Hello all! I am the new owner of a 77 Spitfire that the previous owner had
done a bare metal restoration on. This fellow used the 77 frame and body,
with a 69 1300 motor, dual SU's, Kent cam, header, and sundry other
improvements. All in all it seems to go very nicely, and looks fantastic.
Few questions though;
1. There is a rubber hose coming out the side of the valve cover that ends
in a metal filter gizmo - what is this?? It just sort of dangles in front
of the carbs.
2. The car has overdrive, if I switch it on while holding the metal part of
the shift knob, I get a strong electric shock. Somehow this does not seem
quite right. ;-) Also is there a source for a new plastic top part of the
shift knob with the OD switch? Mine has the wrong (earlier style) shift
pattern.
3. Are the rear end gear ratios different between a 74 Spit w/o OD and a 77
w/OD? - my differential is pretty worn, but I have a good low mileage one
from the aforementioned 74.
4. My right side hood latch will not stay latched - it pops up after 10-15
miles, can this be adjusted? I could not see anything in a cursory inspection.
5. I find it a bit hard to start first thing in the morning (much like
myself) It takes plenty of cranking, then lots of pedal pumping until it
warms up enough. Any tips for starting, considering the dual SU's?
I half owned a 70 Spitfire ten years ago with a friend - that car was a
total wreck, but it ran. Definately gave me the LBC bug. I hope to have
many years of fun with this one!
Thanks for all help!
Kevin Rhodes Portland Maine
77 Spitfire
91 Volvo 245 (feels like a school bus after driving the Spit!)
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