Club Racing in a Barge and other Stupid Decisions
Discussion
Sorry this update has been a little while coming.
So the TVR got a new roof which was long overdue, the old roof was tired ever since I bought it and I’ve been driving around for 8 months with a big hole in the rear window which had gotten brittle over time and eventually screamed enough (very common on Chims/Griffs). The roof was done at Central TVR up in Brummie land and the worksmanship is superb, my car now has a lid that it doesn’t deserve
It was completed just in time, as Dan who runs the Queens Square Breakfast Club in Bristol got in touch- he’d been lent an Aston Martin V8 Vantage AMR for the day and wanted to juxtapose it against some old school muscle cars. It gave us all a warm fuzzy feeling to know that in this day and age you can still get hold of a thumping great V8, RWD manual transmission supercar and the Chim was a good fit for this criteria.
For those who don’t know about it, the Queens Square Breakfast Club is probably the most exotic and eclectic informally organised car meet in the South West, I couldn’t possibly list all the incredible cars and owners I’ve met there but to give you an idea Ferraris and Lamborghinis are often there in numbers, along with assorted awesomeness such as Cobras, Chargers and recently a Bristol Fighter!!! Dan is the man who puts it together these days, and has dedicated his spare time between meets to driving and reviewing some of the most exciting new cars- that he was lent an Aston for the day in order to do a feature is testament to his hard work and enthusiasm, he’s a proper petrolhead and it was a privilege to spend the day with him. We were joined by the lovely Jay with his lovely Tuscan (producing a genuine 400bhp!), and the wonderfully charismatic Mark with his even more charismatic ‘70 Camaro.
We drove in convoy to the Old Down Country Park for a coffee and photoshoot- you don’t often feel like a shrinking violet driving a TVR, but this was some company! I was in awe of all three cars, but I have to say that the Camaro was absolutely magnificent. Dan’s write up of the Aston and his summary of the days events can be found on the Queens Square Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BristolBreakfastClub/
There you can find the pictures from the shoot, and also under the ‘videos’ tab a live video where we start the cars. I promise it’s not to be missed! The Camaro was on hand to provide the comic relief, deciding not to play ball initially before rudely inturrepting Dan’s coverage of the Aston- obviously the old Chevy had different ideas as to which car was the star of the feature!
I’d barely got home from Bristol when it was off to Pembroke for a short break with the missus. The Alfa was superb yet again, swallowing luggage for 2 for a week with ease and escorting us to deepest darkest Wales with effortless comfort. In fact it’d proved such a utilitarian and practical thing that I hadn’t even given the fantastic twisty roads of Pembrokeshire a second thought, but it really came alive- if I was to choose any car with which to take on the undulating B roads of Wales, a FWD tintop with a big heavy diesel lump up front would have been bottom of my list, but the Alfa was a real pleasure to drive, handling beautifully and making for some great fun. I may be working my way towards breaking the first rule of shedding- falling in love with the shed....
So the TVR got a new roof which was long overdue, the old roof was tired ever since I bought it and I’ve been driving around for 8 months with a big hole in the rear window which had gotten brittle over time and eventually screamed enough (very common on Chims/Griffs). The roof was done at Central TVR up in Brummie land and the worksmanship is superb, my car now has a lid that it doesn’t deserve
It was completed just in time, as Dan who runs the Queens Square Breakfast Club in Bristol got in touch- he’d been lent an Aston Martin V8 Vantage AMR for the day and wanted to juxtapose it against some old school muscle cars. It gave us all a warm fuzzy feeling to know that in this day and age you can still get hold of a thumping great V8, RWD manual transmission supercar and the Chim was a good fit for this criteria.
For those who don’t know about it, the Queens Square Breakfast Club is probably the most exotic and eclectic informally organised car meet in the South West, I couldn’t possibly list all the incredible cars and owners I’ve met there but to give you an idea Ferraris and Lamborghinis are often there in numbers, along with assorted awesomeness such as Cobras, Chargers and recently a Bristol Fighter!!! Dan is the man who puts it together these days, and has dedicated his spare time between meets to driving and reviewing some of the most exciting new cars- that he was lent an Aston for the day in order to do a feature is testament to his hard work and enthusiasm, he’s a proper petrolhead and it was a privilege to spend the day with him. We were joined by the lovely Jay with his lovely Tuscan (producing a genuine 400bhp!), and the wonderfully charismatic Mark with his even more charismatic ‘70 Camaro.
