The last few days have been absolutely heaven on earth in driving my
Spitfire around. I guess that when one finally has enough confidence to
feel that they can drive their car anywhere they want without catastrophe,
you've got yourself a daily driver. Well, five months after taking delivery
of a car with no brakes and doors that wouldn't close, I'm pleased to say
that Mrs. Jones is in great mechanical shape. The other late afternoon, I
was driving for a good two hours or more along the backroads, being given a
tour by a good friend of mine. It was his first ride in the Spitfire and he
loved it. I noticed however that when the car was good and warmed up, I was
getting quite a bit of vibration in the clutch coming into first gear from a
standstill. My friend said that happens sometimes when the clutch is hot
and that I should just let off it quicker. According to the PO, the clutch
has only a few thousand miles on it and I have no cause to disbelieve what I
was told. Is this SOP for a Spitfire? Should I be concerned? Other than
that, this thing is running like a champ.
FYI, I've been looking for a set of decent speakers to compliment my new
"stealth" stereo setup. I had convinced myself to try a $149 set of Cerwin
Vega 6.5" speakers from Crutchfield, which I'd mount to the rear cockpit
panel. They have good power handling and frequency response
characteristics. However, today while cruising Costco, a set of Advent
indoor/outdoor two way speakers with enclosures and brackets caught my
attention. 50Hz-22kHz frequency response and 125 watt power handling. For
$49, I just HAD to try them. I took my hard top mounting bolts for the rear
deck and turned them upside down, securing the brackets, which in turn,
position the speakers behind the seats. I'm VERY impressed with their
sound. I believe that these speakers might also fit in the footwells, but
for now, they're easily removed and stashed in the trunk. If I can find a
top boot, they'll be even more easily concealed without removal.
Now that I've got some quality sound in the car, I've all but decided to
ditch the Monza exhaust and restore an OEM style exhaust system. My
recollection is that the stock exhaust still exhibited a very pleasing note,
without killing my ears. Even the glasspacks that I eventually welded onto
my original Spitfire were quieter than these things! Anyone have stainless
steel replacements for the stock items? Ted? You have what I need? Any
other suggestions? I've seen stainless steel exhausts for other TR's, but
not for Mk3 Spitfires, so far.
Best wishes,
Jeff in San Diego
'67 RHD Spitfire Mk3 aka "Mrs. Jones"
Jeff's Classic '67 Spitfire Mk3 site & Vintage Spitfire Webring
http://www.ohms.com/spitfire/spitfire.shtml
home of the NEW Totally Triumph Auction
"By Triumph enthusiasts, for Triumph enthusiasts"
http://www.ohms.com/cgi-bin/TRauction.cgi
and... The Triumph Autos/Parts Wanted Listings
http://www.ohms.com/cgi-bin/TRwanted.cgi
...plus a few other surprises!
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