Discussion
Rich's cars about ready for its MOT.
After what must seem like a very long time for Rich,, today she ran out the garage, around the block and other than some mapping issues seems faultless and sounds totally epic.
There's still fine tuning but it's together, it's taught,, it's tight, it's a runner and looks fantastic, the chassis on this car is original powder coat and is also wierdlynimaculate, out riggers etc, like new,,
Boot opens and closes on the key fob and That's a brill mod, bonet and boot needs adjusting but just fine tuning now,,,
This car is virtually brand new,, better wiring etc,,, the Ferrari racing Red looks stunning in the flesh, deep deep colour and it still needs mopping front and rear and the car is filthy in these pics,
Sorry my iPhone pics are so crap but hopefully you get the idea,,,door cards,,,, on/off/on/ f
king off,,, I'm a dab hand at em now,, I Learnt a huge amount again this week, it's been a privilege to work on someone's pride and joy,,
Here ya go,,
I'm so glad to have had the chance and time available to help Rich finish off his car,,, we would have been here weeks ago but I had issues as did Rich, by taking the time to check and double check,, no rattles, or vibrations, car seems good out the box ( so to speak) it's a better Tvr than an original by miles now,, I just think about the electrics all the time and other than one relay playing up,, ?? It's far far better then the original crusty junk Tvr used. Most nuts and bolts are new, it's a joy to work on now and Rich must be feeling very proud, his look of quiet pleasure as it sat out in the sun outside his house for the first time in over a year,, priceless,,, :
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/OZMncf53[/url]
After what must seem like a very long time for Rich,, today she ran out the garage, around the block and other than some mapping issues seems faultless and sounds totally epic.
There's still fine tuning but it's together, it's taught,, it's tight, it's a runner and looks fantastic, the chassis on this car is original powder coat and is also wierdlynimaculate, out riggers etc, like new,,
Boot opens and closes on the key fob and That's a brill mod, bonet and boot needs adjusting but just fine tuning now,,,
This car is virtually brand new,, better wiring etc,,, the Ferrari racing Red looks stunning in the flesh, deep deep colour and it still needs mopping front and rear and the car is filthy in these pics,
Sorry my iPhone pics are so crap but hopefully you get the idea,,,door cards,,,, on/off/on/ f
king off,,, I'm a dab hand at em now,, I Learnt a huge amount again this week, it's been a privilege to work on someone's pride and joy,, Here ya go,,
I'm so glad to have had the chance and time available to help Rich finish off his car,,, we would have been here weeks ago but I had issues as did Rich, by taking the time to check and double check,, no rattles, or vibrations, car seems good out the box ( so to speak) it's a better Tvr than an original by miles now,, I just think about the electrics all the time and other than one relay playing up,, ?? It's far far better then the original crusty junk Tvr used. Most nuts and bolts are new, it's a joy to work on now and Rich must be feeling very proud, his look of quiet pleasure as it sat out in the sun outside his house for the first time in over a year,, priceless,,, :
[url]|http://thumbsnap.com/OZMncf53[/url]Edited by ClassiChimi on Wednesday 24th February 19:23
Edited by ClassiChimi on Wednesday 24th February 19:24
Brilliant news Alun ! Fantastic effort by both of you and all others involved. Great to see the old girl about finished and ready for test, good luck with that. After the MOT, if Rich is up for it I reckon a convoy is in order to celebrate / commemorate all that has happened with and around this process It has certainly been an emotional time for those involved, obviously particularly for Rich, Sheila and of course my mucka, Alun.
