Worth saving my Griff?
Discussion
Thanks bluebottle - that's a very nice contemporary interior colour and certainly brings the Griff bang up to date so thanks for posting. I think the cream actually looks very like magnolia to me. By the way I bloody love reflex charcoal - just can't afford it!!
Keep the interior pics coming...
Saxon
Keep the interior pics coming...
Saxon
saxon said:
So radiator re-cored and car now running noticeably cooler. I think the years standing did the old rad no favours.
Car is now booked in for a full respray in the existing Cooper green colour and I'm toying with going the whole hog and having a full interior retrim done - Central TVR are looking like a good bet. If I do that I would be interested in a whole new colour scheme inside as my magnolia trim does seem a bit too yellow for my taste - maybe it's just aged and goes like that because in the catalogues of the period magnolia looks less yellow to me.
I'm definitely putting in green carpets. The question is whether to trim the seats and other bits in cream, portland grey, magnolia or parchment. Can anybody post some photos of their car with any of these interior colours to help me to decide!! Were there any other light colours other than those I've mentioned?
Grateful for any input!
Saxon
My seats trying trimmed by Central TVR in March this year, very pleased Car is now booked in for a full respray in the existing Cooper green colour and I'm toying with going the whole hog and having a full interior retrim done - Central TVR are looking like a good bet. If I do that I would be interested in a whole new colour scheme inside as my magnolia trim does seem a bit too yellow for my taste - maybe it's just aged and goes like that because in the catalogues of the period magnolia looks less yellow to me.
I'm definitely putting in green carpets. The question is whether to trim the seats and other bits in cream, portland grey, magnolia or parchment. Can anybody post some photos of their car with any of these interior colours to help me to decide!! Were there any other light colours other than those I've mentioned?
Grateful for any input!
Saxon
Edited by Andav469 on Friday 8th July 11:33
The seats look great - nothing at all to complain about with those! Do you know if they can do the TVR logo with the horizontal lines through it as it is on the corporate logo?
Interestingly after we gave the interior a good clean a couple of weeks back with autoglym etc I thought it was looking a lot better but this morning I went out with one of those magic sponge things and my goodness did that make a difference!! By far the very best cleaner I have ever used - truly incredible how much filth it lifts off - you can see a line between where you've used it and not used it.
Having done that and also received some samples from the trimmer I'm planning to use I am now thinking I will stick with magnolia and if I do that I may not need a full retrim. Trimmer has quoted about £1600-£1700 to do seats and carpets or £3700 for full retrim. There are one or two other bits that will need cleaning up over and above seats and carpets so I expect I will end up spending £2000 for a part retrim but thanks to magic sponge I think that will work out OK.
Anyway having spent close to £7000 on the mechanicals and outriggers and expecting to have to find £2000 of the respray cost (some of the rest is insurance claimable) I think the whole exercise of putting her back on the road will have cost around £12000 all in which isn't too wide of my original budget of £10k I suppose. The thing is though it will then be a well sorted Griff with lots of new mechanical bits, new outriggers, a Peter Wiggins dash, a good professionally installed sound system, a full respray and a fair bit of trim work and refurbed OZ multispoke alloys.
From here on in she will be garaged constantly, kept under a car cover and cosseted!
At least she's back on the road and we're enjoying her in the meantime.
Saxon
Interestingly after we gave the interior a good clean a couple of weeks back with autoglym etc I thought it was looking a lot better but this morning I went out with one of those magic sponge things and my goodness did that make a difference!! By far the very best cleaner I have ever used - truly incredible how much filth it lifts off - you can see a line between where you've used it and not used it.
Having done that and also received some samples from the trimmer I'm planning to use I am now thinking I will stick with magnolia and if I do that I may not need a full retrim. Trimmer has quoted about £1600-£1700 to do seats and carpets or £3700 for full retrim. There are one or two other bits that will need cleaning up over and above seats and carpets so I expect I will end up spending £2000 for a part retrim but thanks to magic sponge I think that will work out OK.
