Hi James,
I empathize with your situation. Keep in mind that there are a number of
approaches to getting the car repaired. I would guess that that price of
2000 would be to bring the engine and tranny back to "as new" (or something
close to that) condition.
Although there are some that would argue otherwise, I respectfully submit
that there is no shame in a "Bandaid" fix to keep you going in the short
term. As one who was a student not that long ago, I have performed many
short term fixes on my Spit. Some are still working fine. Others have not
lasted, and now that my time and financial situation has changed, I have
been able to fix them the right way as they fail.
If you posted what your symptoms are, I missed it (sorry). I'm sure
whatever it is, a rebuild will surely fix it. It will also fix any number
of things that are not broken but may break soon, and some things that are
not broken and are in no danger of breaking. If, for example, your bearings
are making noise, that is indicative of general wear in the engine and the
Best Course is to rebuild. However, if your bearings are making noise, you
could also just replace the bearings (drop the oil pan, remove caps, cuss,
swear, exchange new bearings for worn ones, button it back up) and drive it
for a while longer until you can do the rebuild you know must be done. Cost
is much less, and you know it will have to be done again, but at that point,
you may have the resources to do it.
The tranny is a little more problematic, but there are options here too. If
the car is not driveable, an exchange for a used unit is a viable option for
the Bandaid approach. Most breakers will give some sort of warranty (2
months or something like that) to assure that what you bought will not be
DOI (dead on installation). If the unit makes it throught the warranty
period, chances are it will last a good bit longer than that and will hold
you over until you have the resources to do it right. You could take the
same approach with the engine too, I guess. A tranny swap is something you
can do in a day - with practice, you can do it in a couple of hours. (Ask
me how I know this...)
So take heart. If you really want to keep the car, there are options.
There are even more options if you do the work yourself, and there is not a
better car to learn on than the Spitfire.
Good luck,
Mike Burdick
'70 Spitfire Mk3
Durham NC, USA
P.S. Please note that I'm assuming that you are aiming to keep the car. If
you are going to sell the car, the Bandaid method of car repair can get you
in all sorts of trouble, especially if the buyer is bigger than you are:-)
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