Newbie's 'new' 280i F/H.
Discussion
Hi all,
I just did a (silly?) thing, and bought a Wedge on Saturday.
It's chassis no.10 Series 1 280i fixedhead, but not registered until Sept. '83. Hmm - interesting ?
Body & paint looks excellent.
Interior excellent.
Engine runs, and car moves.
Been laid up for over a year, so no MOT.
Fans (twin) don't seem to work.
All other elecrics seem ok !!!
I was just going to bypass-switch the fans for 'exploratory' MOT test. (haha- that should be fun).
The car has a few non-standard alterations, like rad in the nosecone.
May be a body-off resto' upcoming, after getting access to the chassis members inside the sills.
The rest seems solid enough.
Will keep you posted, plus I'm sure a lot of advice-seeking to come from me!
I also joined the TVRCC the other day.
I'm fairly handy with the tool kit, which I'm sure will be useful, and I live on a farm, with things like
tractors for lifting bodies, engines and the like.
I live near Stockton on Tees.
Regards - Graham.
I just did a (silly?) thing, and bought a Wedge on Saturday.
It's chassis no.10 Series 1 280i fixedhead, but not registered until Sept. '83. Hmm - interesting ?
Body & paint looks excellent.
Interior excellent.
Engine runs, and car moves.
Been laid up for over a year, so no MOT.
Fans (twin) don't seem to work.
All other elecrics seem ok !!!
I was just going to bypass-switch the fans for 'exploratory' MOT test. (haha- that should be fun).
The car has a few non-standard alterations, like rad in the nosecone.
May be a body-off resto' upcoming, after getting access to the chassis members inside the sills.
The rest seems solid enough.
Will keep you posted, plus I'm sure a lot of advice-seeking to come from me!
I also joined the TVRCC the other day.
I'm fairly handy with the tool kit, which I'm sure will be useful, and I live on a farm, with things like
tractors for lifting bodies, engines and the like.
I live near Stockton on Tees.
Regards - Graham.
Graham congratulations on your purchase - if you get an MOT - you could come on down to the BBWF and meet everyone else :
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/wedgies/index.htm
>> Edited by rev-erend on Monday 21st June 16:33
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/wedgies/index.htm
>> Edited by rev-erend on Monday 21st June 16:33
welcome mate! Thanks for the greetings everyone.
I hope to get her on the road in time for the meeting.
Right now she's outside under a tarp while I clean a barn out.
Can't wait to get my hands on her(!).
Lousy weather !
Anyone know someone in the Northeast for chassis work,
just in case ?
I don't have the skills for the delicate welding stuff.
Incidentally, steering feels like a truck with no p/assist. (Normal?).
Racing Fixed Heads ? - Hmm, and me only 10 miles from Croft
PS - forgot to add:
Purely co-incidentally there is an old TR7 rotting away in one of the barns. Just hope I won't be needing too much stuff off it !
>> Edited by grahamw48 on Monday 21st June 22:01
I hope to get her on the road in time for the meeting.
Right now she's outside under a tarp while I clean a barn out.
Can't wait to get my hands on her(!).
Lousy weather !
Anyone know someone in the Northeast for chassis work,
just in case ?
I don't have the skills for the delicate welding stuff.
Incidentally, steering feels like a truck with no p/assist. (Normal?).
Racing Fixed Heads ? - Hmm, and me only 10 miles from Croft
PS - forgot to add:
Purely co-incidentally there is an old TR7 rotting away in one of the barns. Just hope I won't be needing too much stuff off it !
>> Edited by grahamw48 on Monday 21st June 22:01
Aha! I know that car..... it used to live just down the road from me in Teesside. At the time I had chassis no. 36 which was the same colour. When we eventually met, it dawned on both of us that we'd been wondering why people we didn't know kept flashing/ waving at us!
