Could a Griff Survive in Thailand?????
Discussion
Hello All,
Its been a while since I last posted on here due to working/relocation overseas.Previously owned 350i con,Griff 500,Tuscan Mk 1 amd latterly Tuscan Mk2S which I had to sell when I left UK....ouch.
I am working in Brunei but live over the water in Thailand and had dismissed all thoughts of ever having another TVR until my mate found a way of importing a used car into Thailand without having to pay the massive luxury goods import tax.Any car not built here is subject to this tax which works out anywhere between @ 200/300% UK retail!!!!!! They don't build anything other than SUV/saloons here at present.
Now I am thinking of possibly trying to bring a Griff over as the speed 6 models are out of the question re-ground clearance(bad roads) and maintenance/parts support.A Rover V8 engined model would however be a totally different proposition.
My initial concerns are -
Engine cooling - all my TVR's have been 'hot'in UK traffic jams and over here will have to contend with 35 deg C ambient temps.Can it stand up to this?An upgrade to the cooling system springs immediately to mind.
My last Griff had a starter issue that after any sort of run the car would not restart until the starter had cooled down sufficiently to engage again.This was fixed with a heat shield but again the ambient temps here are high all the time.
General trim - will the glue/adhesives used on the trim start to break down at 35 deg C temps.
Air Con - from memory it was never that efficient in the UK so its going to be very hot.Is it going to make that much difference with the roof down all the time anyway?
I seem to remember reading that some V8 models were built for the Malaysian market years ago so if this is the case then it may be promising......
Any further thoughts would be appreciated.It's early days just now as I have just dug out my Griffith History book to drool over when on leave and have just started looking at the classifieds.Prices seem reasonable enough and it would be cool to fly the mighty flag on Far East soil.
Its been a while since I last posted on here due to working/relocation overseas.Previously owned 350i con,Griff 500,Tuscan Mk 1 amd latterly Tuscan Mk2S which I had to sell when I left UK....ouch.
I am working in Brunei but live over the water in Thailand and had dismissed all thoughts of ever having another TVR until my mate found a way of importing a used car into Thailand without having to pay the massive luxury goods import tax.Any car not built here is subject to this tax which works out anywhere between @ 200/300% UK retail!!!!!! They don't build anything other than SUV/saloons here at present.
Now I am thinking of possibly trying to bring a Griff over as the speed 6 models are out of the question re-ground clearance(bad roads) and maintenance/parts support.A Rover V8 engined model would however be a totally different proposition.
My initial concerns are -
Engine cooling - all my TVR's have been 'hot'in UK traffic jams and over here will have to contend with 35 deg C ambient temps.Can it stand up to this?An upgrade to the cooling system springs immediately to mind.
My last Griff had a starter issue that after any sort of run the car would not restart until the starter had cooled down sufficiently to engage again.This was fixed with a heat shield but again the ambient temps here are high all the time.
General trim - will the glue/adhesives used on the trim start to break down at 35 deg C temps.
Air Con - from memory it was never that efficient in the UK so its going to be very hot.Is it going to make that much difference with the roof down all the time anyway?
I seem to remember reading that some V8 models were built for the Malaysian market years ago so if this is the case then it may be promising......
Any further thoughts would be appreciated.It's early days just now as I have just dug out my Griffith History book to drool over when on leave and have just started looking at the classifieds.Prices seem reasonable enough and it would be cool to fly the mighty flag on Far East soil.
I've ben living in Bangkok for sometime and traveling far east currently for the last 20 years...I was thinking also to take my griffith there but had quit due to all the burocratic iussues that arised.
On my opinion you just can't have a griffith as your daily driver, heat, traffic, heavy afternoon violent rains and poor quality gas would make of the car a piece of garbage in a few months...instead, you could have the car there and drive it occasionally, for example in the evenings, week ends and during the jan/feb dry (and fresher) period of the year.
...Oh...and alu rad would have to be a must anyway.
Just my 2 cents...
On my opinion you just can't have a griffith as your daily driver, heat, traffic, heavy afternoon violent rains and poor quality gas would make of the car a piece of garbage in a few months...instead, you could have the car there and drive it occasionally, for example in the evenings, week ends and during the jan/feb dry (and fresher) period of the year.
...Oh...and alu rad would have to be a must anyway.
Just my 2 cents...
Edited by panic on Monday 8th September 11:20
The A/C could be very good, but you need to modify it. My 1994 car was one of the first Griffs to have A/C fitted. A few bits were later changed.
It is difficult to get, or keep the A/C running right, but when you do it is very good for short periods.
When it’s working properly, it makes patches of ice on the windscreen above each screen vent. The trouble is that if you direct the air to the footwell, you can end up with cold burns where the air hits your legs. So you then have to turn the heater up to warm the air a bit.
The major problem is that the heater box design was rubbish. One of us has produced a new heater box with a good design that switches the air, but this isn’t currently adapted for A/C. However, we are looking at adapting it.
There were two problems with the original. The material was unsuitable. It was a heater box for non-A/C and is made of a water absorbent material. When the A/C is first started the air comes out very cold, but condensation forms on the cooler in the heater box. This soaks into the box and iced water runs over the legs of the passenger into the footwell. My wife quite likes this on roasting hot days. The cooling effect is lost as the cold is used in freezing the soggy box. The cold air coming out the vents is now negligible. When you get into the car next time any air is coming through a soggy box. It picks up the moisture and mists up the windscreen so badly that you can’t see.
It needs the heater box to be made of a non absorbent material, like plastic, like the prototype. It also needs it to be properly drained. TVR fitted the original drain near the top, because water runs uphill towards the drain.
Modern design thinking involves channels to guide water to the drain hole at the bottom. It also involves switching the air, not a water valve. This removes the problem of getting the water valve to close fully and stop heating the footwell all the time.
Also watch out for the crimping on the A/C hoses. TVR used a 4 point crimp tool on mine. This is poorly done and inadequate. You need to put a 12 point crimp tool over the original hose and align the points into the original crimps. Then re-crimp it. This will stop the A/C gas leaking out at every crimp.
It is difficult to get, or keep the A/C running right, but when you do it is very good for short periods.
When it’s working properly, it makes patches of ice on the windscreen above each screen vent. The trouble is that if you direct the air to the footwell, you can end up with cold burns where the air hits your legs. So you then have to turn the heater up to warm the air a bit.
The major problem is that the heater box design was rubbish. One of us has produced a new heater box with a good design that switches the air, but this isn’t currently adapted for A/C. However, we are looking at adapting it.
There were two problems with the original. The material was unsuitable. It was a heater box for non-A/C and is made of a water absorbent material. When the A/C is first started the air comes out very cold, but condensation forms on the cooler in the heater box. This soaks into the box and iced water runs over the legs of the passenger into the footwell. My wife quite likes this on roasting hot days. The cooling effect is lost as the cold is used in freezing the soggy box. The cold air coming out the vents is now negligible. When you get into the car next time any air is coming through a soggy box. It picks up the moisture and mists up the windscreen so badly that you can’t see.
It needs the heater box to be made of a non absorbent material, like plastic, like the prototype. It also needs it to be properly drained. TVR fitted the original drain near the top, because water runs uphill towards the drain.
Modern design thinking involves channels to guide water to the drain hole at the bottom. It also involves switching the air, not a water valve. This removes the problem of getting the water valve to close fully and stop heating the footwell all the time.
Also watch out for the crimping on the A/C hoses. TVR used a 4 point crimp tool on mine. This is poorly done and inadequate. You need to put a 12 point crimp tool over the original hose and align the points into the original crimps. Then re-crimp it. This will stop the A/C gas leaking out at every crimp.
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