Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Chris Taylor, 24-May-2006, 05:43pm
Triumph used to market a continental touring kit, so if someone could tell what was in that it would give some good ideas.
In those days the issues were the sort of components that would not be so readily available "off the shelf" in a foreign garage because they were unique to Triumph, or typically British, like Lucas electrical components. Nowadays, you also need to take into account the sort of components that are no longer on the average garage shelf, like ignition points, condensors etc.
As you say, you could go on for ever, and to some extent it will depend on what you are able to fit yourself at the roadside.
As essentials, I would suggest spare ignition bits like points, condensor, rotor arm, (and just maybe a cap?). Leads and plugs should be available or "adaptable"
Fanbelt
Water pump (Don't regularly fail, but can do so very quickly when they do, and completely disable the car).
Radiator hoses (top and bottom) and a length of pipe to cater for all the other coolant hoses.
Brake master cylinder seals? (could also be used for clutch cylinder if you're lucky!)
1 rear wheel cylinder (could be used on either side!), or rear cylinder seal kit.
Front sidelight and rear lamp bulbs, and indicator bulbs (Spare bulbs are mandatory in some countries).
Warning triangle also mandatory in some countries, as is a first aid kit.
1 or 2 u/j's. Same for propshaft and driveshafts, and don't take up a lot of space.
Fuses, if your car has any!
If you really started to go overboard, things like a spare coil, clutch driven plate, wheel bearings, brake shoes/pads, alternator, starter motor. All these things could leave you stranded by the road, but if you make sure they are all in good nick before you set off, they really should last well beyond your trip. But that also means that if you suspect that something is beginning to wear out, replace it now as sod's law will guarantee that it will fail while you are abroad!!!!
In those days the issues were the sort of components that would not be so readily available "off the shelf" in a foreign garage because they were unique to Triumph, or typically British, like Lucas electrical components. Nowadays, you also need to take into account the sort of components that are no longer on the average garage shelf, like ignition points, condensors etc.
As you say, you could go on for ever, and to some extent it will depend on what you are able to fit yourself at the roadside.
As essentials, I would suggest spare ignition bits like points, condensor, rotor arm, (and just maybe a cap?). Leads and plugs should be available or "adaptable"
Fanbelt
Water pump (Don't regularly fail, but can do so very quickly when they do, and completely disable the car).
Radiator hoses (top and bottom) and a length of pipe to cater for all the other coolant hoses.
Brake master cylinder seals? (could also be used for clutch cylinder if you're lucky!)
1 rear wheel cylinder (could be used on either side!), or rear cylinder seal kit.
Front sidelight and rear lamp bulbs, and indicator bulbs (Spare bulbs are mandatory in some countries).
Warning triangle also mandatory in some countries, as is a first aid kit.
1 or 2 u/j's. Same for propshaft and driveshafts, and don't take up a lot of space.
Fuses, if your car has any!
If you really started to go overboard, things like a spare coil, clutch driven plate, wheel bearings, brake shoes/pads, alternator, starter motor. All these things could leave you stranded by the road, but if you make sure they are all in good nick before you set off, they really should last well beyond your trip. But that also means that if you suspect that something is beginning to wear out, replace it now as sod's law will guarantee that it will fail while you are abroad!!!!
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Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Paul Bodiam, 24-May-2006, 06:02pm
...and, of course, phone number of your preferred recovery organisation and a mobile phone
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Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Jonathan Reed, 24-May-2006, 06:07pm
If you near Paris:
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
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Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : John Davies, 24-May-2006, 06:09pm
Chris,
I'm doing just this right now, and are you thinking what I'm thinking?
That brake pads, wheel bearings, clutchplates, spare diff and welding kit are a bit over the top?
(OK, I made up the welding kit, but one of the Club Triumph 10 Countries Run entrants claimed to be taking a soldering iron!)
Go for:
Car breakdown insurance, that includes repatriation of you and the vehicle.
After that, small things, that need little or no tools to do the job, soyou can deal with simple things and carry on. Anything major...........
But thoroughly check over your vehicle, well before take off, so anything major don't happen. Inspect pads and shoes for instance and think hard about the life expectancy of things you can't easiily see, like clutch plates.
Oh, and another thing that some countries demand - a HiViz jacket.
Last year, Halfords did a little leaflet about all the things that various countries demand.
Worth consulting.
Lastly, lights. Your headers will throw their light across the road when driving 'a la droit'. Get those little Fresnel lens adaptors for ?&163;30, or else just cover the lenses in your headlamp glass with black insulating tape, so the light just goes forward.
Bon voyage!
John -
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Julian Saul, 25-May-2006, 07:49am
An excerpt from an American website from where I traced the image and contents.
"The label is copied from a GENUINE factory CONTINENTAL TOURING KIT issued by Standard Triumph, Coventry in the 1960's and has been copied from one of these kits.
It is applied to a cardboard box some 24" long x 9" deep x 6" high. You'll never need its contents - but it's nice to know it's there."
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Mark Stradling, 24-May-2006, 06:28pm
Now I could just be digging a hole for my self here but... don't you READ your Courier?
I'm sure one of the regular advertisers (Abingdon MG?) advertise a touring parts kit with the normal 1x each bulb, fan belt, points, condenser, plugs, hoses. This should be fine - in addition to legally required stuff for France (call the AA or visit their web site) and breakdown cover.
There is no reason your car should be any less reliable driving 1000 miles through France than it would be driving 1000 miles through England.
