The Engine (dial-up warning!)
Discussion
So here I am, with a rather dirty Saab having about 800 miles more on the odo when I parked it in the garage than it had 16 hours before, and containing a rather special 430 TVR RV8 engine in the boot. 
Two days before, I was ready to cut my losses and get as much of my possessions back as I could through any means. At that point, literally no one believed an engine would turn up at all where it belonged. At that very moment a host of pictures dropped into my mailbox with the accompanying message "it IS palleted and ready to go, all it takes is for a cheque to clear so I can afford to send it out". I replied "OK, I've taken the rest of the week off and will be dropping by with the Saab to pick it up."
"It" is the engine out of my '93 Chimaera 4.3 which had blown its head gaskets within 159 miles after acquisition due to a leaking radiator and water pump. As the odo read 106,000 miles at the time with the accompanying paperwork showing no evidence of internal work whatsoever, it was considered prudent to get the engine out for inspection and subsequent freshening-up rather than to chance it with three days' worth of labour at the Dutch TVR importer's workshop for repacing water pump, head and exhaust manifold gaskets on a tired old mill. "Get it back here and we'll sort it for you, don't worry you'll be driving it again in time for summer", the selling party said (this was a private sale with no warranty given or implied). On the inspection at Nimag, several other things were noted: rear brakes worn completely, fronts fairly worn, rear anti-roll bar droplink mount torn, play in one top balljoint (about the one item I didn't/dont have in my Saab 900 parts stash
), several failed wishbone bushings. Overall, the car was deemed solid with lots of work already done; it just suffered of the usual maladies of very early examples (cooling system, droplink mounts, no washers on the front wishbone bushings) that would have been needed to address in the long term, anyway.
So with mutual agreement, the engine was loaded in the back of my Saab and driven to Blighty on Easter weekend. Expected turnaround time: three weeks. Um, no. Which meant both the Cayenne and he X5 I blagged myself as road test cars had to be put to other use than carrying V8 engines on a high-speed jaunt through The Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK. Meanwhile our man had developed some 'bigger' ideas about the spec of this engine. Although his research indicated the 4.3 was probably the best built of all the TVR Power-built engines, a host of reliability and performance issues were identified which he set out to eradicate. Needless to say that this had some implications for cost and timeframe, the first of which meaning that a significant investment would be made by the builder (as of course having just bought the car, I couldn't possibly afford or justify an all-out engine build - I'd be happy with just having a functional car again!).
to be continued
Two days before, I was ready to cut my losses and get as much of my possessions back as I could through any means. At that point, literally no one believed an engine would turn up at all where it belonged. At that very moment a host of pictures dropped into my mailbox with the accompanying message "it IS palleted and ready to go, all it takes is for a cheque to clear so I can afford to send it out". I replied "OK, I've taken the rest of the week off and will be dropping by with the Saab to pick it up."
"It" is the engine out of my '93 Chimaera 4.3 which had blown its head gaskets within 159 miles after acquisition due to a leaking radiator and water pump. As the odo read 106,000 miles at the time with the accompanying paperwork showing no evidence of internal work whatsoever, it was considered prudent to get the engine out for inspection and subsequent freshening-up rather than to chance it with three days' worth of labour at the Dutch TVR importer's workshop for repacing water pump, head and exhaust manifold gaskets on a tired old mill. "Get it back here and we'll sort it for you, don't worry you'll be driving it again in time for summer", the selling party said (this was a private sale with no warranty given or implied). On the inspection at Nimag, several other things were noted: rear brakes worn completely, fronts fairly worn, rear anti-roll bar droplink mount torn, play in one top balljoint (about the one item I didn't/dont have in my Saab 900 parts stash
), several failed wishbone bushings. Overall, the car was deemed solid with lots of work already done; it just suffered of the usual maladies of very early examples (cooling system, droplink mounts, no washers on the front wishbone bushings) that would have been needed to address in the long term, anyway.So with mutual agreement, the engine was loaded in the back of my Saab and driven to Blighty on Easter weekend. Expected turnaround time: three weeks. Um, no. Which meant both the Cayenne and he X5 I blagged myself as road test cars had to be put to other use than carrying V8 engines on a high-speed jaunt through The Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK.
Meanwhile our man had developed some 'bigger' ideas about the spec of this engine. Although his research indicated the 4.3 was probably the best built of all the TVR Power-built engines, a host of reliability and performance issues were identified which he set out to eradicate. Needless to say that this had some implications for cost and timeframe, the first of which meaning that a significant investment would be made by the builder (as of course having just bought the car, I couldn't possibly afford or justify an all-out engine build - I'd be happy with just having a functional car again!). to be continued
As work was progressing and nearing completion, in August I set out a date at the workshop where the car resided, as they were booked five weeks in advance. The week before the scheduled day of bringing it over (by a friend who owned a transport company) only the heads needed to be put back on.
