Viewing a 430

[Olgit]

Have found what seems to be a good 430 that has had a bit of work done to it already.

From questions already asked, the following work has been done;
Front end repaint in 05 to tidy up - owner says no accidents and reckons it isnt on the register, but I suppose that I should check for peace of mind.
ACT SS exhaust in 07.
Kent 224 cam in 08 - I understand that these are a bit peaky and give lumpy running at lower RPM but good for peak power. Are there any known issues with the Kent 224?
More recently a 500 spec clutch. will there be any issues with a 500 clutch in a 430?
Owner has regularly painted and waxoyled chassis.
Owner says diff is fine but leaks a bit and they all do that, well I am sure that the dont, but is this something to live with for a while. What is cost of a diff refurb if needed?
Alarm was repalced a couple of years ago and has the remote boot release.
Still on original suspension, so this will need to be sorted in the near future - what to go for? I guess that Nitrons are favourite? if a little expensive.
Hood is a little worn where the targa fits under the rear section, who to go to for a hood replacement? what is the likely cost?
I have been lurking for a while and have buying guides from used car expert, AROnline and of course Pistonheads, but would appreciate any input into what to look for in particular.
The car will be a toy, but will be used - not looking for a garage queen.
All help gratefully received.

[jeboa]

Have found what seems to be a good 430 that has had a bit of work done to it already.

From questions already asked, the following work has been done;
Front end repaint in 05 to tidy up - owner says no accidents and reckons it isnt on the register, but I suppose that I should check for peace of mind.

{Might as well check, doesn't cost much - good bargaining chip. Front end is pretty prone to stones chips, so not unusual to have a respray}

ACT SS exhaust in 07.
{Bonus}

Kent 224 cam in 08 - I understand that these are a bit peaky and give lumpy running at lower RPM but good for peak power. Are there any known issues with the Kent 224?
{Reasonably mild - fits with original cam wear}

More recently a 500 spec clutch. will there be any issues with a 500 clutch in a 430?
{Nope}

Owner has regularly painted and waxoyled chassis.
{Bonus - but if curious, rub with a bit of thinners in suspect areas to see if anything is being masked}

Owner says diff is fine but leaks a bit and they all do that, well I am sure that the dont, but is this something to live with for a while. What is cost of a diff refurb if needed?
{Probably GKN Diff, they have a tendency to 'weap' a bit from the breather}

Alarm was repalced a couple of years ago and has the remote boot release.
{Bonus, original alarm is obsolete}

Still on original suspension, so this will need to be sorted in the near future - what to go for? I guess that Nitrons are favourite? if a little expensive.
{Nitrons £1k, Gaz £.5k - loads of opinions on here - I have Gaz - fine so far (5yrs) - I bet lots of people will scream and shout opinions - but they seem okay}

Hood is a little worn where the targa fits under the rear section, who to go to for a hood replacement? what is the likely cost?
{About £600 for a hood replacement - drive it with the hood down always, if it's wet - who gives a st what the hood looks like????}

I have been lurking for a while and have buying guides from used car expert, AROnline and of course Pistonheads, but would appreciate any input into what to look for in particular.
{Forget any guides, post where abouts you live - and get a current owner to come look with you}

The car will be a toy, but will be used - not looking for a garage queen.
{Yeah, yeah, yeah - we all started saying that...}

All help gratefully received.

[Olgit]

Jeboa, thanks for the reply.
Your idea about getting someone to give it a look over would be ideal, but I have only just found the car and have already arranged to see it first thing tomorrow.
My fear is that the rose tinted spectacles will be on, heart will rule head and this time tomorrow I'll own it and that the purchase cost could be the least of my worries.
Do you know of any specialists in Kent that I could give it the once over?

[DarkMatter]

Olgit said:

...
Do you know of any specialists in Kent that I could give it the once over?...

Maybe http://www.taylortvr.co.uk/?

[Olgit]

Thanks DM, Taylor TVR are fairly close so if it looks like a goer I will give Dan a call.

[MPoxon]

Good post from jeboa.

Dan Taylor is very well respected in TVR circles so should be able to give you an honest and objective report of the vehicle.

[Olgit]

Thanks Matthew. Good to know that Dan is well respected - I understand that some of the so called specialists have a poor rep.

[Olgit]

Thanks all for the help and recommendations .
Viewed the car today.
Nearly got the cheque book out as soon as she was fired up - sounds bloody awesome and even the other half (who isn't remotely interested in cars) had to agree with this.
Had a good look over and went for a test drive but only as a passenger.
Seems like a good un, but does need a bit of fettling in places and a few issues that I mentioned to Taylors, main ones are that oil pressure when hot is 25 but the guage randomly flicks instantly (as opposed to falling gradually)to zero and back to 25, which I guess (hope) is an electrical issue and the car kind of cork screws a bit when going instantly from hard acceleration to deceleration/braking when a numpty pulled out on us when the owner was giving it some - but it is on the original suspension!!!
Based on my limited judgement, I have the car in with Taylor TVR, as recommended above, for a check over - fingers crossed!

[griffdude]

25 psi hot idle for a pre-cat is pretty good, if it's 25 psi when cruising at 3000 rpm when warm it might be a good idea to get the pressure sensor/wiring looked at initially. The oil pumps on these engines are not as good as the later Griffs & could be worth budgeting for a replacement. Not a big job tho'.