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I couldn't help but notice colorado1966MK1A's thread title since it could also have been mine. I didn't want to hijack his thread, so I started this one.
I purchased my 1965 Mk1 from the original owner, a Southern Airline mechanic in Huntsville, Alabama, in August 1968. I paid the princely sum of $1100 for it. It was pristine; didn't even have outside mirrors. (I added those quickly.) The original mufflers had been replaced with a pair of very small Midas ones, which didn't muffle very much. The brake lights didn't work and the local import parts place didn't have one in stock, so I rigged a momentary-contact, normally-on switch actuated by the brake pedal lever; it's still there. A bit later, a used set of LAT wheels replaced the original steelies.
I found and joined CAT soon after buying the car and have been a member ever since (#1162).
I began to autocross the car the next spring (badly, but I got better). Axle tramp was cured, after some experimentation, with a single clamp on the right leaf spring. Over the years, the car was lowered about an inch, gained a larger front sway bar plus a rear bar and CAT front springs, and the rear was converted to a 3.31 limited slip. A thicker radiator core and an aggressive flex fan aided cooling, and a Holley center-pivot carburetor cured hard cornering starvation. I also purchased a used Parrish Plastics fiberglass hardtop. (I have a rescued stock steel hardtop that needs a complete restoration, but I can install and remove the lighter fiberglass one single-handedly; so that stock one will never get restored. I should sell it.)
After autocrossing the Tiger for six years, I decided the car was worth saving but continued to drive it to work daily. (I continued autocrossing with a prepared Spitfire, drove two formula cars in SCCA Solo I, then returned to autocrossing after a hiatus, ending up in a Super 7 clone. Now I'm too old.)
Today, the car is virtually stock. The still-original engine sports the Tiger aluminum valve covers, that same Holley carburetor and a Mallory dual-point distributor now with Pertronix guts. The interior has been freshened with a re-veneered dash, new dash pad and new carpet. The car also received a new windshield and all the associated rubber. The exterior's red paint still shines, but it's getting thin. My appraiser says don't paint the car or change the drivetrain. He doesn't have to twist my arm.
The Tiger has never been TACed, but I know what it is, and I will not sell it. It's in my will to go to my son (who owns a 1966 Tiger that had a much harsher life before he bought it). I am retired and live just outside of Huntsville, Alabama. I have a couple of other collector cars, but I still love the Tiger.
I purchased my 1965 Mk1 from the original owner, a Southern Airline mechanic in Huntsville, Alabama, in August 1968. I paid the princely sum of $1100 for it. It was pristine; didn't even have outside mirrors. (I added those quickly.) The original mufflers had been replaced with a pair of very small Midas ones, which didn't muffle very much. The brake lights didn't work and the local import parts place didn't have one in stock, so I rigged a momentary-contact, normally-on switch actuated by the brake pedal lever; it's still there. A bit later, a used set of LAT wheels replaced the original steelies.
I found and joined CAT soon after buying the car and have been a member ever since (#1162).
I began to autocross the car the next spring (badly, but I got better). Axle tramp was cured, after some experimentation, with a single clamp on the right leaf spring. Over the years, the car was lowered about an inch, gained a larger front sway bar plus a rear bar and CAT front springs, and the rear was converted to a 3.31 limited slip. A thicker radiator core and an aggressive flex fan aided cooling, and a Holley center-pivot carburetor cured hard cornering starvation. I also purchased a used Parrish Plastics fiberglass hardtop. (I have a rescued stock steel hardtop that needs a complete restoration, but I can install and remove the lighter fiberglass one single-handedly; so that stock one will never get restored. I should sell it.)
After autocrossing the Tiger for six years, I decided the car was worth saving but continued to drive it to work daily. (I continued autocrossing with a prepared Spitfire, drove two formula cars in SCCA Solo I, then returned to autocrossing after a hiatus, ending up in a Super 7 clone. Now I'm too old.)
Today, the car is virtually stock. The still-original engine sports the Tiger aluminum valve covers, that same Holley carburetor and a Mallory dual-point distributor now with Pertronix guts. The interior has been freshened with a re-veneered dash, new dash pad and new carpet. The car also received a new windshield and all the associated rubber. The exterior's red paint still shines, but it's getting thin. My appraiser says don't paint the car or change the drivetrain. He doesn't have to twist my arm.
The Tiger has never been TACed, but I know what it is, and I will not sell it. It's in my will to go to my son (who owns a 1966 Tiger that had a much harsher life before he bought it). I am retired and live just outside of Huntsville, Alabama. I have a couple of other collector cars, but I still love the Tiger.
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