I am pleased to report that after the upgrades etc the TVR has settled down and is going very well indeed. At motor way cruising speeds the ChimP just purrrrrs along.
Chimaeras tend to get called "Chims" in the TVR Car Club. I think this is due to the peculiar spelling, which naturally gets shortened? I am calling mine "ChimP" though because it is P registered and it's like having a monkey on your back when things go wrong!
After the recent engine work both the engine and box are a lot smoother, but as the tick-over has settled down when cold I can now hear a "tapping", which will no doubt be the camshaft or lifter.
I have finished off waterproofing the hood and it looks a lot smarter and the water simply runs off instead of soaking in.
As the Odometer has stopped at 51,999 and other things indicated a higher mileage my suspicions of tampering were aroused. If you go to http://www.direct.gov.uk/motoring you can now search your cars MOT history. You need either the V5 reference number or the last MOT reference number(computerised only). Sure enough I found that a prior MOT showed 71,000 miles so the complete service history and 51,000 odometer reading had been falsified. A real bugger, but I am afraid an all too common occurrence when buying from the trade.
The stainless Dash and Radio panel have been delivered from Leven and look very nice indeed, though I will wait for a while before fitting. I am also in the process of sourcing a nicer looking steering wheel as well from Mota-lita who have asked me for a load of measurements to see if they have one that fits.
I am going to the USA on business, so the Chimp has gone to RPI for a week to have the air intake side of things sorted. This involves a new Plenum, new "Bell mouth" intake trumpets and a new air intake valve. They are also going to change the oil and check the camshaft and compression. I don't expect good news!
Tuesday 26 February 2008
Saturday 16 February 2008
Things going wrong
TVRs are not the most relaible of vehicles it has to be said, but they are brilliant to drive and really quite fast.
Had a little go with a 89 Sierra Cosworth today. He was 3 up and really trying, judging by the amount of brown smoke from the over large zorst, but I could keep up fine. He had to slow down for the roundabouts a lot more than I did. In the end he accelerated off a roundabout, there was a big bang and a huge cloud of smoke which I had to drive through blind (A bit like a flak burst, it was that bad). After that he turned off up the next side road, so I suppose he did some damage.
The tickover as RPI predicted sorted itself out after about 20 miles and now returns to idle just fine.
The heater valve control on the dashboard has stopped working, as the cable seems to have popped out. This is a dashboard out job, but I can still operate it from the passenger footwell if I contort myself. The Odometer and trip have also just stopped working at 51,999 miles, again a dash out job.
I wanted to replace the dashboard and radio panel with a turned aluminium item from Leven anyway as the wood item has delaminated. I will get around to it after I have used the car a bit more and see what else goes wrong.
I have put the Renovo colour restorer on the hood and it looks great and makes the car look a lot newer. It looked horrible going on like that awful mid-blue of 90's Metros and Maestros but fortunately darkened down considerably when dry to the original Navy. You do need to mask the car up and take a bit of care with the brush. Use white spirit to get rid of any drips as soon as you can.
I think my TVR will settle down and become semi-relaible as we get used to each other, I suspect the car has not been used like this for a while and so things are bound to go wrong.
Had a little go with a 89 Sierra Cosworth today. He was 3 up and really trying, judging by the amount of brown smoke from the over large zorst, but I could keep up fine. He had to slow down for the roundabouts a lot more than I did. In the end he accelerated off a roundabout, there was a big bang and a huge cloud of smoke which I had to drive through blind (A bit like a flak burst, it was that bad). After that he turned off up the next side road, so I suppose he did some damage.
The tickover as RPI predicted sorted itself out after about 20 miles and now returns to idle just fine.
The heater valve control on the dashboard has stopped working, as the cable seems to have popped out. This is a dashboard out job, but I can still operate it from the passenger footwell if I contort myself. The Odometer and trip have also just stopped working at 51,999 miles, again a dash out job.
I wanted to replace the dashboard and radio panel with a turned aluminium item from Leven anyway as the wood item has delaminated. I will get around to it after I have used the car a bit more and see what else goes wrong.
I have put the Renovo colour restorer on the hood and it looks great and makes the car look a lot newer. It looked horrible going on like that awful mid-blue of 90's Metros and Maestros but fortunately darkened down considerably when dry to the original Navy. You do need to mask the car up and take a bit of care with the brush. Use white spirit to get rid of any drips as soon as you can.
I think my TVR will settle down and become semi-relaible as we get used to each other, I suspect the car has not been used like this for a while and so things are bound to go wrong.
Persistence Pays Off
Well with RPIs help we finally got to the bottom of the engine running problem.
I went to purchse some new plugs, because even though they had been recently replaced before I purchased the car, I also understood that upgrading the sparks could cause a plug to fail.
