran it along the edge of the hardboard as a guide to cut off the excess foam. Then I brushed contact cement onto the foam and let it set again. I had already cut the vinyl and set the foamed panel onto the vinyl. I turned it over and used a cotton rag to rub it smooth and it looked great. I flipped it over and started cutting and folding and gluing. I was told to use 3M spray adhesive, and I already had a bottle but never liked it. I worked for crap, so I went back to my tried and true 3M weatherstrip adhesive in a tube. I could squeeze the glue onto a tab, pull it tight and stick it down and it would hold instantly. No sliding or slipping. I love this stuff. About halfway through for some reason I turned it over to look at the finished side and it was puckered and had rolls in it. I about shit myself and tried to roll them out to an edge with a towel. No dice. I ended up undoing all the tabs and pulling up half the vinyl from the foam and resetting it using the roller I had bought for the dash veneer. This smoothed it out well. Once the half was done, I pulled up the other half and did that too. Now it was smooth and fortunately still tacked down with glue. I went back and re-glued all the tabs, checking the front side every so often. After I finished all the tabs,it looked great. The original had vertical ribs sewn into it. I was going to do that also, but decided against it since none of the other panels have it and it would really be a pain. I like the clean look. And it will be easier to clean. I let them set while I test fit the door panels and made sure the door clips would all fit. I cut the foam and glued it to both door panels and trimmed the foam on one. I test fit the completed panels and boy, does it look good! Very clean and neat looking. Tomorrow I want to finish the door panels and start putting the doors back together ... the latches, strikers, panels, etc...

Rear inner panel complete

Interior Panel Replacement

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:03:53 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-24 19:03:53

Today I started work on the interior panels. I disassembled the door, rear and rear side panels and used the old panels for templates. I used 1/4 inch hardboard. I was tempted to use thicker, but the rear side panels have a bend to them that is almost 90 degrees and thinner will help with that. The last time they were done whoever did them used both contact cement and staples so it was quite a job to get them all taken apart. The old panels were damp rotted and in very rough shape. I used them as templates and cut new ones from the hardboard. The rear side panels have that bend and the first one worked beautifully. The second one snapped as soon as I flexed it. After a few colorful words and very inventive phrases, I cut another one. It worked better. I don't have the fabric yet, but I am meeting my buddy Jon at Rockford Textiles on Wednesday to pick some out. It is going to be black and I am going to pad them as well. I don't know yet what style I am going with. I want to match the seats as closely as I can. There was also vinyl glued along the window frame where the door meets it and down the pinch weld to the kick panel. I will have to get enough to cover that as well. These are some of the final pieces of the interior. I am very excited. I still have to do something about the glove boxes, but that will be it. I can hardly wait.

Left door panel before and after

before and really ugly!

Floor Insulated And Carpet Installed ... Sort Of

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:07:36 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-18 20:07:36

Well, today I got tired of sanding. I really hate sanding. I have to sand out the dang fisheyes and repaint part of the front cowling but don't have the heart to keep sanding. I decided to reward myself with some visual success and insulate the interior in preparation for carpet. I vacuumed everything out inside and slid the transmission cover in. I have the foil covered bubble wrap insulation and started to mould it into place. It worked very well. I only had to use a little glue on the raised rail between the seat and the front floor pan. Other than that it all laid down and moulded to the curves very well. Of course it turned out I didn't have enough freaking insulation. I need to insulate the front floor pan and the rear ledge still. I decided to try to fit the carpet onto the transmission cover. It came with the shifter boot installed. I got that slid in and thought, what the heck? I think I will continue. There were no instructions for the carpet except for a picture of the shapes and layout. It didn't say where to glue, which piece tucks under, which piece lays over, or which pieces you should install first. I have had great success with the trial and error method, and it seemed to work here, too. The carpet doesn't fit as well as I would have hoped, but I will park it out in the sun and let things stretch and settle in. Thursday I will be in town and will get the rest of the insulation I need and finish it up. It feels good to see a visual change, and it looks so much cleaner now. I will have to find a car cover now as well to keep the dust and dirt out.
-
On a side note, I found a used brake and clutch master cylinder and ordered them last Friday. As soon as they arrive and I see that they will work I will order the rebuild kits. I hope to get this car moving ... and stopping.

Partially insulated

Dash Installed

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:14:34 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-17 12:14:34

I finally got the dash installed. The hardest part was the choke cable. I am pretty sure all the wiring is correct. I can't check because the headlight switch is broken and I have to order a new one, the wiper transmission and washer nozzles are removed for painting, the tail and turn lights are all removed, and the hood has been removed and all the associated lights went with it. I will have to cross my fingers.

Looks nice. Truly a pain, but worth it.

Reassembly

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:08:45 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-15 19:08:45

I haven't had much time to play lately. I started putting the dash panels in. That was the easy part. The wires were the not so easy part. When I removed the panels I marked all the wires I removed and took a lot of pictures. The PO had disconnected a lot of things before me, however, and I had to figure a few things out. I started on the left (read: easy) side. The center section was a little more complex, but not bad. I replaced every bulb first, as I didn't want to have to do this all again later to replace a burned out bulb. I also realized I hadn't run or attached the heater control cable yet, and did so at this time.Once the center was attached, I moved on to the left side. There are tons of wires there. I ran the speedometer cable and the grommet was all stretched and cracked, so I replaced it. I struggled getting the new grommet over the cable end. It had a plastic retaining clip to attach to the speedometer and I didn't want to break that. After ten minutes of struggling I finally got it over the end and didn't break the clip. I slid the cable through the hole in the firewall and the damn clip brushed against the side and broke off. Now I need to order a new speedometer cable. I ran the tach and choke cables as well. I got everything all wired and was going to mount the dash when I realized I had forgotten to run the wires thought the dash hole first. They were all hanging under the dash, so I have to disconnect everything and run the wires though the dash and reinstall them again. The headlight switch was broken as well. I tried to fix it, but it didn't hold. I will need a new one. I also ordered a brake and clutch master cylinder from a salvage yard in New Jersey. I will have to rebuild them, but they were only $25 each. With any luck I can have this vehicle movable under it's own power in the near future. Tomorrow I plan to finish installing the last dash panel and sand the fisheyes from the corner and sill plate and ready it to paint again. I still don't know how that happened. The primer was fine, and I painted it less than hour later. Nothing could have contaminated it. Oh well, nothing for it but more freaking sanding.

Painted At Last

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:30:20 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-11 13:30:20

I got the whole interior area painted in color. I used the last of the paint that I had. Unfortunately, there are fisheyes on the driver's side cowling and sill plate. I don't understand how that happened. It didn't get fisheyes in the primer, so there were no contaminants on the metal. I painted the color shortly after the primer so nothing got on it either. I am assuming it had to do with the humidity, though everywhere else looks just fine. I'll have to wait a few days, sand and paint again. I'll have to buy more paint, too. That sucks, but at least the interior and doors turned out. I can work on the dash in the meantime.

Looking good!

Priming Done

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:58:22 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-11 10:58:22

Holy Hannah is it hot out there! The one day I have to paint has to be one of the hottest of course. I got out and taped and covered the car and cleaned up and residual overnight surface rust from humidity on bare metal. I pull out the spray guns, get the filter on the compressor, grab the primer and.....shit! I don't have enough. Run into town and get some more. Stir it up, glove up, mask on and I'm shooting. There are some really tight areas to try to get into, but patience prevails. It is all primed and I have come in to cool down. My gloves were full of sweat. It's 86 degrees and 55% humidity today. I figure I will give the primer an hour and shoot the color.

Waiting to set so I can shoot color

Ready To Paint The Interior

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:32:06 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-10 19:32:06

Well, it looks like I will be back to work before too long. I will have to really bust my behind and get some work done while I have the time. I finished sanding the inner doors and door jambs along with the dash and windshield frame. I treated all the bare metal with rustmort and washed everything down with a green scrubby pad. Then I dried it, scuffed all the clean paint, and washed and dried everything again. It is now ready for paint. Tomorrow morning I will mask off the spots that need it and clean up any overnight surface rust. Then I can use the last of my primer / sealer and shoot the metal dash, windshield frame, inner door panels, door jambs and door sills. I plan to roll some paint out along the fenders, quarterpanels and doors so when the time comes to paint the whole car it will be that much easier to prep. After about an hour I will shoot color on the whole area. This is such an important step for me. It opens up a whole lot of areas to work on other than sanding. I can install my dash panels, figure out where all the wires go to, run all the cables, hook up the choke, install the carpeting, install the seats, make door panels, make the rear and side panels. This is the first step of completing the interior. I am very excited for tomorrow, if for no other reason than it will keep me off body work for a while.

I Repeat ... Body Work Blows

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:25:11 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-06 20:25:11

Now that the dash is done I can't wait to get the interior painted and install it where it belongs. I got a late start because I really hate sanding. I sanded the whole sill plate on the driver's side to bare metal. The paint was intact but there was something under the paint that looked like wormwood. There were squiggly lines under it, small and irregular, like worms had been under it chewing away. Weird. I sanded through the paint and found that they were little tendrils of rust eaten into the metal. It took a lot of sanding to remove all traces of rust. I got the entire door jamb sanded and worked my way around the inner door.I had to sand a ton of chips that were on every edge of the door. When I paint the interior I have to paint the edges and roll some paint onto the outer door and quarter panels, so they have to be rust free and prepped for paint even though they aren't really going to get the final topcoat. After spending all afternoon in the sun and heat I got the windshield frame and the driver's side done. Tomorrow it will be the passenger side. If all goes well, I will fine sand the whole mess and wash it. If all goes really well, which it won't, I will primer / seal and then paint. I can't imagine I will have enough free time to do all that, but there is always hope. I also drilled out the snaps on the doors and rear edge that hold the tonneau cover. Several were broken. This way I can sand and paint much easier and replace them after the car is completely painted.

It Really Is ALIVE!

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:31:50 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-08-05 17:31:50

I was spending my time removing door panels and latches and striker plates, etc... Then monotonous sanding in hard to reach areas. After a couple days of this I got bored and decided to try to get the dang thing running on it's own. I had walked away from it two weeks ago due to frustration and wanted to clear my head before getting back to it. I had it running on carb spray, but barely. It would pop and struggle to stay running. I was thinking I had a bad fuel pump. I was also concerned about compression but now that the engine was in the car I found my compression tester was broken. Going with he fuel assumption, I filled an empty gear lube bottle with fuel and ran a hose from it directly to the carb. I suspended it above the carb kind of like a gravity feed fuel tank. I could not get it to fire unless I used carb spray. I started to wonder about timing. I had removed the distributor and replaced the seals on it while the motor was removed and I just put it back as it was upon removal. I tried to loosen the distributor bolt and it snapped immediately. Oh well, I have tons on nuts and bolts. I reached in through the windscreen, since the windshield is out, and cranked it while turning the distributor one way and the other. I had no luck at first but as turned it a long way clockwise and it began to fire and started. I reached to give it a little gas and it sputtered and died. I did this several times until I realized that the tach cable tension was turning the distributor back the way it came from. I found a new bolt and tightened it enough that I could turn the distributor but stiff enough to hold it in place. I reattached the fuel line from the fuel pump and tried it. It wouldn't start. I used carb spray and tried it and got it started. I turned the distributor even more and began to run on it's own and it smoothed out. The spring on the gas pedal is weak and there isn't a return spring on the carb, so it idled very high. I manually closed the throttle and it idled down too far. I played with the idle adjustment and got that set. It runs a little rough and it doesn't like acceleration at all. It falls flat on it's face. I shut it off and restarted it several times. I realized that the car has a manual choke and that with the dash removed I don't have the cable hooked up. When I manually opened the choke it smoothed out very nicely. I let it run for 15 minutes or so, filling the coolant and letting the thermostat open. I didn't want to run it much longer with o lights or gauges hooked up. I was about to shut it down when I saw some fluid being thrown out the passenger side by the fan. Now I shut it down and got the flashlight out. I could see where it was running off, but not where it was leaking. I was pretty sure it was the water pump. I started it up again and watched as the coolant ran from the weep hole. I wanted to replace it while the motor was out but couldn't afford it without really good justification. Now, of course, I am kicking myself. I had it off and changed the gasket when the motor was out. It's not too hard to access, so no big deal, I'll get a new one. I also realized I no longer have a timing light. I will have to borrow one from my brother and set the timing. I think that is why it drops out when I snap the throttle. Even with all the issues it is really exciting to hear the old girl run...even with no exhaust. The PO had conflicting stories about when it was last run. It was either 1979, which she believes, or 1984 as the tabs show. She thinks her husband licensed it and did the interior in '84 but it never saw the light of day. So it is running for the first time in at least 25 years and maybe as many as 30 years. I am a happy guy and am looking forward to working harder and getting my baby on the road.

