Questions from a new TVR400SE owner please be gentle ;)

[Nick Brough]

I did do a search first honest.

1. Glass on drivers door not going up and down smoothly could be cause by being forced against windscreen at the top as I think the door may have dropped slightly. Is it easy to remove the door cards to see what is going on. Can the door be adjusted easily?

2. Electric adjustment for the wing mirrors not working is it easy to remove the centre instrument console to have a poke around.

3. Similarly interior courtesy light not working any suggestions welcome.

4. Front indicator / sidelight lens cracked. Seems a Peugeot lens is advised but needs modifying to fit, what where the original lenses from.

5. Brakes have been looked at twice recently and a new master cylinder fitted but are very spongy with the pedal going almost to the floor before anything happens, any advice welcomed.

6. Does a locking TR7 petrol cap fit.

7. Tickover set at 1000rpm seems a bit high to me discuss


Thanks

Nick

[Nick Brough]

KKson said:

Hi Nick, I'm not an expert but I've certainly had similar issues with both the 350i and 390SE.

1. Window glass - easy to remove door card and have a look. On the 350i the actual exposed gear mechanism was covered in crap and dust so after a good spraying with WD40 and a wipe down it worked fine. On the 390SE both windows were very slow so a spray of silicon spray along the vertical channel rubbers sorted both out.

2.Door mirrors - on the 390Se with standard dash board it is a two minute job to get the central lower console aprt and have a look at the mirror adjustment. On the 350i the actual mirror motors were knackered so they are currently disconnected.

3. Courtesy lights on the 350i weren't working - a combination of blown bulbs and rusty door switches. I fitted new lowe energy LED's and bought a couple of new door switches off flea and all is now working.

4. Side light lens - cant comment on this one.

5. What calipers are fitted? Are they the Princess 4 pots? If so then numerous threads regarding bleeding issues. I use a tyre pressure powered "eazibleed" kit which certainly simplifies brake and clutch bleeding and it's a one man job. I just keep bleeding until no more bubbles appear, even though I probably use more clean brake fluid than I need.

6. Petrol cap - don't know on this one?

7. Both of my Wedges tick over at 1000rpm. Below this they they can hunt a little and engine labours when headlights and rad fan is running. 1000rpm sounds right to me.

Cheers.

Thanks for the reply do you have any tips / procedure for removing the door cards and centre dash. I have a pressurised bleed system that runs of a compressor may give that a go.

Nick

[Nick Brough]

One more question for the moment is the speedo drive off the gearbox easily accessible. No working speedo after 50 miles first time I have used the M6 toll road and I didn't realise there was a speed restriction just after the toll booths My 30 year clean licence may be in jeopardy, keep your fingers crossed for me.

Nick

[Nick Brough]

ElvisWedgely said:

Hi Nick. Firstly a Wedge tutorial. You have bought a Wedge, and as such you need to be hands on at all times. It's all a part of the fun of owning and using a Wedge. Just because something is working today, doesn't mean it will necessarily be working tomorrow. Wedges don't like standing for long periods of time, so if you've got one that's been standing, you'll be having a lot of fun putting things right. Wedges don't like the damp either, so ideally kept in a garage or invest in many cans of WD40. Also they tend to leak and develop puddles in the foot well, another reason to ideally keep them in a garage or further invest in the best outdoor cover money can buy. However, covers can give paint or lacquer peeling problems, so watch out for that if you need to cover. The chassis needs to be well protected, waxoil etc. A weakening chassis or one that's been poorly repaired in the past can give serious problems in the future. After all, it's the bits you can't easily see that matters the most.

Now, the problems. Everything you mention is fairly straight forward to put right as others have mentioned and for little cost. Mostly it's to do with lubricating and tracing wiring faults etc. Except the braking system. That may not be so easy or cheap to put right. Wedges don't have the greatest brakes in the world but they should be quite efficient and not spongy. If bleeding doesn't solve the problem, it could be a problem with master cylinder or callipers or even servo. They don't make a locking petrol cap for this car any longer but there is a motorbike one that I believe fits some Wedges and costs around £50. I hope that helps and you enjoy your Wedge ownership.

Tony. TCB.

