Coming back to the fold - picking up Chim on Weds :)

[tomo72]

Hi all,

After a 15 year absence I'm getting another Chim. Have played around with Boxsters, S2000, CLS AMG to name a few, but recently had the itch to have a TVR again. After reasonable bit of searching am picking up what I hope is a pretty sorted one, which has had full chassis refurb and whole bunch of other work - listed below. I am interested from the learned folk here if there is anything obvious that usually needs fixing by now on a 98 car (with 71k miles) and I should consider doing?

Is a Viper Blue 1998 400, with PAS.

Has had a body off chassis restoration: complete strip of the car, chassis sandblasted,new outriggers ,modified & strengthened seat mounts all zinc coated and powder coated (fully documented)

All new poly bushes and ball joints fitted along with new front wishbones, handbrake cable, NEW O.E Clutch fitted, Bosch fuel pump and braided S/S brake hoses. New hood and door seals, and door switches, a fully rebuilt cooling system with a re-cored radiator, water pump, new custom made aluminium swirl and expansion pots, new engine valley gasket, rocker gaskets with upgraded hex bolts, thermostat, Otter Switch, injector 'O' rings, S/S swan neck pipe and Silicon Hoses. Brand New OEM Bosch Headlight Reflector Bowls and lenses fitted.

best wishes

Tom

[QBee]

Only thing I can think of is to check the age of the tyres - they are often left on the car for far too long.

If you don't know, look for a little oblong on the sidewall, containing 4 digits.
For example, 1409 would mean week 14 (April) of 2009, so they would need changing.
In my experience the oblong is only on one side, so you might need to take a wheel or two off.

Second thing has just occurred to me - has it had a four wheel alignment recently?
If it feels at all un-planted, I would get that done.
As you probably remember, these cars are very sensitive to misaligned wheels.

[tomo72]

Many thanks, and I'll check for the wheel alignment to see if that has been done. The Tyres looked in good shape, but will check age.

I'm minded to get the alarm and mobiliser done as think it still has original.

Best

[pb450]

tomo72 said:

I'm minded to get the alarm and mobiliser done as think it still has original.

Best

Good idea. If it's the original it's likely to go flakey on you when you least need it. (Not that you ever 'need' it.) If you can run to the Carl Baker product, you'll get a properly wired TVR, which should sort out a lot of potemtial electrical woes in the future, including the so called hot-start problem.

Added bonus is the remote boot release on your plipper. You will surely have experienced the irritation of wanting to access the boot after you've switched off by now.

[tomo72]

Thanks, and am now arranging to speak to Carl - he sounds amazing. Looks like it is the belt and braces option, but well worth it I suspect. And yes had forgotten about the joy of the boot release quirk!

Best

[pb450]

Sounds like a nice car. We need to see pics. Blue ones are.... oh never mind, you know that anyway. Enjoy!

[QBee]

tomo72 said:

Thanks, and am now arranging to speak to Carl - he sounds amazing. Looks like it is the belt and braces option, but well worth it I suspect. And yes had forgotten about the joy of the boot release quirk!

Best

I went for the full Baker about 4 year ago after my immobiliser and alarm both failed and drained the battery - fortunately at home.
Never had a single issue since.
As well as the boot plipper and proper re-wire, and installing the latest Meta system, he also adjusts the re-immobilise delay on unlocking to a sensible time, to allow for the gentleman of advancing years (like yours truly) entering with the roof on to get the keys in and the car started before it rearms.

[tomo72]

some pics will follow, just hoping the monsoon abates before I collect on Weds! And what do blue cars do...?

[tomo72]

QBee said:

tomo72 said:

Thanks, and am now arranging to speak to Carl - he sounds amazing. Looks like it is the belt and braces option, but well worth it I suspect. And yes had forgotten about the joy of the boot release quirk!

Best

I went for the full Baker about 4 year ago after my immobiliser and alarm both failed and drained the battery - fortunately at home.
Never had a single issue since.
As well as the boot plipper and proper re-wire, and installing the latest Meta system, he also adjusts the re-immobilise delay on unlocking to a sensible time, to allow for the gentleman of advancing years (like yours truly) entering with the roof on to get the keys in and the car started before it rearms.

Thanks! Think I'll definitely get this done

[pb450]

tomo72 said:

And what do blue cars do...?

They are fastest - of course.

