spitfires
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Screwball with Spitfire on EBay. Some lucky person.....

To: "'Spitfires'" <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Subject: Screwball with Spitfire on EBay. Some lucky person.....
From: Michael Graziano <mgrazian@ltcm.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 18:11:28 -0400
...could get this for the minimum bid of.....  only $3,000 USD.

OK.  I thought you guys would appreciate this.  I found it on Ebay.  I can't
believe this nut has the minimum bid at $3,000.    I must be nice to know
your cars are worth this much...  ;)

Mike

'78 Midget
'87 300zx

PS:  Nice to see that it was the indentured (sp?) servant to a "Midget"....
<mischevious grin><flame suit on!!!><Oh no.  Laura's going to come after me
now....>




Item Description:               
        The Spitfire was once wrecked by the wife of its second owner (she
ran it into their house thinking it was in reverse).  Thus when he searched
for a replacement hood, he located a GT6 which had been rear ended (The GT6
hood is identical except for the raised part in the middle of the hood,
giving this Spitfire a unique look.)  He then painted the car with orange
latex house paint and used the car as the "spirit" car for midget league
football team he coached.  The car was sold then resold a few months later
to a friend of mine who kept the car for 8 years intending to fix it up but
never seemed to get around to it.  It set in a field for the last year up on
blocks and had to be drug out after I bought it. 

I sanded off all of the latex paint.  (The original color was hunter green.)
The hood from the GT6 had apparantly seen its own wreck from the amount of
bondo I sanded off.  I replaced both front corner valances, rocker panels
and rear fenders.  But I did not replace any of the interior panels.  The
floor panels were tinned in and fiberglassed over.  I repainted the car, but
I'm not a very good painter.  The engine was taken apart, planed down, new
rings, new rod and main bearings.  New timing chain.  New clutch, throwout
bearing and pressure plate, slave cylinder, master cylinder and fluid line.
New alternator, fuel pump, water pump, battery, coil, cellinoid, horns,
headlights and rebuilt the carburetor.  New tires.  New interior door
handles.  I also had to get the brakes working.  Revinalled the dash.
Reupolsered the seats.  (The dash has been modified from the original so
that I could get it on the road, much more fuctional than original ;^) )
The car needs a new wiper switch and a rear view mirror as explained later. 

Since then, however, someone hit and ran bending the back bumper, destroying
the license plate light and bending the rear valance and putting a small
dent in the new left rear fender.  Someone stole the rear view mirror.
Someone threw a lit cigarette in the passenger seat burning a small hole in
the seat.  I built a speaker box just for the Spitfire out of oak, but
someone stole that too. 

The car has never had seatbelts and was built in December of 1971, before
seatbelts were required. 

The car runs good, but needs cosmetic work, depending on what you want to do
with the car.  If you just want to run around in it , then it runs fine but
needs a new top (convertibles do that).  It can look fairly sharp with an
additional investment of about $2000 to $3000.  Or It could be fully
restored with about $5000 to $7000. 

There is some rust on the hood and trunk lid, and several small cracks in
the hood.  If you wish to restore the car you would need to replace the
hood.  The trunk lid could be fixed, but I'd suggest replacing it.  The
brake system works, but I was planning to replace it if I don't sell it
(about $500)  I would suggest straightening the frame and replacing all of
the wiring because small problems with the 27 year old wiring keep popping
up.  

If you want to fully restore the car, you will have to work on some of the
interior panels, but restoration is not necessary to enjoy this car, I was
driving it a couple of days ago out on the interstate with the top down.
But the MK IV was only made for a year and a half and the 1296 cc engine is
the most reliable engine made for the Spitfire.  Personally, the GT6 hood
looks better on the Spitfire than the original hood so that is the only
alteration from the original I would make if restoring the car. 


Buyer pays all shipping costs.


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