We drove in convoy to the Old Down Country Park for a coffee and photoshoot- you don’t often feel like a shrinking violet driving a TVR, but this was some company! I was in awe of all three cars, but I have to say that the Camaro was absolutely magnificent. Dan’s write up of the Aston and his summary of the days events can be found on the Queens Square Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BristolBreakfastClub/
There you can find the pictures from the shoot, and also under the ‘videos’ tab a live video where we start the cars. I promise it’s not to be missed! The Camaro was on hand to provide the comic relief, deciding not to play ball initially before rudely inturrepting Dan’s coverage of the Aston- obviously the old Chevy had different ideas as to which car was the star of the feature!
I’d barely got home from Bristol when it was off to Pembroke for a short break with the missus. The Alfa was superb yet again, swallowing luggage for 2 for a week with ease and escorting us to deepest darkest Wales with effortless comfort. In fact it’d proved such a utilitarian and practical thing that I hadn’t even given the fantastic twisty roads of Pembrokeshire a second thought, but it really came alive- if I was to choose any car with which to take on the undulating B roads of Wales, a FWD tintop with a big heavy diesel lump up front would have been bottom of my list, but the Alfa was a real pleasure to drive, handling beautifully and making for some great fun. I may be working my way towards breaking the first rule of shedding- falling in love with the shed....
Paul S4 said:
Well done on the Alfa GT, especially with the JTD 1.9.
I am on my second Alfa 156, first was a 1.8 pre-facelift with a nice stainless exhaust...then my current 156 1.9 JTDM 150 ( in same colour as yours I think translates as moonbeam metallic blue IIRC), bought with 65,000 on it, had it remapped to 180BHP at about 90,000 and it now has 152,000. I am sure that you know the GT is the same as the 156 underneath, so it needs a 4 wheel alignment to get it to handle as Alfa intended ! I thought I knew 156s, but I was caught out with the rear damper seating cups ( can't remember the correct term !) that corrode because the drain holes get blocked up, then the damper breaks off and shreds the rear tyre...So best have a look on yours !
I may be tempted by a GT, with the practicality etc, but I just love the 156 design, especially the facelift front. I have just put some LED low beam bulbs in mine...I am sure you have discovered that the headlights on these cars ( 156 anyway) are poor.
I also have an aftermarket head unit but not yet sorted out the extra wiring for the wheel controls, although I have the patch leads etc.
I like your TVR... a mate had a 2.9 S that I borrowed for a while to get all the 'issues' sorted out at the TVR specialist in Hexham: after a few visits to them the bill totalled about £4K !!! But the car was great after that! I cannot imagine what yours is like to drive : I was getting wheelspin in 3rd in the wet and that was only the 2.9 Ford engine !!
Thank you, and cheers for the suspension advice, I'll be sure to have a look. Encouragingly the GT I took home is the only one of several I've driven not to suffer from 'that' rear suspension knock. Alignment is on the to do list.I am on my second Alfa 156, first was a 1.8 pre-facelift with a nice stainless exhaust...then my current 156 1.9 JTDM 150 ( in same colour as yours I think translates as moonbeam metallic blue IIRC), bought with 65,000 on it, had it remapped to 180BHP at about 90,000 and it now has 152,000. I am sure that you know the GT is the same as the 156 underneath, so it needs a 4 wheel alignment to get it to handle as Alfa intended ! I thought I knew 156s, but I was caught out with the rear damper seating cups ( can't remember the correct term !) that corrode because the drain holes get blocked up, then the damper breaks off and shreds the rear tyre...So best have a look on yours !
I may be tempted by a GT, with the practicality etc, but I just love the 156 design, especially the facelift front. I have just put some LED low beam bulbs in mine...I am sure you have discovered that the headlights on these cars ( 156 anyway) are poor.
I also have an aftermarket head unit but not yet sorted out the extra wiring for the wheel controls, although I have the patch leads etc.
I like your TVR... a mate had a 2.9 S that I borrowed for a while to get all the 'issues' sorted out at the TVR specialist in Hexham: after a few visits to them the bill totalled about £4K !!! But the car was great after that! I cannot imagine what yours is like to drive : I was getting wheelspin in 3rd in the wet and that was only the 2.9 Ford engine !!