More Body Work

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:58:46 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-30 16:58:46

I put another coat of stain on the dash panels. It darkened it a little, but not much. I am going to live with the color. Tomorrow morning I will put some urethane on it and hopefully by the end of the day I can start reinstalling all the gauges, switches and lights. I removed all the vinyl on the windshield header and spent a long time removing glue. I sanded and blended all the nicks and rust inside and out on the windshield pillars. Tomorrow it will be cleaning and sanding as needed on the door jambs and sill plates, door panel removal and prep, and prep underdash for paint. Hopefully I will be able to paint this weekend.

Dash Work

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:51:29 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-29 18:51:29

Well, I chipped all the cracked and broken resin off the dash panels. I used a wood filler to level it off and watched the Twins game while it dried.I sanded it smooth lined the panels up on the veneer so the grain would flow well from one piece to the other. I cut the basic shapes out and sanded the resin so the contact cement would adhere better. The next morning I applied contact cement to both the dash panels and the veneer. After twenty minutes I put the veneer onto the panels and used a roller to adhere it well to the panels. I probably didn't need the roller because the panels were pretty small, but I wanted a tight fit and the edges worried me a bit. It worked very well.It fit very tightly and the edges were perfectly flush. I let it dry for a few hours and then used a single edged razor blade to cut off the excess from the outside edges. I matched drill bits to the different sized holes. I laid the panel on a piece of wood and held it tight as I drilled through the veneer. It was perfect with no tearing or splitting. I had considered taping it first to stop splitting but since I would be staining I didn't want any adhesive on the veneer if I could help it. The speedo and tach openings I cut by hand with a razor blade. I did the same with the two rectangular openings, which were a real pain. After sanding, the openings were perfectly round, so I decided to do the same with the smaller fuel and temp gauges. I used an exacto knife for them and took a lot of time. It all worked out and I sanded the crap out of everything with 100 grit to get the proper shapes. I worked down to 320 grit and sanded the facing well. The stain I had chosen was almost the original factory color; antique maple. I used a Minwax gel stain for the first time. The color was great when I brushed it on a test piece. When I wiped it off it was very light. I stained all the panels and left the stain on an extra five minutes hoping to get a darker finish. That was a mistake. When gel stain says three minutes, they mean three minutes. It was very hard to wipe off. It was a lot of work. And it was very light. Much lighter than I want. You are not supposed to recoat for eight to ten hours, so I will try a second coat on my test piece tomorrow morning. If it is still too light I will go with a darker stain to bring it closer to what I want. It was a lot of work, but I am very happy with the results. I have less than $30 into a new dash. Hard to complain about that.

Too light - needs to be darker	Left dash with filler, prior to veneer	Rough shape cut and glued on
Finally done

Trunk Done, Dash Work Started

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:48:02 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-26 20:48:02

I finished carpeting the rear of the trunk and made the spare tire cover. I got it all put together and it looks really good. The panels fit so fell I didn't even have to screw them in place. Now I am moving on to the dash and interior. I took all the gauges apart and cleaned them. I sanded the rust from the housings and painted them. The paint is taking forever to dry, so reassembly will have to wait until tomorrow. I plan on laying the veneer on the dash tomorrow. If the glue dries well I will stain them and install the gauges and switches.

Trunk carpet complete 1

Now For The Dash

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:40:38 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-24 13:40:38

Well, it's been put off long enough. I went out today and spent some of my meager supply of money on some real maple wood veneer and stain. I am going to glue on the veneer and stain it an antique maple color. It will be a bit of a pain cutting all the gauge openings, but money is tight and I will make this work. I have to ready the under dash first. It looks very nice, but I am going to paint it anyway. I am going to pull off the door panels and prep the door jambs and the windshield frame and shoot them at the same time. Then all I will have to worry about is the main body paint afterwards. Then I am free to install all the gauges and switches back in the wooden dash, mount everything up and hook up all the electrical wires. Of course then comes carpet, mount the seats, and make new door and side panels. It will be like a new car! Except that it is going to take the better part of two weeks to find the time and get it all done!

Down Time

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:50:10 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-23 09:50:10

I haven't touched the Spitfire all week. Picked up a used lawn tractor, had to get it running and figure out the mower deck. I got kind of roped in to helping my daughter's ex boyfriend get his demolition derby truck running and repair all his wiring. I installed a shut off switch inside the vehicle, as it is necessary in case of a fire so all power can be shut off. I made sure all the wiring was correct for the starting and charging system, which it was not. After all this I shows me a push button switch. I asked him what it's for and he says it is a starter switch that is required by rule instead of an ignition switch. Couldn't have told me that when I was wiring the kill switch... Going to wire that today, install a starter and hope it runs, and adjust the carburetor. Then my job is done. Oh crap, he blew out a rusted brake line and I have to replace that today also. Hopefully Friday will be mine to work on the Spitfire. I want to move on the dash and get the interior rolling. I want to be able to prime and shoot the dash and interior along with the windshield frame soon. Then I can reassemble the whole mess and get the carpet and seats in. I am really looking forward to seeing the interior done.

