Fuel Pump Saga

Still attempting to get Godfrey running well enough to take for a quick test drive.

When I purchased the car, the fuel pump top cover and bolt were off and laying inside the car, along with numerous other bits and pieces.  The PO had let me know that he had stripped the threads in the pump body so the top cover could not be tightened down.  Of course, I took the easiest solution and ordered a new after-market pump on-line.  Soon enough, said pump arrived from halfway around the world and was duly fitted. Beauty! Time to get the engine started.  Made sure there was some fresh petrol in the tank - fuel gauge works - amazing.  Hand cranked the pump to get some fuel through then went for a start.  Bloody Niagra Fuel Falls from the top of both SU carby float chambers.  Not a few drops or a seep but big squirts.

Not good I think.  Must be badly adjusted floats or bad float needles/seats. Spent a couple of hours playing with and adjusting the carby float levels and checking the needles and seats.  All good but no change in the amount of fuel being ejected.  A bit of checking on -line revealed that some after-market pumps, even though supposedly being for a mk1/mk2 Spit, can put out as much pressure as 12psi. The SUs can only handle about 1.5 to 3psi.

New After market Fuel Pump

Ended up doing what I should have done in the first place - fixed the original fuel pump.
Drilled and tapped the pump body 1/4" x 40 threads per inch then turned up and threaded a stud to suit.

Stud - Looks a bit tatty as it has bits of paper towel stuck to it

Made up a single-ended nut to screw onto the new stud and a cork gasket for the pump top. Put it all together and replaced the new pump with the original and viola!!!  No more fuel flooding from the carbys and the engine starts and runs like a champ.

Main pump parts including new stud and home-made cork gasket for the top cover

Stud fitted to pump body

Old pump re-fitted with closed ended nut holding the top on

Tried to drive the car down the driveway but couldn't get the clutch to disengage enough to select first or reverse.  So decided to do a compression test while the engine was nicely warmed up.

1: 125psi
2: 130psi
3: 130psi
4: 130 psi

Not perfect but nice and even across all cylinders.. Engine didn't blow any smoke or make any untoward rattling or knocking sounds. Temperature gauge works, oil pressure warning light works and the tacho sort of works.  Happy days!

Prepping for first drive and other bits

Bled the clutch which is a nice easy one-man job once the transmission cover has been removed.  The clutch is better which is not surprising considering the tar-like old fluid that I replaced.  Still need to rebuild both master and slave cylinders in the future.

Easy access to gearbox and clutch

Worked out why the steering wheel was rubbing on the steering column and, at the same time, managed to move the steering wheel about an extra 75mm (3") further away from the dashboard.
I can now get my left leg under the steering wheel to use the clutch pedal.  Also tightened up the two pinch bolts holding the steering universal joint on.  You could move the uni joint up and down the splines, by hand, on both sides!!  Steering column outer needs new bushes top and bottom.

Random pic of interior

Hopefully all I need now is for the fuel pump to arrive and it will be time to sneak a drive around the block.

Removed the tow-bar, trailer plug, luggage rack and roll-over bar.
Also removed a plastic center console.  I don't believe it's an original part but it's a perfect fit.

Parts that will not be going back onto the Spitty.  Should help the 50 year old 60 odd HP engine out in the power to weight ratio department

I think the car may originally have been red or, a lot of bits from a red car were used during an earlier restoration.

Not much original wiring loom left!!

Bitsa

After some research, comprising of a bunch of books that came with the car and the Club Triumph forum , it appears that I now own a mk2 body, a mk1 engine, one or two mk3 interior bits and, weirdest of all, Herald 1200 front drum brakes.

Comm number is 2FC79743
Engine number is FC2423HES
Chassis number is FC79586
Australian Motor Industries LTD Body number is SP65143
Gearbox number is 1275
Diff number is 1433

First order of business is to get Godfrey running and sneak a quick drive up the road and back to help determine what shape the drive-train is in.

Ordered a new fuel pump from Rimmer Bros in the UK.  This place may well become one of my favorite shops.  The new pump is needed as the original pump body has stripped threads The PO did let me know this.

The clutch needs bleeding or new cylinder kit/kits installed. I'll get a look at that in the next few days.

Thanks to a tip on the Club Triumph forum, a pair of caliper plates are on their way from New Zealand.  These are the first of the parts I'm collecting needed to return the front brakes to discs.

Arrival

I always thought that my beautiful wife never took a blind bit of notice of me.  Especially when it came to my mutterings regarding classic British sports cars.  All these years and finally (after nearly 40 of them) Shazza utters the words.  "Darling, there's a Triumph Spitfire listed on Gumtree and it's not far down the road.  Why don't you have a look."

Less than 24 hours later and after some friendly haggling with the now PO, here it is, sitting on my driveway after a short ride on the back of a tilt-tray truck,

Now known as Godfrey, this is mostly a 1966 Spitfire mk2.  The amount I know about Spitties, you could fit on the head of a pin.  I feel this is about to change.