Back in the Field of Dreams

The weekend just gone marked the first anniversary of the muddy spectacle that was Shitefest 2016, and it was appropriately celebrated by being back in Chris and Claire's Field of Dreams. This year's official Shitefest took place at the beginning of the month at the Bubble Car Museum in Lincolnshire, but Chris decided to hold another open day in the field for visiting Autoshite members. So it was that another small group of shiters convened on Sunday for more tinkering, visiting cars this time including a beautiful Fiat X1/9 and a smart K-reg Astra diesel estate.

MGs, various

Something unexpected always seems to happen in the Field of Dreams and we arrived this time to find Chris trying to break in to one of his own cars. His MG ZR had flattened its battery and locked him out, blocking access to both of the day's project cars, and the key wouldn't fit any of the locks. Having dragged it out of the way with the trusty C15, he eventually managed to gain access to open the bonnet and jump start it, then took it home to contemplate its fate and swapped it for his newly-roadworthy MG Metro. This is now mechanically and structurally sound but needs a repaint, and seeing a Metro with odd-coloured front wings brought back a lot of childhood memories. Bizarrely, the original owner had the MG graphics removed as she found them too garish, and also had the red carpets replaced with grey ones from an Austin. We all agreed there is something very likeable about an early Metro and everyone soon fell for its charms.

The ZR was banished to the naughty corner

Alfa Giulietta

Claire's 1983 Alfa Romeo Giulietta is an ongoing project that I haven't mentioned before as it has been quietly sitting at the back of the field waiting for other things to happen around it. Richard took on the challenge of trying to get the engine started so it became a competition to see if the Alfa or the Gitfire would fire up first. He got off to a good start as it would turn over happily with a healthy spark from all four plugs but just wouldn't run. Strangely, even squirting Easy Start straight into the air intake couldn't persuade it to fire and investigations will continue next time. Rob and Alex gave it a wash so even though it still won't run it does at least look a bit more loved.

It won't run but the Alfa is clean now

Triumph Gitfire

According to various Triumph forums, a GT6/Spitfire hybrid is unofficially known as a 'Gitfire' and our main target was to continue working on this beast. A previous session had seen the seized clutch master cylinder replaced and the brakes freed, so it moved under its own power for the first time in Chris's ownership but wouldn't stop and was running very badly with a lot of backfiring and a reluctance to rev. Coming back to it showed two of the plug leads in the wrong order, so swapping these over made a bit of difference but it was still nowhere near right. A compression test revealed a surprising reason for the rough running: the standard compression ratio of a Triumph 2500 engine is 8.5:1 but this thing is running closer to 12:1 so it's obviously very highly tuned and rather temperamental. I wouldn't be surprised if it puts out somewhere around 150bhp and there's no doubt it should go like hell once properly tuned.

The Gitfire finally moved under its own power. It doesn't stop though.

Although it had run last time, it was still very reluctant to start so attention turned to replacing the ignition parts that were in pretty poor condition. Such is the abysmal quality of modern parts that we went through three rotor arms before finding one that worked, but with new points and condensor we were finally able to get it ticking over, albeit badly. Then came the challenge of setting the ignition timing through much trial and error; strangely it ended up running best with the timing marks about 90 degrees out from where they should be and any deviation from this caused a lot of popping and backfiring. Even when relatively well tuned it certainly guzzles fuel at an alarming rate. After dismantling the fuel pump as no one believed it had already used up all the petrol we put in that morning, it turned out the reason it had stopped pumping was indeed that there was nothing left in the tank for it to pump!

Those four exhausts and huge tyres aren't just for show

Chris had bought a new set of brake parts with the intention of getting them fitted so the Gitfire could be moved to give better access to the Alfa. It ended up taking all day to sort out the poor running so we didn't get round to doing anything with the brakes and that is a job for next time. The Gitfire is gradually moving closer to roadworthiness though and is proving an interesting challenge as it's such a mongrel that is heavily modified from standard with no documentation of what has been done. It will definitely need some welding, at least to the battery tray and boot floor, before it goes anywhere near an MoT test station, but will hopefully be back on the road before too long.

Citroen LNA

A day in the Field of Dreams wouldn't be complete without a Citroen. The first new car launched after Peugeot bought the company in 1976 was the Citroen LN, hastily created by putting the 602cc flat-twin 2CV engine in the body of the Peugeot 104Z 'Short Cut'. This was sold only in France and was replaced in 1978 by the LNA, which gained the larger 652cc version from the Visa Spécial and was later upgraded further with the 1124cc Peugeot TU 'suitcase' engine. This version of the LNA came to the UK in 1983 but wasn't a great success as it couldn't compete with the likes of the Fiesta and Nova, and was withdrawn again just two years later so these cars were never common even when new.

My first sight of the LNA last year. Doesn't look too promising...

One of only two known 'Inca' special editions in this country, Chris bought this car last summer via eBay after putting in a very low bid that he didn't expect to win. It was in a pretty bad way, having spent years dumped in a hedge with the engine partially dismantled and in the boot, but less than a year later it has passed an MoT and is now fully road-legal, so he was able to take me for a spin on the road. It may still look very scruffy, having had only the minimum of cosmetics required for the MoT, but drives very well with its rebuilt engine, and despite a very floppy gearlever (rather more so than it should be) it changes gear nicely.

The 1.1-litre engine, a conventional water-cooled inline unit, has an unexpected turn of speed in a car that weighs a mere 700kg and the LNA certainly isn't underpowered like a flat-twin Visa, where conservation of momentum is essential to make progress. 60mph comes up surprisingly quickly and it will cruise comfortably at that speed without the engine noise being intrusive. This one had some buffeting through the passenger door but that is probably because the hinges and seals are a bit worn, and overall it was far more refined than an air-cooled Citroen. Suspension is standard Macpherson struts but it still has some of the typical Citroen floatiness and was fairly soft and compliant on the rough lanes around the field.

Look at it now. Still scruffy but fully road-legal.

Inca spec seemed to get you alloy wheels and metallic paint but little else over the basic 11E, and it is very spartan inside without even a radio as standard fit, which along with the flimsiness of the bodywork reminds you that this is unashamedly a budget car. Although it has the trademark Citroen single-spoke steering wheel, the rest of the interior is basically Peugeot and has none of the weirdness of the Visa, with a conventional dashboard made of brittle brown plastic and ordinary column stalks instead of the bizarre control pods. The LNA makes an interesting comparison with the Oltcit: both are three-door budget hatchbacks with 1.1-litre engines but are very different under the skin. The Oltcit is more classically Citroen with its air-cooled flat-four and torsion bars, whereas the LNA is basically just a rebadged Peugeot without most of the usual Citroen characteristics, but is still likeable in its own way.

LNA meets Metro for the first time. Which would you choose?

So ended another fun day in the Field of Dreams, which is becoming something of a second home for me, but there will be more soon as Chris has already scheduled the next open day. Chris and Claire are always so welcoming and have a seemingly neverending supply of interesting vehicles to play with, and I'm already looking forward to next time! 

Richard's X1/9 is a thing of beauty