Ed Burger wrote:
> Hello everyone. I registered my Spitfire today, allowing me to take it
> for its first long drive since I (sorta) restored it. I noticed A LOT
> of things wrong with it. BTW: its a '65.
Congrats! I'm glad to hear you got in on the road again! I
have always really enjoyed the early Spitfires!
> Is the speedometer supposed to bonce around all crazy-like? It was
> almost accurate, if you could catch it still for long enough to read it.
No, it's not supposed to do that. The problem is most likely a worn
out or badly kinked speedo cable. I would first check to see that the
cable isn't bent sharply anywhere. To examine this, you can disconnect
the cable at both ends, take the inner cable out, and roll it on a
smooth,
clean surface. It shouldn't have any kinks. If that checks ok, grease
the cable *extremely* lightly with a white grease, and put the inner
cable
back in the sheath. (It is important not to overgrease the cable, as
the grease finds it way up into the speedo unit, and gums up the
mechanism
-- this is a very common failure mode for overzealous greasers!)
While you have the speedo cable out, I would suggest removing the speedo
from the dash, and checking to see that there isn't a bunch of grease on
it. It there is, you'll probably want to very carefully remove the
cover,
and clean up the parts inside. (Brake cleaner should work well.)
Then reinstall the whole lot, being careful to avoid sharp bends in the
speedo cable. This should cure your problem. If not, you may want to
think about sending the speedo to a rebuild shop, such as Nisonger's.
> The front end wobbles and rolls and all kinds of nasty stuff. It's got
> new tires and tunnions ... The ball joints are a little loose, but I
> wouldn't think they'd merrit this kind of driving. Over 60, the little
> bugger was hopping around the road so much it was all I could do to keep
> it in my lane.
This isn't right. Looseness in the steering is bad. Potential problems
include tie rods, steering rack mounts, ball joints, bushings, etc. The
front end on a Triumph should be very tight and responsive.
> I can't downshift into first, and second's a pain too. I have to come
> to a complete stop before I can put it into first. Does this have to do
> with the non-sych first gear? What's the point in downshifting anyway?
> Why not just dissengage the tranny and coast?
On a '65 Spitfire, there's no synchro on first. You'll need to be at
a complete stop (not even rolling) to shift into first. If you're
at a near-stop, either shift into second, or stop completely, and
then shift into first. I have a full synchro box on my TR6, and
generally only shift into 1st only at a full stop. If I'm still rolling
along at about 5-10mph, I'll choose 2nd instead.
The point in downshifting is that you want to be in the right gear to
get going again after the car has been slowed down (such as when going
around a sharp corner, at a yield sign, etc.) or if you are running in
a high gear at low rpm, and want to have a lower gear to allow more
power
(such as when passing, ascending a hill, etc.).
In practice for my daily commute, I don't "downshift" in the
racing sense, but drive as follows:
Let's say I'm turning off of a road with a 55mph speed limit onto
a side road, at a sharp 90-degree turn. When I start braking for the
turn, I shift out of 4th, and into neutral. I leave the car in
neutral as I brake for the turn, and as I'm nearly half way around
the turn, I blip the throttle (engine still in neutral) to get the
revs up to about where they should be to engage 2nd, press in the
clutch, shift into second, release the clutch, and go! What I've
described is a very slow "double-clutch" downshift. This poses
less wear and tear on the transmission.
I would suggest downshifting no more than is necessary, and
using double-clutch downshifts to match revs and save wear on
the synchros whenever downshifting. Improper downshifts is
one of the most common causes for rapid clutch wear and
transmission failure. (You also want to minimize the time that
the clutch pedal is pressed in, to save on throwout bearing and
thrust washer wear.)
> Are these the perks of an LBC? If so, you folks are nuts for driving
> them daily. But then again, I would be too.
Learning to double-clutch downshift is a nice perk of an LBC.
Needing to be at a full stop when shifting into first is one
of those things that is a "pleasant anachronism" but sometimes
a bit of a nuisance. The poor handling, bouncy speedo, and
creaks and squeaks are common on well-worn cars, but are
readily fixed, and isn't the way they should be!
--ken
'70 & '74 TR6 Daily Drivers
--
Kenneth B. Streeter | EMAIL: streeter@sanders.com
Sanders, PTP2-A001 |
PO Box 868 | Voice: (603) 885-9604
Nashua, NH 03061 | Fax: (603) 885-0631
|