Anything else I can help with, just let me know
Anything else I can help with, just let me know
Rich is like so many self made men, doesn't make a song and dance about things,,, but I think that would be a great idea,,
There's still geo, testing, mapping, fettling, Rich is recovering from quite a knock so let's just get the car legal, and working relentlessly so it's reliable then have a good old get together somewhere,, or just turn up at his house and show off,, haha,,
It's not my call and its maybe abut early to be confident about the car but it ran fine for a good 40 mins today,, fans kicking in at about 80 and quickly going off again, she's running less restricted with the sports pipe, but doesn't suffer from it at all, the pipe seems the business for flow,, and sound,, it's proper but not stupid loud,,,
There's still geo, testing, mapping, fettling, Rich is recovering from quite a knock so let's just get the car legal, and working relentlessly so it's reliable then have a good old get together somewhere,, or just turn up at his house and show off,, haha,,
It's not my call and its maybe abut early to be confident about the car but it ran fine for a good 40 mins today,, fans kicking in at about 80 and quickly going off again, she's running less restricted with the sports pipe, but doesn't suffer from it at all, the pipe seems the business for flow,, and sound,, it's proper but not stupid loud,,,
Well,another landmark day, alun took it for its mot,passed with no issues,it then went for a geo setup,all sorted,together with probably 40 miles of shake down driving and it's pretty good. Surprisingly no real issues with her,few rattles etc and this intermediate misfire at low to mid revs,heavier throttle take you thro it and she flies,sounds like a spitfire running on aged whiskey,difficult to describe,quite subtle on reasonable throttle settings,something from hell when opened up,pops and bangs on override
It's coming to the end now,bit of fettling and a rr session and it's another chimera back on the road,need to get a few of them together over here,a convoy was mentioned but I was thinking maybe a sat am man cave morning,,
How's about a sat am bbq bacon butty,sausage sarnie morning,free use of my workshop and ramps etc,just need some reasonable weather,just a thought,get a date together if there is enough local interest
Rich
It's coming to the end now,bit of fettling and a rr session and it's another chimera back on the road,need to get a few of them together over here,a convoy was mentioned but I was thinking maybe a sat am man cave morning,,
How's about a sat am bbq bacon butty,sausage sarnie morning,free use of my workshop and ramps etc,just need some reasonable weather,just a thought,get a date together if there is enough local interest
Rich
Best get it in for mapping now 
brakes are ace, suspension and steering just about right,
I'm thinking of selling mine and buying Rich's
What a joy today was, the mot man looking at it in ore,, blokes coming and randomly chatting about machinery just because we had this bright red car that sounds like a cobra,, the geo boys,, brightened up their day to work on a clean car,,,
The engine ran for a good two hours I'd say,, constant temps etc, we'll do a nut and bolt check all over the bugger and make sure nothing's wrong, I think I've stopped the bonet rattling, the sound is like thunder and lightning, changes as the revs rise, low down revs it's glorious, cars full of torque and engine is very very quiet, smooth as silk, idles really good.
Getting to know Rich, he's a hugely talented man and this car was well within him, I never done this car, Rich has had every detail and concept covered and the car has a huge array of new parts installed,, I just go to the bench and choose whatever new screw or bolt I want, we've wanted for nothing and his stores are vast,, haha,, for a man with such talent to have to let other people do some of the work must have been hard for Rich as doing it is half the fun, but it's just so important to stress that Rich has been the one to build this car, even after this thread, he really put a big effort in and he's got exactly what he deserves, a personal Tvr that's almost like new. Enjoy the roof off Richie boy,, Yeeee haaaa
brakes are ace, suspension and steering just about right, I'm thinking of selling mine and buying Rich's
What a joy today was, the mot man looking at it in ore,, blokes coming and randomly chatting about machinery just because we had this bright red car that sounds like a cobra,, the geo boys,, brightened up their day to work on a clean car,,,
The engine ran for a good two hours I'd say,, constant temps etc, we'll do a nut and bolt check all over the bugger and make sure nothing's wrong, I think I've stopped the bonet rattling, the sound is like thunder and lightning, changes as the revs rise, low down revs it's glorious, cars full of torque and engine is very very quiet, smooth as silk, idles really good.
Getting to know Rich, he's a hugely talented man and this car was well within him, I never done this car, Rich has had every detail and concept covered and the car has a huge array of new parts installed,, I just go to the bench and choose whatever new screw or bolt I want, we've wanted for nothing and his stores are vast,, haha,, for a man with such talent to have to let other people do some of the work must have been hard for Rich as doing it is half the fun, but it's just so important to stress that Rich has been the one to build this car, even after this thread, he really put a big effort in and he's got exactly what he deserves, a personal Tvr that's almost like new. Enjoy the roof off Richie boy,, Yeeee haaaa
I have been following this thread from day one. I am in complete awe of you both for dealing with your own issues, let alone managing to rebuild a car at the same time. It is humbling to say the least and makes me question all the times I am too busy to do <insert task of your choice>, whether it is car or family related. This really does prove anything is possible if you desire it enough.
It is so good to see the car is back on the road, even better that the weather is not too bad for this time of year and you can actually drive it. Looking forward to seeing you both out at some events soon. If the car is going to the TVRCC Season Opener at Burghley (Stamford) in April, this really deserves pride of place in the timeline thing they do in front of the house. It represents everything that is good and special about the TVR cars and their owners.
Jeremy
It is so good to see the car is back on the road, even better that the weather is not too bad for this time of year and you can actually drive it. Looking forward to seeing you both out at some events soon. If the car is going to the TVRCC Season Opener at Burghley (Stamford) in April, this really deserves pride of place in the timeline thing they do in front of the house. It represents everything that is good and special about the TVR cars and their owners.
