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Re: Help identifying Spitfire year model

To: triumphs@autox.team.net, rmedia@IslandNet.com
Subject: Re: Help identifying Spitfire year model
From: Marcus Tooze <tooze@vinny.cecer.army.mil>
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 1995 12:53:21 -0500
> We did some electrical work and ordered some parts for the distributor and
> none of them fit. I have a Spitfire 1500, supposedly an 80. The body is
> definitely a Spitfire 1500. (One clue for people may be that it has rubber
> wrap-around bumpers, not chrome. Is that Californian?).

Nope, it's all post '75 brit cars pretty much.

> The VIN is
> TFLDW2AT006518. _However_, here is the problem. It is NOT electronic
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I don't know about vins...


> ignition. The distributer is manual contact-breaker. The car has a

This is a common swap becuase the lucas electronic ign. systems were kinda 
crappy. You always know where you  are with points. They just
swapped in a 25D type dizzy, common to spits, Midgets and a whole
host of other lbcs.

> catalytic convertor (Californian?) but I don't even know if it's a 1500
> engine any more. The number on the block is FM134050UE. So I don't know

It's a 1500.

> what to set the timing at. It was 10 ATDC and I set it at 10 BTDC b/c
> that's what I think a N. American 1500 should be. My compression is only
> 110, and that's low.

10ATDC is  an emmisions setting. There is no need. 10 BTDC is about right.
As I always suggest, set the timing by EAR, not by what the spec 
sheet says. By changing the dizzy, they almost
certainly check for matching springs and weights, so your advance curve
will probably be incorrect for a 10ATDC setting anyway. If you are
really
worried about performance, stomp your foot on the gas in 4th at 40mph, if
it pinks, retard, if it doesn't, advance. Keep advancing till it
pinks (pings='mercun), then back of a degree or two. You can get
really
fancy by going to a dyno shop and have them set the sprongs and weights to match
the engine.

Howveve, it sounds like you are more worried abpout having the car just GO! 
If it seems reasonbly powerful (as powoerful as a Spit feels) and it
doesn't overheat or ping, 10BTDC is about right.

Marcus

> >    REALITY CHECK is at http://www.islandnet.com/~rmedia
>     Hey, it's useless right now, but go see it anyways!
> 
> 
> 

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