On removal one of the plugs was sooty and crudded up. When we looked at the new Magnecor leads, one ws cracked and burnt. What had happened was the angled metal plug caps fitted to the leads had rotated and this caused the lead to touch the exhaust and eventually start arcing. This is prone to happen on the left bank (looking from the front) where clearance is tight. The remedy is to fit a loose cable tie round cylinders 4 and 6 so the plug cap cannot rotate. RPI replaced the burnt lead FOC and I also fitted 8 new metal plug caps as the old ones looked corroded.
The new plugs were gapped to suit the new ignition upgrades and what a result. The engine is now 100% and smoooooth as silk. The tickover still takes a while to settle down but I have only done a few miles so hopefully it will cure itself as the ECU gets used to the changes. If not RPI will sort it for me when they improve the EFI air flow. I spent £63.45 today but it was money well spent.
I like RPI, they let me get my hands dirty and help if I want and I can make suggestions, on the one condition that I listen to their combined 61 years of Rover V8 experience! Chris Crane even took time on a busy Saturday to thrash the nuts off my car to make sure it was now running OK. Top Bloke!
All drive line shunt and the slight mis-fire has now gone. Hopefully now I can set a "Base Line" for the engine, to establish how further upgrades affect performance.
The engine temperature sensor has come from Wilco costing £9.35 but I shan't bother fitting it now. I also bought a selection of blade fuses as these can blow unexpectedly.
The Renovo hood refurbishment kit has also arrived and I have cleaned the hood to good effect. The next stage is to mask off and apply the colour restorer and water proofer.
I am a happy bunny and the sun is shining too!
I went to purchse some new plugs, because even though they had been recently replaced before I purchased the car, I also understood that upgrading the sparks could cause a plug to fail.
On removal one of the plugs was sooty and crudded up. When we looked at the new Magnecor leads, one ws cracked and burnt. What had happened was the angled metal plug caps fitted to the leads had rotated and this caused the lead to touch the exhaust and eventually start arcing. This is prone to happen on the left bank (looking from the front) where clearance is tight. The remedy is to fit a loose cable tie round cylinders 4 and 6 so the plug cap cannot rotate. RPI replaced the burnt lead FOC and I also fitted 8 new metal plug caps as the old ones looked corroded.
The new plugs were gapped to suit the new ignition upgrades and what a result. The engine is now 100% and smoooooth as silk. The tickover still takes a while to settle down but I have only done a few miles so hopefully it will cure itself as the ECU gets used to the changes. If not RPI will sort it for me when they improve the EFI air flow. I spent £63.45 today but it was money well spent.
I like RPI, they let me get my hands dirty and help if I want and I can make suggestions, on the one condition that I listen to their combined 61 years of Rover V8 experience! Chris Crane even took time on a busy Saturday to thrash the nuts off my car to make sure it was now running OK. Top Bloke!
All drive line shunt and the slight mis-fire has now gone. Hopefully now I can set a "Base Line" for the engine, to establish how further upgrades affect performance.
The engine temperature sensor has come from Wilco costing £9.35 but I shan't bother fitting it now. I also bought a selection of blade fuses as these can blow unexpectedly.
The Renovo hood refurbishment kit has also arrived and I have cleaned the hood to good effect. The next stage is to mask off and apply the colour restorer and water proofer.
I am a happy bunny and the sun is shining too!
Monday 11 February 2008
More Tweaking
It has been a nice weekend here in Norfolk and with the TVR running better and coming up to temperature I seized the opportunity for some testing .
Driving wise I am getting more used to the car. Following a large sports motorbike down my favourite country road, I was backing off all the time even though he cut all the corners. The road had dry salt on it and so the TVR let go at the back end coming out of corners a couple of times. The TVR has more tyre area and more torque than a bike so I should be able to keep up with one on a twisty road. I have to remember to not brake using the gearbox and use the brakes instead. The problem is I have had so many old cars with lousy brakes it takes getting used to.
On the bypass people seem to get out of the fast lane when you arrive in their rear view mirrors, which is nice.
I have advanced the ignition further because I thought the engine should be reaching 6000 even faster. This seemed to have worked and has also generally improved the running making the car seem more refined, though every time I use the car it seems to run differently, so it is difficult establishing a "base line" to work from, this could be due to the weather varying 14 degrees centigrade though. I do the timing a couple of millimetres at a time and am very careful how I use the throttle afterwards. You should be able to hear the difference and make further adjustments accordingly. The dizzy clamp nut is a bugger to reach on the Rover with PAS,especially when it is hot, so a special spanner will have to be made.
The engine tickover is not settling down quickly enough either, so I suspect a "sensor" problem somewhere. The Engine Temperature sensor is cheap to replace so I shall order one.
I have also ordered a complete Renovo hood refurbishment kit costing £64, which should make the car look better as the hood looks slightly faded.
Driving wise I am getting more used to the car. Following a large sports motorbike down my favourite country road, I was backing off all the time even though he cut all the corners. The road had dry salt on it and so the TVR let go at the back end coming out of corners a couple of times. The TVR has more tyre area and more torque than a bike so I should be able to keep up with one on a twisty road. I have to remember to not brake using the gearbox and use the brakes instead. The problem is I have had so many old cars with lousy brakes it takes getting used to.