I'm sure one of the regular advertisers (Abingdon MG?) advertise a touring parts kit with the normal 1x each bulb, fan belt, points, condenser, plugs, hoses. This should be fine - in addition to legally required stuff for France (call the AA or visit their web site) and breakdown cover.
There is no reason your car should be any less reliable driving 1000 miles through France than it would be driving 1000 miles through England.
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Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Jonathan Reed, 24-May-2006, 06:55pm
Apparently an article inthe courier.
Sorry I wasn't a member then (not of the club anyway!)
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Jonathan Binnington, 24-May-2006, 09:37pm
i'm tempted to suggest "as little as possible" mut might say instead, only what you have tools to replace.
do a brake service before you go with new pads and shoes if needed, then leave your spare brakes at home, ditto master and slave cylinder parts. also cahnge the oil and filter
clutch parts? if the driven or pressure plate fails are you going to take the engine orgearbox out to effect a repair, or send for the breakdown truck from your mobile phone?
points and condensor yes, also fuses, bulbs and fanbelt, coolant hoses hose clamps cable ties and gaffatape.
UJs? are you kidding? you need a vice as well to press the old ones out and the new ones in...
perhaps a voltmeter to investigate any electrical failures, but only if you know your electrical system.
tools to change what you have. spare oil (expensive in france) antifreeze is called liquide refroidissement and has useful corrosion inhibitor properties and can be bought from supermarkets
think back over your last six breakdowns and take those parts
mine would be: the above plus the oldham coupling in the metering unit (small but vital part, about the size of a walnut) one sparkplug, one injector, not sure about a waterpump I have one but it's heavy. tools for all of this and to change a wheel
but not much else
j-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Calvin Andrew, 24-May-2006, 10:04pm
Bulb kit,
first aid kit,
warning triangle,
HI vI jacket,
mobile phone.
sun tan cream
European cover
You will need the rest of the room for holiday clobber.
You know how reliable your car is.
I am still proud of the fact that i went on a camping holiday in a MK 3 Spit.
if you can pack a spit, you can pack anything.
Bon voyage,
Calvin-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Philip Willcocks, 25-May-2006, 09:57am
I would also say take a toolkit, the local garages will only have metric spanners - so even if you can't fix, they can with your tools.
... and make sure you mobile works when you are out of the country!-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Don Cook, 25-May-2006, 01:29pm
Whatever you take you won't need...whatever you leave behind you will need!
Two things to take: ingenuity and a bottle opener!
Relax and have a good time, if you're going over Classic Le Mans weekend you'll be bumping into loads of us anyway!-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Iain Duncan, 25-May-2006, 02:13pm
Thanks for taking time to send a few suggestions guys...all very much appreciated.
I'm not off to Le Mans, doing the June6th Normandy thing instead.
For those that are.....Bon Voyage aussi!
Iain-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Jonathan Binnington, 25-May-2006, 05:02pm
vous parlez francais! peut etre nous parlons en francais ici et les autres annoyons...?
j-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Vin Poonwassie, 25-May-2006, 09:56pm
un bon nombre de gens peuvent lire des Fran&195;&167;ais &195; l'aide de Babelfish
Vin - yes it does translate into French!-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Jonathan Binnington, 25-May-2006, 10:15pm
mais il y a un petit nonbre de gens qui parlez moins le poisson bable
mais oiu?-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : John Davies, 25-May-2006, 10:25pm
Je pense qu'il ya une poisson d'Avril.-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Jonathan Reed, 25-May-2006, 10:45pm
And I quote:
"I think that it ya a fish of April."
No wonder the French hate our attempts at speaking the lingo !-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Jonathan Binnington, 26-May-2006, 08:10am
they are even more put out at arrogant roastbifs who make no attempt at meeting them halfway
how might we feel if foriegn visitors made no attempt at speaking english, but shouted at us in their native an got annoyed when we couldn't understand?
take a english french dictionary and a couple of conversational french lessons - forgive me if you are a Francophile and already have local knowledge
jonathan -
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : John Davies, 26-May-2006, 08:43am
Jonathan (R),
I thought you knew.
"Poisson d'Avril" - April Fool!
And it may be true of Parisiens, but no other Frenchman or woman has ever taken exception to my attemps to speak their lanaguage. In fact they usually let me run out of vocabulary, and then say sweetly, "May we speak English? I do like to practice my English!"
Charming people!
John-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Jonathan Reed, 26-May-2006, 11:06am
Ah yes my ignorance hits again, but the babel fish didn't explain! No offense meant, sometimes smilies can be approriate......-
Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : John Davies, 26-May-2006, 11:01pm
As Churchill said, "Prenez-guard - je parlerais Francais!"
No offence at all - but I have found that the little I have of French, or any other language, goes down extremely well with the natives!
With the exception of Dutch, who warned me that an Englishman speaks their language like a German.
Sad to say, but not without excuse, this is still not the way to be greeted with open arms in the Netherlands.
John
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Taking a MK3 Spitfire abroad for the first time...
Posted By : Andrew Hamilton, 27-May-2006, 12:27pm
I would say that the most important thing are the tools you take with you. On my last trip to France the Spitfire played up constantly due to problems
with carburettors, timing and electrics. Most of the problems were pretty minor, and with a decent set of tools I managed to keep going, buying a few
odds and ends of wiring, connectors and hoses from a variety of supermarkets and car accessory shops in France. My tools are all in a roll, which takes
up very little space, and a few other bits like a torque wrench, which I stuff in the holes in the boot. I have, actually, changed a cylinder head
gasket when on holiday, once, with that small tool kit, so you can do most things with limited facilities. Also, don't forget your Haynes manual!!!
Andrew.
Andrew.