Fellow Listers -
Forgive me for not driving my Spit on these last two 70-deg days, but I have
an irrefutable alibi. Yesterday I went wheeling & dealing on a carmine red
'77 W-I-P, and today I trailered it down from Baltimore to my home in the
D.C. Maryland suburbs.
The bad news - The top is a disaster - the seats are a disaster (GT6 ones, I
believe) - the tonneau cover is a disaster (mice-bites - lots of them) - the
original paint is VERY dull - the hood/bonnet has been stripped of all
lights & hardware (but it's all there - in boxes) - the clutch doesn't
disengage (& thus the condition of the tranny/driveline/running-gear/etc. is
unknown) - no O/D, no H/T, ratty luggage-rack.
The good news - NO RUST - 99% complete & original - new VB inside door
panels & rear cockpit panel - excellent floors, carpet & dash - electrical
stuff operative (including interior light & trunk-light) -flushed fuel tank
& radiator - new shocks - new brake pads/shoes & cylinders - $900 worth of
stuff from VB (some installed, some still in boxes) - engine seems/sounds
pretty nice - tires okay - numerous manuals & Robson books included - the
price was right, i.e., very low (cash talks, & having a trailer & come-along
helps, too).
More good news - I have a spare tonneau which has cleaned up well - I also
have a pair of very nice '75 tan all-vinyl seats which I'm presently
cleaning up. Even better news - Wife is not unhappy (in fact, yesterday
afternoon when I said I had to go to the CU to draw out a few hundred, she
momentarily disappeared & returned with a fistful of bills she had
squirreled away for some household project).
It was suggested this afternoon, however, that the Spit driver be parked at
the curb, thus freeing the driveway for the trailer and the Spit W-I-P (vice
running them across the back grass) -- I can live with that quite
comfortably.
The plan - After I get my new baby off the trailer, the first order of
business is obviously the clutch. Hopefully it's the hydraulics, but it
could be the pin dropped out, or maybe the disc is stuck to the flywheel or
spline. We shall see.
Whatever the case, at least we have another Spit rescued from lost interest
& potential disaster.
Cheers, Ree G. in Silver Spring, MD '78 FM73070U O -- '77 FM62988U
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