Jeremy
Jeremy, that's some fine words there sir,, thankyou.
It's times like these when man faces his biggest challenges,,,
I have no rhyme or reason behind it other than to say,,, until you go through these things in life you can't really understand,,,
Both Rich and myself and our families have been facing increadablely difficult realities,,,
After my personal tragedy I questioned the whole meaning of cars and what they are capable of,,
Family and friends convinced me to keep the Tvr, I didn't want to drive it,,, thought somehow owning such a so called fast car etc , was that somehow an influence on the events that lead to my sons death, it's serious stuff,,, but in fact he was a seriously proficient rider from about 5 years old on motorbikes so he was as well equipped as any young man!
Cars are often like your friend, you love em,,
Rich car is such a beauty it seemed a no brainier to help a tad, I really couldn't and still can't concentrate for long,, my mind wanders but slowly by going into Rich's garage and getting to know where things reside, this week especially, just me the car,,,not even music, garage is well insulated,, it's like a quiet calm silence,, the car just sitting there,,,, I'm getting all spiritual now,, but i honestly felt this weird connection to it,, just to know it from such a naked and vulnerable position to being assembled totally correctly and looking like a wonderful car again, it gives you so much confidence in the car when every detail has been inspected, updated, upgraded as nessesary and it just sitting there these last few days, ready,, waiting,, me fumbling about finishing bits off, each time you complete something it's that bit closer to life,,,
Today the sun shone through the bitter cold morning, but it was a classic winters day, heaters keeping us toastie, no sun visors,, yet,,, ha, that was fun, I'd have preferred Rich drive it, but he allowed me the huge privilege of driving today,,
Pain and suffering is part of life,,, today Rich fought the pain and I hope he's feeling hugely rewarded for believing in his own direction and will to win,,
I've been to Goodward, I've been in a few monster cars, but I've never driven one that sounded like the stuff off old quite so much,, the engine/ exhaust sound,, I'll never forget today and I won't rest til I can buy one of them exhausts
It's been great to share time with Richard and his wife Shiela and I'm sure the bacon and sausages will be of the finest order so roll on the butty morning at Rich's,, jeez,, I better clean up the garage haha.
Whatever happens now,a few niggles might show,, but for a man to build this car and drive it away and do 40-50 miles without drama,, says it all so hats off to (Sheel) Rich, let's go get some miles in 🙂
It's times like these when man faces his biggest challenges,,,
I have no rhyme or reason behind it other than to say,,, until you go through these things in life you can't really understand,,,
Both Rich and myself and our families have been facing increadablely difficult realities,,,
After my personal tragedy I questioned the whole meaning of cars and what they are capable of,,
Family and friends convinced me to keep the Tvr, I didn't want to drive it,,, thought somehow owning such a so called fast car etc , was that somehow an influence on the events that lead to my sons death, it's serious stuff,,, but in fact he was a seriously proficient rider from about 5 years old on motorbikes so he was as well equipped as any young man!
Cars are often like your friend, you love em,,
Rich car is such a beauty it seemed a no brainier to help a tad, I really couldn't and still can't concentrate for long,, my mind wanders but slowly by going into Rich's garage and getting to know where things reside, this week especially, just me the car,,,not even music, garage is well insulated,, it's like a quiet calm silence,, the car just sitting there,,,, I'm getting all spiritual now,, but i honestly felt this weird connection to it,, just to know it from such a naked and vulnerable position to being assembled totally correctly and looking like a wonderful car again, it gives you so much confidence in the car when every detail has been inspected, updated, upgraded as nessesary and it just sitting there these last few days, ready,, waiting,, me fumbling about finishing bits off, each time you complete something it's that bit closer to life,,,
Today the sun shone through the bitter cold morning, but it was a classic winters day, heaters keeping us toastie, no sun visors,, yet,,, ha, that was fun, I'd have preferred Rich drive it, but he allowed me the huge privilege of driving today,,
Pain and suffering is part of life,,, today Rich fought the pain and I hope he's feeling hugely rewarded for believing in his own direction and will to win,,
I've been to Goodward, I've been in a few monster cars, but I've never driven one that sounded like the stuff off old quite so much,, the engine/ exhaust sound,, I'll never forget today and I won't rest til I can buy one of them exhausts
It's been great to share time with Richard and his wife Shiela and I'm sure the bacon and sausages will be of the finest order so roll on the butty morning at Rich's,, jeez,, I better clean up the garage haha.
