Questions from a new TVR400SE owner please be gentle ;)

[mrzigazaga]

Nick Brough said:

Well a step forward today glass back in although I think I am always going to have to be careful operating the drivers side.

If the door is hanging a bit then it could well be the nylon bushings that have become oval...My driver side is a little tight going up when the door is shut without the door hanging.

Nick Brough said:

the boot release wire only had a few strands left one end. Replaced the wire and added a feature to operate the latch in event of solenoid failure as unlike the Griffs there doesn't seem to be a backup way of getting in the boot.

There is a way but its not posted up for obvious reasons.

As regards to the chassis i know the people you quoted know what they are doing and would trust what they say as specialists...However its not something i would recommend to someone doing it themselves...Unless they know what they are doing...Most would prefer a partial lift...

Edited by mrzigazaga on Sunday 14th February 18:46

[Number 7]

Nick Brough said:

It's an opinion and the ideal situation will always be to remove the body, however Prestige and Performance, TVR south West, X Works and I believe Traqck V Road all advertise outrigger replacement without body removal so I think "monkeying or bodging" is a bit harsh especially when the work is done by a professional restoration company


Well a step forward today glass back in although I think I am always going to have to be careful operating the drivers side. Only passenger side mirror not adjusting now, and nearside side / brake-light turned out to be a wire on the back of the fuse loose. Lucky I went checking the bulbs first as it highlighted the boot release wire only had a few strands left one end. Replaced the wire and added a feature to operate the latch in event of solenoid failure as unlike the Griffs there doesn't seem to be a backup way of getting in the noot.

However, another feature has arisen, removing the door trim to do the glass showed me the car has central locking, how does this operate when working correctly ;}

Nick

Edited by Nick Brough on Sunday 14th February 18:20

Edited by Nick Brough on Sunday 14th February 18:22

As you say, there are plenty of respected TVR specialists who can and do replace outriggers (not just on Wedges) with just a small body lift, and if done properly, would not and should not be considered a bodge. Certainly better than driving around with the outriggers falling apart as I'm sure a lot that haven't been replaced or looked after are. Yes, a body-off restoration is the ultimate way to go, but these are relatively inexpensive cars, so who wants to blow several £K when there is a proper alternative.

Anyway, all IMHO.

Central locking: theoretically the 400s had it as standard, but mine didn't, so I fitted it myself. It's also possible that its the type of locking that operates on the door key only, i.e. opening the drivers door also unlocks the passenger door, rather than a proper remote system (bit of a cheapskate way to do it though). There should be a control unit somewhere (maybe tucked under the dash) which might give you a brand name to research as to functionality. Maybe there is an additional relay and fuse which need attention somewhere?

[Nick Brough]

ElvisWedgely said:

Normally it would be operated by the alarm key fob though I think it may have been an optional extra. If the solonoids are there and you have an alarm system with a key fob, you may be able to get it going. It works more or less like the boot lock, except this is operated by a remote. The solenoids look very similar. I had a previous wedge that had the solonoids but not the fob so I had to remove the solenoids. Out of the five wedges I've owned, only one had a working system. My existing one doesn't have it though I may still be able to install it because I have the previous solenoids somewhere in the garage and my existing wedge does have an alarm with a fob.

Tony. TCB.

Number 7 said:

Central locking: theoretically the 400s had it as standard, but mine didn't, so I fitted it myself. It's also possible that its the type of locking that operates on the door key only, i.e. opening the drivers door also unlocks the passenger door, rather than a proper remote system (bit of a cheapskate way to do it though). There should be a control unit somewhere (maybe tucked under the dash) which might give you a brand name to research as to functionality. Maybe there is an additional relay and fuse which need attention somewhere?

I guess all solenoids are going to look the same but they, along with the rest of the system, are almost identical to the set up I put on my GT40 replica I am building, which works off a remote, and a control unit I fitted under the dash.

Maybe it originally had a remote as I did think it just operated off opening the drivers door, but all the operation off the key does is push the solenoid lever in via a solid metal wire rod, and I can't see any way this could operate the solenoid on the passenger side.

Thanks for all the info and advice from everyone, much appreciated.

Nick

[mike various]

There is a simple way of opening the boot if the solenoid fails.

I'm not going publish it on an open forum, but it take 3 mins max !!!

Mike

[Nick Brough]

Jack Valiant said:

9 times out of 10 the mirrors are down to corroded / stuck mechanisms in the pods. Like the headlight pods they tend to have little exercise so corrode or stick.

2 x flat head screws are found on the pod to get at the motors and nylon gears. Also the 4 wire connections which are also prone to corrosion. A little help and copious amounts of WD 40 work wonders in my experience :-)

See pictures below:







Hi Jack,

How did you get the 4 nuts holding the white plastic ring to the back of the mirror, they just seem to turn wiyhout undoing.

Nick

Edited by Jack Valiant on Tuesday 9th February 15:50

Edited by Jack Valiant on Tuesday 9th February 15:52

[mrzigazaga]

mike various said:

There is a simple way of opening the boot if the solenoid fails.

I'm not going publish it on an open forum, but it take 3 mins max !!!

Mike

Hi Mike...That sounds like a lot of fumbling about...Should take seconds not minutes...

[Jack Valiant]

Nick Brough said:

Nick

A little bit of patience and WD40 worked for me try gently tightening and loosening if all are spinning then you may be unlucky to have replace the motor ring Rover SD1 have them as well as early SAAB's I believe so they are available. The glass is the difficult one but as mentioned previously I made a paper template and took it to my local Halfrauds and found a replacement glass almost identical.