Gearheads heaven isnt here!

Driving and riding in Hua Hin and Thailand, all topics on cars, pickups, bikes, boats, licenses, roads, and motoring in general.
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Terry
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Post by Terry »

Ah yes - the Mk111 Spitfire.

VS - I bought mine (G registered 1968 in Conifer Green) second hand in 1973. It finally went to the breakers yard in the sky in 1983.

It had done 342,000 miles!!!!!!!!

In that time I had rebuilt the engine 3 times, replaced diff, propshaft, drive shaft bearings, wheel bearings, clutch(4 times), shox etc etc.

Even had a beige coloured soft top!

Hell they needed a lot of maintenance but it could be easily done - for the most part with a set of bicycle spanners - well almost!

Spent many a Sunday morning retuning the twin SU's putting a teaspoon of redex in each pot and then giving it blast up the local byepass.

No fancy electronics, just good old fashioned engineering that would always get you home if you knew how to tweak it.

I recall the banter between MG and Triumph owners well. Those owning Midgets as having flat noses and grazed knuckles. The Spitfire would always outrun a Midget, but around the country lanes the Midget would outperform the Spitfire.

OK - it was never a real performance sports car, but it sure was a load of fun. I have to say that it is still one of my all time favourites.
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Post by VincentD »

Hey, Terry

could never quite figure out how the twin SU's worked. Used to do a bit of work on a friend's Mk II but preferred the look of the Mk IV.
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Terry
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Post by Terry »

Vincent

Twin SU's were a pain in the ar5e!

However, when you put stainless steel washable air filters, spring washers on all the linkage locks to prevent them coming loose and above all kept the whole assembly clean, they worked like a dream.

At first adjusting them by the book and then balancing them with a manometer tube was tricky. Eventually I used to do it 'by ear' believe it or not.

These days when I open a bonnet of a car I just shut it again - I wouldn't know where to start :roll:
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Post by JW »

The stock 2.0litre is an auto with switchable change - not like the Alfa 156 box which is a manual box with an electronic fired . To get the Type R you buy a standard manual and retro fit the engine, all done in BKK. The box and clutch can take the power.... so they say!
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Post by STEVE G »

Terry, I had a 1973 Midget when I was serving down in Cornwall with the Navy. I agree with you that it was surprisingly good on country lanes, despite the lack of power, I used to enjoy leaving much faster cars standing on really tight, windy lanes. Combined with local knowledge, the fact that it was so narrow gave you an advantage as well, particularly when you met a tractor or milk-tanker coming the other way!
My father, who worked in the motor trade for fifty years, used to balance SU’s by holding a piece of flexible fuel tube to his ear and listening to the tone of the inlets. I tried it but I didn’t have the ear for it, possibly working with jet engines had put paid to that.
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Terry
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Post by Terry »

On Sunday I was at the Pa La U Road / Hua Hin Byepass crossroads waiting at the traffic lights. I was returning from a quiet days fishing on one of the dams.

Could not believe my eyes when an Aston Martin DB9 cruised across my front view heading South.

On these roads?

More money than brains?

How much here in Thailand?

Envious? - well just a bit :mrgreen:
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Post by Randy Cornhole »

I wish I still had my old Hailwood Ducati... :cry: Twin 40mm delorto's open conti's. Rearsets clipons, bent spine, piles. Ah that was the life. :mrgreen:
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Nereus
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Post by Nereus »

Terry wrote:On Sunday I was at the Pa La U Road / Hua Hin Byepass crossroads waiting at the traffic lights. I was returning from a quiet days fishing on one of the dams.

Could not believe my eyes when an Aston Martin DB9 cruised across my front view heading South.
On these roads?
More money than brains?
How much here in Thailand?
Envious? - well just a bit :mrgreen:
They usually have one on display at Paragon Shopping Centre, along with a bunch of other "exotics". I think that they are around 15 Mil. Bht.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
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buksida
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Post by buksida »

Terry wrote:
Could not believe my eyes when an Aston Martin DB9 cruised across my front view heading South.
Was is a grey metallic one? If so the same beauty cruised past me on the highway at Bangsaphan (would have been saturday though).
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
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Terry
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Post by Terry »

Sure was Buksi

Same colour as my brain cells - it WAS Saturday not Sunday :shock:
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