My 1992 Griffith 400 (250)

My 1992 Griffith 400 (250)

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AlanW

290 posts

237 months

Sunday 15th November 2015
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Bill - OZ wheel sticker spot on thanks.

Jay - plenum badge fits in the 3.9 slot exactly (cleaned it as yours puts mine to shame!)

Drivers door dropped in the week, spent a pleasant hour removing door speaker and squeezing in spanner to tighten top bolt!

Think I may have to replace the rad or recore as running warm with the fans on full time when up to temp - bottom of rad cold when up to full temp!

Seems like I've never been away from TVR - even garage has a that TVR smell

jay-kay-em

Original Poster:

217 posts

203 months

Saturday 12th November 2016
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Hi Folks,

Just a little update now the Griff is SORN.

I’d like to report woeful under-usage in 2016 I’m afraid. Multiple reasons, but I have two other mistresses that demand attention and the Mk2 has been really troublesome this year…



Griff drama started early in my first year. The battery light (not that you would know it’s a battery light as it’s just a random LED) illuminated one night in Bury St. Edmunds, about 45 miles from home. It was getting dusk and I didn’t want to risk being stranded on the A14 with no hazard lamps if I chose to drive on battery only. I had to call breakdown, sadly. Oh the shame!



I told the RAC service centre exactly what was up – “alternator bearings sound awful, nothing you can do, just get me home”.

1hr 30mins later a transit panel van arrives and the sub-contractor shouts out the window “I’m here for your jump start mate”. Great! I tell him to send a truck…

Another 1hr 30mins passes with multiple calls to the RAC service centre. What turns up next is a baliff-type truck. Basically, metal clamps bolt against the wheels and it lifts the car up. The protective rubber blocks were damaged. There was no way he was using those clamps against my freshly refurbished O.Z.’s. He radios-in and disappears.



It’s now midnight, 4.5 hours after my initial call. My mobile phone is dying. Its getting cold, and I ring the RAC call centre for the tenth time. Their advice is they don’t have a prestige recovery solution, lock the car, get the train home and they will recover in the morning. Get lost I said! I am not abandoning my car with a pram-roof in an unlit car park. I said I know a local company called Manchetts – a private company who contract to the AA that have a prestige solution. After much haggling with a manager, it was agreed I pay for Manchetts on my credit card and submit a claim to the RAC at a later date.

Needless to say, Manchetts came in 45 mins, ultra-low demountable bed, alloy wheel covers and a clean, presentable cab.





Oh the embarrassment...



Because of which I am no longer a member of the RAC after ten years and have joined AA. Shame really.

To remedy, I wanted to keep the alternator casing and pulley as they were special/polished.



So I stripped/swapped over the internals. It’s a generic Lucas A127 which, after a bit of research is fitted to an old Escort Diesel. Euro Car Parts had a genuine Lucas item for about £55. The A127 is either left/right handed – but as I wanted the internals it didn’t matter. You can trace that alternator back to 1970's tractors and all sorts. Incidentally, TVR Heritage want £90 for one that isn’t even branded.



More electrical gremlins next. Last year I brought her back on the road with a brand new Exide:



A month or so later, whilst rummaging around in the footwell, I noticed it was leaking. First of all, with an alternator I had just rebuilt, I feared an overcharging problem boiling the battery. Nothing of the sort. The top casing is plastic welded to the body. Tip the battery at the slightest angle, and acidic water leaks down the side…





It was a manufacturing defect and the top wasn’t fully sealed/plastic welded. Battery acid had gone everywhere. Destroyed some carpets and had started to attack the Engine ECU.





I cleaned everything up as best I could. I researched AGM batteries but finally settled for a traditional lead/acid battery – but with a leak proof guarantee. Again, like the Exide, I chose Euro Car Parts because any problems, you can just plonk it on the counter with no return postage hassles. This time it’s a Duracell. ECP gave me my money back on the Exide.



Before installation I tipped it at some aggressive angles and all is dry!

I disposed of the fibreglass box I’m afraid.