On the bypass people seem to get out of the fast lane when you arrive in their rear view mirrors, which is nice.
I have advanced the ignition further because I thought the engine should be reaching 6000 even faster. This seemed to have worked and has also generally improved the running making the car seem more refined, though every time I use the car it seems to run differently, so it is difficult establishing a "base line" to work from, this could be due to the weather varying 14 degrees centigrade though. I do the timing a couple of millimetres at a time and am very careful how I use the throttle afterwards. You should be able to hear the difference and make further adjustments accordingly. The dizzy clamp nut is a bugger to reach on the Rover with PAS,especially when it is hot, so a special spanner will have to be made.
The engine tickover is not settling down quickly enough either, so I suspect a "sensor" problem somewhere. The Engine Temperature sensor is cheap to replace so I shall order one.
I have also ordered a complete Renovo hood refurbishment kit costing £64, which should make the car look better as the hood looks slightly faded.
Sunday 10 February 2008
Philosophical Stuff
I once bought a car costing £16,000 and it depreciated to £6,000 in under 4 years, that is around £3000 a year! I vowed never to waste that much money on a car again.
At petrol stations people laugh at me in the Camaro I also own and say "That must be expensive to run" I also laugh (being a good natured fellow) and point out that the Camaro has made £7,000 in appreciation in 3 years, the Road Fund Licence(RFL) is zero, it costs £30 to service and the insurance costs £98. In contrast their shopping trolley euro hatch has probably lost at least £2,000 + a year in depreciation plus Hire Purchase(HP) and servicing charges. Therefore pumping in unleaded and octane booster to compensate for the 17mpg thirst is no real concern. I think it is the Total Cost of Ownership(TCO) that counts? Hopefully when I sell the Camaro it will have cost me nothing at all, but provided a lot more pleasure than sticking the money in the bank.
I was thinking of buying another car and had been looking at hot-rods and kit cars. When I wrote down what I wanted from my next car I set the following criteria.
1. It had to be an open top car.
2. It must not rust.
3. It had to handle and stop well, and I had to feel confident enough to take it on the odd track day.
4. It had to have super car performance and by that I mean a 0-60mph time of less than 5 seconds and a top speed in excess of 150 mph.
5. It had to cost around £10,000.
6. I wanted it to be comfortable with leather seats .
7. It had to look nice and have a pleasant colour.
8. It had to sound nice.
9. I wanted a good owners club.
10. I wanted to be able to "tinker" on weekends and do most jobs myself.
11. I did not want to have to travel far to purchase it.
After many weeks of investigation the TVR Chimaera seemed to match these criteria nicely and at a cost from around £6000 left scope for further improvement.
I did not want to pay for depreciation, expensive servicing or have an exotic engine that would need a rebuild every 20,ooo miles, or have to travel miles to a specialist dealer.
A couple of days ago my son and I found a couple of school boys looking over the TVR I eventually purchased in the office car park. They were about 12 years old and thought it was a Chevy Corvette! We had a nice chat and they thanked me for letting them look over the car. I was very pleasantly surprised the TVR invoked such a response as I always think they look rather understated?
At petrol stations people laugh at me in the Camaro I also own and say "That must be expensive to run" I also laugh (being a good natured fellow) and point out that the Camaro has made £7,000 in appreciation in 3 years, the Road Fund Licence(RFL) is zero, it costs £30 to service and the insurance costs £98. In contrast their shopping trolley euro hatch has probably lost at least £2,000 + a year in depreciation plus Hire Purchase(HP) and servicing charges. Therefore pumping in unleaded and octane booster to compensate for the 17mpg thirst is no real concern. I think it is the Total Cost of Ownership(TCO) that counts? Hopefully when I sell the Camaro it will have cost me nothing at all, but provided a lot more pleasure than sticking the money in the bank.
I was thinking of buying another car and had been looking at hot-rods and kit cars. When I wrote down what I wanted from my next car I set the following criteria.
1. It had to be an open top car.
2. It must not rust.
3. It had to handle and stop well, and I had to feel confident enough to take it on the odd track day.
4. It had to have super car performance and by that I mean a 0-60mph time of less than 5 seconds and a top speed in excess of 150 mph.
5. It had to cost around £10,000.
6. I wanted it to be comfortable with leather seats .
7. It had to look nice and have a pleasant colour.
8. It had to sound nice.
9. I wanted a good owners club.
10. I wanted to be able to "tinker" on weekends and do most jobs myself.
11. I did not want to have to travel far to purchase it.
After many weeks of investigation the TVR Chimaera seemed to match these criteria nicely and at a cost from around £6000 left scope for further improvement.
I did not want to pay for depreciation, expensive servicing or have an exotic engine that would need a rebuild every 20,ooo miles, or have to travel miles to a specialist dealer.
