Autocraft engine rebuild
Discussion
A few words of support for autocraft - they have rebuilt my 4.5 and I have now run it in. In addition to the rebuild they ported the heads and replaced the clutch and radiators. In total the bill was in the region of 11k. Hefty but then the bill did include a new head with all the gubbings and one replacement cam, MOT & Service. Also a bit of troubleshooting was required to get the engine running properly (corroded terminal to the ECU and brand new spark plug leads that were faulty).
The engine is pulling better than it ever has and the porting seems to have done a lot to smooth out the low end power. According to Autocraft they obtained 394 bhp out of the engine as is. After I get a few more miles on it I'll see if Trackcar can relook at the mixtures etc as certainly some adjustments to the ECU will be required due to the porting.
I'm pleased with the result however it did take a long time to get the job done - in part due to sourcing clutches etc. There were a few things that needed sorting after the run-in period which Autocraft did without any quibbles.
As we keep telling would be newbies, these cars arn't cheap to keep on the road. Anyway hopefully you will hear nothing further from me except the happy note of my exhaust on full throttle!
Talking of exhausts - I have always declared to my insurer that I run the car without cats. For years this has been OK but they have now come back and said if I do this the car will not pass a MOT so their insurance will not be valid so I guess its cats back on!
The engine is pulling better than it ever has and the porting seems to have done a lot to smooth out the low end power. According to Autocraft they obtained 394 bhp out of the engine as is. After I get a few more miles on it I'll see if Trackcar can relook at the mixtures etc as certainly some adjustments to the ECU will be required due to the porting.
I'm pleased with the result however it did take a long time to get the job done - in part due to sourcing clutches etc. There were a few things that needed sorting after the run-in period which Autocraft did without any quibbles.
As we keep telling would be newbies, these cars arn't cheap to keep on the road. Anyway hopefully you will hear nothing further from me except the happy note of my exhaust on full throttle!
Talking of exhausts - I have always declared to my insurer that I run the car without cats. For years this has been OK but they have now come back and said if I do this the car will not pass a MOT so their insurance will not be valid so I guess its cats back on!
Steve_T said:
Is that for the 2008 season Cliff? 
Only if I don't pull my finger out cos the project has had a few delays, mainly finding the right car which I've now done, but it will be moving ahead very quickly over the next 2 weeks. We aim to be testing by October 06!!!!!!!!!
Ceejay
mudstud said:
A few words of support for autocraft - they have rebuilt my 4.5 and I have now run it in. In addition to the rebuild they ported the heads and replaced the clutch and radiators. In total the bill was in the region of 11k. Hefty but then the bill did include a new head with all the gubbings and one replacement cam, MOT & Service. Also a bit of troubleshooting was required to get the engine running properly (corroded terminal to the ECU and brand new spark plug leads that were faulty).
The engine is pulling better than it ever has and the porting seems to have done a lot to smooth out the low end power. According to Autocraft they obtained 394 bhp out of the engine as is. After I get a few more miles on it I'll see if Trackcar can relook at the mixtures etc as certainly some adjustments to the ECU will be required due to the porting.
I'm pleased with the result however it did take a long time to get the job done - in part due to sourcing clutches etc. There were a few things that needed sorting after the run-in period which Autocraft did without any quibbles.
As we keep telling would be newbies, these cars arn't cheap to keep on the road. Anyway hopefully you will hear nothing further from me except the happy note of my exhaust on full throttle!
Talking of exhausts - I have always declared to my insurer that I run the car without cats. For years this has been OK but they have now come back and said if I do this the car will not pass a MOT so their insurance will not be valid so I guess its cats back on!
The engine is pulling better than it ever has and the porting seems to have done a lot to smooth out the low end power. According to Autocraft they obtained 394 bhp out of the engine as is. After I get a few more miles on it I'll see if Trackcar can relook at the mixtures etc as certainly some adjustments to the ECU will be required due to the porting.
