Serp Alternator pulley wheel (tensioner)
Discussion
ClassiChimi said:
Am I right in thinking the adjuster arm is fixed via the water pump bolts, can't quite work it out.
Correct, the adjuster (banana) bracket is the source of much debate, in my opinion it's not the best design but I'm still using it and it works just fine. Others have replaced it with a double rose jointed turnbuckle which seems like a much neater solution that allows for easier belt tensioning too.ClassiChimi said:
How much was it, 
, I don't want to know anymore but I will ask again, just for reference,,,, how much Davie boy.
The JE website quotes it at £64:, I don't want to know anymore but I will ask again, just for reference,,,, how much Davie boy. http://www.johnealesroverv8.co.uk/9.html
All his prices are subject to VAT so that's £76.80 plus postage, so lets say £80 all in, or look at it another way only £40 more than that knocky sprocky jockey you just purchased. Talk to Powers who I'm sure will do you a credit/return, then find just another £40 and you've got yourself the neater more reliable JE alternator bracket instead.
ClassiChimi said:
To be honest I sometimes just think stop modding,, I keep getting wrapped up in the value and originality etc etc I don't want some anorack telling me I've ruined my car.
Mate, your car is massively enhanced!!!The engine management system and Brembo brake upgrade alone are monumental steps forward in making the car so much more usable and enjoyable to own. I have never worried about originality because I have always been super careful not to mess with the car's aesthetics or stray from it's original design and unique character.
My objective was always to build the ultimate usable classic British sports car for everyday use on modern roads, and to achieve this at reasonable cost. Basically it's all about me wanting an Eagle E-Type and being about £480k short of paying Eagle's £500k asking price
In order to achieve my objective I needed to start with the best platform, something that had the right old school back to basics driving character traits and personality but one with some of the expensive bits of my planned enhancement process already in place. When I studied my options the Chimaera was quite simply the best base platform to set about achieving my goal of my very own Eagle- E-Type on a real world budget.
As standard the Chimaera comes with a powerful and reliable multi cylinder engine, a Borg Warner T5 five speed gearbox, fuel injection, all around disc brakes, unequal length wishbone coil over all independent suspension, and a BTR limited slip differential. On top of all that you get creature comforts like electric windows, excellent ergonomics, good interior ventilation & heating ect ect.
Best of all seven years ago when I bought my Chimaera values had genuinely bottomed out at a low point I was sure would not remain for long. If I'd started with a 60's car to create my dream it would have needed £20k spending on it just to bring the thing close to what you get standard with a Chimaera. I did look at this and concluded my best bet would be to take an MGB Roadster, drop a Rover V8 in it and a T5 box, plus set about modifying the suspension with a Frontline kit and then fitting a limited slip diff and all around disc brakes, engine management ect ect.
The base MGB would have been £8k to buy and the modification budget ran to £20k, the Chimaera was also £8k to buy but came with the 20k of MGB modifications as standard and in the end I concluded the TVR would still end up being the better car by a considerable margin. The way I see it buying my Chimaera immediately saved me £20k in my bid to create the ultimate usable performance British classic.
I could then use this £20k I'd saved to enhance my Chimaera still further, better still I could use the car straight away and upgrade it in stages while still using and enjoying it as I slowly moved it closer to my goal of creating a competitor to the glorious Eagle E-Type on the cheap.
This is all why I don't consider what I'm doing with my TVR to be costly, my enhancements of what was already a brilliant platform to start with have all actually been a series of amazing bargains if I compare them with what I would have spent on that MGB.
Seven years on and I still have over half of my £20k MGB modification budget left which at some point will go on a full chassis restoration and a set of the very best coil overs from Intrax, which is all that's needed now to complete my objective of creating the ultimate genuinely usable British classic sports car for the modern world.
My very own Eagle E-Type on the cheap is very close to being finished, and at £28k all in you tell me what other classic car I could buy for the same money that offers the same level of braking, performance, handling, drivability, creature comforts and fuel economy for the same money? Even my holy grail £500k Eagle E-Type would struggle to compete in some areas, for example that Eagle isn't going to give anywhere near the 45-50mpg I'm enjoying from 'Ol Gasbag'!
So don't fret over what you're spending on your Chimaera Alun, carefully selected enhancements of an already excellent platform all represent money well spent and should be considered absolute bargains when compared with the improved British classic sports car competition!
Enjoy your bargain mate
I enjoyed reading that with my bacon roll and morning coffee, phew I thought it was only me who invested heavily in the belief I've got the last great Brit classic soft top sports car.
I've already been using the pulley Dave,,, fitted it then came on here, berk!
Subconsciously I obviously wanted someone to point out the obvious and show me a bracket.
I'm odd in I like leaving jobs to do,, I've learnt in the past, once it's all done,, what then,, boredom sets in and I get itchy feet, I've wasted thousands on cars, then started again with something else,,
No no no,, saying that I've got plenty of work ahead when I eventually replace/ clean up riggers so little jobs like the JE bracket will be reward for doing the s
t jobs first.
The suspension is one area I'd like to maximise someday if I ever have any money, it's great on an open road but that's about it, My Triumph motorbike has better springs it seems
The real irony is how many looks I get from people who think it all cost far more than it did,,
My mates Porsche has just had the rear springs replaced,,, just the springs,,, now that's fking expensive,,,, springs snapped and it's a 2006 car! Ceramic brake upgrade 5K or something like that,, he hardly ever drives the car it costs so much to turn the key,,, and he prefers my car, it's written all over him everytime I go see him.
The real irony is how he's gone from telling me I'm stupid for spending on a Tvr to total envy at how the car is. He can't quite bring himself to admit it.