Trunk Almost Done

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:29:00 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-19 11:29:00

I finally got some time today and carpeted the trunk panels. It was quite a job due to all the angles, curves and cutouts. With a little patience and more than a little luck I got it done and they fit perfectly. Now I have to work on the spare tire cover.

Looks so much better

Dirty oily boot ... before

Where Does The Time Go?

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:49:26 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-17 06:49:26

I went to Menard's and bought some foil covered bubble insulation. It will be nice to help keep things cooler and quieter, but the real reason I wanted it was to fill in all the convoluted contours of the floor pan so that the carpet would have a smooth look. I treated any rust I found and painted everything black, just in case there were spots that weren't perfectly covered, then all you will see is black and not the blue. Then I measured and cut the first insulating piece. I laid it out, marked where the spare tire mount was and measured the spare mount opening. I marked the square on the insulation and cut an 'H' in the marks. I laid it in and it was perfect. The flaps folded back down and covered under the mount very well. A little trimming around the wheel wells and that piece was done. The next piece was a bit more difficult as I had to cut around the bumper mounts and contend with the little ledge at the rear. Patience won out, though. I also put a piece on the area under the fuel tank. Then I got the carpet out and measured and cut the first piece. It went under the fuel tank and there wasn't much trimming. There was a slight slope at the bottom that worried me a bit. Then I cut a rectangle for the wheel wells. I ran one edge straight along the fender side and then folded one edge under and one over until it looked like a good, smooth fit. Keeping the folds pinched together I removed the piece and cut along the inside fold to the very bottom where it started the fold. I laid it back in and this time overlaid one piece over the other, which the cut now allowed. It worked better than I hoped. I did the other wheel well next and then cut the main floor piece. The floor piece I tucked under the piece under the fuel tank, so that took care of the slope angle coverage. It was a bit of a pain cutting around the wheel wells, but I found that instead of a cutting tool a single edge razor blade is the perfect tool. It cut clean and in one swipe. Once around the wells, I trimmed along the fenders and then came to the bumper mounts. Decision time. They would have to be accessible and they would be impossible to carpet and still look smooth and good. I ended up cutting along the inside edge with the razor blade and followed the contour of the mount. The outer piece now fit flush on the floorpan and the inner rested in the channel of the mount. There was no getting around that some of it will show, so now I have a the flap that rests in the channel that lays inside covering it fairly well. I think I will velcro it down. I cut the other mount and test fit the rear and side panels again to make sure they cleared with the new carpet height. I did have to trim a bit, and then a bit more when I realized they would have carpet on them also. Then I ran out of time. I still have to carpet the very rear, and I think I will hang it and just cut holes for the taillights, using them to hold the carpet in place and also the carpet as a sort of gasket. Then the taillight covers on the inside will secure everything. I have used very little glue with the wheel wells being the exception. Everything will come up easily and lay back down. Now to carpet the panels and get it done.

Carpet in, waiting for carpeted panel to cover the fuel tank.

Hardboard Work

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:49:02 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-14 11:49:02

Yesterday I got out the transmission cover and stripped off the carpet. It is broken on one upper edge. I cut a cardboard form and when I got it right I cut out some hardboard with the template. I glued it to the inside edge - the side actually inside the car because the gasket was still intact on the outside. I put a bunch of weights on it and let it dry overnight. It worked very well. I can drill the mounting holes and it's ready for carpet. I made a cardboard template for the rear trunk panel as well. I decided to extend the panel to the fenders and that meant I had to cover the wheel wells with hardboard. That involved angling the back panel and losing a lot of trunk space. I don't plan on hauling much in the trunk and I am willing to give up space for aesthetics. I put the spare in so I could make the opening big enough to fit around it. When I got it tweaked right, I cut the hardboard. It fit very well. Unfortunately I found that even though it fit around the spare, I couldn't remove the spare with the panel installed. I had to cut the opening higher than I wanted, but since it will all be carpeted anyway it is not a big deal.
Today I went to work on the side panels. It was much harder due to all the funky angles, the floor that is anything but flat, and the bumper mounts. I made the right side first and cut the hardboard. I had to tweak it here and there to get it to fit right. Then I realized I would have to cut a hole for the taillight casing. Just a small semi circular opening and everything fit beautifully. I went to the left side, reversed the template and ... no dice. Very close, but I had to cut an opening for the prop rod bracket and trim a little on the upper rear corner. Otherwise it went in very well. It was a little high in front of the wheel well at the floor, but that worked out well because the fuel pump sending unit wires need to sneak under there anyway. Everything test fit well. Now to drill mounting holes and carpet, then the final install.

Trunk panels

Picking Away At Things

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:45:34 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-12 20:45:34

I still can't get the car to run on it's own. I see more fuel in the filters, so I may run a hose into a jar and see how the fuel pump is pumping, but I believe I will need a new pump. I mounted the new coil properly. The distributor wire to the coil was a male spade end that didn't fit anywhere. That is was originally threw me about where it went. I had made a jumper wire with a round post connection on one end and a female spade on the other for testing purposes. Today I soldered the correct end onto the distributor wire and routed it correctly.
Not having a whole lot of time left in the day and still looking to do something, I decided to remove the windshield. The car had been painted and was masked at the rubber gasket and it looked terrible with lots of rough egdes and tears from pulling the tape off. I don't want that when I paint it. Also I want to paint the dash and interior panels and it will be easier with the windshield out. I decided I would need a new gasket since the old one is 35 years old, and I had some good advice from Stephen on the forum. I was trying to figure out how to get the window out of the gasket and decided to just cut it out. I slit it at an angle so the cut went below where the window met the gasket and pulled it off in two pieces. It was very easy, and the window popped right out. There was only one small spot of rust that was about an inch long, and it was light surface rust. I cleaned that up and sanded the whole area in prep for primer. Tomorrow I think I will prep the dash and interior panels, and if I have time I will shoot some primer, too. I also have some cardboard and want to experiment with different shapes for the panels in the trunk. I want to extend the back piece along the fuel tank all the way to the fenders, and that will involve cutting slots for the trunk hinges. I can make the side pieces, too, and I have hardboard I can cut if I am satisfied with how the forms turn out. Looks like another busy week.

