In June of 2008 I purchased a 1964 Triumph Spitfire in the high desert.
Patiently waiting for a little attention.
It hadn’t been driven in years. The engine probably needed a major overhauling. The brakes were seized. The floorboards were rusty. But, the frame had very little rust. The body needed a little work on the front and the rear. She had all of her chrome bits, and except for the front bumper, they were intact. The seats weren’t the original seats, but they almost fit. It was definitely going to be a major undertaking.
Not only was I going to restore this 45 year old car, but I was going to remove the engine and replace it with an electric motor with lead acid batteries. Spitfires make great conversions and there are a dozen other examples of electric Spitfires to be found on the web. I couldn’t wait to get started.
Back on the road and turning heads.
Jump ahead to today. The vehicle is a daily driver and it looks beautiful. There are plenty of parts on the car that need to be finished. This section of the blog will follow my progress in doing the final restoration and eventually upgrading the batteries.
Didn’t you go by the nickname Dan Levine on the Dark Tower & PB BBS
like 15 years ago
Sorry, that’s not me. Phew, BBSs! You’re really digging deep. Good luck finding whoever that is!
Excellent Job!!!
Any chance you might have information/advise on doing a pre 1975 Alfa romeo spider conversion?
Thanks, Paul. I was looking at Alfas before I found my Spitfire donor. There are lots of resources out there for converting cars in general, and your light car will make a great conversion. I spend a lot of time on http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/ for help and advice. Introduce your project there and you’ll be swamped with help!
Kind of sad. Only 14 Spitfire 4s (Mk1) are still on the road in the UK. I know, it is your car and all that… just saying, with so few left, it is a case of one less that generations after us will get to enjoy.
I’m not sure where you get your data, but there are over 1200 Spitfire 4 owners that found this database http://spitlist.info/ and included their info. I’m sure there are many more that haven’t “registered” their Spit. You’re right, though, that keeping them on the road is tough. That’s one of the perks of converting mine, less Lucas parts to break!
If you’re worried about preserving Spitfires, you can start buying them up for real cheap and restoring them! Be the change you want to see.
That is the office UK gov data, not the world. I have two 63 Spitfires at the moment. Looking for a 62 now.