Anyway having spent close to £7000 on the mechanicals and outriggers and expecting to have to find £2000 of the respray cost (some of the rest is insurance claimable) I think the whole exercise of putting her back on the road will have cost around £12000 all in which isn't too wide of my original budget of £10k I suppose. The thing is though it will then be a well sorted Griff with lots of new mechanical bits, new outriggers, a Peter Wiggins dash, a good professionally installed sound system, a full respray and a fair bit of trim work and refurbed OZ multispoke alloys.
From here on in she will be garaged constantly, kept under a car cover and cosseted!
At least she's back on the road and we're enjoying her in the meantime.
Saxon
saxon said:
The seats look great - nothing at all to complain about with those! Do you know if they can do the TVR logo with the horizontal lines through it as it is on the corporate logo?
Interestingly after we gave the interior a good clean a couple of weeks back with autoglym etc I thought it was looking a lot better but this morning I went out with one of those magic sponge things and my goodness did that make a difference!! By far the very best cleaner I have ever used - truly incredible how much filth it lifts off - you can see a line between where you've used it and not used it.
Having done that and also received some samples from the trimmer I'm planning to use I am now thinking I will stick with magnolia and if I do that I may not need a full retrim. Trimmer has quoted about £1600-£1700 to do seats and carpets or £3700 for full retrim. There are one or two other bits that will need cleaning up over and above seats and carpets so I expect I will end up spending £2000 for a part retrim but thanks to magic sponge I think that will work out OK.
Anyway having spent close to £7000 on the mechanicals and outriggers and expecting to have to find £2000 of the respray cost (some of the rest is insurance claimable) I think the whole exercise of putting her back on the road will have cost around £12000 all in which isn't too wide of my original budget of £10k I suppose. The thing is though it will then be a well sorted Griff with lots of new mechanical bits, new outriggers, a Peter Wiggins dash, a good professionally installed sound system, a full respray and a fair bit of trim work and refurbed OZ multispoke alloys.
From here on in she will be garaged constantly, kept under a car cover and cosseted!
At least she's back on the road and we're enjoying her in the meantime.
Saxon
Yes they do the TVR logo with the horizontal lines stitched in too Interestingly after we gave the interior a good clean a couple of weeks back with autoglym etc I thought it was looking a lot better but this morning I went out with one of those magic sponge things and my goodness did that make a difference!! By far the very best cleaner I have ever used - truly incredible how much filth it lifts off - you can see a line between where you've used it and not used it.
Having done that and also received some samples from the trimmer I'm planning to use I am now thinking I will stick with magnolia and if I do that I may not need a full retrim. Trimmer has quoted about £1600-£1700 to do seats and carpets or £3700 for full retrim. There are one or two other bits that will need cleaning up over and above seats and carpets so I expect I will end up spending £2000 for a part retrim but thanks to magic sponge I think that will work out OK.
Anyway having spent close to £7000 on the mechanicals and outriggers and expecting to have to find £2000 of the respray cost (some of the rest is insurance claimable) I think the whole exercise of putting her back on the road will have cost around £12000 all in which isn't too wide of my original budget of £10k I suppose. The thing is though it will then be a well sorted Griff with lots of new mechanical bits, new outriggers, a Peter Wiggins dash, a good professionally installed sound system, a full respray and a fair bit of trim work and refurbed OZ multispoke alloys.
From here on in she will be garaged constantly, kept under a car cover and cosseted!
At least she's back on the road and we're enjoying her in the meantime.
Saxon
Thought you guys may be inrested to hear an update on the resurrection of my Griff!
After all the work by APM I had the respray done by Andy House of Liphook (who incidentally Fernhurst use). The thing that was really impressive about them was the fact that they seemed to really care about my car and took a real pride in the job to a greater degree than any dealer I have ever used for anything. Sure it cost money, sure they have to make a profit but I really got the feeling they were primarily doing it because they absolutely love seeing a car come back to life due to their skills. Evidence of this came when they got the wheels back from the refurbishers and sent me a text with photographs of them saying "WOW - look at these!!" Apparently they had put them out in the workshop and the guys had never seen a better wheel refurb job and had been standing around admiring them! They also got my rear number plate replaced at zero cost because they didn't want the tatty old one to let the car down after their respray. Andy is an absolutely top bloke as are all the guys there. I saw them doing a full restoration on a Stag when I was in and I've never seen anything like it - they paid more attention to detail than NASA do when they build spacecraft!
