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1980 Triumph Spitfire Base Convertible 2-door on 2040-cars

US $8,000.00
Year:1980 Mileage:50000 Color: Blue /
 Tan
Location:

Floyd, Virginia, United States

Floyd, Virginia, United States
Transmission:Manual
Body Type:Convertible
Vehicle Title:Clear
Engine:1995 Miata 1.8L 16v DOHC I4
Fuel Type:GAS
For Sale By:Private Seller
Condition:

Used

VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
: TFVDW2AT000048
Year: 1980
Make: Triumph
Model: Spitfire
Trim: Base Convertible 2-Door
Options: Convertible
Power Options: Power Locks, Power Windows
Drive Type: RWD
Mileage: 50,000
Exterior Color: Blue
Disability Equipped: No
Interior Color: Tan
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
Number of Cylinders: 4

Bought this car 6 years ago due to its rust free nature. It was garage kept for 15 yrs prior to my purchase and mostly garage kept since my ownership. Engine was shot and so, since I had spent 15 yrs of my life fighting a British engine, I decided to put a 1995 Miata 1.8L 16v DOHC 4 cyl, 5 speed transmission, and computer (fun) in it. It fit fairly easily....except the wiring job. Seems Mazda used a Mk3 Spitfire as the template for the Miata...go figure. I have been driving the car for 5 yrs with little problem. Only major issue was the pinion bearing in the rear end went out and so I rebuilt the rear end. I have 3 other project cars and this one needs to go so I can start on one of them. In the attached pictures you will see the few paint chips and ugliness, and some of the new stuff. Below is a comprehensive list of everything I can think of to tell you.

This is a used car and thus no warranty but considering the nature of the car and the fact that I built it myself, I will give continued tech support for the life of me, you, or the car...whichever ends first. I will even help you do repairs if you want to do them yourself. I have an upholstery shop/garage. Sounds too good to be true but I enjoy sleeping at night and hate nasty phone calls....and i'll miss the little guy.

Engine: 1995 1.8L 16v DOHC 4cyl.
Transmission: 1995 Miata 5 Speed Manual
Mileage: Car=Approx. 50k. Engine=Unknown (Came from a junked car, thus the top end rebuild)

New Stuff: Brake Master Cylinder, Brake Lines, Front/Rear Brake Splitter Junction, Front Brake Calipers, Rear Wheel Cylinders, Pads, Shoes, Rear Brake Hardware, Clutch Slave Cylinder, Clutch Fluid Flushed, Oil Filter, Oil Change, Thermostat, Radiator Flushed, Battery, Rear Shocks, Tires, Wheel Beauty Rings, Headlights, Front Park Lamp Lenses, Tail-Light Lenses, License Plate Light Lenses, All Exterior Bulbs, Mirrors, Robbins Vinyl Convertible Top, Carpet, Seats, Door Panels, Rear Panel, Gear Shift Knob, Shift Boot, E-Brake Boot, Seat Belts, Voltage Gauge, Valve Seals, All Top End Gaskets from Head Up, 'Hand-Crafted by Me' Real Walnut Dash, All Gauge Lenses (glass), Radio Antenna. (All new parts installed within the last month)

Rebuilt Stuff: Clutch Master Cylinder, Rear Differential

Goodies: 35+ MPG, Quick, Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Electric Fuel Pump and Filter Located Behind Panel in Trunk for Easy Access, No Fluid Leaks, Clean Title, One of a Kind, Featured on Jalopnik.com for the Engine Conversion, Strong Heater, Life-Time Tech Support, Interstate-worthy (High Top Speed, Umph, and Easy vehicle Passing, The enjoyment of owning a classic british convertible without the worries of spending beautiful weekends on unexpected repairs, getting stuck on back roads in the middle of the night, or wondering if it will even start this time.

Needs: Paint and Bumpers. You could get away without it for a while. Paint looks great at first glance but closer inspection reveals scratches and chips. Estimates I have gotten for going a completely different color range between 500 (Maaco) and 2300. The guy who painted my car still has some of the blue left over and is willing to cover and buff the scratches and chips if you desire to keep this color.

Issues: Gets a little toasty in the summer, but stays nice and warm in the winter. This is due to the proximity of the transmission to the driver/passenger, and the fact that the exhaust runs right under the transmission on the drivers side. I recommend heat wrapping the exhaust.
Gas gauge shows 1/4 tank when you are actually empty. This can be fixed by bending the needle a touch. 
Temp Gauge pegs immediately. I don't know why. The Miata gauge does it too and I've replaced the Miata temp sending unit. I even tried soldering a resistor in-line with the gauge to no avail. The car never over-heats and though it runs a little longer than you think it should before the fan cuts on, its fine. I've run it a long time and even let it idle for hours.
Light smoke and valve ticking on start-up if its sat for a while. This is due to there not being any oil in the valve area after sitting a while, and possibly a bad piston ring. I had thought the valve seals would fix it, and they did mostly, but if it sits for a long time it smokes for a minute. 
No radio. Cant hear it anyway and without some modifications there is nowhere to put the speakers unless you want 4 inch ones in the doors.... Antenna is there and run to the radio slot if you want to do it.
Possibly rust bubble but mostly likely bondo bubble. There is a seam between the hood assembly and fender assembly but when it was painted that seem was filled in with bondo...now its bubbling from, I assume, water getting in the back side of the seam.

So that's about it. I've stated everything I can possibly think of. This car is ready for fall driving season. Come get it!

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Auto blog

Jaguar F Type V6 S vs Triumph Street Triple R in open-air track attack

Sun, 21 Sep 2014

Typically, these track battle videos pair up car against car or, in more disparate circumstances, car versus crossover, as we saw the other day. While the outcome of that battle was quite predictable, what'll happen when an equally fetching (and fast) four-wheeler is put up against one of the icons of the two-wheeled world? Evo just had to find out.
Matching up a Jaguar F-Type V6 S Convertible against a Triumph Street Triple R is at least more of an even fight than the last battle between the Porsche Cayman GTS and Macan Turbo. The Triumph has a 675-cc engine to work with, and is very light. Meanwhile, the Jag has a thumping 380-horsepower, 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 to haul about it's considerably heftier heft. Who will come out on top?
You'll need to watch the full video to find out.