In the market again....

[Light n Hairy]

After a 4 year absence on thw LnH drive, a Tuscan needs to make a reappearance. I have seen an 02 one sans rebuild, about 14K miles. Running fine at present, but if it does deide to poo its pants, what is the consensus on the better rebuild routes and prices out there at the moment?

Ta in advance

LnH

[Diablos-666]

Re-builds are between £7-11k plus VAT on 3.6l - 4.5L variants with 100k miles / 5 year warranty from Power.

HTH

[G20RG B]

As he said TVR Power about £6.5 for a 4.0 ltr rebuild with 3 yr warrenty or about £8.5k for a 4.3 with 5yr warranty. Or Steve Heath for a V8 ls conversion for about £8-10k. You also have str8six and and a few others doing good rebuilds but I can't advise you on the cost. One thing, once one of these guys rebuilds the Speed Six it seems to stay fixed, not like some of the early fatory rebuilds. There are some great options out there for Speed Six owners now.

[nawarne]

^^^ As above.

Power will also provide a yearly warranty (i.e. insurance) for about £750, this conditional on a satisfactory inspection and oil change for about £250 prior to the warranty start (I guess compression and leakdown test plus thorough inspection of oil tank for swarf/contamination etc.)

All in all the Sp6 situation is looking very good. Without opening a whole can of worms....Racing Green will also rebuild with the 2nd Gen FFF head. No idea what warranty is offered by RG though.

Nick

[Light n Hairy]

Very helpful all, thanks.

Is it fair to say that absolutely all sp6 engines need a rebuild sooner or later?

[Diablos-666]

If your looking at a pre '05 car without a re-build then you should factor in a price for this. After this they are pretty reliable.

Do a search as there is plenty of info, i asked most of the same questions 6-12 months ago so look on my threads

[G20RG B]

2003 onwards seems to be more reliable but TBH there is no way of knowing as TVR used different quality parts at different times, I have had a 2001 Tuscan no issues engine wise 26K miles, and now on a 2003 Cerbera with 30K miles and no engine issues.

I have some money put aside should it require a re-build (not the full amout mind you)but remember any supercar and they are super, will require money spent on it at some time, but try to do a fair bit yourself to keep the costs down, you will get loads of assistance on these forums should you need it and learn lots about the car at the same time.

[rens914]

Light n Hairy said:

Very helpful all, thanks.

Is it fair to say that absolutely all sp6 engines need a rebuild sooner or later?

it all seems to be a matter of how you threat the car
there are cars with a hugh mileage without rebuilds and there are examples (some of them exposed on youtube films called like: full throttle, max sound, full sprint) that are due to the 3rd of 4th rebuild.
mine didn't need one and still doesnt.
and to be sure : add some prolong to youre engine oil
rens

[Smooth Smith]

There are no guarantees with the sp6 engine. As mentioned, a lot depends on how it has been treated & whether it's been warmed up properly.

I started out looking for one that had had a rebuild but bought one without (well actually not sure) & had an
inspection done. I do not open the taps until fully warmed up & don't really floor it anyway.

I am aware of a number of sp6's which have over 60k on the clock without a rebuild but others which are on their second or third. The future of the engine is looking good though with the rebuilds, especially with the warranties Power are offering. I have read that they have not had one of their rebuilds fail as yet.

[pete]

My 2003 3.6 had a full 4.3 rebuild from TVR Power last year. It hadn't failed catastrophically, but at 40k it was running out of adjustment on the exhaust valves (seat wear) and losing compression due to worn cylinder bores. Since the rebuild it is both faster (a *lot* faster!) and smoother; it doesn't sound like a bag of spanners in a cement mixer any more!

The work cost £9.5k, which was the 4.3 rebuild including relining the block, uprated starter and injectors, new clutch and lightweight flywheel, rebuilt 5th gear synchros, and a 6k service. I thought that was pretty reasonable for replacing just about every moving part of the engine and including a 5 year warranty.

If you're lucky enough to find a car you like that's already had a recent rebuild from Power or STR8 Six, that's probably the cheapest safe option - I'm selling up in the New Year and won't recoup the whole cost of the rebuild, for example. Alternatively buy a car with no rebuild for under £15k, then run it until it needs the work; if you're lucky, it may never need doing.

Cheers,
Pete

[nawarne]

Light n Hairy said:

Very helpful all, thanks.

Is it fair to say that absolutely all sp6 engines need a rebuild sooner or later?

My '04 Mk1 'S' is now at 38K miles. Sum total of 'repairs' are: new clutch at about 25K, new heater motor at 30K miles and a wiper connecting rod at 36K. Obviously, routine tyres and services as well. At the last 12K service valves were checked and no concerns raised. (Looks for all available wood to touch!!)

A local T350 on an '03 plate is on circa 60K miles and no problems.

Use'em, warm them up properly and use common dog f**k and they should last.
Nick

[Light n Hairy]

This extraordinary helpfulness is one of my favourite memories of owning a TVR. Thanks all. W

ill let you know if I have found one; failing that let me know if ou think someone is sellng an very decent one that isn't on the usual sites. I need one for less than 15K as I have budgeted about 5K for mainenance/repairs over 2 years which I believe is a safe amount.

[Mark A S]

I would sell my 4.3 2000 Tuscan, its perfect, has done 34,000 ms, will include a 12k service by TVR power, I doubt your find a better one, or faster, and it has over 3 years unlimited mileage warranty.
I will sell for £19k, no less. PM me if you want full details

What ever you do, good luck, I would advise for peace of mine, a Power rebuild one, especially with the excellent warranty they offer.

Happy Xmas