What's happening in your garage this weekend ?
Discussion
In my experience, Sportracs have stiff sidewalls.
Aren't the UJs at their furthest point from 180 degrees when running with wheels off the ground at full extension of the suspension? I thought that was verboten in the Great Book of Running Cars on Axle Stands. 100mph on axle stands with vibration apparent must have been interesting, what was in front of the car?
Aren't the UJs at their furthest point from 180 degrees when running with wheels off the ground at full extension of the suspension? I thought that was verboten in the Great Book of Running Cars on Axle Stands. 100mph on axle stands with vibration apparent must have been interesting, what was in front of the car?
Wedg1e said:
Wierd? Isn't it just a 7/16" UNF? And the nuts should really be Philidas stiff nuts (as they should be on the diff output flanges).
The bloke at the nut and bolt place said he'd never seen anything like it, it was passed around behind the counter ! It does explain why a 14mm spanner fits the head but the nut needs 7/16" The prop had Nylocks on with next to no nylock left and most of the corners missing. I can understand why you wouldn't use nylock on the driveshafts thought, potentially gets a bit hot !The handbrake mod sounds interesting !!!
B@man said:
The bloke at the nut and bolt place said he'd never seen anything like it, it was passed around behind the counter ! It does explain why a 14mm spanner fits the head but the nut needs 7/16" The prop had Nylocks on with next to no nylock left and most of the corners missing. I can understand why you wouldn't use nylock on the driveshafts thought, potentially gets a bit hot !
The handbrake mod sounds interesting !!!
Aye, the Nylocs on my half-shafts were cooked The handbrake mod sounds interesting !!!
I thought it was some muppetry on the part of a previous mechanic but maybe the factory did it.The driveshaft bolts are specials with a section of the shank that makes them an interference fit in the flange holes; I think the propshaft ones are supposed to be the same type.
V8 Fettler said:
In my experience, Sportracs have stiff sidewalls.
Useful to know, thanks.V8 Fettler said:
Aren't the UJs at their furthest point from 180 degrees when running with wheels off the ground at full extension of the suspension? I thought that was verboten in the Great Book of Running Cars on Axle Stands. 100mph on axle stands with vibration apparent must have been interesting, what was in front of the car?
Yes and yes 
I didn't take it straight to 100mph, I went up in 20s 
In front of the car was a steel-framed bench with cans of petrol under it... backed by a breeze-block wall and woodland Actually even on full droop the joint misalignment wasn't too bad.
The propshaft ones are usually nylocs. The factory and dealers used nylocs on the driveshaft ones in the '80's and then the split dry ones came along. While it's theoretically true that nylocs could melt and undo, in practice I've never seen it happen and as long as you don't go mad in the first 6 months a tiny bit of corrosion will then hold them in place for all time.
rev-erend said:
Yes - it's binned. It does weight a lot but the reason for getting rid is the airflow restriction.
According to the Kenlowe website - having a AC rad in front of your existing rad literally halves the air flow.
So - I've removed the ac rad and have bought an additional 14 inch (1500 cfm) monster fan in addition to the existing fan.
It will all be a tight squeeze there..
It will be controlled by a Revotech 35mm controller, which can be set to just about any temp.
Anyone guessed that I'm planning for a few more horses under the bonnet yet
maybe put this in ????According to the Kenlowe website - having a AC rad in front of your existing rad literally halves the air flow.
So - I've removed the ac rad and have bought an additional 14 inch (1500 cfm) monster fan in addition to the existing fan.
It will all be a tight squeeze there..
It will be controlled by a Revotech 35mm controller, which can be set to just about any temp.
Anyone guessed that I'm planning for a few more horses under the bonnet yet
adam quantrill said:
The propshaft ones are usually nylocs. The factory and dealers used nylocs on the driveshaft ones in the '80's and then the split dry ones came along. While it's theoretically true that nylocs could melt and undo, in practice I've never seen it happen and as long as you don't go mad in the first 6 months a tiny bit of corrosion will then hold them in place for all time.
Came along?! Jaguar had been fitting them for decades by then!When my brake cooking issue happened, it did indeed melt the nyloc inserts and at least two of the 8 diff output nuts were little more than hand-tight, despite the corrosion. Actually the studs/ bolts on the nearside were so corroded there wasn't much thread left and I had to replace them all (about £23 for four, and the nuts are extra!).
Bit like my "floating" rear brake caliper.... The bolts have been refitted with loctite and lockwire !
The last person to be in that area was another TVR specialist, the same one that missed one of the washers off the top suspension arms leaving the nut making a bid for freedom through the bush, missed out split pins in various places and joined the ECU trigger lead under the plenum by twisting two wires together !
If you want a job doing correctly..etc....
The last person to be in that area was another TVR specialist, the same one that missed one of the washers off the top suspension arms leaving the nut making a bid for freedom through the bush, missed out split pins in various places and joined the ECU trigger lead under the plenum by twisting two wires together !
If you want a job doing correctly..etc....
B@man said:
Bit like my "floating" rear brake caliper.... The bolts have been refitted with loctite and lockwire !
The last person to be in that area was another TVR specialist, the same one that missed one of the washers off the top suspension arms leaving the nut making a bid for freedom through the bush, missed out split pins in various places and joined the ECU trigger lead under the plenum by twisting two wires together !
If you want a job doing correctly..etc....
Precisely why I don't let anyone else work on my cars. If I have to die nastily due to an error, I'd prefer it to be my own error The last person to be in that area was another TVR specialist, the same one that missed one of the washers off the top suspension arms leaving the nut making a bid for freedom through the bush, missed out split pins in various places and joined the ECU trigger lead under the plenum by twisting two wires together !
If you want a job doing correctly..etc....
Wedg1e said:
Precisely why I don't let anyone else work on my cars. If I have to die nastily due to an error, I'd prefer it to be my own error
Bit like me with a so called TVR specialist..Hub nut coming undone because the nut was left loose and a wire..Not a pin was used to secure it..Rather than grind the nut down a tad until the holes in the stub axle lined up and then use a pin..Which was eventually done after much pishing and moaning about how they could of killed me!..Then there was a loose steering UJ...I still have a leaky hose on the fuel rail which pisses fuel sometimes into the Vee...After i paid a handsome fee for it to be sorted..The clips were too big so don't clamp down enough...Another job i will have to do myself!..
Zig, there's no reason to visit a TVR specialist with a Wedge. RV8 experience is useful, but a general ability with vehicles that are decades old is more important.
On a slightly different tack, I've been taking loose wheels to garages for a few years for tyre changes due to lack of trust in the competence and ability of the average tyre changing monkey. I relented with the last tyre change on my daily dreary diesel. Mistake. Wheel bolts torqued up to 160 ftlb (although all consistently 160ftlb), should have been around 80 ftlb. Both tyres precisely 10 psi below manufacturer's data (clearly marked inside the fuel filler flap). Feckinguselessidiots.
On a slightly different tack, I've been taking loose wheels to garages for a few years for tyre changes due to lack of trust in the competence and ability of the average tyre changing monkey. I relented with the last tyre change on my daily dreary diesel. Mistake. Wheel bolts torqued up to 160 ftlb (although all consistently 160ftlb), should have been around 80 ftlb. Both tyres precisely 10 psi below manufacturer's data (clearly marked inside the fuel filler flap). Feckinguselessidiots.
Funny usually I get tyres back at 30 psi instead of 20...
I went to Castle TVR for a look around and despite turning up IN A TVR I was generally ignored, so I though I would provoke them and asked in the office how much for a service. It was over £700. Plus the dreaded. Hmmmmmmmmm.....
I went to Castle TVR for a look around and despite turning up IN A TVR I was generally ignored, so I though I would provoke them and asked in the office how much for a service. It was over £700. Plus the dreaded. Hmmmmmmmmm.....
adam quantrill said:
Funny usually I get tyres back at 30 psi instead of 20...
I went to Castle TVR for a look around and despite turning up IN A TVR I was generally ignored, so I though I would provoke them and asked in the office how much for a service. It was over £700. Plus the dreaded. Hmmmmmmmmm.....
I've had this with the TVR, it's like driving on marbles. But the list is endless, including tyres fitted the wrong way round, jacking on the outriggers despite being told "no jacking on the outriggers please", heated arguments about tracking and more. A trustworthy, competent car mechanic is to be valued.I went to Castle TVR for a look around and despite turning up IN A TVR I was generally ignored, so I though I would provoke them and asked in the office how much for a service. It was over £700. Plus the dreaded. Hmmmmmmmmm.....
adam quantrill said:
Funny usually I get tyres back at 30 psi instead of 20...
I went to Castle TVR for a look around and despite turning up IN A TVR I was generally ignored, so I though I would provoke them and asked in the office how much for a service. It was over £700. Plus the dreaded. Hmmmmmmmmm.....
_____________________________________________________________________________________________I went to Castle TVR for a look around and despite turning up IN A TVR I was generally ignored, so I though I would provoke them and asked in the office how much for a service. It was over £700. Plus the dreaded. Hmmmmmmmmm.....
This epitomizes the fact you don't always get what you pay for, ie you clearly get ripped off if they think you or your steed are not worthy.
Oil (Valvoline), filter + K & N clean & re-oil £50 tops, 30 minutes (call it 1 hours due to technicians mandatory fag break, which you have to pay for) £50 tops or £100 if the garage has a TVR sign above it.
I make that £150.
Can you tell me the makeup of the £700 + VAT bill?
Pi$$es me off.
Phil
420 SEAC
V8 Fettler said:
A trustworthy, competent car mechanic is to be valued.
My dad was a trustworthy and competent mechanic, but he never made any money out of it because he worked for himself (out of choice; I have the same mindset but not the nerve to do it) and consequently all his customers were the sort of people who didn't want to/ couldn't afford to pay dealer prices. That was fine in the days of points ignition and carburettors when every car had a camchain and about 5 wires in its electrical system and you could oxy-acetylene replacement panels on and underseal the gaps Modern engines and systems demand modern diagnostics equipment so for the one-man-band it must be harder still unless you limit yourself to Corsa cambelts and Peugeot diesel services.
I'd love to go it alone just looking after Wedges but there aren't enough of them around and many of the owners are at least as competent as me in the monkey-wrench department. That said I saw some of the arguments my old man had with customers... trying to get out of paying, can I pay you next week/month/never, my car failed its MOT and you worked on it two years ago so it must be your fault etc. etc...
Preparing the 400SX for its front-end respay - it will be goneall next week - so removed all the lights and bonnet badge. Found that the headlamp motor brackets were rusty so cleaned these up and mixed up my own special zinc paint to passivate and paint them. Also similar with the headlight surrounds.
I also found out there's a hole to access the radiator otter switch from the nearside headlamp.
I offered up my new repeater lights and these look great, just need to make and attach an inner bracket to secure them against the side of the tub. These are Ford Orion ones so look exactly right.
I also found out there's a hole to access the radiator otter switch from the nearside headlamp.
I offered up my new repeater lights and these look great, just need to make and attach an inner bracket to secure them against the side of the tub. These are Ford Orion ones so look exactly right.
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