Light Relays

I finally started work on the relay wiring - it’ll sit next to the existing fuse box - with the cable going in to the wing. I’ll be using some loom tape to tidy it up the cable - a shame because all the cable is the correct colour - no less than 7 different colour combinations… All that’s left are the earths to each relay and the aux lighting supply…

It works something along these lines:

Except I have two relays for the mains and an extra one for auxilary lights. One 30A relay can handle up to 360W of lighting - so you need to run two if you’re running 4 mains above 90W each.

This set up should stop switches from burning out - and also get the power to the headlights in a more direct route (straight from the battery rather than up to the dash and back)

More photos from last year

As stated in a previous post - my car was the star of a Badly Drawn Boy video. Today I was furnished with some photos of the car on set.

10CR Photos

Dawson just sent me a photo from our trip around the Nurburgring - I had forgotten all about it. So I thought I should finally upload the rest of the photos he took.

Spitfire Update

Well the car is back with me, chassis built up and tub painted.

So I guess it’s time to start updating my blog with progress.

First plan is to get the fuel system in - filter, Facet fuel pump, fuel line and Filter King.

Famous for 4 minutes and 6 seconds

Well not me, but the car.

Click here

Pedals & misc

Well bits keep on getting done - little by little.

I installed the air horns that have been sitting in my cupboard since before the 2005 10CR on Friday evening. Just replaced the right hand horn with the compressor - straight swap. I’ve left one of the old horns still attached as I don’t see any point in removing it and it’s even louder with 3 horns now!

The breather hose from the rocker box to the inlet manifold was split - so I removed that and plugged the manifold with a plug from a Spitfire 1500 manifold. At the moment I’ve just used some pipe and directed it to the ground - I need to site a small catch tank somewhere in the engine bay - it’s quite crowded really!

I cleaned up the manual flywheel using distilled white vinegar - about 12 hours of soaking and all the rust is off! Marvelous stuff - used a block and some 600 wet and dry to totally clean up the front surface.

I removed the pedal box from the car with its single brake pedal and swapped over the new pedals I cleaned up the other week. Just need a spring for the clutch pedal and I can put it all back in the car.

Replacement Tank

As the inside of my petrol tank seems to be rusting like crazy and filling up countless fuel filters with crud I was on the look out for a replacement to clean up and swap. I found one on eBay which was described as being a year old before the car it was removed from was scrapped - condition didn’t seem all that relevant as I guessed I would need to do it up anyway. Luckily it was located close to my sister so she could pick it up - and even better it went for 50p!

I removed the sender unit from the back this morning and peered inside - totally spotless! So I masked it up, got the wire wheel and angle grinder out and cleaned off the surface rust. A quick spray paint later and a nice looking petrol tank… shame you won’t see it!

Pedal-prep

One job that needs to be done is to add an extra pedal for the clutch. I got a pedal box off Doug - the box itself was a bit rusty so I cleaned it up with a wire wheel on the angle grinder. However whilst browsing the parts catalogue (like you do) I realised that the box itself is the same part number - in fact everything is the same apart from the pedals themselves. Sticking my head under the dash proved this and revealed a pedal box in immaculate condition already there. So I finished cleaning up the pedals and gave them a quick spray paint.

I am using an MGC clutch master cylinder - so I needed to devise some sort of stop for the pedal - I’ve drilled a hole in the pedal and will simply put a long bolt through it. Nice and simple solution - hope it works!

123Ignition

Installation is really straight forward, it’s basically a straight swap. In fact it took longer to work out what curve to use! The instructions give a list of curves with their advance at 2,000 and the max advance at a set RPM. Looking up the test data in the workshop manual reveals the following for the Mk1 2 litre:Idle - 8 to 10 BTDC

2,300rpm - 22 to 28 BTDC

4,200rpm - 30 to 36 BTDC

With this data I worked out that I needed curve F. I made a little tool to help with this too; 123ignition curve-o-rama

The car seems to hold idle much better now - there is a definite improvement there. However everything still needs to be looked at and tuned up properly. I have an old high power Flamethrower coil which I may put on there - might give the plugs a bit more bang.

I’m really enjoying doing all these small bits on the car - when you’ve had a massive project sitting over your head (namely the Spitfire) things get a little daunting. I’d forgotten what it’s like to work on a car - and although they’ve only been small jobs I’m regaining the confidence I built up with my first Spitfire. If there is a break in the weather tomorrow I’ll fit the air horns I have and make up a loom and relay pack for new headlights.

New Wheels

Today James delivered the wheels and tyres I’d bought off him. Decided that I may as well fit them straight away, so on they went. They’re real mag style Minilites with the steel inserts and heat treatment for competition usage. I was in two minds to paint them gloss black and get the rims cut - but they’re in good condition already and it seems a shame to mess them up. When they get to the point that they need a refurb I will get them done this way.

At the same time I fitted my new Motolita 15″ dished steering wheel - so much nicer than the horrid thin standard one!