So with everything set, I went to the workshop the next Monday to meet the perosn who'd bring my engine by noon. 2 PM, no show. Me frantically trying to reach the man on his mobile. Didn't pick up. This was never a problem before. 3.30 He rings back. "Sorry mate, just got out of the hospital, was in a car accident last Thursday with a customer who proceeded to embed his tuned Aston nearly head-on into an M3 with me in the passenger seat. It's alright, they already know me fairly well at the hospital. So no, the heads still aren't back on yet. Strong things, though, those Astons, I'm impressed at how it stood up to the impact." I made arrangements there and then with the workshop, who thankfully said they'd have preferred the job to be postponed anyway to be honest. So two weeks later it would be.
The Monday before the work was scheduled to commence on Wednesday, I call to inform whether everything was still going to plan. Eventually got tired of listening to the voicemail message and found the number of his associate through a classsified for a car - after a couple of tries got through to whom I assume to be the wife of the associate who kindly gave me his mobile number. Leave message, get called back. "Haven't seen him today, but am on my way to the workshop now, will see to that he gives you a ring. Erm, what car accident? Yes, we have a customer who had an accident in his Aston... The TVR engine you say? No, I don't think we actually started work on that..."
Later on, the man himself calls back. "Sorry, been in and out the hospital (only at this point I learned about his brain tumour). My associate confused your engine with a Wedge we have in. Yours is locked away in the other hall. Heads aren't back on yet, we have a slight problem with the pistons."
Wednesday comes and no word on the engine. Call workshop. "Well, I guess you already guessed. Listen, I'm not going to set another date for putting the engine back in until the engine is here physically. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience caused."
ah, but there's more. Lots of it. Good thing it does have a happy ending...
So with everything set, I went to the workshop the next Monday to meet the perosn who'd bring my engine by noon. 2 PM, no show. Me frantically trying to reach the man on his mobile. Didn't pick up. This was never a problem before. 3.30 He rings back. "Sorry mate, just got out of the hospital, was in a car accident last Thursday with a customer who proceeded to embed his tuned Aston nearly head-on into an M3 with me in the passenger seat. It's alright, they already know me fairly well at the hospital. So no, the heads still aren't back on yet. Strong things, though, those Astons, I'm impressed at how it stood up to the impact." I made arrangements there and then with the workshop, who thankfully said they'd have preferred the job to be postponed anyway to be honest. So two weeks later it would be.
The Monday before the work was scheduled to commence on Wednesday, I call to inform whether everything was still going to plan. Eventually got tired of listening to the voicemail message and found the number of his associate through a classsified for a car - after a couple of tries got through to whom I assume to be the wife of the associate who kindly gave me his mobile number. Leave message, get called back. "Haven't seen him today, but am on my way to the workshop now, will see to that he gives you a ring. Erm, what car accident? Yes, we have a customer who had an accident in his Aston... The TVR engine you say? No, I don't think we actually started work on that..."
Later on, the man himself calls back. "Sorry, been in and out the hospital (only at this point I learned about his brain tumour). My associate confused your engine with a Wedge we have in. Yours is locked away in the other hall. Heads aren't back on yet, we have a slight problem with the pistons."
Wednesday comes and no word on the engine. Call workshop. "Well, I guess you already guessed. Listen, I'm not going to set another date for putting the engine back in until the engine is here physically. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience caused."
ah, but there's more. Lots of it. Good thing it does have a happy ending...
Eventually, got a call back. "Sorry mate, been in the hospital again for three days and I don't get to take my phone with me. Your pistons have gone to the machine shop - they've made the indentations tro clear the valves a millimetre too shallow, which also means I have to cc everything back up again." "Ah, bad luck then. Would appreciate some pictures by now (as promised earlier), though." "No problem, I'll send a few tomorrow".
No pictures, but by the end of last month after -apparently- the engine has been in bits again once or twice to make some 'improvements' it's ready to be sent off. "You will really love this, I can promise you that. It's gorgeous." A friend of his is going to Europe in his Picasso with the engine in the back and will drop it off, probably next Friday.
Phone on Friday morning and get a call back. "I've just got back from buying a duvet to wrap the engine in. Hold on, that'll be my friend. Will have to go downstairs to give him a hand. He'll probably be in The Netherlands to drop your engine off on Wednesday. Yes, it's leaving the building now."
next: the lump makes a European tour that ends... erm, where it started.
