Bitten off too much.
Discussion
New to the tvr scene, so please can someone tell me that i'm not mad by having a 280I as a rolling restoration and a daily drive, water pump has gone and one of the bolts snapped whilst trying to change it, bugger.
but then again you need to be mad for having a TVR in the first place eh? or am i wrong.
lots of questions will be coming soon so all the help will be appreciated.
cheers steppers
but then again you need to be mad for having a TVR in the first place eh? or am i wrong.
lots of questions will be coming soon so all the help will be appreciated.
cheers steppers
Depends on your skill level, and how much spare time you have, and if you enjoy doing this kind of thing. as a 280i is always going to be at the bottom end of the wedge series and well never make any money. so it's going to be a bit of a money pit. they do get under your skin though.
Buying a TVR Wedge as a rolling restoration, is mad. Buying a TVR Wedge for everyday use, is insane. Only joking lads. I don't see why not. The 280I is a ford engine and the rest of the parts are mostly off other cars. There are quite a few everyday Wedge users, and they are all doing ok. Zig for one, is a regular user of his Wedge, and I believe he bought it as a rolling restoration. No doubt he'll be on here telling you how well he is doing. Bit by bit he is restoring his Wedge, his way, and will soon be singing 'I Did It My Way'. So there you go. Good choice of car, may you have fun and good luck.
Tony. TCB.
Tony. TCB.
...Yes you are totally insane..And that is a major qualification for owning a TVR...Especially a wedge..Now then a 280i..Rolling restoration..Daily drive....maybe read through all my posts since i joined the forum in june 2010 up until now..Sounds like ziggado 2 to me!!..Lets have some pics of it..what colour is it?..what reg is it?..Always take loads of pics for reference,,Before and after..And especially if you want a forum diagnosis..Also try to be clear in describing any symptom..Just like me!!..
..Welcome to the nutty farm..And dont worry we will have you ready for this years BBWF..(Big,Bad,Wedge,Fest)..
This was mine when i bought it as a non-runner..
And how it is a year and a bit later..
By the way her name is delilah..(A long story) and she is my daily drive and i love it!!...Ziga
I don't use my 280 daily right now, but I did use it regularly for a long time. The great thing about it that the Ford lump is generally very good, but does have a few weak spots, the water pump and thermostat design being one of them. It's a major pain in the arse, and the bearing in the water pump is too small, overtightening the fan belt makes the pump fail in a very short time. All those 6mm bolts can sieze (as you found out) and the longer ones also can strip the aluminium rear thermostat housing.
Other major is the camshaft drive, which is a fibre gear wheel, and can give up the ghost leaving your sump full of bakelite shavings.... get a steel one (Burtons used to do one, sure they are still around - noisier but reliable)
OK - clean it up and use lots of gasket sealer when replacing, and tighten the fanbelt just enough so it doesn't slip, and consider using even longer 6mm bolts on the thermostst housing with nuts on the back (one will need filing down to fit) so it doesn't strip the threads in the ally. don't overtighten the 6mm bolts, which is easy to do....
THE 280 CAN BE VERY RELIABLE !!! (but it does need some TLC to get there)
Other major is the camshaft drive, which is a fibre gear wheel, and can give up the ghost leaving your sump full of bakelite shavings.... get a steel one (Burtons used to do one, sure they are still around - noisier but reliable)
OK - clean it up and use lots of gasket sealer when replacing, and tighten the fanbelt just enough so it doesn't slip, and consider using even longer 6mm bolts on the thermostst housing with nuts on the back (one will need filing down to fit) so it doesn't strip the threads in the ally. don't overtighten the 6mm bolts, which is easy to do....
THE 280 CAN BE VERY RELIABLE !!! (but it does need some TLC to get there)
I bought a 350 with the idea of getting it running nicely and then replacing the body with a different style altogether. I got it running in a month and have now decided to keep it.
I have just bought another car as a donor and this IS a restoration project
If you 280 is in better nick than my Scimitar then you will be fine!
I have just bought another car as a donor and this IS a restoration project
If you 280 is in better nick than my Scimitar then you will be fine!
Thanks to everyone, yes i'm insane, so my daily drive it will become, that means i can hide my poor little skoda down the bottom of the drive and have fun with my new toy. After i have sorted out the waterpump.
will add some photos soon, just one thing, i bought a fhc to keep dry, but i'm still getting wet, and the fuse/relay board is strapped to the off side part of the engine bay with no protection or cover, what do you think?
cheers for all the encouragement and help.
will add some photos soon, just one thing, i bought a fhc to keep dry, but i'm still getting wet, and the fuse/relay board is strapped to the off side part of the engine bay with no protection or cover, what do you think?
cheers for all the encouragement and help.
dsteppers said:
I bought a fhc to keep dry, but i'm still getting wet, and the fuse/relay board is strapped to the off side part of the engine bay with no protection or cover.
They all leak...Even the ones with a roof!!..Try to establish where the water is coming in from..Check the door seals to see if they are perished..I do believe that the fuse boards on them are all like that..Mine is inside the car..I have a DHC..
..And mine dont leak..Well i didnt until i changed the door seals..
..It might be possible to re-house the relay board with a waterproof/Fireproof junction box that the board fits into and fixes to the original securing holes..The FHC crew will be able to help out more on that though!!..ZigaActually my 280 (DHC) does *not* leak....well, does not leak much....
I fitted new seals on the doors and on the windscreen and rear, and it only leaks in heavy rain, and then only from the 'corners' of the windscreen where the angle changes fast to the door glass.
Uncovered fuse panel is OK, but yes, you do need to keep an eye on it, expecially when the water pump fails and throws dirty water all over it (Yep, been there...). A good spray of WD40 or equivalent works well.
If it's not been taken care of, it's worth a spray of WD40 in all plugs of the fuel injection bits too - a dodgy connection can on the enrichment device can make it run very rich (the 'choke' equivalent, it's partially electrically heated).
But there's nothing like driving it on a good day with the hood down !!
I fitted new seals on the doors and on the windscreen and rear, and it only leaks in heavy rain, and then only from the 'corners' of the windscreen where the angle changes fast to the door glass.
Uncovered fuse panel is OK, but yes, you do need to keep an eye on it, expecially when the water pump fails and throws dirty water all over it (Yep, been there...). A good spray of WD40 or equivalent works well.
If it's not been taken care of, it's worth a spray of WD40 in all plugs of the fuel injection bits too - a dodgy connection can on the enrichment device can make it run very rich (the 'choke' equivalent, it's partially electrically heated).
But there's nothing like driving it on a good day with the hood down !!
Even though I prefer bigger engines, and always lust after a V8, I have to agree there's nothing wrong with a Pinto lump, they're pretty reliable too (with decent oil changes) and can be tuned to quite powerful, without going as far Cosworth setup.
I reckon the 200's are pretty rare now, I bet they go up in value faster then the 280's ....
I reckon the 200's are pretty rare now, I bet they go up in value faster then the 280's ....
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