Michael Stoliker's Journal

The title for the 76 Spitfire came in the mail yesterday along with an unexpected gift...the ignition key. I'm now determined that this car will see the road again. With the body and frame from Rob's 78, and the drivetrain from John's 76, this car will rise from the slow burn of oxidation and with that image the car's name is obvious. Say hello to "The Phoenix".

The Phoenix will be put back together and will hopefully be sold to finance the restoration of "The Tomato" and give some lucky person an experience with British car ownership. The big hurdle is getting the title transferred and recognized by the state of Pennsylvania.

The only missling piece to the puzzle at this point is a usable bonnet. The rust on the original bonnet is bad, but not entirely beyond repair. But with the original accident damage and the subsequent rust damage, it's not worth the time it will take to fix.

Hopefully, I will have a potential replacement today as there is one just down the street from me being given away for free.

Work continues on stripping the 76. I pulled off everything from the engine forward and have two storage bins full of parts. I'm gonna need more storage bins!

The big issue will be how do I get the engine and transmission out? Buying an engine hoist at this time might be suicidal as the wife will be watching my spending. I think I have the answer though. I plan to use a come-along attached to a piece of Harbor Freight scaffolding and a big piece of angle iron. The question is will it be high enough? Perhaps with the stripped frame sitting on the ground.

I guess we'll see soon enough.