My first project wasn't a Mopar

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Mopar to ya

Mopar to ya

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Rock Creek, Minnesota
I always wanted a Triumph Spitfire when I was a kid. A customer of mine had a nasty divorce and I bought this 1974 Spitfire sight unseen for $500. The PO took all the trim and accessories off and threw most of it in the trunk. The motor was on an old tire. The transmission was in a baby buggy in a fallen down shed on their property. The car sat in their dirt floor garage since 1981. I bought it in 2007 and got it home Oct. 2008 and was promptly laid off work. I had time but no money, so I learned to do everything myself. I cleaned it up, sandblasted and hand sanded for weeks, primed and painted the engine compartment. I went through the motor, resealed and painted it and rebuilt the Weber racing carb. (On a 1500 Spitty? Overkill!) I found and figured out where all the electrical accessories went. It was missing the brake and clutch masters and the clutch slave cylinder. The interior was dirty and uncleanable - and an ugly sky blue. I bought hardboard, foam and vinyl and made all my own interior panels and covered the dash. I dyed the seats black as well. I took out the dash and veneered and stained it. The trunk was oily and filthy, so I decided it was too much effort to paint. I made cardboard templates and then hardboard side and back panels and carpeted the whole thing. I even made a spare tire cover. I have it running but need to do the outer body work, install all the brake and clutch hydraulics, and probably replace all the brake parts that are a million years old. Then my Mom died two years ago and I haven't touched it since. Getting my Dart got me a bit interested in it again and I had the distributor rebuilt and recurved this summer and I converted it with Pertronix electronic conversion kit. I bought the slave new and used masters and kits. I just have to get moving a bit more. The Dart is getting a new motor and tranny this winter, but that is one weekend of work and it gets parked again. I think I am going to make it a goal to get old Spitty on the road next summer. Then I will probably sell it because I barely fit in the damn thing! What was I thinking?

First looks:
View attachment First look.jpg
View attachment More cleaning.jpg

Dirty frame and then sandblasted and primed and painted:
View attachment Dirty engine compartment.jpg
View attachment Frame in primer 2.jpg
View attachment Painted underhood.jpg

Engine first and then rebuilt and painted. Wish I hadn't used wrinkle finish on the valve covers!
View attachment Engine on stand.jpg
View attachment Painted motor 6.jpg
View attachment Left view wiring - firewall 1.jpg

Trunk before and after:
View attachment Dirty oily boot.jpg
View attachment Trunk carpet left view 1.jpg
 
 
nice work- I think there's nothing more satisfying than throwing time and effort into a project rather than money:thumrigh:
 
Cool!!

High School buddy of mine had a soft top Spitfire back in '74 and '75. It was a fun car to cruise around in. And, yeah, it was cramped even for us regular size guys.

Thanks for the pics.
 
Seats before and after:
View attachment Seats before and after.jpg

Door panels before and after:
View attachment Left door panel before.jpg
View attachment Finished right door panel.jpg

Dash pad. Had to fill with insulating foam and sand before covering. I was very happy with how it turned out at the ashtray:
View attachment Dash pad stripped and filled.jpg
View attachment Completed dash pad 1.jpg
View attachment Completed dash pad 4.jpg

Steering wheel before with crappy cover and rust, and after:
View attachment left dash disassembled.jpg
View attachment Steering wheel hub side.jpg

Floor insulation and carpet. The carpet kits suck!
View attachment Partially insulated floor 3.jpg
View attachment Carpet going in 1.jpg
 
Very cool little sports car. I wish I could get into one, I tried a to drive a MG at a tire shop I worked out took 2 other guys to pull me out.
 
Total investment not counting purchase of the car - $478. The carpet was $190 and the engine gasket kit was $80. It was really done on the cheap.
 

If this is the kind of work you do to "warm up"- can't wait to see progress on the Dart! Nice work!
 
Thanks guys. I need to put the interior all back in and finish the outer body work and it's done. I wanted a driver while I worked on it, so I test drove a nice Spitty with overdrive. It was kind of fun, but I realized just how small the car is and how big I am. I went to a Triumph car meeting one summer here and every guy there was as big or bigger than me. What are we doing in these cars? I'm 6'2" and 250 lbs. That's one if the reasons I went with the Dart. I fit very well.
 
WAY cool! I love triumph spitfires and most other British sports cars
great to see another one come back to life
I am also a HUGE fan of really nice low budget builds, even more so when they are done as well as yours, awesome job
 
inkjunkie said:
I think it needs a HEMI.....
Click to expand...

My best buddy Jon keeps hounding me to drop in a V8. I had no money at the start of the project and wanted to drive it in my lifetime. A V8 can be done, but needs a motor, tranny, frame mods, body mods and drivetrain work. Maybe another car later down the line.
 
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