A couple of days ago my son and I found a couple of school boys looking over the TVR I eventually purchased in the office car park. They were about 12 years old and thought it was a Chevy Corvette! We had a nice chat and they thanked me for letting them look over the car. I was very pleasantly surprised the TVR invoked such a response as I always think they look rather understated?
Driving now modified
The Tornado Chip has taken some of the bass note out of the exhaust and like the 327 chevy it now has a turbine like wail that is quite exhilarating. I am pleased with the power delivery after the chip upgrade as there is so much more mid-range pull, just where you want it.
The TVR now feels like a real super car! The engine revs seamlessly through the rev-range up to 6000 with ease. The power is so much more controllable than before and therefore the car is so much more driveable in normal road conditions. The torque curve is smooth and powerful and just brilliant to drive with. Power is always there in any gear you simply choose how fast you want to accelerate by changing dow to the appropriate gear. I am getting used to the gearbox and it does require a firm hand but the changes are getting quicker.
The engine now comes smartly up to temperature with the under reading guage at 72(82) and I have some heat in the heater. The exhausts are also finally turning grey instead of the sooty black colour they had before and the fuel guage is taking longer to return to empty, which is nice.
Having driven many V8 engine cars I can however detect that one cylinder is lacking power, there is a slight "off-beat" note to the exhaust that needs looking into. At 50,000 miles it could be the camshaft, which are often the first things to wear on many V8s, or a valve, but hopefully something cheaper like an injector or a plug.
There is always room for improvement, but that is what is so enjoyable about owning older cars.
I have already discussed with RPI the next series of modifications, which will be to improve the air flow of the EFI system.
The TVR now feels like a real super car! The engine revs seamlessly through the rev-range up to 6000 with ease. The power is so much more controllable than before and therefore the car is so much more driveable in normal road conditions. The torque curve is smooth and powerful and just brilliant to drive with. Power is always there in any gear you simply choose how fast you want to accelerate by changing dow to the appropriate gear. I am getting used to the gearbox and it does require a firm hand but the changes are getting quicker.
The engine now comes smartly up to temperature with the under reading guage at 72(82) and I have some heat in the heater. The exhausts are also finally turning grey instead of the sooty black colour they had before and the fuel guage is taking longer to return to empty, which is nice.
Having driven many V8 engine cars I can however detect that one cylinder is lacking power, there is a slight "off-beat" note to the exhaust that needs looking into. At 50,000 miles it could be the camshaft, which are often the first things to wear on many V8s, or a valve, but hopefully something cheaper like an injector or a plug.
There is always room for improvement, but that is what is so enjoyable about owning older cars.
I have already discussed with RPI the next series of modifications, which will be to improve the air flow of the EFI system.
Engine Investigation
As suspected RPI found the thermostat was not operating and so it was replaced with an 82 degrees celcius item. Rover V8s can suffer from all kinds of maladies if they run too hot and as the TVR installation with the exhausts running round in front of the engine can cause high under hood temperatures I figured I would see how it went with the colder thermostat fitted. An 88 degree thermostat is available if required.
RPI noted my temperature guage was under reading by 10 degrees, which I had suspected as the fans cut in at an indicated 80 degrees instead of the 90 degrees I knew they were set to.
The ignition module (spark amplifier) was also changed from the Lucas Item to the RPI amplifier more often used in LPG conversions. This also requires a different coil to be fitted. In total £227 was spent.
The car certainly felt a lot better but I soon got stuck in traffic and neede to get to work so couldn't really notice the difference, but there did seem to be a "flat spot" in the power.
I started to drive home after work and the car ran horribly except at tickover. I limped home at 50 mph. It was late Friday, so I called RPI on Saturday and they told me to bring the car over right away.
The car ran better on the way there but there was still very little power. Chris at RPI took charge and in a few minutes it was established that the Timing marks on the Rover engine were out and the timing had been set too far retarded. Now the engine was running hotter and leaner it needed a lot more advance. With the timing changed the cars performance was totally restored.
RPI noted my temperature guage was under reading by 10 degrees, which I had suspected as the fans cut in at an indicated 80 degrees instead of the 90 degrees I knew they were set to.
The ignition module (spark amplifier) was also changed from the Lucas Item to the RPI amplifier more often used in LPG conversions. This also requires a different coil to be fitted. In total £227 was spent.
The car certainly felt a lot better but I soon got stuck in traffic and neede to get to work so couldn't really notice the difference, but there did seem to be a "flat spot" in the power.
I started to drive home after work and the car ran horribly except at tickover. I limped home at 50 mph. It was late Friday, so I called RPI on Saturday and they told me to bring the car over right away.
The car ran better on the way there but there was still very little power. Chris at RPI took charge and in a few minutes it was established that the Timing marks on the Rover engine were out and the timing had been set too far retarded. Now the engine was running hotter and leaner it needed a lot more advance. With the timing changed the cars performance was totally restored.
