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Punkin header.gif (2707 bytes) 1978 Spitfire FM76948U

   Punkin's Restoration - 1978 Spitfire
Exterior Engine Interior Restoration Photos Items replaced 100's of links 

   

     8/99
     Well this little darlin' is the newest arrival in my stable. There is presently less than 2,000 miles on this restoration, accumulated over the last five years. I can't claim ALL the credit for her present condition though. The P.O. did do a nice job on the initial frame off restoration work back in 1993/94. The Vermilion paint job is near flawless.  These first two photos were taken by the P.O. back in 1994 just after the completion of the paint job.

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The final product just after completion of the restoration.         

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  ... and a shot face to face

 

Look at the shine on this beauty!
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The patterns visible on the bonnet... are actually reflections of all
the stuff in the garage the night I bought her.

    Since purchase, many small items (and some large) have been refurbished or replaced. She recently has had almost every rubber seal on her replaced. New outer door window rubber and inner fur seals, bonnet and quarter valence seals, trunk and ragtop to windshield seals.  I recently installed a new rear leaf spring, even though I probably could have gotten away with simply replacing the little rubber pads between leaves to get rid of the squat and  bring her back up to normal ride height. A pair of matching rear view door mirrors were installed. An ABS transmission tunnel was installed to replace the weary cardboard stock tunnel.


The following four photos were taken at Ft. Smallwood
Park September 1999, next to the Chesapeake Bay at the
mouth of the Baltimore Harbor.

Keybridge in background
That's the Key Bridge in the background for anyone who knows Baltimore.

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(with the new K&N Filter shining brightly)

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That's me in the reflection on the bonnet taking the picture...30 feet away!

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Notice a front license plate has been added? That's a NOS front license plate
bracket I won on Ebay. It still had the OEM paper on it protecting the chrome.

      Just after these photos were taken, I stripped, cleaned and repainted the wheels silver. Something about the black just didn't look quite right. I've found Plasti-Cote 'Truck and Van' paint 'Slate Silver' is a very close match to the original silver used on the wheels. Yes... I think they look much better!

The next two photos were taken at the New Castle Delaware show Oct 3, 1999.

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A bunch of nice Healeys as a backdrop... how much classier can you get.
The white on the windshield is the car show ID. sign and my own 'blurb' about
the state of the engine/car mod's and the names of the e-mail lists I belong to.

New Castle, DE. show '99
Right next to the 'group' delineation sign.  Only two of us out of 117 cars.