New Camshaft Advice/Recommendation’s
Discussion
Three sessions with Mark Adams at Mech Repairs is equal to one brand new Canems engine management system installation including a new loom & mappable ignition.
This includes fitting & mapping of fuel & spark by Lloyd Specialist Developments, drive in drive out.
After the initial outlay & when compared with retaining the 14CUX system, you save the equivalent of £300 each subsequent time a re-map is required following upgrades or changes.
Four or five MA sessions later & the move to Canems would have paid for itself.
I'm not saying one is better than the other.
I'm just comparing the options and highlighting how the financials can start to look if you are a serial modifier.
Food for thought
This includes fitting & mapping of fuel & spark by Lloyd Specialist Developments, drive in drive out.
After the initial outlay & when compared with retaining the 14CUX system, you save the equivalent of £300 each subsequent time a re-map is required following upgrades or changes.
Four or five MA sessions later & the move to Canems would have paid for itself.
I'm not saying one is better than the other.
I'm just comparing the options and highlighting how the financials can start to look if you are a serial modifier.
Food for thought
rigga said:
Isnt this the major problem though ? as he is in a field of one,actually getting some time with him can be frustrating,
Yup, getting time with him is almost impossible - tried for 6 months when I changed the cam on my old Griff from H404 to Stealth. Gave up in the end.I'll be going MS or similar when engine modding begins on the Chim.
Edit to add - this was in 2009
Edited by swanny71 on Tuesday 7th August 16:04
Hi,
RE: Mark Adams...
I guess it’s Horses for Courses with regards to what you want the car for...
For me it is a hobby and distraction from my day to day life of running a company that delivers IT Security Systems which are all about logic...
As I am sure most of you will appreciate that to me my TVR 'adventures' are the complete polar opposite to where I should be spending my spare time, i.e. In the sterile predicable world of the cars I drive for business...
With regards to Programmable ECU's, again Horses for Courses; at home I installed the most amazing Lighting Control System which I can 'even control via the Internet' which I have often heard myself saying, followed by looks of 'why'...
After the first few weeks of changing lighting scenes and programming lighting modes I now have only 3 settings in each room out of the possible 255 settings per room...
My dad summed it up in one sentence: "just like we used to have at home son with marks around the dimmer, yes dad, just like that, I will put my iPhone down now and put the kettle on... ;-)"
The only reason I went with Mark initially was because I bought his Chip in an Induction Package from ACT, did not know anything about him, I just liked the look of the ACT Carbon Fibre and the shiny Stainless Steel...
I had to wait a while to arrange the Dyno, but that was not helped as I was really busy also and indeed had to travel from Poole to Cheltenham...
I had no idea what to expect from a 'Dyno Setup' as I have only seen 'Dyno Runs' on YouTube, I was quickly corrected...
I was really surprised with how much detail both he and Brian went into making sure everything was correct before the first run with regards to Coil, Plugs,, Caps, Leads, Distributor, Rotor Arm, Lambdas, AFM, Throttle Pot, Stepper Motor etc... Voltages, Resistance, Condition, Gaps...
I guess all of the above is really easy with the right kit, test equipment and knowledge, but they did identify and correct a number of problems.
They also pointed out that the BHP issues were possibly ‘Blocked Cats, Valves or most probably Camshaft...
As I wanted to complete the ACT Stainless Cherry Bomb exhaust with the ACT Stainless Manifolds I did my usual ‘Man Maths’ and decided that was the solution to my lack of BHP problem…
So is getting a Mapping Session hard to get booked with Mark Adams? I would say it was as he is a very busy guy, but there is a very good reason for that…
Is he in a field of one? Now that I have had 2 sessions with him, I would say he is.
Am I going to book a 3rd session with him once I get the 500 back with the new Cam? Yes, without a doubt!
Now that I have found Andy at Dorset Sports Cars (Thank you again Dom) complimented by Mark Adams after my 6 Years of 500 ownership I finally feel I can put away my own very rusty tools and just get my head down at work to afford to keep the 500 in his prime!
Steve
Poole, Dorset
RE: Mark Adams...
I guess it’s Horses for Courses with regards to what you want the car for...
For me it is a hobby and distraction from my day to day life of running a company that delivers IT Security Systems which are all about logic...
As I am sure most of you will appreciate that to me my TVR 'adventures' are the complete polar opposite to where I should be spending my spare time, i.e. In the sterile predicable world of the cars I drive for business...
With regards to Programmable ECU's, again Horses for Courses; at home I installed the most amazing Lighting Control System which I can 'even control via the Internet' which I have often heard myself saying, followed by looks of 'why'...
After the first few weeks of changing lighting scenes and programming lighting modes I now have only 3 settings in each room out of the possible 255 settings per room...