Too much Torque Costs Lives
My TVR 400 has a 3.9 Electronic Fuel Injected (EFI) Range Rover engine fitted. Allegedly TVR do not do much tuning to them. In effect the engine is designed for low end pulling power, which is why it makes the 1066Kg TVR so "tail happy" and difficult to control in the wet or on poor surfaces. I live in Norfolk England and the roads are rubbish and it rains a fair bit - Dooh!
I purchased the book by Des Hammill "How to power tune Rover V8 Engines", which is an excellent reference for this engine. I also search the internet daily to gather TVR related information.
The Marc Adams "Tornado chip" seemed to be the solution to the above problem. This was not a fried potato that caused excessive posterior erruptions, but rather an expensive little electronic Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory(EPROM) component "Chip" that re-maps the Electronic Control Unit(ECU) of the cars EFI system so that the power is delivered in a more progressive manner and further up the rev range. Unlike other Chips it does not simply add more fuel at the very top end. The Chip will not make more the engine deliver more power but it should make the car faster by enabling the driver to reliably use the power available.
Fortunately I live in the same county as RPI who were suppliers of said Chip and after some consultation regarding supercharging, which they thought was the wrong approach I decided to take their advice and have the chip fitted with Magnecor plug wires. The concensus of opinion seems to be that these leads are expensive but necessary.
The fitting took about 90 minutes as RPI also found the rotor arm was of poor quality and the vacuum advance unit wasn't advancing. All in all £635 was spent. The Tornado chip really did make a difference and now the TVR felt like a real super car with predictable super-car performance on tap. As it happens Chris Crane of RPI and I are of the same vintage and studied at college on the same engineering course. He also likes bikes.
RPI kindly showed me round their impressive workshop facility and explained in great detail the reasons for doing the tuning work they undertake and some of the pitfalls to avoid. All in all very informative and food for much thought and future Credit-Card torment. If you are thinking of modifying your Rover V8 I would reccomend you at least speak with RPI first.
I think the Cosworth 4.6L short engine upgrade would be most amusing, but can the TVR chassis handle it, with Nankang tyres? Chris took me out in his 5.2L Rover engined Morgan in the wet , which was a real hoot and mostly sideways in the wet. The noise was totally amazing, a real hooligan of a car.
When you change anything on an engine it affects other things. Not suprisingly the one down side of fitting the chip was that the upgrade now highlighted the stuttering at low RPM. It wasn't that bad, just enough to be annoying around town. Another problem was that the engine was not reaching its proper operating temperature and was running very rich because the EFI will provide too much fuel when the engine is under 80 degrees celcius.
I booked the TVR back into RPI for them to investigate. Likewise replacing the battery seemed like a good idea and so one was ordered from Fast Fit costing £88.
I am now looking forward to see how these changes improve the car ,whilst quietly dreaming of a cosworth manufactured 4.6L long engine conversion.
I purchased the book by Des Hammill "How to power tune Rover V8 Engines", which is an excellent reference for this engine. I also search the internet daily to gather TVR related information.
The Marc Adams "Tornado chip" seemed to be the solution to the above problem. This was not a fried potato that caused excessive posterior erruptions, but rather an expensive little electronic Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory(EPROM) component "Chip" that re-maps the Electronic Control Unit(ECU) of the cars EFI system so that the power is delivered in a more progressive manner and further up the rev range. Unlike other Chips it does not simply add more fuel at the very top end. The Chip will not make more the engine deliver more power but it should make the car faster by enabling the driver to reliably use the power available.
Fortunately I live in the same county as RPI who were suppliers of said Chip and after some consultation regarding supercharging, which they thought was the wrong approach I decided to take their advice and have the chip fitted with Magnecor plug wires. The concensus of opinion seems to be that these leads are expensive but necessary.
The fitting took about 90 minutes as RPI also found the rotor arm was of poor quality and the vacuum advance unit wasn't advancing. All in all £635 was spent. The Tornado chip really did make a difference and now the TVR felt like a real super car with predictable super-car performance on tap. As it happens Chris Crane of RPI and I are of the same vintage and studied at college on the same engineering course. He also likes bikes.
RPI kindly showed me round their impressive workshop facility and explained in great detail the reasons for doing the tuning work they undertake and some of the pitfalls to avoid. All in all very informative and food for much thought and future Credit-Card torment. If you are thinking of modifying your Rover V8 I would reccomend you at least speak with RPI first.
I think the Cosworth 4.6L short engine upgrade would be most amusing, but can the TVR chassis handle it, with Nankang tyres? Chris took me out in his 5.2L Rover engined Morgan in the wet , which was a real hoot and mostly sideways in the wet. The noise was totally amazing, a real hooligan of a car.