Anyway, your car was the factory demonstrator in 1980. I was told this in response to a letter I had printed in the TVR Car Club magazine, by John Mleczek, who still works for TVR as far as I know. It sat around the factory being robbed of bits for 4 years until it was eventually finished and sold off. Hence the 'B' plate.
When I saw it, it was wearing the later pattern cross-spoke alloys instead of the 'solid' dish wheels that were original for the Series 1 Tasmin (which yours is, don't let anyone tell you otherwise). I seem to recall there were a few other differences to the trim as well... it was also trimmed badly in (as I remember it) a blue striped cloth that couldn't possibly have been original.
I was wondering what had happened to it....
Regards Ian
390SE, S3 Esprit
Teesside
Edit: Doh! Just realised you're up here as well... in that case you may well know the guy I met... Dylan something?
>> Edited by wedg1e on Tuesday 22 June 01:20
Anyway, your car was the factory demonstrator in 1980. I was told this in response to a letter I had printed in the TVR Car Club magazine, by John Mleczek, who still works for TVR as far as I know. It sat around the factory being robbed of bits for 4 years until it was eventually finished and sold off. Hence the 'B' plate.
When I saw it, it was wearing the later pattern cross-spoke alloys instead of the 'solid' dish wheels that were original for the Series 1 Tasmin (which yours is, don't let anyone tell you otherwise). I seem to recall there were a few other differences to the trim as well... it was also trimmed badly in (as I remember it) a blue striped cloth that couldn't possibly have been original.
I was wondering what had happened to it....
Regards Ian
390SE, S3 Esprit
Teesside
Edit: Doh! Just realised you're up here as well... in that case you may well know the guy I met... Dylan something?
>> Edited by wedg1e on Tuesday 22 June 01:20
grahamw48 said:
Thanks for the greetings everyone.
I hope to get her on the road in time for the meeting.
Right now she's outside under a tarp while I clean a barn out.
Can't wait to get my hands on her(!).
Lousy weather !
Anyone know someone in the Northeast for chassis work,
just in case ?
I don't have the skills for the delicate welding stuff.
Incidentally, steering feels like a truck with no p/assist. (Normal?).
Racing Fixed Heads ? - Hmm, and me only 10 miles from Croft
PS - forgot to add:
Purely co-incidentally there is an old TR7 rotting away in one of the barns. Just hope I won't be needing too much stuff off it !
>> Edited by grahamw48 on Monday 21st June 22:01
I've repaired a couple of Wedge chassis.. even wrote a song about it : www.tvrwedgepages.co.uk/
Non-assisted Wedges are beasts at low speeds.
Leave that TR7 alone...
Although you could rob it of spares for the TVR....
Headlamp pod motors, steering column, switches, door handles etc. etc. Incidentally there are quite a few Wedges around here, some of the owners visit Pistonheads too. Apart from me there's Dexy (cream 350i), SteC ('86 280 Yank spec'), Michel (Nitrous 400SE), and a green 280 (?) somewhere in Billingham. Further afield there are a couple out Darlington/ Durham way, Dave (York33) in York with a 2+2 280.
If you use LT motors, they're used to rolling their eyes when some nutter with a TVR walks in for parts...
Can also recommend a TVR-friendly MOT man....
Ian
>> Edited by wedg1e on Tuesday 22 June 01:35
Thanks for the info and advice Ian.
Yes, it's the Red one you're thinking of
The guy I bought it from intimated that it may have been a demo car.
The interior is carpeted in black now, with some decent velour type seats. Looks ok.
Come the weekend I'll have a closer look at the 'important bits'.
I have the Steve Heath book, so some clues in there.
Have to shoot off down to York on business now, in my super duper Rover Turbo diesel workhorse.
Yes, it's the Red one you're thinking of
The guy I bought it from intimated that it may have been a demo car.
The interior is carpeted in black now, with some decent velour type seats. Looks ok.
Come the weekend I'll have a closer look at the 'important bits'.
I have the Steve Heath book, so some clues in there.