My dad summed it up in one sentence: "just like we used to have at home son with marks around the dimmer, yes dad, just like that, I will put my iPhone down now and put the kettle on... ;-)"
The only reason I went with Mark initially was because I bought his Chip in an Induction Package from ACT, did not know anything about him, I just liked the look of the ACT Carbon Fibre and the shiny Stainless Steel...
I had to wait a while to arrange the Dyno, but that was not helped as I was really busy also and indeed had to travel from Poole to Cheltenham...
I had no idea what to expect from a 'Dyno Setup' as I have only seen 'Dyno Runs' on YouTube, I was quickly corrected...
I was really surprised with how much detail both he and Brian went into making sure everything was correct before the first run with regards to Coil, Plugs,, Caps, Leads, Distributor, Rotor Arm, Lambdas, AFM, Throttle Pot, Stepper Motor etc... Voltages, Resistance, Condition, Gaps...
I guess all of the above is really easy with the right kit, test equipment and knowledge, but they did identify and correct a number of problems.
They also pointed out that the BHP issues were possibly ‘Blocked Cats, Valves or most probably Camshaft...
As I wanted to complete the ACT Stainless Cherry Bomb exhaust with the ACT Stainless Manifolds I did my usual ‘Man Maths’ and decided that was the solution to my lack of BHP problem…
So is getting a Mapping Session hard to get booked with Mark Adams? I would say it was as he is a very busy guy, but there is a very good reason for that…
Is he in a field of one? Now that I have had 2 sessions with him, I would say he is.
Am I going to book a 3rd session with him once I get the 500 back with the new Cam? Yes, without a doubt!
Now that I have found Andy at Dorset Sports Cars (Thank you again Dom) complimented by Mark Adams after my 6 Years of 500 ownership I finally feel I can put away my own very rusty tools and just get my head down at work to afford to keep the 500 in his prime!
Steve
Poole, Dorset
So...
I picked up the car on Thursday PM and fantastic now I have finally got a TVR...
The car had been away for almost a month and the list of work carried out rolled over 3 pages, so I am sure you can imagine that this all came at a price.
The final price did not come as a surprise as all the idea's, options, work and of course costs were agreed before they got going.
Andy kept me up to date with any problems and/or surprises that came up during the work and of course most importantly for me any additional costs, which to be fair were very low or not at all, he just wanted me keep me informed.
What I did not expect from Dorset Sports Cars was their general approach, Andy really does know his TVR's and suggested that we replace all the ACT products and other bolt-ons to get the car back to standard, as I have everything still in a box at home, his rational made perfect sense as the car had so many problems he wanted to get everything back to a baseline and go from there, however we came to a 'compromise' that we were both happy with.
As most of the problems had been there since I bought the car over 6 years ago, it is great to finally get the car running and driving the way it should!
A couple of minor bits to finish up but I needed the car for a Track-Day that had been booked in over 6 months ago with a few mates on the Friday (the next day) - Not sure if I was brave or stupid not cancelling this...
After a nervous 80 mile drive to Castle Coombe as the car running hotter due to a 'working thermostat' now fitted, the one in in place had managed not to seat correctly and was letting water flow pass all the time...
We had a great day, no problems or drama's (well after fitting some End Cans to get the noise down below the 100db level), we all had loads of fun!
As suspected I do need to get the car Re-Mapped as it was left set-up to get the best of the car with the problems, Mark Adams already booked in and confirmed so I guess that will be the real test once I get that sorted!
Not going to say I am now hooked on Track Days but a great way to find out exactly what a car could do or not, it started to rain and yes the car did change ends on me...
FYI - I am in no way connected to Dorset Sports Cars / Mark Adams and indeed I only came across Andy and Dorset Sports Cars by a fellow Dorset TVR Driver on this thread, thanks again Dom!
Steve
I picked up the car on Thursday PM and fantastic now I have finally got a TVR...
The car had been away for almost a month and the list of work carried out rolled over 3 pages, so I am sure you can imagine that this all came at a price.
The final price did not come as a surprise as all the idea's, options, work and of course costs were agreed before they got going.
Andy kept me up to date with any problems and/or surprises that came up during the work and of course most importantly for me any additional costs, which to be fair were very low or not at all, he just wanted me keep me informed.
What I did not expect from Dorset Sports Cars was their general approach, Andy really does know his TVR's and suggested that we replace all the ACT products and other bolt-ons to get the car back to standard, as I have everything still in a box at home, his rational made perfect sense as the car had so many problems he wanted to get everything back to a baseline and go from there, however we came to a 'compromise' that we were both happy with.
As most of the problems had been there since I bought the car over 6 years ago, it is great to finally get the car running and driving the way it should!
A couple of minor bits to finish up but I needed the car for a Track-Day that had been booked in over 6 months ago with a few mates on the Friday (the next day) - Not sure if I was brave or stupid not cancelling this...