I'm pleased with the result however it did take a long time to get the job done - in part due to sourcing clutches etc. There were a few things that needed sorting after the run-in period which Autocraft did without any quibbles.
As we keep telling would be newbies, these cars arn't cheap to keep on the road. Anyway hopefully you will hear nothing further from me except the happy note of my exhaust on full throttle!
Talking of exhausts - I have always declared to my insurer that I run the car without cats. For years this has been OK but they have now come back and said if I do this the car will not pass a MOT so their insurance will not be valid so I guess its cats back on!
These cars arent cheap they're dirt cheap, feckin pennies for the performance.
Fingers crossed your ride holds it together. After JA finding out his stuff was over-torqued and ruined the thread, I'd be worried.
PS. the headman who does the headwork isnt one of the best in the business, he is good, nothing special. There are a lot more serious head engineers out there with some serious experience behind them. I finally got my finger out of my arse and have looked around and know who is what in the UK, and thankfully the likes of Nemesis Performance and Austec also know the right guys in the business.
11k???? and you praise? are you feckin nuts? for another 2k you could have got yourself another cerbie!!!!!
But anyway, goodluck bud, I wish the car does hold it together, I might be a
to some people but I only want the best for everyone, and I wish your sailing is problem free 
£11K !!!!
Had my last 4.5 rebuilt via APM - included new heads, cams etc etc... and was about £4.5 K all in for virtually a new engine. Think Andy is even better value now that he does the rebuilds in house.
A rebuilt V8 cerb via APM, Austec, TVR Power etc will be good for some 50 - 70K miles. Will push out between 380 and 430 bhp depending on what you ask them to do to it. What do you get for the extra 5 or 6K from Autocraft V8s?
Had my last 4.5 rebuilt via APM - included new heads, cams etc etc... and was about £4.5 K all in for virtually a new engine. Think Andy is even better value now that he does the rebuilds in house.
A rebuilt V8 cerb via APM, Austec, TVR Power etc will be good for some 50 - 70K miles. Will push out between 380 and 430 bhp depending on what you ask them to do to it. What do you get for the extra 5 or 6K from Autocraft V8s?
gazzab said:
£11K !!!!
Had my last 4.5 rebuilt via APM - included new heads, cams etc etc... and was about £4.5 K all in for virtually a new engine. Think Andy is even better value now that he does the rebuilds in house.
A rebuilt V8 cerb via APM, Austec, TVR Power etc will be good for some 50 - 70K miles. Will push out between 380 and 430 bhp depending on what you ask them to do to it. What do you get for the extra 5 or 6K from Autocraft V8s?
Had my last 4.5 rebuilt via APM - included new heads, cams etc etc... and was about £4.5 K all in for virtually a new engine. Think Andy is even better value now that he does the rebuilds in house.
A rebuilt V8 cerb via APM, Austec, TVR Power etc will be good for some 50 - 70K miles. Will push out between 380 and 430 bhp depending on what you ask them to do to it. What do you get for the extra 5 or 6K from Autocraft V8s?
I think if you read the post it's not just an engine rebuild that's been paid for .. replaced a head, had a service and MOT .. new clutch and most likely a load of other stuff not listed .. i would imagine the engine was a goodly part of that price, but not all of it ..
mudstud said:
Talking of exhausts - I have always declared to my insurer that I run the car without cats. For years this has been OK but they have now come back and said if I do this the car will not pass a MOT so their insurance will not be valid so I guess its cats back on!
A customer of mine fell foul of this .. he looked around and found an insurer who didn't mind the car being catless .. I'll see if i can find the details .. there was a good thread about it on the TVRCC forums Jon.
trackcar said:
gazzab said:
£11K !!!!
Had my last 4.5 rebuilt via APM - included new heads, cams etc etc... and was about £4.5 K all in for virtually a new engine. Think Andy is even better value now that he does the rebuilds in house.
