Reply With QuoteAnother WOW from me 8)
A big day today in the restoration process. :thumbup:
The old heat-shield material in the engine compartment was removed and replaced with new, thicker insulation. Furthermore, I’ve ran it the complete length of the transmission tunnel to improve the interior heat levels.
With the engine, gearbox and diff all back on the chassis and the underside of the body finally complete it was time to bring the two together.
The chassis was on a rolling cradle and after a lot of positioning it was aligned with the body
Bringing the two together was a complicated procedure involving the chassis being jacked up whilst the body was lowered down
A very tight fit but finally it was aligned in correctly
A better view of the newly-undersealed body
And of the chassis in place
Tomorrow is re-connection day: electric feeds, fuel lines, brake lines, power-steering lines, handbrake cables, steering column....
Meanwhile the seats have disappeared off to the re-trimming company as they're looking rather tired:
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Another WOW from me 8)
+1 8)Originally Posted by taffytoon
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Looks like your making great progress.....BUT, the electrical reconnection day is likely to end up being DAYS, not day.
Good luck mate, I reckon you'll need it. Getting everything reconnected and working is likely to prove difficult....but so was putting a man on the moon :D :D :D :D
regards
Paul...a late thursday night post :drunken: :drunken: :drunken:
+2+1 8)
A lot of effort going into this project but the result will be worth it. :)
Yet more great work there Ralph! :)
F.T.F.A.
Great refurb R, you're certainly throwing the coins at it :D
Looking forward to seeing it in summer mate :thumbleft:
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Wow! just read through the thread and it looks amazing and it's great seeing not only the detail that your taking with the resto' but also in keeping us at TZ updated!! :hello1:
Looking good, going to be a great summer 8)
"I looked with pity not untinged with scorn upon these trivial-minded passers-by"
Hey Ralphy,
I've been watching this in awed silence for a while now - it's going to be just awesome! Congratulations and well done on the work so far.
It's good to suffer a bit - makes it all worth it at the end!! :D
A
Over the weekend I was refurbing the exhaust system, but the damp & cold weather meant that I had to work on it indoors:
so my workshop became an impromptu paint booth :D:
With the body finally on we have now been able to start reconnecting all the various lines and hoses, in addition to re-connect the manifolds and Y-piece to the engine and it's now looking a bit more like I want it to. 8)
If all goes to plan she'll be fired up for the first time on Friday, thereafter I'm away for a week so will start back on the re-scheduled wiring loom and battery re-positioning at the end of the month.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Looking better all the time. It's very good of you to take the time and trouble to photograph the restoration process - I'm very much enjoying seeing the car's rebirth. It must be tempting to just get it done, rather than spend time in the freezing cold taking photos at every stage.
That's a very convoluted exhaust. I never understood why TVR routed it that way unless, of course, they have the exits blowing through a diffuser, like Renault.
Anyway, keep up the good work.
Regards
Ian
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Samco hoses? 8)
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Loving this thread 8) :thumbright: . Found myself thinking today "wonder if that Chimaera thread's been updated yet":lol:
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Holy moly that engine bay's tightly packed. Do Chimera's suffer from overheating at all?
Excellent rebuild thread Ralph, I've just spend 15 mins looking back at the work you've done. Mind you those outrigger pictures are frightening. I've always looked after mine, Waxoyled it every couple of years but it really make me wonder what's happening in the places I can't see. :shock:
The only thing TVR's DON'T suffer from is housemaid's Knee :D :D
Just joking... looks lovely
Many a true word spoken in jest. :DThe only thing TVR's DON'T suffer from is housemaid's Knee :D :D
Just joking... looks lovely
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
There's more to be fitted in there too. :wink:
The engine gives out prodigious heat but that's not normally a problem for the Rover V8. However, on the TVR in order to get the engine back to the centre of the car as far as possible, the exhaust manifolds run out to the front of the engine and the catalytic converter is located right in front too :roll: so heat can be a problem.
In order to reduce it away from the engine and surrounding bodywork I've covered the whole area with heat-reflecting matting and covered the manifolds in titanium wrap. In order to keep the engine cooler I'm fitting an upgraded alloy radiator with twin fans:
THis should be more than sufficient to keep her from overheating. I hope!