Hi Tony,

I was expecting a few niggles as the car has indeed been used sparingly. It has one of those engines which just feels very strong, and the chassis work which seemed impressively neat from the numerous photos, sold it to me. Looks like copious cans of WD40 and a Leven hood cover, (had one on my Griffith and think they are great as they do not touch the paint) are the order of the day, as I already have 2 cars in a single integral garage

Do you have details of where to get the motorbike locking petrol cap and what it is off.

Thanks

Nick

[Nick Brough]

mrzigazaga said:

Hi Nick....The locking fuel caps were originally from a Triumph and Norton motorcycle and were made by "Ceandess" ..Apparently there are replacements but i haven't seen any yet...Here is an original..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PETROL-FUEL-TANK-CAP-2-1...

I don't have any fears of any one nicking my petrol...Think about it who goes round these days syphoning fuel???...And even if they did they can only get to one tank...

For this reason i used an oil filler cap...Non vented due to the open loop system used on a Wedge....Just remove the chain.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRITISH-STYLE-FUEL-GAS-C...

Yes keeping your car in a garage does protect it from the majority of elements however condensation happens in a lot of garages and without air movement...Well self explanatory really...I know mine is under cover outside and is exposed to the elements but "She gets a good blow up the skirt which helps to dry out any moisture"...Said the bishop to the cardinal....

Thanks for the info, I read somewhere TR7 / 8 caps fit, luckily I have a friend retoring a TR8 so I can try one and see

Nick

[Nick Brough]

Thanks Tony, in the meantime I will stick my finger in my pipe and have a feel around.

Nick

[Nick Brough]

adam quantrill said:

Underneath the gearbox on the passenger side, at the rear of the box.

There's a drive cable secured to the side of the box with a metal fork and a bolt.

Welcome on board!

Thanks hope it's not a break.

ElvisWedgely said:

Although all the filler caps are 2.5 inches the thing to look out for is if it has a ridge on the inside, about 3cms down from the outer edge of the filler pipe. Without this, the locking mechanism of the cap will have nothing to catch onto and hence won't work.

There is a ridge where the arrow is but only about 1cm down so I guess this is a non ridge pipe?

Edited by Nick Brough on Wednesday 10th February 22:17

[Nick Brough]

Having owned a Griffith I took the “you have bought a Wedge, and as such you need to be hands on at all times” as an exaggeration, shows what I know.

Today’s little niggles, my suspicions about the driver’s window proved correct when after stopping for petrol and getting back in the car I noticed a distinct lack of said window, hopefully dropping to the bottom of the door has not broken it. Doing a night shift, explaining to people who keep telling me my driver’s window is open, that it’s a feature is wearing thin

Secondly I discovered the nearside rear and front tail lights not working, not sure what the common point is here, dipped headlight and brake light ok.

Other issues what do I use to stick the under bonnet padding back on with, and Timpsons told me today the blanks for the Ford square door and round ignition key are not available any more. Any advice on where I can obtain them gratefully received.

On a good note a new battery means it now starts without a jump, the engine still feels strong, and also an old boy stopped today after I had cleaned it to spend 20mins telling me how beautiful and immaculate the car was, he couldn’t believe how inexpensive they are. I promised him a trip in the summer when the sun is out.

[Nick Brough]

Slightly of topic I have a number of pictures of the outrigger work done on my car. It was by a car restoration company and I think it was done a bit differently to normal, if normal is replacing the whole outrigger which seems to be the way for Griffiths.

I was thinking of putting the pictures on another thread as I think it is quite interesting, although others may disagree, worth doing?

Nick

[Nick Brough]

ElvisWedgely said:

I was going to mention this but I didn't want to worry you. I have already seen those chassis pictures because the guy sent them to me. It is actually what made me stall from the purchase. Though they were done to MOT standards, that is not the way to replace out riggers. I also got advice from a well known man in the know, but he doesn't use this forum any longer because some people are rude to him. However, if you go on the TVR forum he will be able to advise you on how outriggers should be replaced. Still, the work done on your car will last a number of years but may need doing again in the future the conventional way. I hope that answers your question.

Tony. TCB.