His mates got a Lamborghini, he's a hair dresser so can't actually afford it, I often take the piss, what's the longest journey or when did you drive it last, when's the clutch need replacing,, he's sinking into his own st,, he offered me 5K for my car a few months ago,, anger,,,, he nearly woke up with a crowd around him and a Panda eye : hehe:
But as with all these people, the regularity that I drive past his shop, I don't react to such abuse and just give him a nod on the horn, he now stands and watches as I drive by,, I'd say it's joelousy but actually it's envy at my great car and it's cheap reliability.
I once felt in a head lock by mates who knew better, total reversal now and I've slam dunked em,,, but then I always knew I would.
I've already been using the pulley Dave,,, fitted it then came on here, berk!
Subconsciously I obviously wanted someone to point out the obvious and show me a bracket.
I'm odd in I like leaving jobs to do,, I've learnt in the past, once it's all done,, what then,, boredom sets in and I get itchy feet, I've wasted thousands on cars, then started again with something else,,
No no no,, saying that I've got plenty of work ahead when I eventually replace/ clean up riggers so little jobs like the JE bracket will be reward for doing the s
t jobs first. The suspension is one area I'd like to maximise someday if I ever have any money, it's great on an open road but that's about it, My Triumph motorbike has better springs it seems
The real irony is how many looks I get from people who think it all cost far more than it did,,
My mates Porsche has just had the rear springs replaced,,, just the springs,,, now that's f
king expensive,,,, springs snapped and it's a 2006 car! Ceramic brake upgrade 5K or something like that,, he hardly ever drives the car it costs so much to turn the key,,, and he prefers my car, it's written all over him everytime I go see him. The real irony is how he's gone from telling me I'm stupid for spending on a Tvr to total envy at how the car is. He can't quite bring himself to admit it.
His mates got a Lamborghini, he's a hair dresser so can't actually afford it, I often take the piss, what's the longest journey or when did you drive it last, when's the clutch need replacing,, he's sinking into his own s
t,, he offered me 5K for my car a few months ago,, anger,,,, he nearly woke up with a crowd around him and a Panda eye : hehe: But as with all these people, the regularity that I drive past his shop, I don't react to such abuse and just give him a nod on the horn, he now stands and watches as I drive by,, I'd say it's joelousy but actually it's envy at my great car and it's cheap reliability.
I once felt in a head lock by mates who knew better, total reversal now and I've slam dunked em,,, but then I always knew I would.
ChimpOnGas said:
ClassiChimi said:
Am I right in thinking the adjuster arm is fixed via the water pump bolts, can't quite work it out.
Correct, the adjuster (banana) bracket is the source of much debate, in my opinion it's not the best design but I'm still using it and it works just fine. Others have replaced it with a double rose jointed turnbuckle which seems like a much neater solution that allows for easier belt tensioning too.Looks like he'll make them to whatever spec you want - just haven't worked out what min/max length and what eye-end diameters are needed for the JE bracket yet as mine is still sat in the container somewhere and hasn't been fitted...
Phil
The idea of the spring loaded tensioner you have Alun, is to keep a constant pressure on the belt under all operating conditions. It ensures a constant and even pressure so there is less risk of damage to other pulleys/components run by the belt. There are few , if any cars now, that do not use this type of auxiliary belt tensioner and while the bearing may fail very many do not.
Those cars with manual tensioning such as that suggested here, will be guesswork when actually tensioning the belt. Or has someone produced a tried and tested deflection measurement to ensure the load is correct? Hmmm....
Overloading will certainly cause premature water pump failure and probably alternator pulley bearing as well.
If all you want is one less component in the engine bay, then do it at your own risk. Just because someone else has gone 2 years without a problem does not necessarily mean you will as there is no way you can guess the tension. I am confident Land Rover and others did considerable research when designing this method of tensioning to ensure longevity of auxiliary components so I will do the same as you and replace like for like.
Those cars with manual tensioning such as that suggested here, will be guesswork when actually tensioning the belt. Or has someone produced a tried and tested deflection measurement to ensure the load is correct? Hmmm....
Overloading will certainly cause premature water pump failure and probably alternator pulley bearing as well.
If all you want is one less component in the engine bay, then do it at your own risk. Just because someone else has gone 2 years without a problem does not necessarily mean you will as there is no way you can guess the tension. I am confident Land Rover and others did considerable research when designing this method of tensioning to ensure longevity of auxiliary components so I will do the same as you and replace like for like.
At last a lone voice in the wilderness, backing up the use of the tensioner.
Yes, I had to replace mine last year, but no, it doesn't go instantly, so you get enough warning that it needs replacing, and it takes all the guesswork out of what tension is required.
I will be using the tensioner as long as I have an RV8 car, which will be a long time to come.
Yes, I had to replace mine last year, but no, it doesn't go instantly, so you get enough warning that it needs replacing, and it takes all the guesswork out of what tension is required.
I will be using the tensioner as long as I have an RV8 car, which will be a long time to come.
I had a quick think, decided upon not risking the JE bracket as I'm not convinced, bearing pressure etc,
Dave and others have used it with no apparent issue but I really don't like the banana arm or the rose jointed affair.
I was revving the engine earlier and the tentioner does move under torque, so it does adjust the tention, it's new, it's shiny and it's proven, if it ever plays up I'll look again but for now I'm happy to keep the original set up.
Dave and others have used it with no apparent issue but I really don't like the banana arm or the rose jointed affair.
I was revving the engine earlier and the tentioner does move under torque, so it does adjust the tention, it's new, it's shiny and it's proven, if it ever plays up I'll look again but for now I'm happy to keep the original set up.
It appears that the original tensioners managed 20 years and 60k+ miles, that's perfectly reasonable. These more recent premature failures could be a bad batch of replacement parts. I'm sticking with the tensioner design, if it was a bad batch, hopefully they're now used up and the current stock will give another 20 years service
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff