Discussion
Andrew,
Nice of you to pop in with some of your recollections of the day.
I also own a SEAC, a white one TVR420X.
I visited Blackpool once a few years back with other wedger's and mine overheated!
I have since installed a new and superior designed rad core and fan with more grunt and it cured the problem.
More stories please.
Phil
420 SEAC
Nice of you to pop in with some of your recollections of the day.
I also own a SEAC, a white one TVR420X.
I visited Blackpool once a few years back with other wedger's and mine overheated!
I have since installed a new and superior designed rad core and fan with more grunt and it cured the problem.
More stories please.
Phil
420 SEAC
Hi Andrew, Great to hear you remember the car from it's time at the factory! I'm getting used to the handbrake, it works well enough, but it is in the way a bit - I guess when they were considering the narrower chassis nobody thougt too much about the details like the handbrake positioning...
Interesting to hear about TVR's product development techniques; I bet it was fun!
Martin
Interesting to hear about TVR's product development techniques; I bet it was fun!
Martin
Thanks for the nice reception, I've always maintained an interest in TVR but a trip to the back home event on the promenade a couple of weeks ago really sparked my enthusiasm again. I started looking at wedges for sale and ended up here!
I spent maybe 75% of my time working on the S which was needed to boost the production volumes and keep us all in work I suppose. The SEAC was quite well progressed when I arrived in August 86, I had spent the first 12 months of my apprenticeship at Fylde engineering training group doing all the boring basic stuff.
On that first day I vividly remember my boss Terry Lendrum fitting the number plate and plexiglass strip to the front of a red SEAC, odd as he was more of a chassis guy really. I was told this was the first proper customer car, the only other being the white C98 ULL which was either being shaken down prior to delivery or maybe having some niggles attended to. The narrow tunnel type chassis was still just a project. These early cars were basically heavily modified 390 SE's, I doubt there were more than 6, I recall white, red, silver (motor show car) and a dark metallic blue one, all with lovely 16" OZ split rim wheels.
My memory leads me to think the Barry Zee car was assembled in early 87, I really can't remember the narrow chassis being anything like ready before then, we spent ages with a mocked up floor pan on it trying different seats and so forth. The people who'd give you chapter and verse here are John Ravenscroft and maybe Steve Armitstead, the latter being the man charged with type approving the outcome of our efforts on seat belt mounts etc. Of course it's also possible Chris Schirle was doing something with the narrow / stainless chassis over in his workshop too but I don't remember.
Better sign off for now but I will keep an eye on the topic, nice to see a decent amount of these cars are still around, we must have done a half decent job!
cheers, Andy
I spent maybe 75% of my time working on the S which was needed to boost the production volumes and keep us all in work I suppose. The SEAC was quite well progressed when I arrived in August 86, I had spent the first 12 months of my apprenticeship at Fylde engineering training group doing all the boring basic stuff.
On that first day I vividly remember my boss Terry Lendrum fitting the number plate and plexiglass strip to the front of a red SEAC, odd as he was more of a chassis guy really. I was told this was the first proper customer car, the only other being the white C98 ULL which was either being shaken down prior to delivery or maybe having some niggles attended to. The narrow tunnel type chassis was still just a project. These early cars were basically heavily modified 390 SE's, I doubt there were more than 6, I recall white, red, silver (motor show car) and a dark metallic blue one, all with lovely 16" OZ split rim wheels.
My memory leads me to think the Barry Zee car was assembled in early 87, I really can't remember the narrow chassis being anything like ready before then, we spent ages with a mocked up floor pan on it trying different seats and so forth. The people who'd give you chapter and verse here are John Ravenscroft and maybe Steve Armitstead, the latter being the man charged with type approving the outcome of our efforts on seat belt mounts etc. Of course it's also possible Chris Schirle was doing something with the narrow / stainless chassis over in his workshop too but I don't remember.
Better sign off for now but I will keep an eye on the topic, nice to see a decent amount of these cars are still around, we must have done a half decent job!
cheers, Andy
andW said:
It's wonderful to see this SEAC back on the road. I last saw the car in 1987 while serving my apprenticeship at Bristol avenue. I remember Mr Zee being a regular visitor in that period and Chris Schirle sorting out quite a few "teething issues" on the car.
