Picture Of

Triumph Spitfire MK IV Car

The bonnet had to be removed for repair of both the bonnet and the front of the chassis. To remove the bonnet the main lights have to be removed, so the wires and loom were labeled (I used inkjet avery labels as the stick to themselves well when wrapped around cables and once written on don't smudge).

Once the lights and cowls are removed the only thing to do is to unbolt the four bolts in the bonnet boxes which are under the over-riders. Although the bonnet is quite large, it was light enough for the wife and I to lift clear and move out of the way.

With the bonnet safely stored out of harms way there is plenty of room to get access to everything. The front quarter panels on the Triumph Spitfire were made of steel, but these have a tendency to rot from the inside out, and a lot of owners have replaced these panels with fiberglass equivalents, as had been done on mine.

There are only four bolts securing each quarter panel to the chassis and these came free without any problems except that on the passenger side the front cross member was like lace and the quarter panel was holding the cross member together.

Next to be removed was the front bumper which attaches with just two bolts at the top of the bonnet boxes. the bumper is not in too good a condition so either a good second hand will be found or I will look at getting mine re chromed.

The last job for january was to remove the wiring loom, This is a slow and tedious job, but if you are going to reuse the loom as I plan to, everything must be well labeled and removed carefully.

In next months article I will write about removing all the ancillary components to facilitate the removal of the engine and gearbox.

Picture Of

Triumph Spitfire MK IV Car

Let's start the renovation. In this series of articles did not try to teach you how to do things or recommend methods, I will document my experiences and how I wanted to do the things they were right or wrong I am sure that you get something from them.

Before the start I have a lot of digital photos of reference, so that when it comes time to get all pieces that I have some idea where they then have to go all back together again. I also wrote a spreadsheet. I use the overview of all components that are removed from the vehicle to hold. In this way the components are known, the number of reported storage box and the field position is recorded and the necessary work has also been observed, so that at the end of the restoration of all components should be complete and ready to assemble the machine again.

I also read many books in the context of the two, I can recommend as they happen in step by step details and photos of the restoration of a Triumph Spitfire.

I raised the Spitfire in the garage ready to go, the first step to avoid the battery was, sparks or the short circuit while working on the car.

The Spitfire was designed with a separate chassis and an engine hood, front-hinged piece that gives unparalleled access to the area of the engine compartment.

Picture Of

Triumph Spitfire Cars MK IV

After the drive shaft was repaired and the interior back together, it was time for a test drive. What felt a difference the whole Triumph Spitfire cars is much smoother at all speeds and was able to cruise at 65 mph without any problems.

A job that has traditionally required you to have all the classics I heard, to change the water hoses. It does not cost much to do and can really help with all the reliability on a hot summer day. I bought the pipe from the Moss kit for about £ 25 with carriers. Not only the movement of the pipes to improve the reliability, but it gives you the chance to wash the cooling system. After removal of the tubes I have a hose that ran clear through the radiator, heater matrix and the engine block to the water. An engine flush could be used at this point to further purification of the engine, but as a complete restoration in the works, this is not considered necessary.

I put on new pipes and tightened the clamps. (TIP: If the pipes are too narrow a measure to try them under the "hot water at the edges soft work)

The system was filled then mixed with water and antifreeze / summer coolant in perspective. I ran the engine until hot, and check for leaks and air pockets before switching off the engine and check the level. I ran the Triumph Spitfire cars for a few days and check the level again and further strengthen their ties.

During the summer I had about 2000 miles without problems, I enjoyed driving both the date of restoration on and on making the rear.

I had a week and a half of vacation for Christmas and I decided it was time to make a beginning, but as always my best plans do not come out. My wife is a "modern car" died on Christmas Eve and was towed into the garage for repair. but as it was Christmas Eve, there was no option can not be repaired so that the Triumph Spitfire cars was in operation again (see below Picture Triumph Spitfire cars between Christmas and New Year) called before the new year delay in the recovery plans even more. On the positive side, I can say that I drove the Triumph Spitfire cars for two years.