No pictures, but by the end of last month after -apparently- the engine has been in bits again once or twice to make some 'improvements' it's ready to be sent off. "You will really love this, I can promise you that. It's gorgeous." A friend of his is going to Europe in his Picasso with the engine in the back and will drop it off, probably next Friday.
Phone on Friday morning and get a call back. "I've just got back from buying a duvet to wrap the engine in. Hold on, that'll be my friend. Will have to go downstairs to give him a hand. He'll probably be in The Netherlands to drop your engine off on Wednesday. Yes, it's leaving the building now."
next: the lump makes a European tour that ends... erm, where it started.
Wednesday comes, no word. I call the engine builder and go to the European Road Transport Show for work. Get a voicemail. Can't understand all of it, but what I do get is that the friend with the Picasso will be leaving in an hour to drop off the engine. From where, I can't hear even after listening to the message for the third time but I feel I'd better make my way to the workshop in say, two hours to be there when he arrives.
Go there, park my car. Stand outside while making phonecalls. Workshop manager comes out the front door and recognises me. "You're not saying you expect your engine to arrive again, do you?" . "Erm, actually, yes." I feel like a clown by now. 3.45 PM, get phone call back. "Sorry, I didn't get all of your message", I say. "So where is your friend leaving from?" "Oh sorry, thought you knew. He's actually left from La Rochelle half an hour ago - he and his mate have been picking up my Ferrari 512BB which I lent to the local museum and is coming to live with me. You know, the one with the log book that was signed by Enzo four days before he died. Of course, he flooded the bl00dy thing when trying to start it after such a long time, so they just got it on the road. They'll only get as far as Paris today and will be staying at relatives there. I'll have him give you a ring this evening to make further arrangements. Oh, and the Picasso with your engine was staying in the museum overnight, which was guarded, rather than in the hotel car park. They gave him another car to go to the hotel. " I explain I'll be in Germany on Thursday and Friday so next Monday would probably be the best as I work from home on that day and can manage to sneak out for an hour or two then.
Thursday evening, no calls, no one to be reached. I'm not happy. Friday, same thing. At last, I leave a somewhat frosty voicemail on Saturday morning and get called back later that day. "It will be Tuesday I'm afraid. I knew he was going to a funeral in Paris on Monday, but I didn't know he is supposed to be the pole-bearer there." Some kind of funeral colonne it will be then, containing a Picasso with a bright red powdercoated TVR engine in the back...
next, the European tour ends with a bang...
Go there, park my car. Stand outside while making phonecalls. Workshop manager comes out the front door and recognises me. "You're not saying you expect your engine to arrive again, do you?" . "Erm, actually, yes." I feel like a clown by now. 3.45 PM, get phone call back. "Sorry, I didn't get all of your message", I say. "So where is your friend leaving from?" "Oh sorry, thought you knew. He's actually left from La Rochelle half an hour ago - he and his mate have been picking up my Ferrari 512BB which I lent to the local museum and is coming to live with me. You know, the one with the log book that was signed by Enzo four days before he died. Of course, he flooded the bl00dy thing when trying to start it after such a long time, so they just got it on the road. They'll only get as far as Paris today and will be staying at relatives there. I'll have him give you a ring this evening to make further arrangements. Oh, and the Picasso with your engine was staying in the museum overnight, which was guarded, rather than in the hotel car park. They gave him another car to go to the hotel. " I explain I'll be in Germany on Thursday and Friday so next Monday would probably be the best as I work from home on that day and can manage to sneak out for an hour or two then.
Thursday evening, no calls, no one to be reached. I'm not happy. Friday, same thing. At last, I leave a somewhat frosty voicemail on Saturday morning and get called back later that day. "It will be Tuesday I'm afraid. I knew he was going to a funeral in Paris on Monday, but I didn't know he is supposed to be the pole-bearer there." Some kind of funeral colonne it will be then, containing a Picasso with a bright red powdercoated TVR engine in the back...
next, the European tour ends with a bang...
Tuesday comes... you get it, nope, nothing. Get through on the phone at 4 pm, explain I'm unimpressed and feel like a bl00dy idiot for even believing there is anything like this mythical engine he's been talking about, given that a significant sum of money (OK, in RV8 terms maybe just enough to cover the most urgent bills, but still a significant amount for me) has already changed hands and there's not even as much as a piccy to prove that work has actually been done. "At this point, I can only say that you will get your engine and that it will speak for itself", was his reply. He promised to send a few shots from his computer, which were duly received. Two of them were of the engine as it turned in, of the other three only one, depicting the heads with powdercoated rocker covers, the plenum and a few other, re-plated bobs and bits, was of some relevance. Oh well, we'll see tomorrow.
