Hello everyone!
My old blog was infrequently updated and hadn't been touched at all for several years. I've decided it's time to start again from scratch. This has been driven by the decision to finally get on with the restoration of my Triumph Spitfire but I may post other thoughts in here as well.
I want to document the restoration of this car in some detail and although I've been posting bits and pieces on Facebook that really isn't the place to do this kind of thing. I have many issues with Facebook and one of them is that whilst everything anyone ever posts there is presumably saved forever and can never be truly retracted, at the same time it's all so impermanent as the focus is always on the here and now. What people are doing right now. After a few hours, or even minutes, it's old news and isn't easily found any more. Frankly this is an issue with modern life in general but I digress already, let's get back to more practical matters.
For anyone who doesn't know me I'm Michael. My day job is in IT and you may sometimes find me posting technology related things here but mostly this blog is supposed to be about my hobbies, particularly those that involve fixing (and even sometimes driving!) my old cars.
Here's the current fleet. First my Triumph Spitfire race car. I've built this car twice now and the most recent rebuild was featured in Practical Classics magazine on an occasional basis over a period of several years. It's been back on the road (yes, it's road legal) since 2015 but is in need of a new engine so hasn't been out much recently.
Next there's a Dodge B250 van. This one was last used in 2016 when I moved house. It's suffering from rust in the bodywork and having been standing around for the last couple of years it has probably developed some unseen mechanical maladies too. For now this one is on hold while I sort out lots of other stuff. The photo shows it in happier days!
The most recent addition to the fleet is a 2004 Smart Roadster. This little car is unbelievably good fun and getting rarer. It needed a few bits and pieces doing when I bought it, mostly just neglected maintenance which is to be expected on a fourteen year old car. A brilliant little machine that keeps my hankering for a small sports car satisfied while the rest of my fleet is non-functional.
Which brings me (finally) to the current project which is also a Triumph Spitfire. This one a standard road car. I'm just embarking on a full rebuild and it's this car that will feature most prominently in this blog. Unless I change the plan along the way, which does happen quite a lot!
The car is now green but it used to be white. Here's an old picture from 2013. I'll start reporting on the plans and work I'm doing in the next update.
I'm really hoping to keep this blog updated better than the last one. Every blog I've ever seen says that in the first post though and success varies! I hope I can write something that's interesting, or even useful to someone else out there. Please use the comments to let me know how I'm doing!
My old blog was infrequently updated and hadn't been touched at all for several years. I've decided it's time to start again from scratch. This has been driven by the decision to finally get on with the restoration of my Triumph Spitfire but I may post other thoughts in here as well.
I want to document the restoration of this car in some detail and although I've been posting bits and pieces on Facebook that really isn't the place to do this kind of thing. I have many issues with Facebook and one of them is that whilst everything anyone ever posts there is presumably saved forever and can never be truly retracted, at the same time it's all so impermanent as the focus is always on the here and now. What people are doing right now. After a few hours, or even minutes, it's old news and isn't easily found any more. Frankly this is an issue with modern life in general but I digress already, let's get back to more practical matters.
For anyone who doesn't know me I'm Michael. My day job is in IT and you may sometimes find me posting technology related things here but mostly this blog is supposed to be about my hobbies, particularly those that involve fixing (and even sometimes driving!) my old cars.
Here's the current fleet. First my Triumph Spitfire race car. I've built this car twice now and the most recent rebuild was featured in Practical Classics magazine on an occasional basis over a period of several years. It's been back on the road (yes, it's road legal) since 2015 but is in need of a new engine so hasn't been out much recently.
Next there's a Dodge B250 van. This one was last used in 2016 when I moved house. It's suffering from rust in the bodywork and having been standing around for the last couple of years it has probably developed some unseen mechanical maladies too. For now this one is on hold while I sort out lots of other stuff. The photo shows it in happier days!
The most recent addition to the fleet is a 2004 Smart Roadster. This little car is unbelievably good fun and getting rarer. It needed a few bits and pieces doing when I bought it, mostly just neglected maintenance which is to be expected on a fourteen year old car. A brilliant little machine that keeps my hankering for a small sports car satisfied while the rest of my fleet is non-functional.
Which brings me (finally) to the current project which is also a Triumph Spitfire. This one a standard road car. I'm just embarking on a full rebuild and it's this car that will feature most prominently in this blog. Unless I change the plan along the way, which does happen quite a lot!
The car is now green but it used to be white. Here's an old picture from 2013. I'll start reporting on the plans and work I'm doing in the next update.
I'm really hoping to keep this blog updated better than the last one. Every blog I've ever seen says that in the first post though and success varies! I hope I can write something that's interesting, or even useful to someone else out there. Please use the comments to let me know how I'm doing!
Fully agree with your view on Facebook!
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