Mmm 156s... If I needed the extra doors then I think the only thing that would tempt me away from a 156 would be the 159, both beautiful cars in design. I imagine yours looks fantastic in the blue, it's a lovely colour. My steering wheel controls have started playing silly buggers recently so it's back to the drawing board for me. Headlights were my first fix, my experience was that dipped beam was akin to navigating by candlelight but the full beam illuminated all it witnessed with the power of a thousand suns- in any case I changed the bulbs for some brighter jobbies which has improved things. Bloody pig of a job though, it's easier changing bulbs in the TVR and that involves lying on the ground reaching up through the grille!
TVR ownership can be a baptism of fire sometimes, but I find that it is what you make of it- if you can live with imperfections and your own handiwork then they can actually cost a reasonable amount to run, but specialists can and do charge a hefty premium which many see as being well worth it for a properly sorted one. I'm not sure what the tyre sizes are for the S series but I'm sure it will have played a part- most older TVRs seem to have relatively skinny tyres relative to power output (or more appropriately torque). Mine is on 225 section rears which is space saver width compared to modern cars- but of course it's all part of the appeal! Wheelspin pretty much on tap, though of course only ever provoked on private disused runways officer
Edited by CanoeSniffer on Tuesday 6th February 04:07
I had a 156, then a GT and latterly a Giulietta and I - with retrospect - regret selling the GT. Like the 156 before it, a car that you could criticise on individual aspects of its performance yet was such a joy to drive, rarely failing to bring a smile to my face. The total was definitely greater than the sum of its parts.... I may have another in future..........
Slooooow progress, as usual, but I can report that I managed to sort the door handle on the Alfa without removing the window or breaking a single interior trim popper 
Judging by what I discovered underneath the door card I wasn't the only person to have had a go...
It was bloody awkward, entirely due to access (or lack of it). Made possible only by the cheaty flicking of the door latch to raise the window that crucial extra few mm. Anyone who has had to do this on a GT or 147 before will sympathise I'm sure! But I'm so glad I've got it done because the car is mint now, and so much faster now the door opens properly
Also been discussing interior options for the TVR with a local detailer... Torn between going for a more aesthetically pleasing green-and-cream scheme or tidying up and making presentable the current scheme, purely for the uniqueness of it rather than as a matter of taste
Judging by what I discovered underneath the door card I wasn't the only person to have had a go...
It was bloody awkward, entirely due to access (or lack of it). Made possible only by the cheaty flicking of the door latch to raise the window that crucial extra few mm. Anyone who has had to do this on a GT or 147 before will sympathise I'm sure! But I'm so glad I've got it done because the car is mint now, and so much faster now the door opens properly
Also been discussing interior options for the TVR with a local detailer... Torn between going for a more aesthetically pleasing green-and-cream scheme or tidying up and making presentable the current scheme, purely for the uniqueness of it rather than as a matter of taste
Long time, no update- probably about time!
Alfa-
Has continued plugging away, recently ticked over 10k miles since I brought it home, all lapped up with ease. Fixes have included new brake light switch (luckily ordered a few days before complete failure of the old one and total lack of brake lights!), new head unit due to old one going on the blink and wiring fixes to sort steering wheel controls and intermittent 12V cut out due to a badly applied crimp (dunno what muppet did that...).
Also had new fluids and filters, if anything was going to convince me that I need a lift then it's the Alfa's air filter location... I also couldn't find a way to get axle stands comfortably underneath so like any home cowboy improvisation was called upon!
I may start a new photo series titled 'inappropriate loads for a 2 door Italian coupe', here's the first few entries-
His and hers bicycles
Half of IKEA
I was so impressed by the practicality that I attempted to convert it to a 7 seater.. Failed
The current mission is the pursuit of working air conditioning- diagnosis is that the compressor spins up and disengages very quickly probably due to lack of gas despite recent refill, suggesting a leak. I may swallow my pride and give it to someone who fettles A/C for a living to sort, it would make it the first job on the Alfa that I've failed to carry out personally- but I think I can live with it because it's the only thing left to make the car faultless!
Plus it's too f
king hot right now not to have air con!