Wednesday comes, no word, I'm fruitlessly trying to reach his mobile almost non-stop. 4.30PM I call the TVR workshop who tell me no, there's been no engine delivered and there's been no contact regarding this engine whatsoever. I feel the most gullible idiot in the world. Cue another voicemail message from me, stating I'll reverse the credit card payment made to the machine shop he used and will seek recompense for the amount already paid into his account before, too.
He calls at 07.00 (Continental time) next morning. Apparently he just got back from Dover to collect his/my engine from a seriously mangled Picasso that was recovered by the RAC. Driver in hospital with cuts and bruises and no, he hasn't spoken to him yet. The engine seemed to be OK, only the cam covers were scratched and he'd get them back out to the powdercoaters today.
Whoa, two car crashes interfering with the delivery of one engine. It's getting a bit erm, improbably now, isn't it? Especially since I wasn't able to reach him or his associate again for the following three days, which lead to some more investigative work and my phone call to John Eales as in the other message. Still not sure about that one, I've heard his part of the story now but we'll leave that for now.
Eventually, I got the email that this story started with, I booked time off and a Eurotunnel crossing, got there and found an engine builder relieved to see me so he could get the thing where it belonged right before he'd be taken into the hospital again. His first words were 'Right, if you don't like what you're going to see now I'm going to walk off in a huff"... Then he talked me through some of the finer details and showed me some parts that came from the engine. And indeed, one or two of the lobes of the original(?) camshaft were rounded off completely - a miracle of sorts that the engine still ran as well as it did.
I haven't uploaded the pics from my camera yet (they're not saying a lot other than that it's pretty anyway) but here are some of the innards:
Wednesday comes, no word, I'm fruitlessly trying to reach his mobile almost non-stop. 4.30PM I call the TVR workshop who tell me no, there's been no engine delivered and there's been no contact regarding this engine whatsoever. I feel the most gullible idiot in the world. Cue another voicemail message from me, stating I'll reverse the credit card payment made to the machine shop he used and will seek recompense for the amount already paid into his account before, too.
He calls at 07.00 (Continental time) next morning. Apparently he just got back from Dover to collect his/my engine from a seriously mangled Picasso that was recovered by the RAC. Driver in hospital with cuts and bruises and no, he hasn't spoken to him yet. The engine seemed to be OK, only the cam covers were scratched and he'd get them back out to the powdercoaters today.
Whoa, two car crashes interfering with the delivery of one engine. It's getting a bit erm, improbably now, isn't it? Especially since I wasn't able to reach him or his associate again for the following three days, which lead to some more investigative work and my phone call to John Eales as in the other message. Still not sure about that one, I've heard his part of the story now but we'll leave that for now.
Eventually, I got the email that this story started with, I booked time off and a Eurotunnel crossing, got there and found an engine builder relieved to see me so he could get the thing where it belonged right before he'd be taken into the hospital again. His first words were 'Right, if you don't like what you're going to see now I'm going to walk off in a huff"... Then he talked me through some of the finer details and showed me some parts that came from the engine. And indeed, one or two of the lobes of the original(?) camshaft were rounded off completely - a miracle of sorts that the engine still ran as well as it did.
I haven't uploaded the pics from my camera yet (they're not saying a lot other than that it's pretty anyway) but here are some of the innards:
Some of the specs as far as I can make out:
Forged pistons, 11.6:1 static CR according to the builder (I only use 98 RON fuel here)
Crossdrilled and tuftrided crankshaft with 2.000" big end journals, conrods have been replaced too
Ported heads, Big Valves (43/37 mm as per factory BV spec), new valve guides
Duplex timing chain, vernier pulleys
Bespoke Piper cam
New rocker assemblies with pushrods and mechanical lifters
Baffled sump
Uprated oil pump
Apparently, there's been some detailed modifcation to oil and coolant flow as well as engine breather system too.
I'll let you all know how it goes - re-installation is scheduled from Nov. 29 on...
Forged pistons, 11.6:1 static CR according to the builder (I only use 98 RON fuel here)
Crossdrilled and tuftrided crankshaft with 2.000" big end journals, conrods have been replaced too
Ported heads, Big Valves (43/37 mm as per factory BV spec), new valve guides
Duplex timing chain, vernier pulleys
Bespoke Piper cam
New rocker assemblies with pushrods and mechanical lifters
Baffled sump
Uprated oil pump
Apparently, there's been some detailed modifcation to oil and coolant flow as well as engine breather system too.
I'll let you all know how it goes - re-installation is scheduled from Nov. 29 on...
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