When you change anything on an engine it affects other things. Not suprisingly the one down side of fitting the chip was that the upgrade now highlighted the stuttering at low RPM. It wasn't that bad, just enough to be annoying around town. Another problem was that the engine was not reaching its proper operating temperature and was running very rich because the EFI will provide too much fuel when the engine is under 80 degrees celcius.
I booked the TVR back into RPI for them to investigate. Likewise replacing the battery seemed like a good idea and so one was ordered from Fast Fit costing £88.
I am now looking forward to see how these changes improve the car ,whilst quietly dreaming of a cosworth manufactured 4.6L long engine conversion.
Tuesday 5 February 2008
New Battery
I have replaced the battery as I got fed up having to keep charging it up before every trip. It is difficult to reach down the bottom of the footwell to undo the clamps and it is quite heavy to remove. There are a lot of wires to work around as well, but I think that is due to a previous owner not tidying up after themselves.
Fitting the new battery has made the starter turn quicker and the alarm operate more reliably, but the stuttering on light throttle has not been cured. This kind of engine problem can be caused by so many things but hopefully I will be able to track it down before too long, as it makes the car annoying to drive in traffic.
Apart from that the TVR is running very well and every time I take her out now I am glad I had the Tornado chip fitted. Instead of just lumping along in 5th at motorway speads I can now use the gearbox a lot more as the power is spread higher up the rev range.
Fitting the new battery has made the starter turn quicker and the alarm operate more reliably, but the stuttering on light throttle has not been cured. This kind of engine problem can be caused by so many things but hopefully I will be able to track it down before too long, as it makes the car annoying to drive in traffic.
Apart from that the TVR is running very well and every time I take her out now I am glad I had the Tornado chip fitted. Instead of just lumping along in 5th at motorway speads I can now use the gearbox a lot more as the power is spread higher up the rev range.
Friday 1 February 2008
First Improvements
I got the TVR home with my mate Will following in his Honda S2000 ( Top Bloke) with the car running badly on part throttle. I went to Wilco and got new leads and coil and rotor arm and distributor cap for about £42 quid and fitted them and the misfire was almost gone and the car at least driveable in traffic.
There were a few other bits to do, the Mirror glass fell out, but sticky fixers mended that. I cleaned up the leather interior with Hydrate from Simple Solutions who do all kinds of professional car valeting stuff and it smelt great. I gave the exterior a clean and polish and apart from 1 small stone chip she looked beautiful and a good buy.
The car also came with an Accumate fitted battery charger/conditioner so I figured the battery would be duff. Sure enough one cold night (Batteries really hate the cold) I could not start the car. Even the alarm would not work, or even the dash lights. I thought it would be a TVR gremlin, but I checked the battery voltage and it was only 10.42, so a cell had died. Being a true engineer and firmy believing in a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" philosophy I plugged the accumate in and it did bring the battery up to 12.78 volts after 12 hours or so, but it's little LED light should go Green and it stayed Amber, so I knew the battery was toast.
There were a few other bits to do, the Mirror glass fell out, but sticky fixers mended that. I cleaned up the leather interior with Hydrate from Simple Solutions who do all kinds of professional car valeting stuff and it smelt great. I gave the exterior a clean and polish and apart from 1 small stone chip she looked beautiful and a good buy.
The car also came with an Accumate fitted battery charger/conditioner so I figured the battery would be duff. Sure enough one cold night (Batteries really hate the cold) I could not start the car. Even the alarm would not work, or even the dash lights. I thought it would be a TVR gremlin, but I checked the battery voltage and it was only 10.42, so a cell had died. Being a true engineer and firmy believing in a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" philosophy I plugged the accumate in and it did bring the battery up to 12.78 volts after 12 hours or so, but it's little LED light should go Green and it stayed Amber, so I knew the battery was toast.
Driving Impressions
The TVR drives like a traditional English sports car should. It feels older than its 12 years, but comfortable.
There are some great country roads near where I live and I know them pretty well. I took the TVR for a nice long drive in early January 2008. Coming home I overtook a Citroen Saxo on the inside of a 2nd gear right hand hairpin bend and accelerating smartly away I just about shat myself as the rear end let go and I opposite locked it up the road for about 50 yards. That was fun I thought with my heart pounding from almost taking both me and the Saxo out into the fields. I had heard tales of people not taking their TVRs out in the wet and started to appreciate why.
To tell the truth I was a bit underwhlemed by the power delivery of the TVR. I also own a 1967 Camaro, which seemed a lot more refined and less how shall I put it "Agricultural" than the TVR. The 327 is a lovely free revving engine (much, much nicer than a 350) and by comparison the TVR felt more like a lorry all low down power and not much in the mid-range. The problem with a standard TVR is that the Rover V8 engine in 3.9L injected form was designed for a large off-road vehicle that needed plenty of pulling power. A light sports car does not need all that torque, in fact it is detrimental to rapid progress in the fact that the rear end breaks away unexpectedly (as above) under acceleration.