Whatever happens now,a few niggles might show,, but for a man to build this car and drive it away and do 40-50 miles without drama,, says it all so hats off to (Sheel) Rich, let's go get some miles in 🙂
As if by magic,, something else wonderful happened yesterday,,
At 11.02 pm my sons partner gave birth to a healthy baby girl,, I lost a son but gained a granddaughter ,,, hope springs eternal, my son would very much approve of this group help out, he loved what I was doing to the Tvr, he would have wanted me to help Rich,,
Great news,,
I think I can leave Rich alone to enjoy his car shortly, few things I'll save Rich's energy on and finish off but it's now just touching up.
What a palarva and emotional ride this has been, but we or more like Rich did it anyway. Fsntastic achievement I'd say.
Thanks for anyone who posted on here giving incouragment and understanding, I'll read through all the comments when I relax a bit.
This is Rich's car and I'm just lucky to have been able to help in some small way,,
We fking did it boy.
At 11.02 pm my sons partner gave birth to a healthy baby girl,, I lost a son but gained a granddaughter ,,, hope springs eternal, my son would very much approve of this group help out, he loved what I was doing to the Tvr, he would have wanted me to help Rich,,
Great news,,
I think I can leave Rich alone to enjoy his car shortly, few things I'll save Rich's energy on and finish off but it's now just touching up.
What a palarva and emotional ride this has been, but we or more like Rich did it anyway. Fsntastic achievement I'd say.
Thanks for anyone who posted on here giving incouragment and understanding, I'll read through all the comments when I relax a bit.
This is Rich's car and I'm just lucky to have been able to help in some small way,,
We f
king did it boy. Congrats to you and the family. I'm sure your grand daughter will be a bright light in the tragedy that you have faced with such dignity and humanity.
Proud of both you and Rich in the way you have dealt with the various crap that life has thrown at you.
This thread is a lesson to us all that people still care.
Proud of both you and Rich in the way you have dealt with the various crap that life has thrown at you.
This thread is a lesson to us all that people still care.
My last day on Rich's project, 
fitted new seat belts, removed seats for access and i did a bit of painting to bits and bobs,
The original belts rub on the carpet as they pull out, added some spacers and longer bolts to free them up a tad,,
Generally cleaned things up and when she was up in the air checked exhaust clearance and nipped a couple of bolts up but other than that she's fine.
Rich is going to chase the Elec/ fuelling issue in the morning and then hopefully she'll be ready for mapping,,, I walk round and can't find anything else to do, it's like she'd never been apart, as mine stands there as a reminder of what Rich's car once looked like,, it's impossible to tell, you'd not believe it,,
Rich can tinker and finish off detail stuff now, there's a scratch on one of the new mirrors,, gutted, we can't work out how or when we or I did it, maybe when the lads were geo ing it but it's a bummer,, Rich will re paint it at his leisure,
I'm so chuffed it's all done, I can relax and know Rich is going to have a great time in it, he'll be laughing every time he fires it up, it's outrageous but really beautiful, top marks to the man.
I think Tvr's are an inspiration, it's inspired both of us to get right back at it and that's maybe the greatest lesson here, no time to waste, crack on with enthusiasm and make the world a better place for it.
cheers boys
fitted new seat belts, removed seats for access and i did a bit of painting to bits and bobs, The original belts rub on the carpet as they pull out, added some spacers and longer bolts to free them up a tad,,
Generally cleaned things up and when she was up in the air checked exhaust clearance and nipped a couple of bolts up but other than that she's fine.
Rich is going to chase the Elec/ fuelling issue in the morning and then hopefully she'll be ready for mapping,,, I walk round and can't find anything else to do, it's like she'd never been apart, as mine stands there as a reminder of what Rich's car once looked like,, it's impossible to tell, you'd not believe it,,
Rich can tinker and finish off detail stuff now, there's a scratch on one of the new mirrors,, gutted, we can't work out how or when we or I did it, maybe when the lads were geo ing it but it's a bummer,, Rich will re paint it at his leisure,
I'm so chuffed it's all done, I can relax and know Rich is going to have a great time in it, he'll be laughing every time he fires it up, it's outrageous but really beautiful, top marks to the man.
I think Tvr's are an inspiration, it's inspired both of us to get right back at it and that's maybe the greatest lesson here, no time to waste, crack on with enthusiasm and make the world a better place for it.
cheers boys
Well as alun says,that's pretty well it apart from some tidying odds and sods,the standing back and admiring plus the mapping,then there will be the secret polishing,the "I wish I had done that"syndrome etc etc,but are tvr's ever finished?? I would say no,they are always evolving.