I purchased a new, open type battery tray which makes battery installation easier.



Unfortunately the poles are the wrong way round so I had to extend the positive lead. All good and no leaks thus far!

A few meets with Cambridgeshire TVR Car Club Region



More electrical problems next – its been a themed year! My headlights wouldn’t turn off!

Press the button off, still on. Keys out the ignition, still on. Close the door and lock it, still on! First it was a 10 sec delay, then a minute, gave it a few weeks and they stayed on indefinitely. Had to disconnect the battery!

Traced it back to the relay sticking.



The contacts were corroded with a white fur. Cleaned these up, cover back on, fault cured. That, and the headlamps are 10x brighter. For everone slagging off the original Cibie’s – check your relay!


2016 Events

Did supercar Sunday at the Sharnebrook Arms, Bedfordshire – always very busy and some interesting exotica.



Visiting my mates house. Two pieces of poorly built british rubbish!



Camping with mates...



Anything better? TVR, summer evening, sausages and beer.



Finally, met up with GriffLee in Peterbororugh. Top bloke.



2016 Photography

Bit of good news, won the TVRCC ‘picture this’ competition biggrin



Happy days! Bit of a boost after all the grief.

To me, this is what Griff ownership is all about. A late summers evening, warm, roof down, sun setting. Just ideal and the reason why we do it.



Same time next year chaps! Let’s get through this depressing winter.

Regards,

Jay.

Edited by jay-kay-em on Wednesday 27th December 22:12

Matthew Poxon

5,329 posts

172 months

Saturday 12th November 2016
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Enjoyed reading your update, certainly eventful!

Car looks so good in black with those pristine OZ wheels. Congrats on the Sprint photo competition, I do remember seeing that photo but I didn't realise it was you car. Nicely done and great photo.

Shame about the battery, the chances of that happening must be very slim.

Great to see you are using the car and enjoying it. If mine was in as good a condition as yours I don't think it would ever leave the garage!

AlanW

290 posts

237 months

Wednesday 16th November 2016
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Jay hi

Hope you don't mind me jumping onto the 400(250) forum again smile

ready for winter storage today, all carpets professionally washed & cleaned, upholstery treated to a clean & leather feed, windows, body & wheels all washed, waxed (or equivalent).

wait for carpets to fully dry & engine to cool before putting under cover......

we MUST meet up next year if we both have our cars still (work a bit suspect for me at the moment!!).

couple of pictures, car is getting there now, pleased with it.....

AlanW

290 posts

237 months

Wednesday 16th November 2016
quotequote all

AlanW

290 posts

237 months

Wednesday 16th November 2016
quotequote all

AlanW

290 posts

237 months

Wednesday 16th November 2016
quotequote all

AlanW

290 posts

237 months

Wednesday 16th November 2016
quotequote all

AlanW

290 posts

237 months

Wednesday 16th November 2016
quotequote all

AlanW

290 posts

237 months

Wednesday 16th November 2016
quotequote all

GriffLee

52 posts

91 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
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Nice update and good to see both our Griffs in that pic!

jay-kay-em

Original Poster:

217 posts

203 months

Sunday 3rd June 2018
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As its been 18 months, thought I'd do a little diary update.

Not long after the last update, my world fell apart. Lost my house and garage. All my tools went into a pay-to-rent storage container, and vehicles stashed with friends. The Griff did one last trip to Bury St. Edmunds...



Here it lived for 10 months... with me in debt to a close friend with garage space....



Bought a Transit, converted it to a no-frills motorhome and toured Wales...



On the way back, visited the old TVR factory. Unfortunately, I was a little bit late. The main building had been flattened.





Here's my best comparison. Stock file photo left, my view on the right. frown



Only an ice rink remains - which will be part of the old buildings. Asked permission and had a walk around - the parts hanger still exists.



There is still evidence to be found...



Left with a bit of the factory that my Griff rolled through 26 years ago... need to mount this on a wooden base smile



Anyways, back on the grid now, bought a house in Alconbury and now building a workshop for Trev.







