Body off this winter?

[ChilliWhizz]

Put it off last year but thinking maybe I shouldn't any longer.... Beastie's on SORN at the mo' I'm away and will only get about a week at home between now and the beginning of October...

Much as I'd like to go xover and ITB's I've got a house extension to build and a body off that I really want to do.... Here's the draft body off jobs list....

Engine:
Now 5 years and 20k miles since full rebuild on new short engine
Heavy breathing (crankcase) – needs compression and leak down test
Crankcase breathing – needs (finally) adequate venting and proper oil separator tank
Oil leak – tied in with above but seems to be emanating from dipstick hole in block
Shot blast and fit new baffled sump (small internal build up of iron oxide)
Full cosmetic refresh (e.g. rocker covers & manifolds badly in need of refresh)

Gearbox:
Fit new input shaft seal (slight leak visible in bell housing)
Original clutch now at 52k miles – fit new while car in bits (which one?)

Chassis:
Strip, shot-blast, coat… but which method? (hopefully out riggers OK)

Suspension:
Strip, shot-blast, coat… but which method?
New bushes (which ones?)

Brakes:
New brake pipes all round – rest is good – may consider new HiSpec discs and refit 4 pot callipers

Body:
Fit new heat shields in engine bay
Touch up odd paint chips
Full professional paint detailing jobby

Wheels/tyres
New R888’s all round

Other jobs – non essential:
New windscreen – fed up with milky bottom corners
New dash – veneer cracks now annoying
New drivers side carpets

Put it all back together again.... in time for next summer

[chris52]

Sounds like a good plan I would go for zinc priming and powder coating. But different people will give different opinions por15 is also a good choice.
Have fun with the restoration and keep us updated and take lots of pictures of everything you dismantle it makes life a lot easier when putting it all back together.

Chris

[caduceus]

All of the points you have asked about, everyone will have an opinion on. At this stage (quite early) of people restoring TVRs, it's too early to say which method achieves the best results of longevity and appearance.
But, here's my tuppence worth:

Chassis - Inspect/wire brush, weld where necessary, shot blast and immediately hot zinc coat, preferably by the same company. As for coatings, well that's a can of worms. Powder coating is better now than it was in the 90's, but make sure you ask the company who does it, how long they bake it for. As TVR just flashed them in the oven and let the sun do the rest Apparently they need a decent amount of time in the oven to bond properly.
There are a plethora of other routes: epoxy mastic paint, POR15, Hammerite, 2 pac, or even galvanising as a one step solution.
But to be honest, if the chassis is rot and rust free and hot zinc coated, the coating is just a cosmetic top coat. This is the sentiment of the company director of the screening firm that did mine. He showed me gate posts that had been coated over a decade ago, painted red and then hit by delivery lorries time after time in the following years. The red pain was torn off but no rust, at all.

Suspension - the same as chassis. As for bushes, this is a subject I feel that needs proper discussion on this forum to find the best between the standard bushes (old Cortina) or polys. I have heard merits on both, but I have gone for standard TVR pressed in jobbies. Which is a bit of a pain compared to the easy removal and fitting of poly/powerflex, but apparently have a longer life before distorting. Apparently..

As for clutch, I can't advise as I've never replaced one. But there will be plenty of bods here to give you a heads up.

Oh yes, and as Chris says, take plenty of pics. And don't, as I have done, lose the memory card that has all the pics & footage on
It's been interesting so far doing it all from memory

[ChilliWhizz]

Thanks Chris and Cad.... Can't wait to get started now, although I know I'm really going to miss driving the old girl

[TJC46]

ChilliWhizz said:

Chassis:
Strip, shot-blast, coat… but which method? (hopefully out riggers OK)

Lots of opinions on this one. Mine is 2 pack epoxy paint, but have a read here and form your own opinion,

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[ClassiChimi]

That's a lot of work Richard, are you farming out the work or doing it yourself, as I know how hard it is to do stuff at home when you work away lots, PITA!

I lost at least one wife that way

[ChilliWhizz]

Hi Thomas, thanks for the link I remember reading that when it was first posted! I work offshore and I'm reasonably familiar with some of the coating systems we use out here (I'm out there now )... Some years back we were looking at a product called Zinga, and although I've no personal experience of it I understand it's pretty good... http://www.frost.co.uk/zinga-cold-galvanising-syst...

Company here also do hot zinc spray..... http://www.nspcoatings.co.uk/hot-zinc-spraying.php

Then, as I understand it there's hot zinc dip (is this the same as zinc plating (suspect not))... and then zinc plating...

