TVR Griffith 4.3 Pre-Cat
Discussion
This is my 1992 TVR Griffith 4.3 'Pre-Cat'.
63k miles in Cureton Green with Doeskin leather.
Registered 08/12/1992.
Although most of you will probably be familiar with the 5 litre Griffiths(500), the first ones were all 4.0 and 4.3 engines with no cats. This then changed in 1993 (due to legislation?) when the 500 was released. There are many more 500s produced compared to the 4.0 and 4.3 as they were made for a much longer period of time.
Roughly 2500 ish Griffiths were produced including all variants, and around 6-700 of those were the 4.0/4.3 pre cats, the rest being the 500s. So the chance of seeing a Griffith on the road, let alone a precat are quite small! Certainly compared to TVRs best selling model, the Chimaera, of which about 6500 were made.
I purchased this in June 2020 from a dealer for just under £16k. This is absolutely at the cheaper end of the Griffith spectrum and I knew that I would potentially need to get the outriggers done as they had not been sorted and it is one of those things that all TVRs need sorting at some point!
The car had hardly had any use in the years prior to purchase, only a few 100 miles. I have put a few 1000 miles on it since then and the following is what I've had done and the car is now running beautifully.
2020/2021
New Stealth Cam from V8 developments
New clutch slave cylinder
New clutch master cylinder
New Outriggers
New radiator and twin fans
12k mile service (oil/fiter/air filter/fuel filter/brake and clutch fluid/gearbox oil/diff oil)
New boot release solonoid
New battery
New ignition coil
New starter motor
New spark plugs, leads, rotor arm, distributor cap
Bought Ford RS alloys (17 inch) and sold my Estoril 15/16 inch alloys.
That little lot cost me a few grand but the car is running beautifully now. The biggest single difference was replacing the cam. When I bought the car, the power seemed to drop off over 4k. I suspected it was the cam but I also wanted to make sure it wasn't something easy and cheap in the ignition system so that's why I started with simple stuff like plugs, leads, coil etc. This did improve things a little, but now I know that the real issue was the cam. It is recommended to replace the cam on the rover v8s around 50-60k but they can become worn before that depending on how the car is used. It feels like the car now has the power that it would have had when it left the factory. Though TVR quoted 280bhp for the 4.3s, in reality the rover v8 quoted power figures by TVR are a little optimistic to put it politely. A 4.3 probably has something like 230-250bhp when healthy. Anyway I'll just get on with posting a few pics!
63k miles in Cureton Green with Doeskin leather.
Registered 08/12/1992.
Although most of you will probably be familiar with the 5 litre Griffiths(500), the first ones were all 4.0 and 4.3 engines with no cats. This then changed in 1993 (due to legislation?) when the 500 was released. There are many more 500s produced compared to the 4.0 and 4.3 as they were made for a much longer period of time.
Roughly 2500 ish Griffiths were produced including all variants, and around 6-700 of those were the 4.0/4.3 pre cats, the rest being the 500s. So the chance of seeing a Griffith on the road, let alone a precat are quite small! Certainly compared to TVRs best selling model, the Chimaera, of which about 6500 were made.
I purchased this in June 2020 from a dealer for just under £16k. This is absolutely at the cheaper end of the Griffith spectrum and I knew that I would potentially need to get the outriggers done as they had not been sorted and it is one of those things that all TVRs need sorting at some point!
The car had hardly had any use in the years prior to purchase, only a few 100 miles. I have put a few 1000 miles on it since then and the following is what I've had done and the car is now running beautifully.
2020/2021
New Stealth Cam from V8 developments
New clutch slave cylinder
New clutch master cylinder
New Outriggers
New radiator and twin fans
12k mile service (oil/fiter/air filter/fuel filter/brake and clutch fluid/gearbox oil/diff oil)
New boot release solonoid
New battery
New ignition coil
New starter motor
New spark plugs, leads, rotor arm, distributor cap
Bought Ford RS alloys (17 inch) and sold my Estoril 15/16 inch alloys.
That little lot cost me a few grand but the car is running beautifully now. The biggest single difference was replacing the cam. When I bought the car, the power seemed to drop off over 4k. I suspected it was the cam but I also wanted to make sure it wasn't something easy and cheap in the ignition system so that's why I started with simple stuff like plugs, leads, coil etc. This did improve things a little, but now I know that the real issue was the cam. It is recommended to replace the cam on the rover v8s around 50-60k but they can become worn before that depending on how the car is used. It feels like the car now has the power that it would have had when it left the factory. Though TVR quoted 280bhp for the 4.3s, in reality the rover v8 quoted power figures by TVR are a little optimistic to put it politely. A 4.3 probably has something like 230-250bhp when healthy. Anyway I'll just get on with posting a few pics!