A rebuilt V8 cerb via APM, Austec, TVR Power etc will be good for some 50 - 70K miles. Will push out between 380 and 430 bhp depending on what you ask them to do to it. What do you get for the extra 5 or 6K from Autocraft V8s?
Had my last 4.5 rebuilt via APM - included new heads, cams etc etc... and was about £4.5 K all in for virtually a new engine. Think Andy is even better value now that he does the rebuilds in house.
A rebuilt V8 cerb via APM, Austec, TVR Power etc will be good for some 50 - 70K miles. Will push out between 380 and 430 bhp depending on what you ask them to do to it. What do you get for the extra 5 or 6K from Autocraft V8s?
I think if you read the post it's not just an engine rebuild that's been paid for .. replaced a head, had a service and MOT .. new clutch and most likely a load of other stuff not listed .. i would imagine the engine was a goodly part of that price, but not all of it ..
OK , but my 4.5K included clutch, flywheel, new heads, service, new cams etc - so just cant see where the extra money goes, is it power benefits (you can get 420 as it is) or reliability (they arent so bad standard).....?
Agree the price is steep and with hindsight I would have looked into the option of getting a replacement engine from a breakers rather than getting a new head. That way if the engine was good I would have been money ahead and if not I would have been a little worse off but would have had some spare bits. Basically new head was 2.5 k, and when you remove the porting, clutch, rad, cam and servicing costs it brings the price down to ballpark what TVR power were asking.
Gazzab - 4.5 k for all the work you had done sounds excellent value; heads, cams and clutch alone must start to get close to this value. My fault for not talking to APM! live and learn.
Only really needed to do a top end job as I had a crack in one of the heads but in the end decided to rebuild the whole engine as the engine was out anyway and it would give me a bit more peace of mind (if such a thing is possible with a TVR!)
Gazzab - 4.5 k for all the work you had done sounds excellent value; heads, cams and clutch alone must start to get close to this value. My fault for not talking to APM! live and learn.
Only really needed to do a top end job as I had a crack in one of the heads but in the end decided to rebuild the whole engine as the engine was out anyway and it would give me a bit more peace of mind (if such a thing is possible with a TVR!)
Edited by mudstud on Thursday 29th June 18:43
mudstud said:
A few words of support for autocraft - they have rebuilt my 4.5 and I have now run it in. In addition to the rebuild they ported the heads and replaced the clutch and radiators. In total the bill was in the region of 11k. Hefty but then the bill did include a new head with all the gubbings and one replacement cam, MOT & Service. Also a bit of troubleshooting was required to get the engine running properly (corroded terminal to the ECU and brand new spark plug leads that were faulty).
The engine is pulling better than it ever has and the porting seems to have done a lot to smooth out the low end power. According to Autocraft they obtained 394 bhp out of the engine as is. After I get a few more miles on it I'll see if Trackcar can relook at the mixtures etc as certainly some adjustments to the ECU will be required due to the porting.
I'm pleased with the result however it did take a long time to get the job done - in part due to sourcing clutches etc. There were a few things that needed sorting after the run-in period which Autocraft did without any quibbles.
As we keep telling would be newbies, these cars arn't cheap to keep on the road. Anyway hopefully you will hear nothing further from me except the happy note of my exhaust on full throttle!
Talking of exhausts - I have always declared to my insurer that I run the car without cats. For years this has been OK but they have now come back and said if I do this the car will not pass a MOT so their insurance will not be valid so I guess its cats back on!
The engine is pulling better than it ever has and the porting seems to have done a lot to smooth out the low end power. According to Autocraft they obtained 394 bhp out of the engine as is. After I get a few more miles on it I'll see if Trackcar can relook at the mixtures etc as certainly some adjustments to the ECU will be required due to the porting.
I'm pleased with the result however it did take a long time to get the job done - in part due to sourcing clutches etc. There were a few things that needed sorting after the run-in period which Autocraft did without any quibbles.
As we keep telling would be newbies, these cars arn't cheap to keep on the road. Anyway hopefully you will hear nothing further from me except the happy note of my exhaust on full throttle!