IT'S ....... ALIVE!

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:12:36 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-10 16:12:36

I went over what I knew about point systems and looked at some older American setups and determined that I had it all wired properly. It dawned on me that the points were probably bad. I had checked the gap and sanded the contacts, but I replaced them anyway. Suddenly I had spark. I put some gas in the tank and sprayed some carb cleaner into the carburetor and cranked it over. It was firing until it ran out of carb spray. I finally got a little gas through the filter, but I am pretty sure the fuel pump diaphram is compromised and it can't pump enough fuel. I ordered one locally and it will be here Monday. I did have it running for about three minutes by fogging the carb with carb spray. Success comes in small doses I'm afraid, but I'll take what I can get.

This Car Hates Me

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:48:12 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-10 06:48:12

Yesterday I cleaned to bare metal and ran grounds to good locations. I check with my test light and I have good ground now. I hooked up the coil and the distributor and cranked it over but I have no spark at the coil. I don't understand. I have switched power and the positive side, I have good ground and the distributor is hooked to the negative side, which as far as I can tell is where it should be. No spark. Bought a new coil...no spark. I searched the internet and can find very few pictures and only one diagram, both of which show I have it hooked up correctly. I finally gave up to fight another day. We'll see what happens on Friday!

It's ..... Turning Over Anyway

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:11:05 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-08 18:11:05

Thanks to Stephen's wiring diagrams, I had some little success today. I searched my whole freaking garage for the relays and couldn't find them. I finally looked where they shouldn't be, with the interior dash and gauges, and there they were, along with the flasher. I painted and mounted them up and took Stephen's wiring diagrams and went to work. The wiring was not the same, but close enough that it made perfect sense. The solenoid was the same way, close but not the same, but enough for me to figure it out. There was a clump of wires that wouldn't fit the posts that I was sure was ground wires, so I grounded them to the washer reservoir bracket, as it looked like a perfect match. Hooked the battery up, turned key, and nothing. Started testing grounds and found I had none. I cleaned and rebolted the engine ground and got ground. Still no turn over. I got to thinking and realized the engine was grounded, but the body was not. I ran a ground from body to motor, turned the key and the turn signal started flashing. They work now, but no turn over. Checked the clump of wires I thought were ground and they were not grounded. Cleaned the paint and corrosion off, rebolted, found I had ground now. Reached in, turned key and.......it turned over. I have to check the fuel tank, get gas, ground the coil, and it should run. Now comes interior, body work and paint.

No Work On Spitty

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:48:35 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-06 21:48:35

Sunday I had to help my brothers soon to be ex-wife move out of the house, so no work on the car. Monday I had too many honey do items, since my mother in law is coming and my daughter's graduation party is this weekend. I did, however, run out to Deb the PO's house to look for missing parts. I was hoping to find the clutch and brake master cylinders, but struck out. I did find the rear bumper, though. That was good to see. It is in decent shape but will still have to be rechromed. That will set me back $320 per freaking bumper. That will have to wait until I am back to work again. I also bought the hardboard to make the trunk panels. I will make some cardboard templates first. I am going to make them upgraded to cover more area, and I am going to carpet the trunk. I found the inner taillight covers...an unexpected find. Hopefully I can do some of this tomorrow, but there is a rather large honey do list again.

Carburetor Rebuilt

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:27:16 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-04 20:27:16

It was kind of a lazy day. It's the 4th of July and I am home alone. I dismantled the carburetor, taking notes and snapping pictures as I went. I was a little concerned because it is a Weber DCOE 40 carb and it a little more performance than stock. As it turns out, a carb is a carb and it was pretty easy. I soaked it all in carb chemical soak for 4 or 5 hours, cleaned it all up and put it all back together with new seals and gaskets. It was actually in great shape. If it wasn't for shrunken gaskets, and one spider with egg sack inside, I wouldn't have had to rebuild it. I installed it, hooked up the linkages, ran the fuel line and it is ready to go. I reinstalled the horns, which I painted with truck bed liner paint a long time ago. My only hang up now is that I have no idea where all the wires go since the PO took everything off and I never knew where it went originally. That is my only hang up. The only thing that stops me from turning the key and starting it up. That and I can't find the damn relays I took off this spring. They have to be here somewhere. I do not have the brake or clutch master cylinders. I will have to call the Po and see if I can go through her garage again and see if there is anything still there I can use. I am going to buy the stuff I need to make the backboard in the trunk, and then I am going to carpet the trunk this week sometime. Then it will be more body work as I prep the rest of the car for painting. That will be a long time from now, but I had better make plans to get it done.

And On ... And On...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:46:15 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-03 14:46:15

What a pain in the ass! The PO took the motor, transmission, and all the accessories off in 1984. Now I have to figure out where things go with no point of reference. I ran new fuel hose and put in new fuel filters. I blew some low pressure air through the heater core to make sure there were no blockages or the ever present bird seed. I ran the heater hoses and can only hope I routed them correctly. Very few pics on the internet of a 1974 Spitfire engine shown from the right side. My restoration manual is worthless, as is the manual I bought online. I just remembered I have the original manual, though the moron PO left it in the boot in a puddle of oil. You can read it, but it will never be good for anything. I installed the battery cables and the starter solenoid. I pulled the wires through for the wiper motor and hooked that up. I pulled through the fuse block and main harness and ran it along the back edge of the firewall. Now I have no idea where any of these wires go. I have a wiring diagram and another in color, so I hope it helps me out. I also bought a gallon of carburetor chemical soak, but I ran out of time today to disassemble the carb. I spent way too much time running back and forth to the computer and searching for images. Tonight I am going to see the Minnesota Twins game, so now more Spitty tonight. The wife and one child are leaving for up north tomorrow and the other daughter has to work, so I can rebuild the carb tomorrow.