Trev is currently in the garage to the right of that pic - so she made the return trip from Bury St. Edmunds and started doing the rounds again...



Went with the TVRCC to Kimbolton... a really good car show near St. Neots. Tremendous turn out. Will be doing it again in 2018.





Drove it home, parked it it in the garage. Next day, i'm in the garden and can smell petrol. I open the garage door to what can only be described as carnage. £50 of unleaded on the floor, still dripping out the boot drain hole.

I open the garage door to vent, and drain whats left.



I then activate the manual boot release, because i'm worried a spark from the solenoid boot release will blow the car up! The carpets were saturated with fuel, all the carpet glue now soggy and tacky.

Out comes the tank.



Page one of this thread shows me removing the in-tank gauze. The take-off point is a big threaded nut basically. Well, three years ago I made a gasket for that nut with gasket paper and supposedly petrol-proof Hylomar blue. You heard it here first - that method only lasts three years!

Back to the drawing board - and I found Loctite 577. Its sole purpose is a coarse thread sealant and guaranteed petrol proof. Only disadvantage... it bloomin' expensive for a little bottle!



Cleaned the threads up, and applied liberally...



Tank refitted (again!). 6 months later and all is still good - apart from my carpets still having an aroma of petrol no matter how much I clean them!

Full service next, no dramas. Here is a picture of my CJ Auto ramps that I'm very happy with. These often get mentioned on PH. They are the non-hydraulic ones and get tremendous height.



I was getting Trev ready for my mates wedding in Renesse; Netherlands. A proper road-trip ahead!

Waiting for the Ferry @ Harwich...



Obligatory wedding venue and windmill shots...







Another exclusive fibreglass hand-built English motor car.... LHD too!



Special thanks to my Dutch pals; Bas & Joep and junior pistonhead Tobias:



Safely making it home...



So... European road trip feedback :

  • No aircon and random ventilation means unbearably hot interior (thanks to the good weather)
  • Terrible appetite for fuel
  • You cant put the roof down with anything in the boot
  • Visibility for dutch cyclists terrible
  • Visibility for foreign overhead traffic lights terrible
  • Km markings on the speedo too small (surprised it has them to be fair)
  • Dutch kerbs at junctions destroyed my exhausts
  • The wipers are terrible
  • The roof/door window interaction leaks
  • My suitcases and clothes stink of petrol (see above)
But, on the plus side, it sounds bl**dy awesome in tunnels driving

Next update in 18 months... i'm not going anywhere else brand wise.... I just don't know what can replace it.

JKM

Edited by jay-kay-em on Sunday 3rd June 19:12

jay-kay-em

Original Poster:

217 posts

203 months

Sunday 28th July 2019
quotequote all
Another year... another update... where does time go!?!

Everyone likes photos - and I always like activity in the Griffith section - so here we go!

Firstly, garage done! bounce





Over-budget, over-time and with snags. Like any building project then!

All kitted out January. All my stuff herded back from mates garages and storage containers.





Griff went up on axle stands April with quite a to-do list. Just at the start of the season annoyingly, but garage completion dictated my calendar.



Primary reason was leaking exhaust manifolds... both left and right banks blowing.

Examination from below revealed a handful of bolts backed out... red rust visible.





Starter removed for better access...



Starter fixings total junk... all now replaced. Top starter fixing a nuisance to get to, I must say.



Slightly alarming.... the original 1992 Magnetti Marelli starter... dated 37th week of 1992! This starter is on borrowed time surely!?! laugh



Manifold bolts coming out... some very awkward. Old spring washers absolutely useless....!



Hmmmm... proof if any was needed... blowing ever so slightly eek



Cut an old bolt and cleaned the head bolt threads, plenty of GT85... loads of debris removed.





Cleaning up gasket surfaces...



New gaskets from TVR Heritage (enlarged 500 ports)...





I spent hours on Pistonheads reading endless threads about this very problem... exhaust manifold bolts working loose. The opinions varied from a "c'est la vie" attitude, tightening them every now again as a service item, all the way through to aviation grade titanium fixings being wire-tied. Plus, every option between, trust me. I even read about the incompatibility between stainless steel bolts in an alloy head.

