New Chimaera 4.0 owner

[overdriveeng]

s p a c e m a n said:

That's the expansion tank for the radiator, most of them like to stay around half full. Power steering reservoir is ontop of the drivers side manifold. To top up and check the coolant level you're normally better off doing it first through the swirl pot if the expansion tank is empty,it's the other alloy tank at the front of the engine, passenger side and normally has a slotted brass nut in the top of it.

Cool, that should make it easier to clean out the sludge, as I was wary introducing water to a closed oil system like the P/S.

Seems to fly in the face of all I know about coolant systems, namely having the expansion tank at the highest point of the engine, plus it has to have an overflow capacity. I suppose the cap has a bypass function on it at a certain pressure?

[s p a c e m a n]

The swirl pot is the highest part of the system which is why you're better off topping it up from there if the expansion tank has run dry. The expansion tank just drip feeds the system and has a sprung loaded pressure cap, off a vw I think, which is why they settle at around half full.

[overdriveeng]

Ah, I see. Good to know!!

[QBee]

If you top that tank up to the top, it will simply piss all over the floor the first time you drive it and get back down to just under half full......says he who did just that before a track day
You only do it once.

My K&N filter went in through the front with no trouble.

[overdriveeng]

Any particular antifreeze I should use?

[s p a c e m a n]

If it were me I would clean and flush the entire system first as you don't know what they've used before (brown sludgy stuff hints towards some radweld too). I use the blue stuff because I get it for free, I doubt it matters too much what you use as long as you don't mix them.

[overdriveeng]

Cool, it poured clear and green from the rad. Hopefully just a build up of gunk.

[overdriveeng]

This weekend, I polished. I polished a LOT.





Although it has only served to highlight all the little lacquer chips and whatnot. Meh, at least it won't cause rust!



What else did I do.... oh yes. Sorted the LED's on the heater controls:



It's as per TVR OEM, but my own OCD is twitching that they used green to denote cold on the heater... Why not blue??

Anyway, it was broke so now is fixed. Moving onto something that was not broke, I took the exhaust off....



Then chopped out the box, removed the glass pack, and cut out the baffles...



Not pictured... I then welded in 2 pipes, basically bypassing the centre box but keeping it looking original. Whilst out, i got handy with the Autosol...



Love that stuff. Back on, and test fire...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbzgipC9ryI

Much better!!

[phazed]

It looks like you have a number plate light.

You should throw that away and fit a translucent plate as there are lights behind the plate.

it'll look much nicer.........

Nice job all round, there is always something to fix/improve/upgrade on these cars.

[overdriveeng]

phazed said:

It looks like you have a number plate light.

That's an understatement. Yea, I was considering that along with the side repeaters. I may concoct something a bit trick but i hadn't considered a translucent plate!! Very cool.

What is the story with the side repeaters.. are they Ford?

[QBee]

Late 90s Fiesta on my 99 car. Park next to an old Fiesta at Tescos and compare, then move away before the numbnuts get back with their kids and shopping and open all 8 doors into the side of your car.

[overdriveeng]

QBee said:

Late 90s Fiesta on my 99 car. Park next to an old Fiesta at Tescos and compare, then move away before the numbnuts get back with their kids and shopping and open all 8 doors into the side of your car.

All 8 doors? WEll serves you right for parking next to this, lol



Seriously though, did you actually get whacked with a door?

[QBee]

It happens, and with TVR having painted my car with navy marshmallow over white primer, it shows when they do hit my car with their doors. Its just careless, and often children IMHO

[phazed]

overdriveeng said:

That's an understatement. Yea, I was considering that along with the side repeaters. I may concoct something a bit trick but i hadn't considered a translucent plate!! Very cool.

What is the story with the side repeaters.. are they Ford?

Not sure but they are available from various sources + ebay.

If you remove the plate there should be 2 lights behind.

Make sure the new plate is translucent.

[s p a c e m a n]

https://www.craigsplates.com/tvr-backlit-plate do the translucent number plate, looking at that stuck on light I dread to think what might be hiding where the old lights were

I stuck an SMD light strip behind my plate, gives a more even light throw onto the plate. Side repeaters are Ford ones, there's little point in buying genuine ones IMO as there's just a random hole cut in fiberglass to hold the spring rather than the correctly sized and shaped hole that you get in a metal wing, just buy some cheap stick on ones.

[overdriveeng]

mild progress. Oil change!



Nice K&N filter, along with 5 litres of Fuchs Titan Pro Race S. Love the colour that stuff comes out like...

[Fuzzy400]

[/quote]

You're one better than me!!

[speedtwelve]

^^^^^^ Haven't had a 'Jeep', not really my thing, but I did go S2000 to Chimaera. Both great, but polar opposites with grunt/rpm. The only time I ever felt my S2000 was underpowered was directly after test-driving the TVR I replaced it with.

[overdriveeng]

Fuzzy400 said:

You're one better than me!!

Howdy neighbour!! I'd bet these must have been sat side by side on a forecourt when new!

[Fuzzy400]

overdriveeng said:

Fuzzy400 said:

You're one better than me!!

Howdy neighbour!! I'd bet these must have been sat side by side on a forecourt when new!

I bet they did. I wonder if this one was there as well.