Tony,

No problem, I am not worried as the only places to be really worried about are the seatbelt mounting points the rest is pretty non structural. Hopefully the welding is up to Southern GT standard, (they graft their rear suspension onto the back end of older GT40 replicas), and as experienced car restorers I am sure it is, they will be fine and much better than what they replaced, and indeed what is under many TVR's out there.

Nick

Edited by Nick Brough on Saturday 13th February 18:17

[Nick Brough]

mrzigazaga said:

T

Personally i call this fellow Wedger a specialist although he is too modest and won't hear of such a title...

Every Wedge owner should have this...

Wedgeneering
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...

Show me something that is either close or better than this and i will eat my Wedge....

ATB

Is this the same guy, it is the article that gave me even more confidence in the work done on my chassis, and that sections can be replaced if done properly, 26 years will do me

http://www.wedgeneering.co.uk/TVR%20390SE%20p5.htm

[Nick Brough]

mrzigazaga said:

Tony....(Sigh)...I have spoken to RT and numerous other people who work with Wedges on a professional basis and who are fully in the know as regards to Wedges...As regards to cutting off the outriggers with the body still on the car it is looked upon as monkeying or bodging..Their words not mine...

It's an opinion and the ideal situation will always be to remove the body, however Prestige and Performance, TVR south West, X Works and I believe Traqck V Road all advertise outrigger replacement without body removal so I think "monkeying or bodging" is a bit harsh especially when the work is done by a professional restoration company


Well a step forward today glass back in although I think I am always going to have to be careful operating the drivers side. Only passenger side mirror not adjusting now, and nearside side / brake-light turned out to be a wire on the back of the fuse loose. Lucky I went checking the bulbs first as it highlighted the boot release wire only had a few strands left one end. Replaced the wire and added a feature to operate the latch in event of solenoid failure as unlike the Griffs there doesn't seem to be a backup way of getting in the noot.

However, another feature has arisen, removing the door trim to do the glass showed me the car has central locking, how does this operate when working correctly ;}

Nick

Edited by Nick Brough on Sunday 14th February 18:20

Edited by Nick Brough on Sunday 14th February 18:22

[Nick Brough]

ElvisWedgely said:

Normally it would be operated by the alarm key fob though I think it may have been an optional extra. If the solonoids are there and you have an alarm system with a key fob, you may be able to get it going. It works more or less like the boot lock, except this is operated by a remote. The solenoids look very similar. I had a previous wedge that had the solonoids but not the fob so I had to remove the solenoids. Out of the five wedges I've owned, only one had a working system. My existing one doesn't have it though I may still be able to install it because I have the previous solenoids somewhere in the garage and my existing wedge does have an alarm with a fob.

Tony. TCB.

Number 7 said:

Central locking: theoretically the 400s had it as standard, but mine didn't, so I fitted it myself. It's also possible that its the type of locking that operates on the door key only, i.e. opening the drivers door also unlocks the passenger door, rather than a proper remote system (bit of a cheapskate way to do it though). There should be a control unit somewhere (maybe tucked under the dash) which might give you a brand name to research as to functionality. Maybe there is an additional relay and fuse which need attention somewhere?

I guess all solenoids are going to look the same but they, along with the rest of the system, are almost identical to the set up I put on my GT40 replica I am building, which works off a remote, and a control unit I fitted under the dash.

Maybe it originally had a remote as I did think it just operated off opening the drivers door, but all the operation off the key does is push the solenoid lever in via a solid metal wire rod, and I can't see any way this could operate the solenoid on the passenger side.

Thanks for all the info and advice from everyone, much appreciated.

Nick

[Nick Brough]

Jack Valiant said:

9 times out of 10 the mirrors are down to corroded / stuck mechanisms in the pods. Like the headlight pods they tend to have little exercise so corrode or stick.

2 x flat head screws are found on the pod to get at the motors and nylon gears. Also the 4 wire connections which are also prone to corrosion. A little help and copious amounts of WD 40 work wonders in my experience :-)

See pictures below:







Hi Jack,

How did you get the 4 nuts holding the white plastic ring to the back of the mirror, they just seem to turn wiyhout undoing.

Nick

Edited by Jack Valiant on Tuesday 9th February 15:50

Edited by Jack Valiant on Tuesday 9th February 15:52