Personally I find the gear box notchy and difficult to engage gears under hard acceleration and the handbrake awkward to pull on hard. The pedals feel about right though and the steering wheel is adjustable, though the driving position is "long legged and short armed" and I am the opposite. The Steering wheel looks naff as do the column stalks, ash trays and heater outlets. Leven do some stick on aluminium trim items, which will make it look a lot better inside.
The TVR noise is addictive though and I find I want to keep driving just to hear that glorious V8 on song. The suspension is too harshly damped for the pot-holed Norfolk roads but fine on smoother A roads and so I feel one of the next upgrades will be some adjustable dampers. The rear end in particular skips and hops over sharp bumps and if the tyres aren't in contact with the road then you are in deep, deep pooh. The car has done 50,000 so is probably due new dampers anyway.
For the price, this really is a wonderful car to drive and I would recommend all petrol heads to at least blag a go in one if they get the chance.
There are some great country roads near where I live and I know them pretty well. I took the TVR for a nice long drive in early January 2008. Coming home I overtook a Citroen Saxo on the inside of a 2nd gear right hand hairpin bend and accelerating smartly away I just about shat myself as the rear end let go and I opposite locked it up the road for about 50 yards. That was fun I thought with my heart pounding from almost taking both me and the Saxo out into the fields. I had heard tales of people not taking their TVRs out in the wet and started to appreciate why.
To tell the truth I was a bit underwhlemed by the power delivery of the TVR. I also own a 1967 Camaro, which seemed a lot more refined and less how shall I put it "Agricultural" than the TVR. The 327 is a lovely free revving engine (much, much nicer than a 350) and by comparison the TVR felt more like a lorry all low down power and not much in the mid-range. The problem with a standard TVR is that the Rover V8 engine in 3.9L injected form was designed for a large off-road vehicle that needed plenty of pulling power. A light sports car does not need all that torque, in fact it is detrimental to rapid progress in the fact that the rear end breaks away unexpectedly (as above) under acceleration.
Personally I find the gear box notchy and difficult to engage gears under hard acceleration and the handbrake awkward to pull on hard. The pedals feel about right though and the steering wheel is adjustable, though the driving position is "long legged and short armed" and I am the opposite. The Steering wheel looks naff as do the column stalks, ash trays and heater outlets. Leven do some stick on aluminium trim items, which will make it look a lot better inside.
The TVR noise is addictive though and I find I want to keep driving just to hear that glorious V8 on song. The suspension is too harshly damped for the pot-holed Norfolk roads but fine on smoother A roads and so I feel one of the next upgrades will be some adjustable dampers. The rear end in particular skips and hops over sharp bumps and if the tyres aren't in contact with the road then you are in deep, deep pooh. The car has done 50,000 so is probably due new dampers anyway.
For the price, this really is a wonderful car to drive and I would recommend all petrol heads to at least blag a go in one if they get the chance.
Taking the Plunge
I never intended to purchase a TVR but things tend to transpire in mysterious ways - cue twilight Zone music (dooo, dooo, do, do - dooo, dooo, do, do)
I had decided to give up motorcycling after an eventful 40 years and originally was going to purchase a Rat-Rod.
I looked on E-Bay.com at many suitable vehicles in the states, which were all available for a very low price compared to what is available in the UK. I looked at Model T's and Model A's and 32 Fords etc, etc. I placed bids on several, but in the end the thought of getting them through the SVA test, the cost of importation (around £2000) and the fact they would have to be on a ship for 2-3 months put me off.
I then thought I would build a Westfield Kit Car and do a few track days, but the spec I wanted came to around £14K and to be frank I am not that fond of the "Lotus 7" look. Having built a Kit-car or two before I could do without the inevitable hassle and SVA test tribulations as well.
The idea of building an Ultima also sprang to mind, but again a circa £50K price tag and the practicalities of the project started to do my head in.
I like to do a lot of research before I buy a car and to me that aspect of the hobby is very pleasing. The internet really is a great place for car related hobbies and there is a mine of very useful information if you know how to phrase the question correctly. Buying a new car from a dealer is a soulless experience and is over far too quickly. On the other hand I find improving older cars of character such a long term rewarding experience.
I was looking on Ebay for cars when the thought of a TVR just sort of struck me. I had a look and the prices were very reasonable, expecially as many of them seem to exit the road stage left through a hedge backwards and can be purchased as damaged repaired. Only £5700 for a 1998 low mileage example, for instance.
The price of a TVR looked good and the performance seemed good (0-60 in under 6 and 150mph top end), there was no SVA or build time to consider and I would have the bonus of a comfortable interior. The cars have the prerequisite V8 and so sounded good and looked good too, they handle well and there was a good owners club. The TVR can be tuned in many ways and provided much scope for "Tinkering". There were also specific TVR track days organised and even the Ace Cafe had a TVR day. The Insurance wasn't too bad at £400 (Though my 67 327 Camaro is only £98 as I can get a classic policy for it).
