On Tue, 15 Jul 1997, Joe Whalley wrote:
> I have a 72 Spitfire (to be put on the road this week !)....
> FK35231".
Should be about right, except that there should be an "L" at the end if
it's a LHD car.
> The engine number is FM13009UE. It has a single Stromberg/Zenith
> carb.
Circa 1974 vintage 1493cc ("1500) engine as opposed to the 1296cc engine
your car would have had originally.
> The gauges are Smith, and the fuel says "Unleaded Fuel Only". It has a
> seatbelt warning light in the center of the dash. The badge on the hood says
> Mark IV.
Badge is correct, gauge brand is correct, but that fuel gauge is from a
later (circa 1977 or so) catalytic converter-equipped car. Can't
remember offhand (still suffering aftereffects of Ft. Worth sun! :-) ),
but there should probably have been some seatbelt warning for U.S.-spec.
1972s (maybe just buzzer then, though). Of course, if the dash is wood,
it's from a 1973 or later car.
> All of the emission type stuff seems to be gone, and it has an
> electronic ignition installed. The steering wheel has 3 spokes, with 2 bolts
> in each. The nuts are American, not metric.
Not too much emission stuff to worry about on a '72, not all that much
more to worry about on the '74 engine, unless your local jurisdiction
does a visual check and knows what they are looking for.
As for unleaded gas, don't worry about it. If/when the engine needs any
overhauling or rebuilding, you might address the issue then. Meanwhile,
you're not likely to cause any harm with unleaded regular unless you're
constantly running the engine at high loads, at high speeds or pulling a
trailer with the car, etc.
--Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Andrew Mace, President and *
* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
* Vintage Triumph Register *
* amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|