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Ralphy, is there an oil cooler fitted ?
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
:wink:
I think there is an after-market kit for the Chimaera, but tbh I don't know of anyone who's fitted one.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Not exactly a comprehensively-detailed product... :D
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
If you fit an oil cooler make sure it is controlled by a thermostatic valve. Oil has to reach a certain temperature or it gets dirty very quickly.
Must confess I've not seen many Chims or Griffs fitted with an oil cooler.
Might be a little late but my Griff had ceramic coated manifolds/pre-cats and main cat as well as the aluminium radiator and never came close to overheating (even stuck in LeMans taffic for hours at 30 deg C)
Looking good by the way 8)
Nor will mine. :wink:
She stayed well within spec prior to the refurb, the new rad was fitted shortly before and if anything, she was running a touch too cold in the winter weather.
Thanks.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
A week off for me, but back into the workshop today and what a busy day it was.
Firstly, on my way back to Devon yesterday I collected the re-furbished seats from my trimmer - and what a great job he's done on them. Some before & after's:
Plus some embellishments:
Back in the garage all lines had been connected and wheels on.
Fluids re-checked, all bolts re-torqued, fuel put into the tank, battery re-connected and the key was turned.......
After a longish time to crank she fired into action and, after a few coughs, that distinctive V8 roar burst finally out, after 14 looooong weeks!
The drivers seat was put back in to allow her to be driven and after a couple of laps of the car-park we did an interim check of the suspension geometry and then I brought her home. :thumbup:
There's still plenty of work to be done: re-wiring the fuses-board and relays, re-position battery in the boot, replace the hood and a respray, but for now I'll just be fettling up the numerous "bits n'pieces" that result from a complete strip-down. Then it's out on the road for a good run, back into the garage for a snagging session and once that's done I'll be getting the cabin re-carpeted (Burgundy Wine trimmed with Pale Magnolia - you might guess SWMBO had a say in this....) and so she should be ready for April.
After as much use as I can give her throughout the summer months it'll be time for the new hood and respray in the late autumn. Bring on the good weather.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Looking good, Billy Ray! :D
Ralphy, did your trimmer chap reocver these in new leather or were they renovated? Reason I ask is that I have some seats in my Aston which I want re-stuffed and connolised but I want to keep the original leather. :)
Rich...
Firstly, on my way back to Devon yesterday I collected the re-furbished seats from my trimmer - and what a great job he's done on them. Some before & after's:
R
Hi Rich,
he used a new hide for these, but I think he does do renovation too.
Thing is, he's overloaded with work: a one-man band who get's a lot of requests for work from the trade, esp. the top-end classic dealers and is booked up for months ahead at a time. Happy to ask him for you, if you wish?
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Looking very nice mate 8)
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Very jealous!!!!
Forgive me if this has been discussed further up, white is an unusual choice for the suspension, any particular reason?
Griffs 500s & Chimaeras had the chassis components powder coated in (near) white. The pre-cat Griffs (4.0 & 4.3s) were grey and prior to that the S Seris cars had a red chassis.
Looking 8) Ralphy!
Would be interested to know who the trimmer was.. I have a nightmare finding good ones!
Because I had white paint. :wink:
What he said.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
PM'd you.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Lots of 'bitsy' stuff been going on with the car over the last few days.
Seats have been treated with Tanners treatment for protection of the new leather:
and drivers seat now mounted temporarily back in situ today to facilitate a 'shakedown' drive to test the suspension settings.
It was great to get the car out on the road and what a difference it was compared to prior to the work starting: the handling has been completely transformed. So much so that I had to be careful on the steering correction: the slightest turn of the wheel made a big change in direction! I deliberately kept the speed down but nevertheless I can really feel the difference from before. All too soon it was back in for adjustment on the settings, raised by 20mm on the front and 25mm on the rear and I'll get to try this setting out next week.
Today I finally forced myself to start on the electrics, a job I've put off as long as possible :( The Chim's wiring is a real "dog's dinner": ECU, battery and fuse/relay blocks are all just bundled loosely into the passengers footwell with a panel to cover the mess up. This significantly reduces leg-room for the passenger, but more importantly makes access to the items bloody difficult and frankly a fire risk too.