Talking of exhausts - I have always declared to my insurer that I run the car without cats. For years this has been OK but they have now come back and said if I do this the car will not pass a MOT so their insurance will not be valid so I guess its cats back on!
So what kind of clutch did they fit you up with in the end? standard one or some special upgarded one?
mudstud said:
Agree the price is steep and with hindsight I would have looked into the option of getting a replacement engine from a breakers rather than getting a new head. That way if the engine was good I would have been money ahead and if not I would have been a little worse off but would have had some spare bits. Basically new head was 2.5 k, and when you remove the porting, clutch, rad, cam and servicing costs it brings the price down to ballpark what TVR power were asking.
Gazzab - 4.5 k for all the work you had done sounds excellent value; heads, cams and clutch alone must start to get close to this value. My fault for not talking to APM! live and learn.
Only really needed to do a top end job as I had a crack in one of the heads but in the end decided to rebuild the whole engine as the engine was out anyway and it would give me a bit more peace of mind (if such a thing is possible with a TVR!)
Gazzab - 4.5 k for all the work you had done sounds excellent value; heads, cams and clutch alone must start to get close to this value. My fault for not talking to APM! live and learn.
Only really needed to do a top end job as I had a crack in one of the heads but in the end decided to rebuild the whole engine as the engine was out anyway and it would give me a bit more peace of mind (if such a thing is possible with a TVR!)
Edited by mudstud on Thursday 29th June 18:43
Is that common? or was it shy of coolant?
Edited by headcase on Thursday 29th June 20:06
[qoute]
11k???? and you praise? are you feckin nuts? for another 2k you could have got yourself another cerbie!!!!!
[/quote]
Fookin ell £11k, I'll say that again, fookin ell £11k. That is stupid money. My last rebuild at Power, taking a 3.6 to a 4.0 blue printed redose on the speed 6 with a brand new crank (4.0 capacity) new rods injectors, throttle bodies, etc etc was £4.6k.
I cant believe £11k, and my head was ported and flowed also, alright, I know there are 2 heads on the ajp, but that does not warrent £11k, with a servcie and rad etc etc...
Remind me of the address, so I dont stumble in their by mistake to get my car sorted, or I might have to start selling myself in Amsterdam to pay the bill...
Mr F
11k???? and you praise? are you feckin nuts? for another 2k you could have got yourself another cerbie!!!!!
[/quote]
Fookin ell £11k, I'll say that again, fookin ell £11k. That is stupid money. My last rebuild at Power, taking a 3.6 to a 4.0 blue printed redose on the speed 6 with a brand new crank (4.0 capacity) new rods injectors, throttle bodies, etc etc was £4.6k.
I cant believe £11k, and my head was ported and flowed also, alright, I know there are 2 heads on the ajp, but that does not warrent £11k, with a servcie and rad etc etc...
Remind me of the address, so I dont stumble in their by mistake to get my car sorted, or I might have to start selling myself in Amsterdam to pay the bill...
Mr F
gazzab said:
OK , but my 4.5K included clutch, flywheel, new heads, service, new cams etc - so just cant see where the extra money goes, is it power benefits (you can get 420 as it is) or reliability (they arent so bad standard).....?
you got a proper bargain then, because heads are 1750 pounds each. bare castings. plus vat. You must have got your labour and service and MOT for free then yeah?
Haventy got the bill in front of me but I do remcall it was 4.5k and that it included all the work. I am sure the heads were less than you quote BUT that was 3 yrs ago? Maybe they were cheaper then. Andys labour rate is EXCELLENT and so that helped.
But I had given Andy £11K then I am sure I could have probably got him to through in refurb chassis, respray, new wheels, interior refurb, suspension............ ie virtually a new car.
But I had given Andy £11K then I am sure I could have probably got him to through in refurb chassis, respray, new wheels, interior refurb, suspension............ ie virtually a new car.
Edited by gazzab on Thursday 29th June 21:30
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