Wheels were done by Lepson's although they won't split split rim wheels anymore and so they go via somebody else who does that bit and then re-assembles them. I don't have his details but Lepsons know him.
I decided to stick with the original Cooper green colour in the end because even after owning the car for 21 years I still love it!
New Audison speakers installed front and rear by Sextons Portsmouth (very neat and very good sound), also uprated powered aerial fitted (although need to get it back to them as it still crackles when engine running)
Peter Wiggins dash has just arrived and it looks gorgeous! I can't wait to have it fitted but does anybody know how many hours labour this is likely to cost at a TVR dealer?
Anyway some pics:
(I have repeatedly tried to insert the BB URL correctly but they don't show so just cleck on where the picture symbol is and it takes you to the pic - is there a size limit restriction on pics on Pistonheads?)
Remaining issues that need addressing:
Either part or full retrim - can't decide whether to stick with all magnolia with green carpets or to get the dash surround and door surrounds done in green leather to eliminate the windscreen reflection from the magnolia dash top. How much gets done depends on costs but seats and carpets is the minimum. Wife has recently been made redundant which has delayed plans to retrim until I came up with the idea of dumping it on a credit card on zero % anyway!
Fuel gauge still reads empty all the time
Side view mirrors - pax side doesn't move at all, drivers side only moves outwards.
Peter Wiggins dash requires fitting - if it's a smallish job might get this done before retrim.
Crackling radio
Obtain invoice from APM - still not received this despite repeated chasing (occasionally) for months and I really want to know what was done for £6500...
Anyway - I'm so enjoying the car again and gradually building confidence in her. I suspected I might be having problems with the new heavy duty battery that APM fitted as despite being on a Ctek conditioner all winter in the garage the battery went flat in 2 days on the drive when off the Ctek. I since discovered the door proximity switch was playing up and replaced it (although the interior light wasn't on) so that may have been a factor. Andy at APM was too busy to check it so I had the local garage drop test it and it passed and certainly the readings on the battery terminals seem fine with and without engine running.
Terminals measured while CTEK connected 12.3V
Batt no Ctek 12.1V
Running engine 13.98V (Which I presume indicates a healthy alternator)
Battery is now reading a bit higher than that after some regular driving.
Off for another drive today with a pub lunch as the destination. Big thanks to all of you for support and suggestions.
Saxon
After all the work by APM I had the respray done by Andy House of Liphook (who incidentally Fernhurst use). The thing that was really impressive about them was the fact that they seemed to really care about my car and took a real pride in the job to a greater degree than any dealer I have ever used for anything. Sure it cost money, sure they have to make a profit but I really got the feeling they were primarily doing it because they absolutely love seeing a car come back to life due to their skills. Evidence of this came when they got the wheels back from the refurbishers and sent me a text with photographs of them saying "WOW - look at these!!" Apparently they had put them out in the workshop and the guys had never seen a better wheel refurb job and had been standing around admiring them! They also got my rear number plate replaced at zero cost because they didn't want the tatty old one to let the car down after their respray. Andy is an absolutely top bloke as are all the guys there. I saw them doing a full restoration on a Stag when I was in and I've never seen anything like it - they paid more attention to detail than NASA do when they build spacecraft!
Wheels were done by Lepson's although they won't split split rim wheels anymore and so they go via somebody else who does that bit and then re-assembles them. I don't have his details but Lepsons know him.
I decided to stick with the original Cooper green colour in the end because even after owning the car for 21 years I still love it!