Here's the view from the passenger seat, I've already removed the battery (sat loose in an unsecured fibreglass box :( )
on the right of the pic is the main ECU and some random relays - all of which where loose too.
In the distance you can just see the fuse block - could you imagine a more inaccessible place to get to when pulled up at the side of the road with a blown headlight fuse? :roll:
So I removed the single bolt securing it :lol: and pulled the lot out. The main wiring loom is from a Range Rover and there's quite a lot of it (bundled up over the transmission tunnel):
So much loom in fact that I've had an idea: to relocate the whole lot to behind the passenger seat, where it would be far more accessible (the battery I've always intended to re-locate to inside the boot). One snag however is that the loom doesn't seem quite long enough to reach to the small cubbyhole behind the seat, nor is the space big enough for the fuse-block, but I'm going to give this some thought....
Meanwhile as you can see, I've started fitting the sound-deadening material to the floor, but it wasn't bonding too well due to the cold temperature so I resorted to using a hot-air gun to get it nice and sticky!
More next week....
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Better and better Ralph! Great work on the seats. :)
What an amazing thread. I have great admiration for someone with the drive, enthusiasm, dedication and skill to carry out something like this. I couldn't make or renovate squat.
Great idea on the electrics, I know from my old Tamora that TVR wiring is always a (hit and) miss affair. On the Tamora there was a bunch of stuff in the drivers footwell by the accelerator pedal behind a panel, lost of loose things which could have been the ECU etc. In those cars the battery sits just in front of that behind the front wheel and is totally inacessible so you need a special plug to jump start the car if you kill the battery, making it madatory to run some kind of battery conditioner as no way do you want a dead battery in those cars.
I know you know this, but I reckon if you can move those fuses you will save yourself a lot of hassle later, I would also look to firmly mounting (with rubber mounts) anything that might get damaged when the car is in motion. Also any check and clean up (and add extra) earths will help on a glassfibre car of course.
Loving the progress mate, youre doing a superb job :)
Well, after some thought on the matter I set to and unravelled the main loom:
After measuring up I've determined that I can get the wires to allow the fuse-block to (just) get to the cubby-hole, so first I've channeled out a recess in the existing bonded insulation on the transmission tunnel to allow a run for the cables. once they're in I'll build a cover over them: thick enough to offer protection but not too thick to make the new carpet bulge out unsightly....
By removing the fuse-block housing and the insulation in the cubby-hole I can just about get the reduced block to sit in the space, some of the relays protrude but I think I can 'extend' the rear shelf enough to allow a carpet-fronted door to close on the new arrangement.
My elation at the progress of the work was dampened briefly late on Thursday, it had been cold during the day but by 6pm it was bitter and when when I closed up the hood the rear window cracked :roll: :
It had been my intention to renew the roof in late autumn, so it's just been brought forward somewhat! Furthermore, the rear screen suffers on these cars as the roof design means that you are folding the screen in two dimensions upon opening and closing, but I've got an idea for a modification to the design that'll eliminate this, so I'm not too disappointed that I'm going to be able to try this out sooner rather than later. :wink:
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Duct tape ftw. My old MX-5 had a duct tape rear window for years. Never leaked, didn't break any further... :lol:
:D
I've got some clear duct-tape that I could use, but tbh there's not much point as i've got the carpet fitting booked in for next Thu and the car'll stay with the trimmers until they do the hood.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Excellent update Ralphy, just one q , will heat be a problem where you are putting the cables ?
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
I don't think so, but of course there is always a element of risk when you change anything around from the original design. However, there are cables running across the top of the transmission tunnel as part of the TVR build and no evidence that they've suffered as result.
Nevertheless, I've put heat-reflecting material on the underside of the transmission tunnel and I'm creating a run that is large enough for the cables to sit loose within and open at both ends for air circulation. Before the carpet goes down I'll be testing the new arrangement by leaving the car ticking-over for a good while and seeing how warm the cable-run becomes.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Lay a run of thin (2 or 3 mm) heat shrink in the loom for it's entire length as a 'overheat indicator'.
The heat shrink will visibly shrink before the cable insulation melts.
If you ever have any heat problems at a later date, inspect the heat shrink. If it has started to shrink at any point that will tell you where the excess heat is.
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