Back at Xmas I was having a particular bad time with my illness and the car was just stagnating,I didn't have the health and my motivation was at rock bottom,I knew what it needed it just didn't have the people to achieve the goal
So,you make the decision, and boy was it the right one,I gradually improved,the car started moving forward,people were there embracing what I wanted to do and more amazingly understanding how I wanted it to look
10weeks on and it's gone from a painted bare shell to a completed stunning looking car,bang up to date with very few initial teething problems,that in itself is testimony to the various skill sets that have worked with me and for themselves getting this project together
Alun,Pete hiddlestone,Martin Walton Richard 838 ,Jim my neighbour,my wife sheila,all people that have given time and support to achieve this plus the numerous written comments of encouragement and support to this project
It puts me into a position that I will be able to get out in it and enjoy,days a belting about are over,the mere fact that a 16 year old car still turns heads is enough!!
Life can throw some very stty sticks about,some creep up on you,others are like a bloody great caber dropping on your head,alun has had that with his desperately sad family situation,mine dropped an unexpected bomb last weekend with an infection that took me from hero to zero in 4hours and a prognosis that didn't expect me to be about the next day....but ,you never know what's round the corner
I'm going to try a put a get together as soon as the weather warms slightly,along the lines as previous post of sat am bbq workshop get together etc etc all welcome date tba
Once again thanks to all
Back at Xmas I was having a particular bad time with my illness and the car was just stagnating,I didn't have the health and my motivation was at rock bottom,I knew what it needed it just didn't have the people to achieve the goal
So,you make the decision, and boy was it the right one,I gradually improved,the car started moving forward,people were there embracing what I wanted to do and more amazingly understanding how I wanted it to look
10weeks on and it's gone from a painted bare shell to a completed stunning looking car,bang up to date with very few initial teething problems,that in itself is testimony to the various skill sets that have worked with me and for themselves getting this project together
Alun,Pete hiddlestone,Martin Walton Richard 838 ,Jim my neighbour,my wife sheila,all people that have given time and support to achieve this plus the numerous written comments of encouragement and support to this project
It puts me into a position that I will be able to get out in it and enjoy,days a belting about are over,the mere fact that a 16 year old car still turns heads is enough!!
Life can throw some very s
tty sticks about,some creep up on you,others are like a bloody great caber dropping on your head,alun has had that with his desperately sad family situation,mine dropped an unexpected bomb last weekend with an infection that took me from hero to zero in 4hours and a prognosis that didn't expect me to be about the next day....but ,you never know what's round the corner I'm going to try a put a get together as soon as the weather warms slightly,along the lines as previous post of sat am bbq workshop get together etc etc all welcome date tba
Once again thanks to all
This just has to be one of the most genuine, tragic and heart-warming stories ever on the TVR forums, if not the whole of Pistonheads.
I don’t know any of the participants personally, but have been following events as they unfolded and showing to many others. I share your passion for TVR’s and admire and applaud everyone’s commitment both to our cars and each other – the latter is an example to all that goes well beyond our little community.
I don’t know any of the participants personally, but have been following events as they unfolded and showing to many others. I share your passion for TVR’s and admire and applaud everyone’s commitment both to our cars and each other – the latter is an example to all that goes well beyond our little community.
Edited by Englishman on Friday 26th February 22:45
Well as a testament to the quality of work carried out on this project,techy guru Martin came round to have a play with the misfire.
As in previous posts there has been a misfire in the lower rev range and because it's only running on a base map I was not sure if it was part of the electrical interference I am currently suffering or more fuelling.
A hard blast up the road and a tweek on the fuelling got rid of the misfire,Martin took no prisoners with her and declared an exceptional build and quality drive which was very pleasing and goes to show the skill of people that have worked on her,no vices,no issues,no problems,to come straight out of the workshop and behave like that spells well for the future.
We still however have the interference problem which is manifesting itself with spurious wild signals and unstable controls,more investigation to be made but it's bloody annoying as we have been particularly careful on all the wiring,will send some log files to canems and see what they have to offer....details to follow.....oh and by the way.....she is quick! and that's without the rr sessions
Rich
As in previous posts there has been a misfire in the lower rev range and because it's only running on a base map I was not sure if it was part of the electrical interference I am currently suffering or more fuelling.
A hard blast up the road and a tweek on the fuelling got rid of the misfire,Martin took no prisoners with her and declared an exceptional build and quality drive which was very pleasing and goes to show the skill of people that have worked on her,no vices,no issues,no problems,to come straight out of the workshop and behave like that spells well for the future.
We still however have the interference problem which is manifesting itself with spurious wild signals and unstable controls,more investigation to be made but it's bloody annoying as we have been particularly careful on all the wiring,will send some log files to canems and see what they have to offer....details to follow.....oh and by the way.....she is quick! and that's without the rr sessions
Rich
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