TVR-
Has continued to provide reliable and hilarious road and track duties. All the preparation is in place for an interior restoration but I've been putting it off due to having far too much fun! We've had some new toys-
I cannot speak enough for the new Federal tyres, they've totally transformed the TVR as a track car and have proved to be competent as road and (light) wet weather tyres too. Truthfully and without meaning to sound arrogant the car as a package now is a total weapon on track, dispatching much more modern machinery on a regular basis
We've had plenty of spirited drives and a few more trackdays which have all been great fun-
My commitment has been tested only by the devil of horsepower planting seeds in my brain that the TVR just wasn't fast enough for me anymore, and I've been to-ing and fro-ing for months contemplating major modification or replacement for the venerable RV8, but a miracle struck me last week which cured me of such sinful thoughts- I let someone else drive it on track. A friend joined me on Friday for an Abingdon MSE day and being a passenger in my car I was totally dumbstruck- it goes, stops, turns in and grips with an incredible savagery that I just wasn't able to feel from the driving seat. I suppose when you're driving you're able to better anticipate the forces that are coming, it was a totally different animal being someone else'spassenger victim!
I now have renewed respect for the old girl apart from a few minor tweaks and servicing not much has changed in TVR land, there are plans underfoot for the future but not just yet...
So far, so good- all is well with my little fleet. However come August, come the dreaded double MOT time.. So that may well change
Cheers for reading. Mike
Alfa-
Has continued plugging away, recently ticked over 10k miles since I brought it home, all lapped up with ease. Fixes have included new brake light switch (luckily ordered a few days before complete failure of the old one and total lack of brake lights!), new head unit due to old one going on the blink and wiring fixes to sort steering wheel controls and intermittent 12V cut out due to a badly applied crimp (dunno what muppet did that...
).Also had new fluids and filters, if anything was going to convince me that I need a lift then it's the Alfa's air filter location... I also couldn't find a way to get axle stands comfortably underneath so like any home cowboy improvisation was called upon!
I may start a new photo series titled 'inappropriate loads for a 2 door Italian coupe', here's the first few entries-
His and hers bicycles
Half of IKEA
I was so impressed by the practicality that I attempted to convert it to a 7 seater.. Failed
The current mission is the pursuit of working air conditioning- diagnosis is that the compressor spins up and disengages very quickly probably due to lack of gas despite recent refill, suggesting a leak. I may swallow my pride and give it to someone who fettles A/C for a living to sort, it would make it the first job on the Alfa that I've failed to carry out personally- but I think I can live with it because it's the only thing left to make the car faultless!
Plus it's too f
king hot right now not to have air con!TVR-
Has continued to provide reliable and hilarious road and track duties. All the preparation is in place for an interior restoration but I've been putting it off due to having far too much fun! We've had some new toys-
I cannot speak enough for the new Federal tyres, they've totally transformed the TVR as a track car and have proved to be competent as road and (light) wet weather tyres too. Truthfully and without meaning to sound arrogant the car as a package now is a total weapon on track, dispatching much more modern machinery on a regular basis
We've had plenty of spirited drives and a few more trackdays which have all been great fun-
My commitment has been tested only by the devil of horsepower planting seeds in my brain that the TVR just wasn't fast enough for me anymore, and I've been to-ing and fro-ing for months contemplating major modification or replacement for the venerable RV8, but a miracle struck me last week which cured me of such sinful thoughts- I let someone else drive it on track. A friend joined me on Friday for an Abingdon MSE day and being a passenger in my car I was totally dumbstruck- it goes, stops, turns in and grips with an incredible savagery that I just wasn't able to feel from the driving seat. I suppose when you're driving you're able to better anticipate the forces that are coming, it was a totally different animal being someone else's
I now have renewed respect for the old girl
apart from a few minor tweaks and servicing not much has changed in TVR land, there are plans underfoot for the future but not just yet...So far, so good- all is well with my little fleet. However come August, come the dreaded double MOT time.. So that may well change
Cheers for reading. Mike
CanoeSniffer said:
I was so impressed by the practicality that I attempted to convert it to a 7 seater.. Failed
All the preparation is in place for an interior restoration but I've been putting it off due to having far too much fun!
Are you swapping out your retro seats then mate?!All the preparation is in place for an interior restoration but I've been putting it off due to having far too much fun!