Soooo it seemed like a good plan all round. The only downside was the infamous TVR build quality - mmm oh well I am a qualified Automobile Engineer and Electrician and an experienced bodger, so "why didn't I just knock myself out" - as they say.
I had often considered purchasing a TVR over the years but they are in my opinion a "Kit Car" and use many parts from many production vehicles. I would never pay £35K for such a car new or even £13K, which was how much they were a few years ago, however if I could get a nice one for around £7K then I would consider that a whole lot of vehicle for Kit-Car money.
Now some people may be figuring at this point how can a guy who wanted a rat-rod end up with a TVR.? You know kind of go from tatoos and piercings to cloth cap and driving gloves? Well to me they are both V8 fibreglass open top cars and I would leave the cultural differences to those who care.
I wanted to sell my motorcycle before purchasing a new car but happened upon a 1996 TVR Chimaera in my favourite navy blue at a fairly local motorcycle dealer. I have purchased a lot of cars over the years and I know the fickle hand of fate when I feel her tap me on the shoulder, so just before Xmas 2007 I phoned up the geezer (he happened to be a mate of a mate it transpired) and did a pretty good deal trading in the bike. The car had a full TVR history had been HPI'd and was also fitted with power steering (a must for the wife). a good 6CD changer and seemed in pretty good condition, even the clock worked. I took it for a drive... it had a nasty misfire, but the guy had dropped the price £1500 so I figured I would risk it. I wanted to tune the engine anyway. I guess it cost me £6500, so I was happy - a lot of performance for a few quid.
I had decided to give up motorcycling after an eventful 40 years and originally was going to purchase a Rat-Rod.
I looked on E-Bay.com at many suitable vehicles in the states, which were all available for a very low price compared to what is available in the UK. I looked at Model T's and Model A's and 32 Fords etc, etc. I placed bids on several, but in the end the thought of getting them through the SVA test, the cost of importation (around £2000) and the fact they would have to be on a ship for 2-3 months put me off.
I then thought I would build a Westfield Kit Car and do a few track days, but the spec I wanted came to around £14K and to be frank I am not that fond of the "Lotus 7" look. Having built a Kit-car or two before I could do without the inevitable hassle and SVA test tribulations as well.
The idea of building an Ultima also sprang to mind, but again a circa £50K price tag and the practicalities of the project started to do my head in.
I like to do a lot of research before I buy a car and to me that aspect of the hobby is very pleasing. The internet really is a great place for car related hobbies and there is a mine of very useful information if you know how to phrase the question correctly. Buying a new car from a dealer is a soulless experience and is over far too quickly. On the other hand I find improving older cars of character such a long term rewarding experience.
I was looking on Ebay for cars when the thought of a TVR just sort of struck me. I had a look and the prices were very reasonable, expecially as many of them seem to exit the road stage left through a hedge backwards and can be purchased as damaged repaired. Only £5700 for a 1998 low mileage example, for instance.
The price of a TVR looked good and the performance seemed good (0-60 in under 6 and 150mph top end), there was no SVA or build time to consider and I would have the bonus of a comfortable interior. The cars have the prerequisite V8 and so sounded good and looked good too, they handle well and there was a good owners club. The TVR can be tuned in many ways and provided much scope for "Tinkering". There were also specific TVR track days organised and even the Ace Cafe had a TVR day. The Insurance wasn't too bad at £400 (Though my 67 327 Camaro is only £98 as I can get a classic policy for it).
Soooo it seemed like a good plan all round. The only downside was the infamous TVR build quality - mmm oh well I am a qualified Automobile Engineer and Electrician and an experienced bodger, so "why didn't I just knock myself out" - as they say.
I had often considered purchasing a TVR over the years but they are in my opinion a "Kit Car" and use many parts from many production vehicles. I would never pay £35K for such a car new or even £13K, which was how much they were a few years ago, however if I could get a nice one for around £7K then I would consider that a whole lot of vehicle for Kit-Car money.
Now some people may be figuring at this point how can a guy who wanted a rat-rod end up with a TVR.? You know kind of go from tatoos and piercings to cloth cap and driving gloves? Well to me they are both V8 fibreglass open top cars and I would leave the cultural differences to those who care.
I wanted to sell my motorcycle before purchasing a new car but happened upon a 1996 TVR Chimaera in my favourite navy blue at a fairly local motorcycle dealer. I have purchased a lot of cars over the years and I know the fickle hand of fate when I feel her tap me on the shoulder, so just before Xmas 2007 I phoned up the geezer (he happened to be a mate of a mate it transpired) and did a pretty good deal trading in the bike. The car had a full TVR history had been HPI'd and was also fitted with power steering (a must for the wife). a good 6CD changer and seemed in pretty good condition, even the clock worked. I took it for a drive... it had a nasty misfire, but the guy had dropped the price £1500 so I figured I would risk it. I wanted to tune the engine anyway. I guess it cost me £6500, so I was happy - a lot of performance for a few quid.
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