I don't think there is a *right* answer. In most situations I always try to go OEM+, good or bad. My strategy was everything out the Rimmer Bros catalogue for the SD1.... nothing fancy... spring washers and zinc plated steel bolts. Boring I know. The difference being I was going to use the lock-tabs fitted to Land Rovers.

All was going well until I noticed the contact marks on the manifold left by the old fixings...



Basically, the weld encroaches on the space the fixings should tighten down on. The white arrow is the freshly marked weld, the orange stain (yellow arrow) is the rusty spring washer contact patch.

All this debate about the best fixings - its all irrelevant if they don't have a nice clean, flat and level surface to torque down on!



I don't know if anyone recognises the make of these manifolds... they were fitted when I bought the car, but that isn't great surely?

Anyway, my 'fix' was to cut down spacer washers to create a stable torque base. Washers fitted...



Note the 45' chamfer that clears the weld...



All fixings ready to go on - note the Land Rover lock-tabs...

Had to disregard the spring washers because we have less bolt thread in the head. My reasoning being, if they are being lock-tabbed, spring washers are not so critical. In fact, the Land Rover OE solution with the lock-tabs are washer free.



So all back together and lock-tabs bent over... see how we get on.



Obviously, with the exhaust manifolds off, you notice other things. First was engine mounts...



Took them off.... not in the best of shape! Admittedly, they had no noticeable symptoms.



Cleaned and painted the brackets. What I love about TVR, is all parts have a 'history'. This bracket wasn't made by a german robot. It was probably welded together in a jig by a bloke called Colin. Further more, this bracket, and indeed the whole Griffith sales success in 1992 ensured families in Blackpool were fed. Crazy.





All back to together. Lots of jiggling, levering and jack tweaking required to get the bolts lined up. Engine sits noticeably higher when comparing before/after measurements.



So, exhaust all off... time for a clean and strip down.



Exhaust 'bobbins' all torn and perished...



Available from TVR Heritage with new stainless fixings...





Exhaust going back on... two people ideal but didn't have the luxury, so...



...I converted my adjustable height car ramps into a jacking platform for the centre silencer!



When I was under the vehicle, I noticed a slightly compromised fuel hose. Its the return line in the offside rear wheel arch. Someone had over tightened the cable-tie resulting in an almost crimped off hose!

What drew my attention was the smallest of cracks...



Took the hose off and it was way worse than what I thought. I have done all the pressure hoses and all hoses in the engine bay, but had forgot about this one.



Spark plugs when the exhaust manifold were off... I know its cheating! All that room!!!!



Never used anything other than NGK for 25 years!



Really happy how the old plugs looked...



Sump next, and an oil leak that was getting worse...



Cork gasket had given up.



Sump off, not looking very pretty. Time for a spruce up...





Always nice to have a peek up inside the engine with the sump off. No debris/swarf in the sump so that's all good.

Engine is ridiculously clean inside... the benefit of the endless history of oil changes I guess...





New cork gasket...



Slight admission here. Cork gaskets are rubbish. I knew this already and still fitted one. Did 100 miles and it started leaking again. It's impossible to torque the sump bolts to even 9Nm without destroying the cork. I am now running a 'no gasket method' with just VHT silicone. See how we got on.

Diff oil next... found the fill point.



Filled via silicone tube...



Trans oil...



Again, nothing special. LT 'box gets mineral ATF DII, filled from the engine bay via silicone tube.



Next up, a front brake judder...



New Brembo discs up front from Euro Car Parts for a 2.0 Sierra.

You buy Brembo because you think they are the best. Two worrying things on the box...



a) made in China eek
b) also suitable for an Escort van rofl

We'll gloss over the Escort van, This is a premium sports car; they *are* correct, I promise!

Next up, one man bleeding for a full fluid flush - using my excellent Gunsons Eazibleed. Fully recommend.



Really happy with brake pedal feel. Awesome pedal.