You just want more comfort don't you, don't worry it happens to all of us as we get older...
99Chimaera said:
I really enjoyed your thread, a great read. I love the TVR, did you ever get the chassis sorted out.?
Looking forward to the updates.
Thank you! Yeah I've had the inevitable chassis work, just outriggers and lower wishbones so far as the original black coated chassis is standing up pretty well- replacement parts are powdercoated white though so I've got a chequerboard chassis Looking forward to the updates.
at least if I ever roll it over it'll make for a good game of chess! 
Squirrelofwoe said:
Are you swapping out your retro seats then mate?!
You just want more comfort don't you, don't worry it happens to all of us as we get older...
Not just yet, you know I rather like my little bucket seat jobbies! Just planning for the future if I bias it more towards the road- at £150 for the pair what's not to like You just want more comfort don't you, don't worry it happens to all of us as we get older...
'Inappropriate loads for a 2 door Italian coupe' continues to be inextricably linked to the acquiring of original parts to make the Chim more saleable (if the event ever comes).
These aren't going on the TVR anytime soon, in fact I've no idea if the 15 inch fronts will even fit over my 300mm front brake upgrade, but at £275 they were a bit too tempting to turn down. I'll trial fit them when I get a bit of time and consider 16" all round if they won't fit.
Next mission is rocker covers! The TVR is fitted with some odd-looking Edelbrock rocker covers currently (no pictures to hand unfortunately), which have been fine so far and I've been planning to clean up and paint to be more palatable, but recently the filler cap has started pissing oil. It's a pushfit cap on an American 1 1/4" fitting, and the seal seems fine but for some reason it's just peeing out which is a new one on me- I've mulled over a new pushfit filler cap but I think the best solution is to find some original rocker covers- RV8 covers are easy to find and cheap, but TVR RV8 covers are very much the opposite and the numbers touted for a couple of lumps of tin make me feel slightly faint so I'll probably buy some generic Rover ones and adorn them with some paint and badges
Hopefully new rubber gaskets will also solve the slight oil loss, the left rocker cover tends to drop oil straight into the exhaust manifold creating smoke and smell and the right rocker cover is pooling oil nicely into the valley where it settles on the intake manifold. It's not losing a dramatic amount but it can be quite disconcerting which has contributed to me stopping the track day lark until I can give the car a thorough going over- any oil from the rockers tends to blow back down the underside of the car and with oil dripping from the sump and 'box after a hard run it's difficult to rule out any other leaks until they're sorted, hopefully they're not hiding anything else worth worrying about. The car leaks very little during the course of normal road driving so at least it's still in regular use
To make myself feel better about it here's some gratuitous pictures from my last track day at Thruxton (which was AWESOME!)
Alfa continues to munch miles, require little maintenance and be extremely comfy and plush. Plus there's always good music on now I've sorted the radio
Sadly no progress on the T2 camper for a while due to my stepdad having an op, but we'll continue in earnest once he's back on his feet.. Got some cool stuff planned for it
These aren't going on the TVR anytime soon, in fact I've no idea if the 15 inch fronts will even fit over my 300mm front brake upgrade, but at £275 they were a bit too tempting to turn down. I'll trial fit them when I get a bit of time and consider 16" all round if they won't fit.
Next mission is rocker covers! The TVR is fitted with some odd-looking Edelbrock rocker covers currently (no pictures to hand unfortunately), which have been fine so far and I've been planning to clean up and paint to be more palatable, but recently the filler cap has started pissing oil. It's a pushfit cap on an American 1 1/4" fitting, and the seal seems fine but for some reason it's just peeing out which is a new one on me- I've mulled over a new pushfit filler cap but I think the best solution is to find some original rocker covers- RV8 covers are easy to find and cheap, but TVR RV8 covers are very much the opposite and the numbers touted for a couple of lumps of tin make me feel slightly faint so I'll probably buy some generic Rover ones and adorn them with some paint and badges
Hopefully new rubber gaskets will also solve the slight oil loss, the left rocker cover tends to drop oil straight into the exhaust manifold creating smoke and smell and the right rocker cover is pooling oil nicely into the valley where it settles on the intake manifold. It's not losing a dramatic amount but it can be quite disconcerting which has contributed to me stopping the track day lark until I can give the car a thorough going over- any oil from the rockers tends to blow back down the underside of the car and with oil dripping from the sump and 'box after a hard run it's difficult to rule out any other leaks until they're sorted, hopefully they're not hiding anything else worth worrying about. The car leaks very little during the course of normal road driving so at least it's still in regular use
To make myself feel better about it here's some gratuitous pictures from my last track day at Thruxton (which was AWESOME!)
