An attempt at fixing the spitfire heater valve

As I filled the radiator with coolant liquid, within a few days it was leaking everywhere : Hoses, block drain tap, water pump and heater valve.

I had spares for all of these which seem to work ok but my spare valves were leaking too.

Here is what it looked like, the water was coming out the bottom.

They are pretty easy to open, you have to drill the rivet out, then you can twist the top part. It's a shame it's all relying on one piece of rubber that eventually get hard and brittle and that they don't sell just this part as replacement.

It can be completely dismantled and cleaned which is what I did followed by clear coat. However I don't recommend dismantling the bottom part if it's moving freely because there is a spring in there and it can lead to swear words trying to hold hold it compressed while put the clip back on.

So what I did is I cut a piece of rubber out of an old bike inner tube to a slightly smaller diameter and placed it on top of the worn out rubber part. 

What it looks like now, shiny ! Ready for another 40 years ? We'll see...