Lot of time for little acclomplished

Moving On...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:24:44 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-03 11:24:44

Yesterday I cleaned, flushed and painted the radiator and radiator cap. I found the U shaped C channel that the radiator mounts to and cleaned and painted that and got the radiator installed. Going through the boxes of parts I found the support bars and I cleaned, painted and installed them. I was very surprised to see the upper radiator hose is about six inches long. After going through the boxes I found the wiper motor and bracket. I cleaned and painted them, but the bracket does not hold the motor tightly. In fact there is about a 3/4" gap. I put two layers of carpet under the motor. It cushions the motor so it doesn't sit on the body and raised it up. I am worried about the carpet holding moisture and causing rust, so I am going to visit the local cobbler and get some heel rubber from him. It will be thick enough to raise it high enough, yet remain soft and pliable. I might get a piece to use as a battery mat also. I found the heater control valve and tested it. It actaully works! At least it does with air. I will have to see if it holds liquid when I get the motor running. That was also cleaned and painted, as was the ignition coil and bracket. The coolant overflow bottle was so stained and had rust marks from the bracket that i cleaned it and used an aerosol vinyl dye on it. It worked very well. The washer bottle was a bit better, and since it had markings and logo on it I just cleaned it and used it as it was. I didn't have too much time to spend and had to call it a day after that. Good news, though. The rubber flap for the cowl vent arrived and so did the carburetor rebuild kit. So much to do ... where do I start?

Looking like a real car!

Motor Installed

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:47:35 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-07-01 19:47:35

I got a late start, mostly because I stayed up so late last night that I slept until almost 9:00. I decided to install the rack and pinion so I could steer the dang thing again. I fiddled around too long with that trying to get the steering shaft over the nub. I piddled around with a few other things, then decided to forget the honey-do list and I dragged out the chain hoist and pulled the motor off the engine stand. I found out I was missing some transmission bolts (how, I have no idea. I didn't take it out)and ran to the hardware store to pick some up. Every freakin' bolt on this car is fine thread and very few places have them, so I used two coarse thread bolts. I didn't have a clutch alignment tool, so I used a long socket and guessed. After I got the flywheel, disc and pressure plate installed, I lowered the motor and slipped on the tranny. Very little wiggling and it snapped right together. I bolted it all up, lifted it on the hoist, and pushed the car under it. I had to mess around with the chain to get a good angle, but once I had it, it slid together very easily. Then I realized I had no engine mount bolts. If I ever get my hands on the PO...! Back into town. This time I thought to buy bolts for the driveshaft also. I bolted it all up, attached the driveshaft, and ta - da! Pretty easy. Even with the trips to town it took about an hour and fifteen minutes. I painted all the sway bar brackets, cleaned and painted the starter after testing to make sure it worked, and painted the old oil pressure switch. I was waiting for sway bar bushings and a new oil pressure switch from VB, but I wasn't going to wait. Just as I was putting thread sealant on the switch, UPS pulls in with my new switch and sway bar bushings. I installed them both, along with the starter. I pulled out the radiator to clean it up and paint it. When I set it on the ground, bird seed came pouring out the lower hose port. Those bastard mice! I will have to try to flush it out, otherwise it's off to Steve's Radiator and the hot tank. Now I will have to go through all the boxes to see what exactly I have and what I need to get. For instance, I know I have the wiper motor, but the bracket? I don't know. I don't think I have the washer bottle or pump. I am not sure about the brake or clutch master either. I have lots to do now. I am very excited at the very visible progress. It beats the hell out of sanding!

Engine installed

Color At Last!

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:46:39 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-30 20:46:39

I got started early this morning and scuffed all the primed areas and spot sanded some spots of bare metal that rusted from my last washing. Then I broke out the paint guns and primered the frame, suspension, and underhood areas. After coffee and breakfast, I went back out and mixed the paint. It is the original paint code color, but it is much darker than what the car is now. Too bad, I am shooting it. I got everything painted and it looks really good. Now I want that motor in. I have to put the rack back in and the sway bar, too. I am waiting for the sway bar bushings to arrive, along with the carb kit. Might be a few days away, but things are moving along nicely.

Painted underhood right view

Finally!

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:10:56 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-29 17:10:56

Well, I spent Sunday sanding the cowling area, the area on the side with the hood catches and the area around the windshield. I removed the wiper transmission and the washer nozzles. Then I got everything taped up, Rust Mort applied and washed, and primer / sealed.
Today I removed the sway bar and the rack and pinion for better access to the frame. I painted both of them with the truck bedliner paint for durability. Then I sandblasted the few areas I missed earlier and hand sanded the frame and underhood area. Then I washed everything with a soapy green scrub pad. I applied Rust Mort and washed it again. I am waiting to primer / seal it until tomorrow. I have to do it in my garage and it was really windy today. Tomorrow I will spot sand any rust from the water on bare metal, scuff all the primered areas, and primer / seal the frame and engine compartment. Then ... finally ... I will shoot the actual color over the whole mess. The window frame, the cowling, the battery box area, the firewall, the frame, and the engine compartment. I can't wait. Actual color! It will almost make all the bliters on my hands worth it. I have never shot color before, but then I never shot primer before a few weeks ago. I have a good set of guns to use and a good buddy teaching me and giving me good advice, so what can go wrong?!? If I screw up, it's nothing a little more sanding can't fix.