Alfa continues to munch miles, require little maintenance and be extremely comfy and plush. Plus there's always good music on now I've sorted the radio
Sadly no progress on the T2 camper for a while due to my stepdad having an op, but we'll continue in earnest once he's back on his feet.. Got some cool stuff planned for it
Update: I've bought this. I don't really know why.
It's a '92 Eunos 1.6, imported from the land of the rising sun in 2001 and incredibly rust-free, pretty clean throughout and a rather lovely little car. I'm just not exactly sure what I've bought it for
I've also suffered from and subsequently cured some TVR lament with minor clutch and gearbox issues, and crankcase breathing system- after much head scratching I've ended up with new (old) rocker covers, some fancy silicone hoses and no more oil leaks from the nasty gasket sealed adapter plates the old covers were on
I'm waiting on a few more parts and I'll colour-code the lot, add some bling and make it all look prettier. IF I can hold off the trackday itch for long enough... belated MOT is on Tuesday, put off whilst I cured all the ills, once that's sorted I'll get some more miles done and work out which track I want to go round next what the next plans are
Alfa.. Still comfortable, reliable, lovely, awesome, 123k and going strong! All rather boring really.
What do I do with this Mazda?!
It's a '92 Eunos 1.6, imported from the land of the rising sun in 2001 and incredibly rust-free, pretty clean throughout and a rather lovely little car. I'm just not exactly sure what I've bought it for
I've also suffered from and subsequently cured some TVR lament with minor clutch and gearbox issues, and crankcase breathing system- after much head scratching I've ended up with new (old) rocker covers, some fancy silicone hoses and no more oil leaks from the nasty gasket sealed adapter plates the old covers were on
I'm waiting on a few more parts and I'll colour-code the lot, add some bling and make it all look prettier. IF I can hold off the trackday itch for long enough...
belated MOT is on Tuesday, put off whilst I cured all the ills, once that's sorted I'll get some more miles done and work out Alfa.. Still comfortable, reliable, lovely, awesome, 123k and going strong! All rather boring really.
What do I do with this Mazda?!
The Mazda is a keeper
I'd feared it would be a waste of money for the amount of use I'd give it, but the mother and sister have had a go driving it and both loved it, so it's going to be shared. I think I'm too entertained by the pop up headlights to move it on anyway!
Never really fancied an MX5, but ooh it is a rather fun little thing actually...
... Needs more power though
I'd feared it would be a waste of money for the amount of use I'd give it, but the mother and sister have had a go driving it and both loved it, so it's going to be shared. I think I'm too entertained by the pop up headlights to move it on anyway!
Never really fancied an MX5, but ooh it is a rather fun little thing actually...
... Needs more power though
BornRageFree said:
Oh, if I could have afforded a TVR at 20... excellent writing, the inappropriate loads for a 2 door italian coupe had me laughing out loud!
Watching for the next installment.... you know you can fit a V6 under the bonnet of the mx5 don't you
Thank you Watching for the next installment.... you know you can fit a V6 under the bonnet of the mx5 don't you
I don't need tempting
the MX5 is already nicknamed 'Phil' after the near identical CarThrottle car which had the V6 conversion done, but I actually quite like the fizzy 1.6.. Having jumped straight from econoboxes into a TVR via diesel Alfa, 7000rpm is a land that was totally lost on me until now! It's good fun if not very fast Latest comedy failing.. The TVR very nearly sailed through its MOT except for number plate backlighting which hopefully some LEDs will sort, and the reverse light which doesn't work and apparently is now an MOT failure!
