I am completely gutted, the spitfire has broken again. I had just fixed
the non-working speedo and fitted new column stalks this morning and took
her for a quick 5 minute spin round the block to check the speedo was
working (it did) and that the temperature and fuel guages worked (they
didn't, must be the voltage regulator) when I felt something 'go', the
engine instantly lost power and sounded like a lawn mower and there was a
lot more smoke coming from the exhaust. I limped round the corner and
parked up, ironically, in the same place as I broke down last time. I
have just got the car back in the garage after being towed 500m up the
hill.
I took the rocker cover off to check the rockers were ok and that no
valve springs had broken, they were all ok. I can only assume that it is
something in the bottom end of the engine that has gone. I can only
assume that the overheating that occured previously had stressed/damaged
something in the bottom end.
I am so pissed off, after my elation at having a working spitfire
yesterday, I feel totally destroyed. I have never been so angry before
in my life, borne out of frustration.
I am pretty sure that this is an engine rebuild job, which I don't have
the skills, time or equipment to do myself, nor the money to get it done
elsewhere. As a result have a very nice looking lump of metal sitting in
my garage once again, gathering dust. I would sell it except for the
fact that it is now worth a fraction of the value it was previously. I
reckon that it was worth about #2600 when working, but now I'd be lucky
to get half that.
I must be the unluckiest spitfire owner ever. No idea what I'm going to
with it now.
John
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