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Specifications for 1968 Triumph Spitfire Mk3, a.k.a. "Mrs. Jones", 2003:
Engine compartment photo - December, 2003
Completely balanced, 1296 High compression (9.3:1) professionally rebuilt engine bored .020 over with ported and gas flowed, shaved and converted head with hardened valve seats for unleaded fuel, enlarged valves, .425 lift hot street cam, lightened flywheel, parkerised lifters, ARP fasteners for connecting rods, cylinder head and flywheel, dual valve springs with chrome valve cover, Keihin quad carbs with custom fabricated aluminum billet intake manifolds, stainless steel, ceramic coated 4-2-1 Bell headers and stainless steel sport exhaust. New radiator with optional Permacool 10" electric fan, to be mounted later. Rebuilt AC Delco D200 distributor with Pertronix electronic ignition conversion with Flamethrower chrome 40k coil. New Original Stock (NOS) Clear Hooter horns, polished NOS AC Delco fuel pump with priming lever, newly rebuilt starter motor, newly rebuilt generator with NOS voltage regulator, rebuilt and restored wiper motor and wheel box assembly, restored starter solenoid, new oil pressure and water temperature senders, new heater control valve, various powder coated brackets and radiator support rods in engine compartment. Green ignition wires, completely new wiring harness, all new relays for turn signals, horn and overdrive.
Newly rebuilt full-synchro, three-rail gearbox with rebuilt D-type overdrive. Currently features overdrive switch in knob, but stalk type is also installed for future auxillary control purposes.
All new hydraulics with new clutch M/C and slave, newly rebuilt brake M/C, rebuilt front calipers, new rear wheel cylinders and brakes, new emergency brake cables, rebuilt steering rack, new stainless steel braided brake flex lines, new rotors, rebuilt 4.11 differential, new shocks, front coil springs, new camber compensator, new front and rear springs, Dunlop 175 50R 13 low profile radial tires mounted to freshly restored Western alloy 13 x 5.5 wheels. All hydraulics DOT 5 silicone fluid spec.
Paint is two-stage Toyota Thundercloud Gray Pearl urethane base with four layers of clearcoat, hand rubbed and polished, all new rubber throughout. Bottom of tub undercoated to protect and seal. Cleaned, rebuilt and painted door strikers and latches, new door check straps, new interior and exterior door handles. Chrome over brass bullet-style door mirrors.
Interior features include original spec, newly custom upholstered black all-leather low-back bucket seats over new foams with white piping; new stock door and rear cockpit panels, deluxe deep pile carpeting, custom wood facia and dash support panels in rare red maple burl to compliment NOS Triumph Formual wood steering wheel with matching wood application to dash support, black leather tunnel cover, knee bolsters, chrome roll bar, uprated GT6 heater unit, all-new pull knobs, newly rebuilt speedometer and tachometer, NOS fuel and temperature gauges, auxillary Smiths clock, Smiths vacuum, Jaeger oil pressure and Lucas ammeter gauges, newly reupholstered original padded dash top. NOS Robbins top with zip out rear window (not fitted at present) NOS hood cover and NOS tonneau covers.
44 watt RMS stealth AM/FM stereo w/MP3 player, concealed within vintage 1968 dealer installed Triumph AM radio manufactured by Bendix. KLH indoor/outdoor 2-way box speakers with tuned bass ports and a Kenwood 200 watt amplified subwoofer concealed in the boot.
All newly restored and triple-plated original chrome bumpers fore and aft, with newly chromed gas cap, polished stainless fender trim strips. Restored and polished wheelbox cam covers, new chrome washer jets. New tinted windscreen, new furflex door trim..
All new front and rear signal lamps, brake/tail lamps and reverse lamps. Vintage Lucas PL700 Tripod headlights with uprated halogen bulbs fitted. Original, large, red plastic turn indicators in rear have been replaced with amber glass Lucas fixtures, the same size as the clear glass back-up lights to provide a more uniform appearance. Rare, late style 1970 Mk3 tail lenses have been fitted. New bulbs throughout.
As of January 1, 2003, the car is 98% complete and is expected to be fully streetable by early Spring, commemorating this vehicle's 35th anniversary since the original build.
Update: Mrs. Jones was back on the streets of San Diego as of March 17, 2003 (St. Patrick's Day) and was already drawing admirers at the gas station during her first test drive. A few miscellaneous trim items are needed to totally complete the car, and should be acquired by the first week of April, 2003. This car has been dormant for over 12 years, and I'm thrilled to finally have it back on the road.
Update: After some glitches, including the installation of a new speedometer cable and an overdrive overhaul, the car is officially "complete" and in 100% working order, as of June 6, 2003.
To see more photos in high resolution, taken in 2005, click here. Also, look for feature articles about this car in the Dec/Jan 2005 issue of Triumph World magazine and the Spring 2005 edition of Spitfire & GT6 magazine!
Please. Always wear your seatbelt while driving -- and that goes double for your children if you have any.