PS. I concur with everything QBee says about the Baker kit. It's a no-brainer for peace of mind. Mine was done a similar time ago too.

[tomo72]

pb450 said:

They are fastest - of course.

PS. I concur with everything QBee says about the Baker kit. It's a no-brainer for peace of mind. Mine was done a similar time ago too.

Thanks - and glad I got blue then...

[MuffDaddy]

pb450 said:

PS. I concur with everything QBee says about the Baker kit.

I'm booked in for this in a couple of weeks time. Moving battery to boot and amp behind drivers seat. Then that's electrics almost done. Why I have waited 20 years I don't know.

[trev4]

Agree with all the above, I would add the shocks will probably be getting a bit tired and my 4lt on 75000 miles had a quite badly worn cam nether of which are pressing jobs but something to look at when funds are available.
Good luck with it and welcome back.

[pb450]

My battery is also in the boot. The Canems ECU is the only thing left in the passenger footwell. As it's smaller than the original 14CUX, it almost looks lonely down there on its own!

[tomo72]

trev4 said:

Agree with all the above, I would add the shocks will probably be getting a bit tired and my 4lt on 75000 miles had a quite badly worn cam nether of which are pressing jobs but something to look at when funds are available.
Good luck with it and welcome back.

Thanks - and will add that to the shopping list - which seems to be already growing...

[N7GTX]

Nice colour but don't believe that blue are fastest.......
Hopefully when the new Bosch fuel pump was fitted they also replaced the relay plus the ignition relay (next to each other) as these have a habit of failing. The 100 amp fuse can crack/fail so worthwhile changing it too. The one in the link is a more reliable type.

http://www.powersperformance.co.uk/store/slug/igni...
http://www.powersperformance.co.uk/store/slug/125-...

[QBee]

pb450 said:

My battery is also in the boot. The Canems ECU is the only thing left in the passenger footwell. As it's smaller than the original 14CUX, it almost looks lonely down there on its own!

My Emerald ECU is in the dash above the glove pocket, so that the comms cable to it can be kept in the glove pocket. Well out of harm's and damp's way, and handy for the passenger to plug into their laptop for diagnostic purposes.

I had the battery boil a couple of years ago, and was only aware of it when I found the 14 CUX ECU sitting in a pool of battery acid. Moved the battery to the boot shortly after that, and all was well until about a month ago, when the acid that had seeped into the ECU finally destroyed the fuelling chip one Friday evening and left me with no working injectors. All sorted the next morning by Mat Smith, who took no more than 15 minutes to deduce that the problem had to be with the ECU. I had a spare ECU with me (like you do!!. It came with a package of spares I had bought off PH classifieds, and I never thought I would need it, so had been lending it out. Just goes to show.....), so it was fixed in half an hour flat. Two weeks later it was changed for the Emerald.

Now only my fuse board is in the footwell, and there is soooo much leg room for my passengers.
Battery is in the boot, like those above, in my case it is an Odessey gel type and it is on top of the fuel tank.

[Classic Chim]

Mbe ign from Powers includes sorting the wiring that is often the problem on the immobiliser side. Often the alarms are robust and last many years without fault and it's the immobiliser that causes the hot start issues. It's an added bonus of the Mbe system with its new wiring harness that it hits the two main known issues namely hot start and over fuelling or unreliability in the ign system with one stone.
I'm not sure how other ECU installs go about sorting the immobiliser issue but Powers Mbe solves it as part of the deal. My car uses the Meta alarm and from what I've read is in fact very reliable so I've left it well alone.
I'm just pointing out an alarm change is likely expensive and unless it's really necessary and your prepared to invest in the cars future a new ign and fuelling system might solve any future starting/ alarm problems with many other benifits included.
Wellcome back.

[QBee]

Every day is a school day.
Give that man an MBE in the TVR birthday honours

[tomo72]

N7GTX said:

Nice colour but don't believe that blue are fastest.......
Hopefully when the new Bosch fuel pump was fitted they also replaced the relay plus the ignition relay (next to each other) as these have a habit of failing. The 100 amp fuse can crack/fail so worthwhile changing it too. The one in the link is a more reliable type.

http://www.powersperformance.co.uk/store/slug/igni...
http://www.powersperformance.co.uk/store/slug/125-...

will definitely check for that and do it if they haven't already - thanks so much