Greetings Triumphal Types,
Martin Secrest writes:
>Though the temperature gauge on my 1974 Spitfire is operational, it
>seems to be off calibration.
My experience has been that the electrical characteristics of both
guages and sensors vary quite a bit. Swapping either can change
the readings. I prefer 'normal' to be halfway across the scale.
One of my cars liked to run at the 1/4 mark when fully warmed up.
I swapped in different temp guages until it read in the middle
just where I like it. Of course thermostats and the infamous voltage
stabilizer will have some effect also. This same car has a fuel guage
that reads 'full' when it is full but still has 2 gallons in the tank when it
reads 'empty'. If I replace the voltage stabilizer, the car might start
running too hot ;-)
wrt Hard Tops:
A couple of folks on this list have commented that they do not,
or would not use their hard top. I like topless driving as much
as anyone but when winter comes, I really appreciate being able
to fit the hard top. It not only keeps you warm & dry, but somehow
transforms the car. It looks, sounds, and handles differently with
the hard top on. It's like having two cars for the price of one.
I'm looking forward to installing mine soon. I think I might have
a rear wheel bearing going bad, but then again it might just be
wind noise around the edges of the soft top, I can't tell ;-)
Call me a wimp if you like, but somehow all those missing-
bulkhead-grommet-hot-air-leaks just seem to disappear when
the weather gets cold.
Odd Hedberg makes some interesting observations about the
hard top installation instructions including:
>The difference between the two texts are:
>In the US version the line about lifting it away says:
>"With the aid of a second operator carefully lift off the hard top
assembly."
>The GB version says:
>"With the aid of a second operator lift off the hard top assembly."
>(The Swedish text says the same as the British but in Swedish...)
>Are You more careless in North America??? ;-)
We're not really more careless in North America, we just have an
unlimited capacity for warnings and cautions ;-). Most any owners manual
these days will have at least a couple of pages filled with them.
The manuals are supplemented with a full compliment of warning
labels all over the product.
Getting back on topic; it is interesting that the hard top fitting
instructions
in my '78 Spitfire owners manual have a picture of what must be the
'early' hard top. It's the photo showing how to install the two rear deck
bolts. The hard top shown has what looks like a couple of chrome 'tabs'
extending forward from the rear window, through which the bolts pass.
I puzzled over this picture for quite some time when my car was new.
The other hard top photos on the same page are of the 'correct' model
hard top. These photos also appear in the owners manual reprint section
of the Bentley book.
Bob Sykes (s1500@aol.com) - - - __,@_\____
'78 Spitfires - -- }-0-----0->
(& two hard tops)
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