After a nervous 80 mile drive to Castle Coombe as the car running hotter due to a 'working thermostat' now fitted, the one in in place had managed not to seat correctly and was letting water flow pass all the time...
We had a great day, no problems or drama's (well after fitting some End Cans to get the noise down below the 100db level), we all had loads of fun!
As suspected I do need to get the car Re-Mapped as it was left set-up to get the best of the car with the problems, Mark Adams already booked in and confirmed so I guess that will be the real test once I get that sorted!
Not going to say I am now hooked on Track Days but a great way to find out exactly what a car could do or not, it started to rain and yes the car did change ends on me...
FYI - I am in no way connected to Dorset Sports Cars / Mark Adams and indeed I only came across Andy and Dorset Sports Cars by a fellow Dorset TVR Driver on this thread, thanks again Dom!
Steve
Hi,
Yes, all good, part of our compromise was to rebuild with all 'most' of my upgrades...
In fact they are now better than before as Andy machined up a few parts, made up some better gaskets and made sure everything was fitted without any air-leaks...
I say 'most' as my lower cut in Otter Switch and Thermostat were out: "if we have over heating problems we need to find out where and why..."
Car is running hotter, but seems OK!
It also appears that my Gauge is 10% out and goes UP whenever any electrical load is put on the system, for example lights or most importantly the Cooling Fans, which as I am sure you can imagine has an interesting affect on my mindset when driving...
I am going to create a separate post on this but I am thinking about fitting these: (I know, I just can't help myself and I can't wait to see Andy's face!)
2 x of these: one for Rad Inlet and one for Rad Outlet: http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/fittings...
1 x of these: Temperature/Temperature Gauge: http://www.spa-uk.co.uk/%28S%28ykz5knh1ltqvpfsf13f...
Yes, all good, part of our compromise was to rebuild with all 'most' of my upgrades...
In fact they are now better than before as Andy machined up a few parts, made up some better gaskets and made sure everything was fitted without any air-leaks...
I say 'most' as my lower cut in Otter Switch and Thermostat were out: "if we have over heating problems we need to find out where and why..."
Car is running hotter, but seems OK!
It also appears that my Gauge is 10% out and goes UP whenever any electrical load is put on the system, for example lights or most importantly the Cooling Fans, which as I am sure you can imagine has an interesting affect on my mindset when driving...
I am going to create a separate post on this but I am thinking about fitting these: (I know, I just can't help myself and I can't wait to see Andy's face!)
2 x of these: one for Rad Inlet and one for Rad Outlet: http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/fittings...
1 x of these: Temperature/Temperature Gauge: http://www.spa-uk.co.uk/%28S%28ykz5knh1ltqvpfsf13f...
Hi Steve,
Glad you have got your car back up and running again. I assume you now have a car which is now producing a roughly twice the amount of power than it did before based on your last dyno readout. Good to hear you had a good experience with the supplier.
The ACT mods and and Mark Adams EPROM all about refining and subtly improving what you already have, none of the mods will dramatically increase power but what they will do is increase torque and BHP here and there and most importantly improve the drivability. If what you have already is not working properly then I agree with the supplier - back to basics, sort the issues out and then add the mods back on.
I did a RR session with mine when I first bought the car to get a baseline. The car got 262BHP and 296ftlb running rich. 3 years on the car now has 277BHP and 330ftlb. The difference in performance is noticeable but in the big scheme of things is marginal, what is very different is the way the car drives and the way the power is delivered and as a result the drivability.
The car looks great on the track.
I hope you get the underlying issues sorted and get those lovely ACT bolt on mods back on soon. I reckon once your car is all sorted and mapped up by Mark Adams you will have a very fast but usable and original Griff.
Matthew
Glad you have got your car back up and running again. I assume you now have a car which is now producing a roughly twice the amount of power than it did before based on your last dyno readout. Good to hear you had a good experience with the supplier.
The ACT mods and and Mark Adams EPROM all about refining and subtly improving what you already have, none of the mods will dramatically increase power but what they will do is increase torque and BHP here and there and most importantly improve the drivability. If what you have already is not working properly then I agree with the supplier - back to basics, sort the issues out and then add the mods back on.
I did a RR session with mine when I first bought the car to get a baseline. The car got 262BHP and 296ftlb running rich. 3 years on the car now has 277BHP and 330ftlb. The difference in performance is noticeable but in the big scheme of things is marginal, what is very different is the way the car drives and the way the power is delivered and as a result the drivability.
The car looks great on the track.
I hope you get the underlying issues sorted and get those lovely ACT bolt on mods back on soon. I reckon once your car is all sorted and mapped up by Mark Adams you will have a very fast but usable and original Griff.
Matthew
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