Mark's Mgbgt Adventure

Last fall my neighbour told me that he has a Spitfire in the mezzanine at his shop and that it has been sitting there for three years. After buying the car he decided that the car wasn’t for him (too small) and that it also needed a lot of body work to make it safe to drive.

Just before Christmas my neighbour tells me that the car is mine if I want it. Being just a little bit smart a say that I have to see the car first. So he takes me to his shop and there is this Spitfire sitting up in the Mezzanine covered in a tarp. It’s pretty hard to see the sharp of the car, but I do feel around and find the floors and sills need replacing. But the bonnet is in excellent condition and so are the rear fenders, boot lid and floor. The car is complete so I say “sure, I’ll take it”.

So one night my neighbour comes by and announces that the car is out of the mezzanine and they also got it running, on three year old gas none the less.

Well, this past weekend we pushed the car onto my newly acquired tow dolly and bring her home. Now it’s time to really see what I have got myself into.

The car does need new floors and sills, but the A and B-post both look to be in good shape; the door gaps are fine. Surprisingly the outer sills seem okay; maybe they were replaced once before? The boot lids seems to have a bit of wow to it; it doesn’t sit quite right in the front corner. The rear fenders seem okay. There is a hole in the boot floor but that will be easy to fix. The bonnet is in very good condition, but people have been opening it using the handles; another easy fix.

The interior is essentially all there, aside from carpet. Both seats reclining mechanism need fixing and both need new foams and covers. The soft top is original and fits well. There is a tear near the rear window and the rear window is yellowed. We may be able to save the top. The dash has tow new additions: a choke over on the passenger side and a horn button. Also, the ignition has been bypassed, probably due to the broken key in the original ignition.

On my other two LBCs; 73 MGBGT and 80 Spitfire; I have been fortunate that the wiring system has not been played with. This time I am not so lucky. There are new wires running to the head light, the previously mentioned ignition, and for some reason someone has been putting the positive cable of the battery to ground. By the time the Mk3s hit the market Triumph has switched to negative ground. This is an easy fix; just repolarise the battery. Once I have this complete I’m going to try starting the car and take it for a spin before it disappears into the garage for a few years.