Have to shoot off down to York on business now, in my super duper Rover Turbo diesel workhorse.
anyone sez otherwise they jus green eyed monsters!!!!Gerry Attrick said:
Welcome to the fold. The non assist steering will improve your arm muscles, and the noise will improve your smile muscles. Hope you get it on the road soon and can enjoy the summer.
Haha!
- thought the steering lock was on at first !
How spoilt we are with our p/assisted commutercars.
I had a couple of Lotus 7s in the past, so I know what the 'smile muscle' bit is all about
My 10 year-old son is cracking the whip to get it on the road.
Hi, again welcome , I'm just coming to the end of my body off resto of chassis number 33. ive done a few bits of a website it your interested, but its only up to date as of about 18months ago cos i've been too busy to add more content...the address is www.geocities.com/tvr_tasmin_1980
Hopefully i'll have it's MoT done in the next week so i can take it to Pistonfest!!!
Regards
Iain
Hopefully i'll have it's MoT done in the next week so i can take it to Pistonfest!!!
Regards
Iain
iainjones said:
Hi, again welcome , I'm just coming to the end of my body off resto of chassis number 33. ive done a few bits of a website it your interested, but its only up to date as of about 18months ago cos i've been too busy to add more content...the address is www.geocities.com/tvr_tasmin_1980
Hopefully i'll have it's MoT done in the next week so i can take it to Pistonfest!!!
Regards
Iain
Hi Iain,
I've already come across your website, and found it interesting of course.
Good luck with your MOT !
Now mine is insured, I'm just sorting out the cooling fans, so she can be driven to the garage for a lookover
by a professional. Everything else seems to work ok.
(touch wood !).
iainjones said:
Hi, again welcome , I'm just coming to the end of my body off resto of chassis number 33. ive done a few bits of a website it your interested, but its only up to date as of about 18months ago cos i've been too busy to add more content...the address is www.geocities.com/tvr_tasmin_1980
Hopefully i'll have it's MoT done in the next week so i can take it to Pistonfest!!!
Regards
Iain
Ian: I used to have chassis 36! Sill tubes were a disgrace, not so much because they had rotted, but that they had been repaired by some complete @rsehole using an old large box spanner and a length of chrome dining table leg.
No doubt some unsuspecting owner was ripped off in good fashion for that. I did the job properly, with new tubing and sill plates. Last I heard, the car was in bits awaiting conversion to a racecar
Ian
From what i remember of a conversation i had with one of the guys at Moore Racing they have/had chassis 34, I think it was their blue on with the silver racing flags down the side which was their flagship car a few years back when the race series was forming...
Any more series 1's out there??? There was a guy in my village selling a white one a couple of weeks back, never got intouch with him but his advert in the car window reckoned there were just 16 left on the road.
Regards
Iain
Any more series 1's out there??? There was a guy in my village selling a white one a couple of weeks back, never got intouch with him but his advert in the car window reckoned there were just 16 left on the road.
Regards
Iain
Hi all - just an update.
Shot up to 'Auto Recycle' in Morpeth yesterday, and picked up a viscous cooling fan and shroud.
I've fitted them, and with some reliable cooling installed, took a quick blast up the lane.
Nothing fell off/broke
Even the lights popped up and down on command.
Anyway, now I can drive her to an MOT place, and get my list of REAL things to fix !
If you need some old Ford bits, then you can phone the above company on 01670 519299 - or www.auto-recycle.co.uk
He's a really nice guy, and will post stuff too.
Shot up to 'Auto Recycle' in Morpeth yesterday, and picked up a viscous cooling fan and shroud.
I've fitted them, and with some reliable cooling installed, took a quick blast up the lane.
Nothing fell off/broke
Even the lights popped up and down on command.
Anyway, now I can drive her to an MOT place, and get my list of REAL things to fix !
If you need some old Ford bits, then you can phone the above company on 01670 519299 - or www.auto-recycle.co.uk
He's a really nice guy, and will post stuff too.
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