Edited by strangehighways on Saturday 18th September 20:39
Great choice - the 4.3 engine is thought by many to be the sweet spot in RV8 engines. Quicker revving than the 5 litre and 4 litre, so a real performer.
Yours looks to be in excellent condition.
The chassis work was done by subcontractors in 1992 and so was of far better quality than later cars, where the factory did the chassis - my 1999 Chimaera needed new outriggers in 2013.
For non-TVR people, the outriggers are a section of the chassis that supports the middle outer (doors) area of the body, particularly where you sit. The chassis is a tubular steel spine, wider and front and rear to accomodate the engine and suspension. The middle part has a rectangle each side, tacked onto the sides of the car between the wheels. Rusty holes in it are an MOT fail.
Yours looks to be in excellent condition.
The chassis work was done by subcontractors in 1992 and so was of far better quality than later cars, where the factory did the chassis - my 1999 Chimaera needed new outriggers in 2013.
For non-TVR people, the outriggers are a section of the chassis that supports the middle outer (doors) area of the body, particularly where you sit. The chassis is a tubular steel spine, wider and front and rear to accomodate the engine and suspension. The middle part has a rectangle each side, tacked onto the sides of the car between the wheels. Rusty holes in it are an MOT fail.
Winter update of life with the Pre-Cat Griff. I live in central York and don't own a garage so the TVR just lives outside my house and because I am of the 'use it or it goes wrong' mentality, I am driving it once a week roughly around York and the surrounding area getting it nice and hot and all the parts moving.
Since my opening post, I had an oil change done at SD Autotech as the new cam requires the running in oil to be changed after a few hundred miles.
Around this the car kept dropping from 8 cylinders down to as low as maybe 4 or 5.
SD Autotech did a thorough check over the engine (which I am not sure has been done for years in terms of getting the engine running spot on), and after checking lots of things, the issue was diagnosed as a faulty injector which was 'firing' all the time and overfuelling like crazy. The injectors were sent away to be reconditioned. As well as this the car has had a new wheel bearing and hub flange. I would recommend SD Autotech to anyone near North Yorkshire. Steve is a great guy and has great attention to detail.
I am tempting fate I'm sure but I feel like I have "cleared out" many issues over the last year and a half which have probably been building up as the car was so rarely used in the years prior to purchase. I feel like I have finally caught up with things needing attention, but who knows?
I am hoping for a minimal cost 2022!
Since my opening post, I had an oil change done at SD Autotech as the new cam requires the running in oil to be changed after a few hundred miles.
Around this the car kept dropping from 8 cylinders down to as low as maybe 4 or 5.
SD Autotech did a thorough check over the engine (which I am not sure has been done for years in terms of getting the engine running spot on), and after checking lots of things, the issue was diagnosed as a faulty injector which was 'firing' all the time and overfuelling like crazy. The injectors were sent away to be reconditioned. As well as this the car has had a new wheel bearing and hub flange. I would recommend SD Autotech to anyone near North Yorkshire. Steve is a great guy and has great attention to detail.
I am tempting fate I'm sure but I feel like I have "cleared out" many issues over the last year and a half which have probably been building up as the car was so rarely used in the years prior to purchase. I feel like I have finally caught up with things needing attention, but who knows?
I am hoping for a minimal cost 2022!
Your Griff looks bang on, very nice. I have a dark blue 4.3 that I picked up in Oxfordshire in 2012 and imported to New Zealand where it lives now. You are right about a cam making a difference, mine has the lumpiest Kent road cam and it properly sits up and takes notice with that in the old girl.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Still got the Alfa as I just love having a busso v6! Thread here.... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...Also have a crusty old Jag XJR completing the "fleet". https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
strangehighways said:
Still got the Alfa as I just love having a busso v6! Thread here.... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Also have a crusty old Jag XJR completing the "fleet". https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Haha, as well as the Griff, I have a 147 GTA and like you say, the busso V6 is a thing of beauty and removes the need for a stereo. Fun little car...Also have a crusty old Jag XJR completing the "fleet". https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
anonymous said:
[redacted]
When I took my current partner out on our first date, I had slipped my Testarossa into the garage, from its normal parking spot in a classic car collection during the day, while she was at work and when it was time to go out, I rolled the door up to a huge black fat arsed Italian car and surprised her a little...that worked too!! We're still together 12 yrs later.cavebloke said:
Nice to see another 430 precat living in York. Mine’s looked after by Steve too. What made you choose the Stealth cam? I went with a direct replacement of the Kent H214 when I rebuilt my engine.
Hopefully we’ll bump into each other round town soon.
Cheers,
Simon
Hi Simon,Hopefully we’ll bump into each other round town soon.
Cheers,
Simon
I was going to get a like for like replacement with the cam (214), but then Acea mentioned that I could have the stealth cam for the same price which gives potentially better performance, so I went with it. You are welcome for a ride in the car anytime!
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