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Classic Triumph Spitfire Cars

Over the next few weeks the cars was very reliable and great fun to drive as long as the speed was kept below 55. All the mechanical components were working fine, all the gears could be selected without any crunching, the engine was running smooth (as can be expected from this type of engine) and no oil was being burnt or dropped ( yes there was oil in the sump).

Triumph Spitfire Cars what then that a new plan was formulated, instead of starting on the restoration straight away I would use the car over the summer and start the project when the weather started to turn for the worse.

I decided to do a few jobs to ensure smooth running over the summer, the first of which was the troublesome prop-shaft. I jacked up the Triumph Spitfire Cars, put it on axle stands (safety first) to check for play in the prop but couldn't feel any movement. I decided it was best to change the universal joints anyway, just to be on the safe side, as a disintegrating prop-shaft can be very dangerous.

I had changed the universal joints on my MGBGT a couple of years ago so I was sure of the procedure, the only difference being that on the MGBGT the prop-shaft is removed completely from below, where as on the spitfire the connections to the axle are removed from below and the gearbox end is disconnected from inside the Triumph Spitfire Cars.This does mean having to remove part of the interior trim and the transmission cover. Once the prop-shaft was out it was clear that the universal joints were long past their best, in fact in one of the universal joints most of the needle bearings were missing.

Picture Of

Triumph Spitfire MK IV Car

The Car was bought from Sports Car Supplies near Newcastle in the North of England, with 12 months MOT and Tax. The intention was always to restore the Triumph Spitfire car, as having an MGBGT in fairly good order which only requires servicing and maintenance, a project Triumph Spitfire MK IV car would give me the chance to explore new avenues of the hobby. The fact the at project car was tax exempt and came with 12 months MOT was a bonus, as I could run the Spitfire car for a while to check the condition of main mechanical components, i.e. Engine, Gearbox, Back axle, Suspension and Steering.

When you buy a Triumph Spitfire MK IV car you should always take it for a test drive, unfortunately it was February and we still had snow on the ground, and as the Triumph Spitfire cars was destined for restoration I felt that it was not too important, anyway it came with 12 months mot, so at least it was road worthy.

The day came to collect the Triumph Spitfire cars, fortunately the snow had gone, although it was still bitterly cold but at least the heater worked well (in fact I was unable to turn it off). We managed the 30 or so miles home without any problems deciding to keep off the motorway and go cross country. One thing that became apparent on the way home was that driving at anything over 55 miles per hour was out of the question, as anything above was accompanied by severe vibrations in the Triumph Spitfire MK IV car (most likely the universal joints on the prop-shaft).

Picture Of Triumph Spitfire Classic Cars

The American market Spitfire 1500 is easily identified by the big plastic over-riders and wing mounted reflectors on the front and back wings. The US specification models up to 1978 still had chrome bumpers, but on the 1979 and 1980 models these were replaced by black rubber bumpers with built-in over-riders. Chassis extensions were also fitted under the boot to support the bumpers.


Detail improvements continued to be made throughout the life of the Mark IV, and included reclining seats with "chequered brushed nylon centre panels" and head restraints, introduced for domestic market cars early in 1977 along with a new set of column stalk operated minor controls (as fitted already in the TR7) replacing the old dashboard mounted knobs and switches. Also added for the model's final years were a wood dash, hazard flashers and an electric screen washer, in place of the previous manual pump operated ones. Options such as the hard top, tonneau cover, map light and overdrive continued to be popular, though wire wheels ceased to be available.


The 1980 model was the last and the heaviest of the entire run weighing in at 1,875 lb (850.5 kg). Base prices for the 1980 model year were $5,995 in the US and £3631 in the UK. The last Spitfire, an Inca Yellow UK-market model with hardtop and overdrive, rolled off the assembly line at Canley in August 1980, shortly before the factory closed.