A Spartan Tale Part 2

The paint to be used was Long Life Etching Primer (for the aluminium), Rapid Primer Filler and Belco Refinish Paint. The company I worked for had an old mill that was used to store second-hand equipment and the manager allowed me to use the rear bay to paint the car in. Compressed air was available w

ith an old portable compressor but I did take the precaution of fitting two filters in line. A mate of mine from the office had his arm twisted and offered to give me lift with the job. So together with lots of Sunday papers, masking tape, tack rags and paint we escorted a car transporter to the old company mill. Once there we removed the wings etc and covered the car in newspaper and masking tape. A quick course of wet and dry and wipe with tack rags and we were ready to paint. Neither of us had handled a spray gun before (apart from a Warner’s electric one which is absolutely useless) so after mixing the etching primer I gave it a go on one door panel. The result was awful with paint drips and spits all over the place. When my mate had stopped laughing I suggested very politely that perhaps he could do better. He did. Well that was decided upon and he got the job. The painting was completed after a few days without any real problems apart from numerous trips back to Brown Brothers for extra paint and thinners.

A Spartan Tale part 2



The paint to be used was Long Life Etching Primer (for the aluminium), Rapid Primer Filler and Belco Refinish Paint. The company I worked for had an old mill that was used to store second-hand equipment and the manager allowed me to use the rear bay to paint the car in. Compressed air was available w ith an old portable compressor but I did take the precaution of fitting two filters in line. A mate of mine from the office had his arm twisted and offered to give me lift with the job. So together with lots of Sunday papers, masking tape, tack rags and paint we escorted a car transporter to the old company mill. Once there we removed the wings etc and covered the car in newspaper and masking tape. A quick course of wet and dry and wipe with tack rags and we were ready to paint. Neither of us had handled a spray gun before (apart from a Warner’s electric one which is absolutely useless) so after mixing the etching primer I gave it a go on one door panel. The result was awful with paint drips and spits all over the place. When my mate had stopped laughing I suggested very politely that perhaps he could do better. He did. Well that was decided upon and he got the job. The painting was completed after a few days without any real problems apart from numerous trips back to Brown Brothers for extra paint and thinners.

Back to the garage and hopefully with the end of the tunnel in site. I spent the next week going over the paintwork with soapy wet and dry to flat off the orange peel effect. Thankfully we had given the car plenty of coats of paint. The wings, bumpers, lights, windscreen etc were all refitted. The hood proved to be a bit of a problem. It just wouldn’t fit right. I ended up cutting and shortening the pivoting support arm (the one to the rear of the anti-roll bar) to make it look right. The next job was the local taxation office to get the car registered. I did know that I would have to pay car tax but I was not aware that the value of the car would be increased by the cost of the number of hour’s work that I had put in to it. That would be 21 months, virtually every evening and weekend. I wondered if it was time for some creative accounting. I was charged the sum of £135 and was issued with a number not containing a “Q”. Number plates next followed by insurance and MOT. Third Part Fire and Theft Insurance was provided by Snowball Marlow who I believe are still operating. I was charged the not unreasonable sum of £70 to cover for Margaret and me, inclusive of travel for business. I wonder if it has gone up. I booked the MOT and set off fully confidant of a pass. Not so. I had travelled only a short distance when I realised that the brakes were just not right. Every time I applied the brakes it was similar to having ABS. The thing is that ABS did not exist then. The problem turned out to be front discs which had been machined wrongly. Remember the engineering company I was friendly with? Not any more. Don’t bother trying to get discs skimmed, buy new as I eventually did. Off for the MOT again fully confidant of a pass. Not so. The mechanic must have had a bad day as he failed the car because it was not fitted with rear reflectors. He would not accept that the reflectors were integral with the rear lights. I could not be bothered arguing any more so I fitted two reflectors and received the precious document.

Fantastic, the car was on the road the first week in September, 21 months after the start of the project. Throughout the project I was in full time employment and ended up working in the garage from about 6.30pm up to 9.00pm virtually every night. As if that wasn’t enough I spent Saturday and Sunday working on the car as well. When I think back I can only conclude that my heart was certainly ruling my brains. My wife thought she had obtained a divorce. Margaret’s car the Cortina 2000E, was by this time becoming a rust bucket with the engine needing a good overhaul. An acquaintance at my company actually bought it to build a Dutton. Margaret went back to the Anglia although this was replaced within a couple of months by a Citroen 2.4 CX Pallas. What a brilliantly underrated car that was although it too eventually succumbed to age and rust. The faithful and ever reliable Ford Anglia was then laid up, later to be sold to a learner driver. Over the next year or so I up-rated the brakes on the Spartan by fitting a servo from a Morris Marina and I fitted an overdrive gearbox from a Spitfire. Two new Stromberg Carburettors were also fitted. The polarity was changed to negative earth when I fitted an alternator instead of the old generator. I also managed to pick up from the scrap yard a cast aluminium rocker box cover (made by “SAH” tuning) that was finished with chipped black crackle paint. I spent many hours removing the paint and polishing the aluminium with soapy wet and dry. The result was very striking with its chrome oil filler cap. On the photograph it does look discoloured but that is only a coating of grease that was applied years ago. A carrier was made for the spare wheel complete with magnetic wheel nuts as can be seen in one of the photographs.

I used the car every day for the next three years until I was offered a company car, how could I refuse? The Spartan was taken off the road in 1984. I did start the engine a month later with no problems. The next time I started the engine I found the clutch was stuck. Two months after that I tried again but found it would not start. I figured that the carburettor floats were sticking so I removed them to clean them up on the bench. I then noticed that the exhaust manifold was looking very unsightly with rust so that was removed for painting. It then occurred to me that if I carried on in this way then I would end up back where I started with a kit. As I had no real plans to return the car to the road at that point I called a halt. Despite the long hours through the build period I would not have missed it for the world. Actually putting pen to paper, so to speak, has brought everything back to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the drive. I had various company cars until my retirement in March 2006. Okay my quandary is this. The Spartan is still sat there in the garage and no doubt will require the clutch and the brakes releasing. Maybe she needs a repaint. A new battery will be needed, etc. I could start again or as I am now getting past it I could be convinced to sell. What would you do? I did accumulate various spares over the course of the build which may be of interest. Left and right hand suspension towers complete with top and lower wishbone arms, vertical links, coil springs, shock absorbers, trunnion assemblies, brake callipers, hub assemblies. These were from a Triumph Herald 13/60 year about 1970. Vitesse 1600 4.11 to 1 rear differential, rear drive shafts, shock absorbers front and rear and steering column which were all from the donor car. New Vitesse 2000 camshaft with springs and cam followers never fitted. Original 1600 cylinder head Overdrive gearbox Brian Wall Ps Various photographs were taken during the build although they are certainly of dubious quality as the cameras used were a Kodak instamatic and a Polaroid.