Rust Republic

Republic report:

So then. Where to start on a Spitfire that has been off the road since 1992? Start by dismantling the car, cleaning up the detritus and take a look at that yummy rust.

A corroded Spitfire body is best repaired on the chassis to retain its dimensions otherwise the body can go a bit floppy and will not fit correctly once reunited with the chassis. So even though this presents its own challenges, the body stayed in situ. The car was braced across the door apertures for good measure before commencing work.

The customer had supplied a replacement OS door, new old stock with surface rust but solid and better than the battered and decaying original. So that was a quick win.

I decided to work my way out of the car and begin with a floor pan. The pans had seen better days and enjoyed their own ventilation, so out with the old and in with the new. Again, quality new items were supplied with the car. The old pan had already detached itself from the sill so it was removed from the rest of the body carefully. Metal repairs were let into the bulkheads front and rear before lots of in and out with the floor pan and trim and fettle to fit. Then welded in.

Such a large panel in place inspired confidence so I went for the inner sill sections, here a mixture of panels and a fabricated repair to the bottom of the A pillar.

Note that some photos are 'in progress'. Of course the welds were dressed before sealing or refinishing!

Ant @ RR

Republic Reviewing:

You know that saying, buses seem to come in threes? Well that can also describe the past few weeks in the Republic for cars with K-Jet issues.

K-Jetronic is fantastic when it's working properly but, as lots of owners already know, an absolute swine when it's not.

3 K-Jet cars recently, all with totally different running issues but all diagnosed with fuel system pressure testing and an understanding of what's happening when.

There are 3 types of pressure in a K-Jet

▪️ System
▪️ Control
▪️ Residual

By using a pressure tester across different phases, it's amazing how you can narrow down a fault.

Car 1: Poor cold start and flooding. Pressure tests confirmed a fault within both the Warm Up Regulator and the fuel distributor. Repairs made to both parts and now perfect again hot and cold.

Car 2: Poor hot starting. Accumulator I hear the forums shout! Alas not in this case. A split o-ring smaller than my little finger nail was allowing instant loss of residual fuel pressure. 1 x new o-ring later - bingo!

Car 3: Poor cold starting sounds like fuel starvation. Pressure tests confirmed all was well in this area. Next stage tests revealed a failed Thermo Time Switch. Alternative TTS fitted et voila, starts on the button!

We mustn't forget about vacuum leaks either but that's another story.

Unfortunately the biggest issue we currently have with K-Jet is the poor availability of new parts. For now though, we can just about get round that - but that won't last forever......

Matt @ RR