New Audison speakers installed front and rear by Sextons Portsmouth (very neat and very good sound), also uprated powered aerial fitted (although need to get it back to them as it still crackles when engine running)
Peter Wiggins dash has just arrived and it looks gorgeous! I can't wait to have it fitted but does anybody know how many hours labour this is likely to cost at a TVR dealer?
Anyway some pics:
(I have repeatedly tried to insert the BB URL correctly but they don't show so just cleck on where the picture symbol is and it takes you to the pic - is there a size limit restriction on pics on Pistonheads?)
Remaining issues that need addressing:
Either part or full retrim - can't decide whether to stick with all magnolia with green carpets or to get the dash surround and door surrounds done in green leather to eliminate the windscreen reflection from the magnolia dash top. How much gets done depends on costs but seats and carpets is the minimum. Wife has recently been made redundant which has delayed plans to retrim until I came up with the idea of dumping it on a credit card on zero % anyway!
Fuel gauge still reads empty all the time
Side view mirrors - pax side doesn't move at all, drivers side only moves outwards.
Peter Wiggins dash requires fitting - if it's a smallish job might get this done before retrim.
Crackling radio
Obtain invoice from APM - still not received this despite repeated chasing (occasionally) for months and I really want to know what was done for £6500...
Anyway - I'm so enjoying the car again and gradually building confidence in her. I suspected I might be having problems with the new heavy duty battery that APM fitted as despite being on a Ctek conditioner all winter in the garage the battery went flat in 2 days on the drive when off the Ctek. I since discovered the door proximity switch was playing up and replaced it (although the interior light wasn't on) so that may have been a factor. Andy at APM was too busy to check it so I had the local garage drop test it and it passed and certainly the readings on the battery terminals seem fine with and without engine running.
Terminals measured while CTEK connected 12.3V
Batt no Ctek 12.1V
Running engine 13.98V (Which I presume indicates a healthy alternator)
Battery is now reading a bit higher than that after some regular driving.
Off for another drive today with a pub lunch as the destination. Big thanks to all of you for support and suggestions.
Saxon
Edited by saxon on Sunday 9th April 09:32
Edited by saxon on Sunday 9th April 09:35
Edited by saxon on Sunday 9th April 09:39
Edited by saxon on Sunday 9th April 09:43
Great to hear the update and your love for it. The photos could be from a period brochure apart from that one with the bloke blocking the view 
Not for nothing did it win design awards in that spec.
Just had my Tuscan resprayed by the guy who used to do all the work for the original Mole Valley TVR, he too was impressed by the Lepsons Black Chrome refurb on the Spiders and did a cracking job on the car.
Not for nothing did it win design awards in that spec.
Just had my Tuscan resprayed by the guy who used to do all the work for the original Mole Valley TVR, he too was impressed by the Lepsons Black Chrome refurb on the Spiders and did a cracking job on the car.
Speed 3 said:
Just had my Tuscan resprayed by the guy who used to do all the work for the original Mole Valley TVR, he too was impressed by the Lepsons Black Chrome refurb on the Spiders and did a cracking job on the car.
Is that the bloke based in an industrial unit in Kingston upon Thames?saxon said:
Terminals measured while CTEK connected 12.3V
Batt no Ctek 12.1V
Running engine 13.98V (Which I presume indicates a healthy alternator)
Battery is now reading a bit higher than that after some regular driving.
A fully charged battery should be reading more than 12.1v - 12.7 volts after being disconnected from the charger for a good few hours would be normal. The CTEK connected should be 14.4 or 14.8 volts depending on the program selected when charging - the float voltage when the battery is fully charged is around 13.5v.Batt no Ctek 12.1V
Running engine 13.98V (Which I presume indicates a healthy alternator)
Battery is now reading a bit higher than that after some regular driving.
Are you sure that your meter is reading correctly? If it is, then it sounds like your CTEK needs checking out.
ou sont les biscuits said:
Speed 3 said:
Just had my Tuscan resprayed by the guy who used to do all the work for the original Mole Valley TVR, he too was impressed by the Lepsons Black Chrome refurb on the Spiders and did a cracking job on the car.