Engine compartment in primer

Busy Day In The Heat

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:50:56 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-26 19:50:56

Finally a day to work on the Spitfire and it is going to be 92 and sunny. Dragged my butt out of bed early and did my household stuff and got to work sandblasting by 9:30. My brother let me use his 'suitcase' sandblaster and black diamond media. I have been having a lot of trouble with sandblasters but today it went pretty smooth. The tip was a good size and it actually worked. I got the firewall, frame and underhood area sandblasted. The media worked very well. No more sand for me. I had a tarp under the car to catch the media and wasted very little. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon sanding everything smooth. It was dinner time but I washed the firewall, applied Rust Mort, washed again and shot it with primer / sealer. In between when it was work in the shade or pass out, I painted the horns and brackets with bed liner aerosol paint. I had the stuff and it seemed as if it would probably hold up well. Since I have to rethink everything now that I am unemployed, I decided to use my original seats since they are in such good shape. I had to make them black and recovering them would be too expensive, so I dyed them black. They turned out beautiful. Now I have the carpet, the seats are done, and I have to make the interior panels. Next time I paint I am going to pull the rack and pinion and sway bar for paint, prep the frame and sandblasted areas and prime them, and scuff and shoot the whole thing with Imperial Sapphire Blue. I can't wait. Once the engine compartment is painted I can drop the motor and transmission in and assemble the interior. It's all coming together.

Three days of sandblasting and sanding this?for

Making Progress

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:44:37 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-23 13:44:37

Well, it was a busy weekend. I pushed old Spitty out to do some more sanding, and to my great dismay, the humid weather had raised ugly surface rust on the bare metal. I had been working on the underhood area where the brake and clutch masters, battery, wipers and washers all sit. So I had to sand some more, and then I treated the whole area with Rust Mort, a professional chemical that turns any left over rust into metal again. My buddy had it from his body work days. Then I prepped and sprayed a primer / sealer on the bare metal so there will be no more rust. It is the first real visual change and I am so excited to keep going. I have to finish sandblasting and painting the rest of the firewall, then seal that. Then we can paint it the actual color and then ... put in the motor! I can't wait to get back to work on it. But, Saturday afternoon we all had to go to the gun range and shoot a lot of lead around, and Sunday was the Back To The 50's Car Show. I don't know why they call it that, because they covered the 30's through the 70's as well. It was a good time though. Monday and Tuesday are spent up north at Mom and Dad's cutting down trees in the heat, rain, mosquitos and ticks. I finally get home Wednesday to sand. Yay!

Dirty engine compartment

New Carpet, New Thoughts

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:51:20 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-18 15:51:20

I found a new custom carpet set on eBay and sniped it at the last second (well, last 5 seconds) for $139. I was going to make my own, but for that price I couldn't pass it up. I am also thinking about carpeting the trunk since I saw Paul Tegler's homemade version. It looks so nice, and you don't have to worry about sanding and paint chips. Now I have to decide what to do with the seats. Recover? Dye? Replace with Miata seats? Send to upholstery shop for rebuild? The seats are in great shape, they are just blue. I pressure washed them today and may try staining them. It will be cheap, and if it doesn't look good I will have to recover them anyway.

New carpet

So Does Sandblasting

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:35:58 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-16 19:35:58

Spent the morning sandblasting the engine compartment and making a huge mess. Then some hand sanding and surface prep. Some rain was heading in so I cleaned off all the sand and pushed her in. Cleaned up the driveway of all the sand, degreased, cleaned and mounted the cooling fan. Then I spent some time looking for good pictures on the internet to help me reassemble this puzzle when the time comes. Looked for deals on parts on eBay, but good prices on eBay are a thing of the past. Everything was way overpriced.

Body Work Blows

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:58:42 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-14 18:58:42

So, Jon came over today. We talked about what we hoped to get accomplished and went to buy paint, primer / surfacer, and sandblast media. The local boys didn't shake their mixing bank when they opened, so we had to wait 20 minutes while all the mixes were shook up. Then it took forever to mix and the primer was available in quarts as premix only. If I wanted to reduce it myself and of course get more product, I had to buy a gallon. Not wanting to spend that much I had to settle for a quart of premix. Hope it is enough, as we are just shooting the engine compartment. Got a quart of sapphire blue, but they don't have sandblast media. After an hour getting the damn paint, we drive 15 miles to Northern Tool and buy sandblast media. Finally home and ready to work at 1:00 and the small cup sandblaster really has too large a tip and is wasting sand while not doing a great job. Borrow neighbors large blaster. The tips jam on the medium sized media we bought. Now it is 3:00 and we are not running back to town for fine media. Instead we se sanding discs for areas we can get to. Remove front bumper, grill and horns. Send Jon home with the bumper and carb so he can drop them off at the chromer's and the carb shop respectively. He is also going to make the distributor cap hold down for me. He gave a quick tutorial on what I need to do for body work. I can work on that until Saturday when he comes back and we can paint the engine compartment and drop in the motor. Then on Sunday it will be Father's Day at the Back To The 50's car show. Not a very productive day, but now I know what I have to do.

So Close

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:03:30 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-13 20:03:30

Almost ready to drop motor in. Didn't spend much time today. Just put in new NGK plugs, along with the distributor cap, rotor and wires. Found one of the distributor cap hold downs is broken. Will have to find one or make one somehow.

Busy Work

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:53:55 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-11 20:53:55

Since the motor is waiting, today I finally figured out the elusive bolt that was still holding the dash pad down. Removed that and got the dash pad off. Cleaned under it, removed some interior vinyl, inventoried all the bulbs I want to replace in the dash. Dragged the transmission out and degreased it. The clutch is fairly new, just rusty. Since money is an object now, I am going to clean it up and use it as is. Ran out of things to do today, so I removed the seat tracks, cleaned them up and painted them. Since I bought the car with the engine and transmission removed, I am going to have a lot of questions about where wires belong. How hard can it be?

Ready To Install

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:15:01 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-10 22:15:01

Well, I finished painting everything and mounting everything onto the block. I still need to rebuild the carburetor, buy belts, cap, rotor, and wires. Jon is coming this Sunday and we will sandblast and clean the engine compartment. Hopefully we can paint the firewall and drop the motor and transmission in. Crap! That means I need to buy a clutch kit. No money and unemployment isn't enough to pay for that. Maybe we can get the motor in and I'll do the tranny later.