I was under the car with PHer mate Dave changing the gearbox fluid a while back when I found the bullet connectors disconnected, I plugged them back in to get them out of the way and when I jumped up and moved the car the reverse light started working for the first time since I'd owned the car! Result- except that I was in first
New switch ordered, hopefully shouldn't be too arduous to fit
CanoeSniffer said:
Thank you
I don't need tempting the MX5 is already nicknamed 'Phil' after the near identical CarThrottle car which had the V6 conversion done, but I actually quite like the fizzy 1.6.. Having jumped straight from econoboxes into a TVR via diesel Alfa, 7000rpm is a land that was totally lost on me until now! It's good fun if not very fast
Latest comedy failing.. The TVR very nearly sailed through its MOT except for number plate backlighting which hopefully some LEDs will sort, and the reverse light which doesn't work and apparently is now an MOT failure!
I was under the car with PHer mate Dave changing the gearbox fluid a while back when I found the bullet connectors disconnected, I plugged them back in to get them out of the way and when I jumped up and moved the car the reverse light started working for the first time since I'd owned the car! Result- except that I was in first
New switch ordered, hopefully shouldn't be too arduous to fit
I was going to say- we proved that the reverse light does 'technically' work! Getting under the car to plug it in everytime you need to reverse would soon become a pain though I don't need tempting
the MX5 is already nicknamed 'Phil' after the near identical CarThrottle car which had the V6 conversion done, but I actually quite like the fizzy 1.6.. Having jumped straight from econoboxes into a TVR via diesel Alfa, 7000rpm is a land that was totally lost on me until now! It's good fun if not very fast Latest comedy failing.. The TVR very nearly sailed through its MOT except for number plate backlighting which hopefully some LEDs will sort, and the reverse light which doesn't work and apparently is now an MOT failure!
I was under the car with PHer mate Dave changing the gearbox fluid a while back when I found the bullet connectors disconnected, I plugged them back in to get them out of the way and when I jumped up and moved the car the reverse light started working for the first time since I'd owned the car! Result- except that I was in first
New switch ordered, hopefully shouldn't be too arduous to fit
Squirrelofwoe said:
I was going to say- we proved that the reverse light does 'technically' work! Getting under the car to plug it in everytime you need to reverse would soon become a pain though
To be fair it'd only need doing once a year for the MOT.. The disadvantage being that last week I drove around for 50 miles 'in reverse' after forgetting to undo the bodge I’ve been hit with an all out charm offensive and- I can’t believe I’m saying it- I’m actually getting fond of the little MX5. So much so that I feel the need to introduce it a bit more properly.
As I posted before, it’s a 1992 Eunos Roadster imported to Blighty in 2001. It’s got 159,000km and it’s wearing them really well. There’s one tiny little danger sign of tin worm on the offside rear wheel arch but it’s very minor and should be easy enough to deal with- other than that it’s clean as a clean thing that’s just been cleaned, which is why I found it strangely attractive. The exterior is pretty self-explanatory so I haven’t taken any more pictures (show of hands who doesn’t know what an MX5 looks like?), but here’s an interior snap-
I find it a really nice place to be, I think just due to its simplicity and tactility. The aftermarket steering wheel is one of the few bugbears I have, the wheel itself is quite nice but it’s got a stupid centre badge with ‘MX5’ written on it in some comic sans ste and looks tacky as hell. True to form I also managed to break something straight away, which was the centre storage lid which clumsy bks here managed to bang his elbow on hard enough to crack 
It’s also got a bloody good stereo, a Pioneer Bluetooth/handsfree/DAB jobbie which is a cracking bit of kit.
The PO installed speakers in the seats which, odd though it may be, have great clarity and make for a really cool atmospheric soundtrack. The handsfree is also better than most factory setups I’ve encountered, crystal clear on both ends even at 70mph on the M4. I found this out during one of my pilgrimages to Swansea to visit the other half, where I also found out that the MX5 has the shortest gear ratios known to mankind and 4000rpm with a rorty stainless exhaust for two hours is only slightly less comfortable than the music you turn up to drown it out being played about 2cm from your eardrum from the seat speakers. Pushing the balance forwards was an easy fix for that.
