Gone and bought one !

[Ptr400J]

Well I have finally gone and bought a 450.
Mate of mine has had a Chimaera for some six years now and I have always admired it everytime he came round to mine.

I am no stranger to rear wheel drive stuff, Gt6 (now sold) , Honda S2000, Jag XK8, TR7 V8 under rebuild, and of course motorcycles! well they are rear wheel drive !!! And brought up on them from very early age!

The 450 is a 1999 S reg, silver, with 61k miles in need of tlc and some. Issues include rough running, chassis issues, blown exhaust headers,leaking rad, boot hinge alignment, bonnet alignment, hot start problem, washwipe problem, rusted headlights, tail light seals, reg plate light problem, dab radio aerial problem, heater heat control not working, wet carpets, mouse smell! .........omg what have I done !!!!

Edited by Ptr400J on Sunday 9th October 09:19

[CHIMV8 500]

Take it you paid very little or was given the car

[PhilH42]

Ptr400J said:

Well I have finally gone and bought a 450.
Mate of mine has had a Chimaera for some six years now and I have always admired it everytime he came round to mine.

I am no stranger to rear wheel drive stuff, Gt6 (now sold) , Honda S2000, Jag XK8, TR7 V8 under rebuild, and of course motorcycles! well they are rear wheel drive !!! And brought up on them from very early age!

The 450 is a 1999 S reg, silver, with 61k miles in need of tlc and some. Issues include rough running, chassis issues, blown exhaust headers,leaking rad, boot hinge alignment, bonnet alignment, hot start problem, washwipe problem, rusted headlights, tail light seals, reg plate light problem, dab radio aerial problem, heater heat control not working, wet carpets, mouse smell! .........omg what have I done !!!!

Edited by Ptr400J on Sunday 9th October 09:19

As above if you didn't get it for peanuts then you will likely lose a packet getting it right.....I know because I did the same and didn't get it that cheap...but at least yours is a 4.5.

Having said that its great to get a tvr back in the condition it deserves and is a lot of fun doing it...even if not for the pocket.

Welcome to tvr mate...enjoy.

[Ptr400J]

Thanks for encouragement! ,!!

Forgot to mention the roof, should be blue but is green with algae,.! Car has been stood a while.

Have actually had it few weeks but just really getting into it over last week or so.

It is on the road, with an mot, APPPARENTLY!!

[ClassiChimi]

You sound like a man who can yeald a spanner about, if you do your research and do much of the work yourself you can keep the costs down, if the chassis is in need overhaul that's going to push the costs up but you will have 50% of the car restored when your finished!

Welcome to the mad world of Tvr.

Looks like your already putting a list together so get her on a ramp and really work out what you've got and any questions people on here will be glad to answer.
Sounds like another one being saved so that can only be good news.
Congratulations

[Ptr400J]

Thanks for that, ClassiChimi, I know it will be a while before all jobs are checked off but some of this stuff should be quick :-)

Already sorted the bonnet / boot alignments/ wipers...the easy stuff!

Manifolds are off and new gaskets plus the stainless 3/8th head bolts ready to go, pre cats coming out whilst we are in here !
Those old 9/16ths manifold bolts are barstewards to get out!
Had to cut the back one, offside, off and use a stud extractor and precious plus gas (original!)

Roof scrubbed clean and Renovo under way...

Edited by Ptr400J on Sunday 9th October 14:49

[QBee]

Can you let us have some "before" pictures before you start, do we can applaud you even more for the "after" photos?
A blog would also be read by many with interest. Don't be shy, we are all as mad as you.....or worse.

[caduceus]

Lol, this sounds like me 2 years ago. A barn find (industrial estate find TBMA) 4.5 badly neglected.



Looking forward to seeing your before and after pics and commentary of your progress.
Are you doing a full resto?

[Ptr400J]

Ha, looks like you should have the "green" roof that I had!

I have already ripped into it so missing early picks but will post some after its first bath!

Can I use photobucket img to post pics or is there a preferred way on this forum? Yes, I know, do a search !!

[Ptr400J]

On arrival after a quick bath externally, it had already been "bathed" internally,everything opened to get the pong out and also to try and dry it out :-)

[ianwayne]

That's an impressive wall of sealant around the brake fluid reservoir. Many of them leak there so that's an interesting 'solution!'

[Ptr400J]

ianwayne said:

That's an impressive wall of sealant around the brake fluid reservoir. Many of them leak there so that's an interesting 'solution!'

Actually that is a plastic surround albeit with silicone sealing it to the base.. I presume that is not standard then ?

[ianwayne]

Not mine but I found this picture searching on the web:



Water sits in the sealant around the brake fluid reservoir and a lot of owners have leaks through there when it rains. Ends up in the footwell under the pedals usually.

[portzi]

ianwayne said:

Not mine but I found this picture searching on the web:



Water sits in the sealant around the brake fluid reservoir and a lot of owners have leaks through there when it rains. Ends up in the footwell under the pedals usually.

I have removed all the silicon sealant around the reservoir and replaced it with a rubber seal, which I have bonded to the body around the reservoir hole, and the seal presses again the reservoir leaving no gaps. This seal is 2 mm high and stops the water from running down between the reservoir and the body. I have also fitted a stainless steel cover over the reservoir with a hole cut out to fit the cap, with a rubber seal around its edges, and I have lightly smeared a covering of sealant around its underside, which can be easily removed and cleaned within minutes. This has removed all the gobbs of sealant and stopped all my leaks.

I have also done this with the brake master cylinder cover, using rubber seals, and have not used any sealant at all to create a seal.

unfortunately I am away from my car and cannot post pics.

Edited by portzi on Monday 10th October 12:41

[ianwayne]

Not seen this solution before and I've been using Pistonheads for years. Glad to hear a solution that stops the leaks from there!
The extra cover is a good idea because rainwater normally runs in the bonnet vent and straight onto the edge of the reservoir sealant.

Edited by ianwayne on Monday 10th October 10:35

[Ptr400J]

ianwayne said:

Not seen this solution before and I've been using Pistonheads for years. Glad to hear a solution that stops the leaks from there!
The extra cover is a good idea because rainwater normally runs in the bonnet vent and straight onto the edge of the reservoir sealant.

Edited by ianwayne on Monday 10th October 10:35

Must have look see where things line up, the drivers foot well was water logged. .. apparently car had been jet washed before being stored away...that might explain a few things !

[Ptr400J]

On another note what colour trims should be on the door mirrors? Seem to have black on one side and silver on the other, probably a replacement in past..
Did different year cars have different trim mirrors?

[davetripletvr]

Mirrors are normally colour coded, same colour as the car

[Ptr400J]

davetripletvr said:

Mirrors are normally colour coded, same colour as the car

Thanks for that, need to spray up the black one then !

[s p a c e m a n]

I was expecting worse from the description, looks more presentable than my one