So, for Zinc coating immediately after shot blasting you can...
Cold spray or brush (e.g. Zinga)
Hot spray Zinc (thermal metal spraying)
Hot dip in Zinc bath
Zinc plating

Confusing or what?

I'm liking the idea of zinc straight onto shot blasted chassis and then one of the International paints multiple coatings on top of the zinc.. and same with the suspension components

[ChilliWhizz]

ClassiChimi said:

That's a lot of work Richard, are you farming out the work or doing it yourself, as I know how hard it is to do stuff at home when you work away lots, PITA!

I lost at least one wife that way

Planning on the body lift at Mr Smiff's emporium for discerning TVR owners Al.... I'm hoping to get Dave (my B roadster) roadworthy this winter too, but that'll require more labour than dosh

[TV8]

Hi Chilli, that looks like a lumpy bill ahead. If I were spending that sort of money, this would be investigated - http://www.sportmotive.com/evochassis.html

[ChilliWhizz]

TV8 said:

Hi Chilli, that looks like a lumpy bill ahead. If I were spending that sort of money, this would be investigated - http://www.sportmotive.com/evochassis.html

However, I now stay away from the Sportmotive website because of that damn chassis... properly expensive Graham (but worth every penny I'm sure) if you factor in all the extra's you'll need, like 5 stud 18 inch wheels and rubber, bigger brakes to fill the wheels etc etc, just goes on and on... And with a chassis that takes an LS lump, well it'd be rude not to

What is interesting though is the chassis protection regime (Hope Ian doesn't mind me quoting)...
"We have explored various options for coatings and have settled on a standard process of; full sand blast followed by a hot zinc spray coat, epoxy primer powder coat followed by a final epoxy powder gloss coat in any standard RA colour."

Chilli

[ClassiChimi]

Does anyone know the price of the Sportmotive chassis.
It's a total solution by the looks of it. Looking at it in real life it does look mighty strong,

Looks like your going to be busy this winter mate.

I suppose you start with a body lift, see what you've got and go from there.

[portzi]

ClassiChimi said:

Does anyone know the price of the Sportmotive chassis.
It's a total solution by the looks of it. Looking at it in real life it does look mighty strong,

Looks like your going to be busy this winter mate.

I suppose you start with a body lift, see what you've got and go from there.

I would suggest if your a serious track day driver like a lot of Pher's on this site, then this chassis is the complete deal, from looking at all the development of its structure and ancillaries, if you have money to spend get it done then you will have one of the best handling TVR's on any track, as we know the weak part to our TVR's s is the poor chassis strength whilst putting it through its paces round a track.

[ClassiChimi]

portzi said:

I would suggest if your a serious track day driver like a lot of Pher's on this site, then this chassis is the complete deal, from looking at all the development of its structure and ancillaries, if you have money to spend get it done then you will have one of the best handling TVR's on any track, as we know the weak part to our TVR's s is the poor chassis strength whilst putting it through its paces round a track.

Which is why I absolutely need a new Chassis mines pretty weak, well it is when I'm all crossed up anyway!

It would be some joy to own a Tvr with that chassis,

It's just a shame most owners can't justify the outlay,
But a track day nut with money to burn and fire in his belly,,, yeah a track car to beware of.

The alley hubs, are they protected with some form of coating I wonder, alley and road crud, won't that deteriorate quite quickly!
Nah, quick jet wash and off you go again.

[portzi]

ClassiChimi said:

portzi said:

I would suggest if your a serious track day driver like a lot of Pher's on this site, then this chassis is the complete deal, from looking at all the development of its structure and ancillaries, if you have money to spend get it done then you will have one of the best handling TVR's on any track, as we know the weak part to our TVR's s is the poor chassis strength whilst putting it through its paces round a track.

Which is why I absolutely need a new Chassis mines pretty weak, well it is when I'm all crossed up anyway!

It would be some joy to own a Tvr with that chassis,

It's just a shame most owners can't justify the outlay,
But a track day nut with money to burn and fire in his belly,,, yeah a track car to beware of.

The alley hubs, are they protected with some form of coating I wonder, alley and road crud, won't that deteriorate quite quickly!
Nah, quick jet wash and off you go again.

Leave some Aircraft grade Ali outside see what happens over the years . I dug up some old Ali Lancaster parts for a works project at the Bomber Command War memorial, the Ali was over 70 years old and l could still bend it into shape without it cracking !!!! There was surface corrosion though, it had crash landed in a wet bog up in Scotland.