Is that the bloke based in an industrial unit in Kingston upon Thames?ou sont les biscuits said:
A fully charged battery should be reading more than 12.1v - 12.7 volts after being disconnected from the charger for a good few hours would be normal. The CTEK connected should be 14.4 or 14.8 volts depending on the program selected when charging - the float voltage when the battery is fully charged is around 13.5v.
Are you sure that your meter is reading correctly? If it is, then it sounds like your CTEK needs checking out.
The meter is brand new and actually tallies with the reading on the voltmeter gauge - you might be right about the Ctek - it's very old and maybe it is putting out less than it should be...Are you sure that your meter is reading correctly? If it is, then it sounds like your CTEK needs checking out.
I will investigate further so thanks for the tip. Maybe it's time to buy a new charger so grateful for any recommendations - the current one is a ctek3600 I think.
saxon
saxon said:
The meter is brand new and actually tallies with the reading on the voltmeter gauge - you might be right about the Ctek - it's very old and maybe it is putting out less than it should be...
I will investigate further so thanks for the tip. Maybe it's time to buy a new charger so grateful for any recommendations - the current one is a ctek3600 I think.
saxon
I have a couple of CTEKs - an MXS 5.0 which lives in the boot in the Chim, and a 25A jobbie for truck batteries. Both work well.I will investigate further so thanks for the tip. Maybe it's time to buy a new charger so grateful for any recommendations - the current one is a ctek3600 I think.
saxon
12.1 to 12.2V is pretty discharged, which won't do battery longevity any good. I'd buy another charger quickish to avoid any issues. Changing batteries on these cars is a right PITA. You need arms like a gibbon.
saxon said:
I have repeatedly tried to insert the BB URL correctly but they don't show so just cleck on where the picture symbol is and it takes you to the pic - is there a size limit restriction on pics on Pistonheads?
Absolutely stonking. I would say that 'cos mine's the same colour, but with Lenso fake OZs and a veeeery greeeey interior. That just sits so 'right' in the pics. Lovely - and just in time for the summer Right click over the image and select 'copy image location' then copy n paste between a square-bracketed 'pic' and a '/pic' and it should work.
Just fitted the superb Peter Wiggins dash with the help of a mate and have some questions:
1. What does the little switch at the rear of the dash do? I only ask cos guess who snapped the solder connections on to it!
2. My clock doesn't illuminate anymore (I think it was like that before the dash swap) - does anyone know who makes it or how to fix - could it be caused by me not connecting it properly (clock is powered up and works)
3. Some of the dash instruments have dim lighting - I understand that as standard they are fitted with 3W bulbs - would it be safe to replace with 5W bulbs for brighter lighting - can anyone recommend a way of getting brighter lighting?
4. Has anybody managed to replace the black heater control panel on a precat without taking the center tunnel out? We couldn't feel the bolts holding it in while the dash was off. I'm not sure if I prefer to keep the original panel anyway with its lights...
Grateful for any input!
Saxon
1. What does the little switch at the rear of the dash do? I only ask cos guess who snapped the solder connections on to it!
2. My clock doesn't illuminate anymore (I think it was like that before the dash swap) - does anyone know who makes it or how to fix - could it be caused by me not connecting it properly (clock is powered up and works)
3. Some of the dash instruments have dim lighting - I understand that as standard they are fitted with 3W bulbs - would it be safe to replace with 5W bulbs for brighter lighting - can anyone recommend a way of getting brighter lighting?
4. Has anybody managed to replace the black heater control panel on a precat without taking the center tunnel out? We couldn't feel the bolts holding it in while the dash was off. I'm not sure if I prefer to keep the original panel anyway with its lights...
Grateful for any input!
Saxon
Finally managed to get some decent pics of the Griff as photography is my sideline. The first pics were just pics taken on a random day at the national trust - these are a deliberate shoot:
Saxon
Saxon
Edited by saxon on Thursday 4th May 14:47
Edited by saxon on Thursday 4th May 14:49
Edited by saxon on Thursday 4th May 14:50
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