Getting close...

Engine Coming Along

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:41:23 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-05 19:41:23

Spent the afternoon painting the block. I went with low gloss black. I couldn't think of any color that would look as good with the Sapphire Blue. I used a wrinkle finish on the valve cover but it doesn't look as good as I thought. I May need to strip it and try something else. I got the fuel pump and distributor mounted. I painted and mounted the water pump housing, but even though I bagged and tagged everything upon removal, I am missing one of the bolts. I have lots of bolts, but every freaking bolt on this car is fine thread. No luck in my inventory. I will have to get one tomorrow. I did install the thermostat and water outlet. I am taking the timing cover and oil pan to my old place of employment tomorrow to use the parts washer and clean them. Then I can sandblast and paint them. I expect to have the motor ready to install this weekend, but will have to wait a bit until I can finish the body work on the firewall area.

Unemployed But Using My Time Well

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:42:33 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-06-03 20:42:33

Well, I was temporarily laid off at work. Since I had time and was alone, I got out the chain hoist and mounted the engine on the engine stand. I disassembled the external parts and bagged and tagged the nuts and bolts. Before I started I sprayed some oil in the cylinders and the motor turned over very easily. I see no wear on the cylinder walls or cam lobes. Thinking about resealing motor and letting it go at that since it only has 60178 miles on it. Painting the block tomorrow and sanding and painting the oil pan and timing cover. Decided to try wrinkle finish black on the valve cover just because it looks cool. If I can get Jon back out this weekend with his sandblaster, I can prep the engine compartment and get close to readying it for the motor. I like being off work because I can get lots done. I don't like being unemployed because everything on this dang car costs money.

Engine on stand

Another Day Of No Work

Thu, 21 May 2009 20:19:27 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-05-21 20:19:27

Well, today I would have liked to get busy on the dash and firewall but instead had to clean mouse nests out of the boat motor and change the lower unit oil. Got to get everything running and ready to leave Saturday night. Had a tree split in the huge windstorm yesterday and had to tie it up, tape the trunk, and stake it sturdily against more wind. Noticed I still need to get the snowthrower off the tractor and the mower deck installed. I sure do love my tractor. So...no work on little spitty.

Coolest tractor in town

Parts Arrive!

Mon, 18 May 2009 18:37:35 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-05-18 18:37:35

Well, the first parts I ever ordered from Victoria British arrived today. All my engine gaskets and seals, and the body trim kit with all the body gaskets and seals. I am less than impressed with the cheesy punched out gaskets, but am extremely happy to have them. I have to say, however, that anyone who uses packing peanuts ought to be shot. What a mess. So much to do now, and never enough free time. Now I am told that I am going up north fishing for Memorial Day weekend. No work on the Spitty but it's hard to argue with a fishing weekend.

Ready to hit the open road!

A Day Off

Mon, 11 May 2009 18:41:14 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-05-11 18:41:14

Unfortunately I have to work to pay for my toys, and today was back to work day. Then the dang kids thought it was more important to set up the trampoline instead of letting Dad work on his car. Going to refinish the wood dash but have to determine if it is a laminate or real wood. It looks like laminate. If so I will have to be extremely careful with the sanding. Got the tear down pics from Jon's camera today. What a mess. Still, it is a long way from my first look at it.

The first look in the old owner's garage

Day Two...

Sun, 10 May 2009 20:31:18 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-05-10 20:31:18

5-10-09
No Jon today. He lives 50 miles away and it is a lot to ask for him to come over every day! It is also Mother's Day, so my time is limited.
I pulled all the wires and cables through the firewall into the interior. Took lots of pictures to remember where things go, but quite honestly, the old owner disconnected so much shit that I will be putting this puzzle together blind anyway. Got under the dash and found out how to remove the defrost vent trim. It is very rusty and will have to be sandblasted. While I was there, I decided what the hell, let's get the dash out. I spent a bit of time snapping pictures and removing the three dash panels one at a time. I marked every wire as to where it went and took more pictures. Reassembly should be no problem. I found no mouse chewed wires, though every cable housing was worn through or split or cracked. I guess I will have to buy new cables. Now I can clean under the dash, wrap the wires cleanly and refinish the wood dash panels. The gauges will all have to be hand cleaned and new gaskets where they mount to the dash found. Maybe I can find some big but thin o-rings. Hope to get this all ready for reassembly this week.

What a freaking mess

Later......

Sun, 10 May 2009 20:16:44 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-05-10 20:16:44

5-9-09
Better than we hoped for. We pushed the car out, removed trim panels and carpet, degreased the entire vehicle and washed it. The floorpans are perfect and strong. The old carpet was glued in instead of snapped, so it was not original. I knew that already by the crappy way it was installed and the terrible cutting job. Found more mouse debris behing rear valance covering the fuel tank. More vacuuming. Found more inside fenders and frame. It all has to get out so it doesn't get wet. It will stay damp and dampness causes rust. So we vacuum a long time. We discussed course of action. Jon is taking interior panels to use as templates and will make new, stronger ones. He will cover them in a naugahyde vinyl in black. I get to pull all the wiring and cables through to ready the firewall area for sandblasting and skim coat. We also found a way to get the engine on the engine stand but turned stupid and bought the wrong thread pitch bolts. That will have to wait. This already took 6 hours.

What a mess, but a lot of fun.

Finally Beginning

Sun, 10 May 2009 20:07:29 -0700

From journal Greg Deyo's Spitfire Journal by Greg Deyo
Created on The Triumph Experience at 2009-05-10 20:07:29

5-9-09
Well, today is the big day. Other than sort through all the crap the old owner threw in the trunk and vacuum mouse crap and batting, I have done nothing to this car. Today my buddy Jon is coming over and we will evaluate what is needed and get started. Jon is an old body man and custom painter. He is also very frugal and has learned to make most of what he needs. A man after my own wallet!

The raw product