MoT prep next. Wheels are a few years after refurb now... having bare metal outer rims.



Still looking really good, perhaps this stuff does help after all...



Finally MoT time was end of June... no probs cool



Emissions passed, but much weaker CO than last year. I'm wondering if the crimped fuel return line actually increased fuel rail pressure. Now unrestricted = lower return pressure = lower rail pressure = less fuel injected? Need to go back to the garage and tweak the mixture to richen it up a bit. Idles differently so something has definitely changed.

Taxed 1st July and I have had a brilliant three weeks burbling about Cambs/Suffolk. Missed half my summer, but that's how these things go.







(Sorry to all the pedestrians I annoyed with this photo at Ipswich docks!)



Sometimes its shape still blows me away.



That's it folks... update in 2020 with hopefully very little drama... and exhaust manifolds still gas-tight hopefully! wink

JKM

GTRene

16,372 posts

223 months

Sunday 28th July 2019
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wow, great write up, excellent with all those pictures, good job and job done, bravo.

Granturadriver

574 posts

260 months

Monday 29th July 2019
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First time I see this wonderfull threat about your great work on this fantastic looking car! Congratulations!

I love to see the before / during / after pics.

Great jobs and very detailed!

stevesprint

1,114 posts

178 months

Monday 29th July 2019
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jay-kay-em said:
I don't know if anyone recognises the make of these manifolds... they were fitted when I bought the car, but that isn't great surely?
They are Great !!!! and look like JP Exhaust's Mk I manifolds for Precats, https://www.jpexhausts.co.uk/ , you can deal direct or via www.actproducts.co.uk .

Here’s a nice example of JP's Mk II for Precats. Not my Griff but can you spot the difference smile



if you ask JP nicely they’ll give you a guided tour




Very impressive work, those manifold bolts alone are a sod in situ plus I like your style doing almost a full restoration in stages.

I look forward to the next instalment and thanks for the tip to clean the threads in the heads.

Sorry, can I ask how far back did you rewire the your engine harness?

Edited by stevesprint on Monday 29th July 23:23

TrotCanterGallopCharge

420 posts

89 months

Tuesday 30th July 2019
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Top Work!

Enjoyed the story & pics, thank you.

Wishing you many trouble free miles!

jay-kay-em

Original Poster:

217 posts

203 months

Tuesday 30th July 2019
quotequote all
Kind words all, cheers.

stevesprint said:
thanks for the tip to clean the threads in the heads.
What I have noticed, and this especially goes for the sump too, when people have a used a silicone RTV gasket, sealant actually fills the bolt holes. When I was doing my sump gasket, the bolts were actually hydraulic-locking against the old sealant in the bore, before clamping the object down. Basically, dig what you can out with a spike first!

stevesprint said:
Sorry, can I ask how far back did you rewire the your engine harness?
It was a bit of everything really. It was on a wire-by-wire basis on how it looked & felt. The positive cable got a total re-work with the addition of a master fuse as the pre-cats don't have one. Well, mine didn't anyway. A direct feed to the starter is asking for trouble! I purchased my big crimps especially for this. Otherwise, insulation, routing and termination were priorities. Fan wiring was water damaged and I detest those infamous blue AMP crimps!

Hope this helps.


Edited by jay-kay-em on Tuesday 30th July 21:24

FlipFlopGriff

7,144 posts

246 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
stevesprint said:
They are Great !!!! and look like JP Exhaust's Mk I manifolds for Precats, https://www.jpexhausts.co.uk/ , you can deal direct or via www.actproducts.co.uk .

Here’s a nice example of JP's Mk II for Precats. Not my Griff but can you spot the difference smile
I've got these and they are JP bought via ACT.
FFG

BIG DUNC

1,918 posts

222 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
Looks lovely.

Mine is very similar, but with five spoke AMIL wheels.

My manifolds are the ACT performance manifolds. They look similar, only the after the four into one on each side, there are twin down pipes with a Y piece at the bottom.

Keep up the great thread and the great pictures.