I'm sorry to say I'm largely to blame for your crappy umbrella handbrake, no one really thought about where to position the handbrake on the narrow tunnel cars so it fell to me the 18 year old apprentice (dogsbody!) to install the solution. In contrast to the handbrake installation my favoutite SEAC memory is of conducting cooling tests on the M55 motorway in C98ULL. No climatic chambers or trips to death valley for us, we simply thermocoupled the cooling system then Dave Bentley accelerated the car enthusiastically to a high speed(better not say!)before slowing down as quickly as possible and tucking in behind a slow moving truck to kill the airflow! I recorded the results at each stage then we would go again and repeat the cycle. You will be pleased to know the car stayed cool throughout unlike it's occupants!
You definitely have one of the rarest of the breed with this car and I'm really pleased for you, it's a heart warming story and an inspiration to anyone restoring an old peice of Blackpool automotive history.
At last - someone to blame for that stupid handbrake..I'm sorry to say I'm largely to blame for your crappy umbrella handbrake, no one really thought about where to position the handbrake on the narrow tunnel cars so it fell to me the 18 year old apprentice (dogsbody!) to install the solution. In contrast to the handbrake installation my favoutite SEAC memory is of conducting cooling tests on the M55 motorway in C98ULL. No climatic chambers or trips to death valley for us, we simply thermocoupled the cooling system then Dave Bentley accelerated the car enthusiastically to a high speed(better not say!)before slowing down as quickly as possible and tucking in behind a slow moving truck to kill the airflow! I recorded the results at each stage then we would go again and repeat the cycle. You will be pleased to know the car stayed cool throughout unlike it's occupants!
You definitely have one of the rarest of the breed with this car and I'm really pleased for you, it's a heart warming story and an inspiration to anyone restoring an old peice of Blackpool automotive history.
rev-erend said:
andW said:
It's wonderful to see this SEAC back on the road. I last saw the car in 1987 while serving my apprenticeship at Bristol avenue. I remember Mr Zee being a regular visitor in that period and Chris Schirle sorting out quite a few "teething issues" on the car.
I'm sorry to say I'm largely to blame for your crappy umbrella handbrake, no one really thought about where to position the handbrake on the narrow tunnel cars so it fell to me the 18 year old apprentice (dogsbody!) to install the solution. In contrast to the handbrake installation my favoutite SEAC memory is of conducting cooling tests on the M55 motorway in C98ULL. No climatic chambers or trips to death valley for us, we simply thermocoupled the cooling system then Dave Bentley accelerated the car enthusiastically to a high speed(better not say!)before slowing down as quickly as possible and tucking in behind a slow moving truck to kill the airflow! I recorded the results at each stage then we would go again and repeat the cycle. You will be pleased to know the car stayed cool throughout unlike it's occupants!
You definitely have one of the rarest of the breed with this car and I'm really pleased for you, it's a heart warming story and an inspiration to anyone restoring an old peice of Blackpool automotive history.
At last - someone to blame for that stupid handbrake..I'm sorry to say I'm largely to blame for your crappy umbrella handbrake, no one really thought about where to position the handbrake on the narrow tunnel cars so it fell to me the 18 year old apprentice (dogsbody!) to install the solution. In contrast to the handbrake installation my favoutite SEAC memory is of conducting cooling tests on the M55 motorway in C98ULL. No climatic chambers or trips to death valley for us, we simply thermocoupled the cooling system then Dave Bentley accelerated the car enthusiastically to a high speed(better not say!)before slowing down as quickly as possible and tucking in behind a slow moving truck to kill the airflow! I recorded the results at each stage then we would go again and repeat the cycle. You will be pleased to know the car stayed cool throughout unlike it's occupants!
You definitely have one of the rarest of the breed with this car and I'm really pleased for you, it's a heart warming story and an inspiration to anyone restoring an old peice of Blackpool automotive history.
Campbell,
Can you run past me what you did to your SEAC's front perspex panel as I remember you can unscrew yours?
Self tappers or nut & bolt job?
What heads, posi or allen key?
Have you modified things so youb can get to the back of the driving lights, side lights & indicators or have you just left the fibreglass in place?
Thanks.
Phil
420 SEAC
Can you run past me what you did to your SEAC's front perspex panel as I remember you can unscrew yours?
Self tappers or nut & bolt job?
What heads, posi or allen key?
Have you modified things so youb can get to the back of the driving lights, side lights & indicators or have you just left the fibreglass in place?
Thanks.
Phil
420 SEAC
andW said:
On that first day I vividly remember my boss Terry Lendrum fitting the number plate and plexiglass strip to the front of a red SEAC, odd as he was more of a chassis guy really. I was told this was the first proper customer car,
I have read elsewhere that my newly acquired red SEAC D668YLP was the first customer car (1st car being the yellow racer?) - although registed 1st Aug 86 (1st day of 'D; reg) so after the 'C' reg car?Paul.
Apologies for the thread diversion (great resto BTW which I have followed from the start and seen at the last 2 BBWF)
C98 ULL was the first road SEAC and was a not so new (although the less said about the better) blue 390SE with the front and rear chopped off with the SEAC bodywork grafted on
pjac67 said:
I have read elsewhere that my newly acquired red SEAC D668YLP was the first customer car (1st car being the yellow racer?) - although registed 1st Aug 86 (1st day of 'D; reg) so after the 'C' reg car?
Paul.
Apologies for the thread diversion (great resto BTW which I have followed from the start and seen at the last 2 BBWF)
Paul.
Apologies for the thread diversion (great resto BTW which I have followed from the start and seen at the last 2 BBWF)
With the usual disclaimers: (same story first hand from more than one source)
SEAC Racer (only 1) - built late 85
C98 ULL first road SEAC
D688 YLP second road SEAC
the early SEAC's are easy to spot: they have what I termed the 2 piece body with a join at the the rear - this disappeared later
SEAC Racer (only 1) - built late 85
C98 ULL first road SEAC
D688 YLP second road SEAC
the early SEAC's are easy to spot: they have what I termed the 2 piece body with a join at the the rear - this disappeared later
Transmitter Man said:
One thing I learned this past week is that even though my SEAC is a fibreglass car the panels are noticely less weight that on Henry's 450 which currently shares the same garage.
Panel weight is pot luck. Varied enourmously from week to week depending on who built your car. Variation was due to differing thicknesses.Just caught up on this thread after a year or so out sorting personal issues. What a great job you have done Martin and remember you still owe me a drive after I took you out in my white 450se at the fest 2011! 
I wish I had 10% of your mechanical/engineering nouse
Reading through this thread it's good to see all the familiar names are still here. I'm still in touch with the guy who bought my 450 and you never know maybe next year I'll be back in the club.
Keep up the great work Martin and from now on I'll try to get on here more often. In a better place now..............
Jimbo
I wish I had 10% of your mechanical/engineering nouse
Reading through this thread it's good to see all the familiar names are still here. I'm still in touch with the guy who bought my 450 and you never know maybe next year I'll be back in the club.
Keep up the great work Martin and from now on I'll try to get on here more often. In a better place now..............
Jimbo
New years resolution, I must get going on the SEAC again! I've moved the original engine to my engine rebuild area; thinly disguised as my kitchen...
I will be replacing the cam, valve springs and collets plus anything else I find to be worn when I get the heads and the dry sump pan off. It's got solid lifters and so I suspect a very high lift cam; I'll pull it all out and see if I can identify it.
I will be replacing the cam, valve springs and collets plus anything else I find to be worn when I get the heads and the dry sump pan off. It's got solid lifters and so I suspect a very high lift cam; I'll pull it all out and see if I can identify it.
Warm, dry, dust free... what's not to like!!
I've got the heads off now; quite easy with an improvised lever bolted to the engine to pull against - much easier than when I did the head rebuild on the 350i with the engine in the car.
The rearmost cylinder on the LH bank is showing signs of steam cleaning so the head gasket was on it's way out.
The gaskets are copper ringed composites (novel for '87?) with the bottom row of 4 bolts nipped up and not tight. The bore is just over 93mm and the stroke just over 77mm; so it's a 4.2 as suspected, but with a different bore to the later Rover developed 3.9/4.0s etc.
The valves are roughly dia42mm inlet and dia37mm exhaust; the largest that RealSteel quote on their website - I'm not sure what other RV8s use.
The bores look and feel perfect so I don't think it needs a rebore/pistons - phew!
I've got the heads off now; quite easy with an improvised lever bolted to the engine to pull against - much easier than when I did the head rebuild on the 350i with the engine in the car.
The rearmost cylinder on the LH bank is showing signs of steam cleaning so the head gasket was on it's way out.
The gaskets are copper ringed composites (novel for '87?) with the bottom row of 4 bolts nipped up and not tight. The bore is just over 93mm and the stroke just over 77mm; so it's a 4.2 as suspected, but with a different bore to the later Rover developed 3.9/4.0s etc.
The valves are roughly dia42mm inlet and dia37mm exhaust; the largest that RealSteel quote on their website - I'm not sure what other RV8s use.
The bores look and feel perfect so I don't think it needs a rebore/pistons - phew!
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