Everything on the car works as it should except the rear screen heater on the aftermarket roof which I’m going to investigate. To be honest I think the roof is quite ugly, but it’s such a brilliant design that I can live with it. I can raise and lower it in microseconds from the drivers seat and I don’t know what more you can ask than that- it’s a revelation compared to the TVR
It’s been good to be able to compare the TVR to the Mazda and it’s made it very obvious why the MX5 is so popular. It makes all the right sports car noises with its driving position and lovely gearbox, but everything is so light and easy. Jump in, turn the key, it’s up to temperature and warming you up/cooling you down as you please within minutes, the clutch and steering are effortless and there’s no real trial or tribulation involved as there is with the TVR. Of course you miss the speed, but with the roof down, a bit of noise from the aftermarket exhaust and endless fun to be had from going through the gears and enjoying the sharp turn in, it’s won half the battle already. Driving the TVR immediately afterwards felt like a real fight in comparison, but make no mistake that as soon as I put my foot down I knew very definitely who had won the war
In terms of future plans, well everything is up in the air as usual. The TVR is still badly in need of some extended TLC which I haven’t got the space for just yet, and the Mazda has turned out to be lovely, so for the foreseeable future my rare and brittle British GT is going to continue to do the track duties whilst the cheap & common dispensable sports car gets the most road use. I know, me too
I’m hoping to be buying a house with garage/workshop facilities soon which, whilst it opens up a world of possibilities for all the cars, could necessitate selling if the right place turns up and I need to find more cash- who knows! What I do know is that there’s no point having all these ambitious plans for all these cars when I’ve no hope of properly maintaining them as it stands.
Exhibit A:
As I posted before, it’s a 1992 Eunos Roadster imported to Blighty in 2001. It’s got 159,000km and it’s wearing them really well. There’s one tiny little danger sign of tin worm on the offside rear wheel arch but it’s very minor and should be easy enough to deal with- other than that it’s clean as a clean thing that’s just been cleaned, which is why I found it strangely attractive. The exterior is pretty self-explanatory so I haven’t taken any more pictures (show of hands who doesn’t know what an MX5 looks like?), but here’s an interior snap-
I find it a really nice place to be, I think just due to its simplicity and tactility. The aftermarket steering wheel is one of the few bugbears I have, the wheel itself is quite nice but it’s got a stupid centre badge with ‘MX5’ written on it in some comic sans s
te and looks tacky as hell. True to form I also managed to break something straight away, which was the centre storage lid which clumsy bks here managed to bang his elbow on hard enough to crack It’s also got a bloody good stereo, a Pioneer Bluetooth/handsfree/DAB jobbie which is a cracking bit of kit.
The PO installed speakers in the seats which, odd though it may be, have great clarity and make for a really cool atmospheric soundtrack. The handsfree is also better than most factory setups I’ve encountered, crystal clear on both ends even at 70mph on the M4. I found this out during one of my pilgrimages to Swansea to visit the other half, where I also found out that the MX5 has the shortest gear ratios known to mankind and 4000rpm with a rorty stainless exhaust for two hours is only slightly less comfortable than the music you turn up to drown it out being played about 2cm from your eardrum from the seat speakers. Pushing the balance forwards was an easy fix for that.
Everything on the car works as it should except the rear screen heater on the aftermarket roof which I’m going to investigate. To be honest I think the roof is quite ugly, but it’s such a brilliant design that I can live with it. I can raise and lower it in microseconds from the drivers seat and I don’t know what more you can ask than that- it’s a revelation compared to the TVR
It’s been good to be able to compare the TVR to the Mazda and it’s made it very obvious why the MX5 is so popular. It makes all the right sports car noises with its driving position and lovely gearbox, but everything is so light and easy. Jump in, turn the key, it’s up to temperature and warming you up/cooling you down as you please within minutes, the clutch and steering are effortless and there’s no real trial or tribulation involved as there is with the TVR. Of course you miss the speed, but with the roof down, a bit of noise from the aftermarket exhaust and endless fun to be had from going through the gears and enjoying the sharp turn in, it’s won half the battle already. Driving the TVR immediately afterwards felt like a real fight in comparison, but make no mistake that as soon as I put my foot down I knew very definitely who had won the war
In terms of future plans, well everything is up in the air as usual. The TVR is still badly in need of some extended TLC which I haven’t got the space for just yet, and the Mazda has turned out to be lovely, so for the foreseeable future my rare and brittle British GT is going to continue to do the track duties whilst the cheap & common dispensable sports car gets the most road use. I know, me too
I’m hoping to be buying a house with garage/workshop facilities soon which, whilst it opens up a world of possibilities for all the cars, could necessitate selling if the right place turns up and I need to find more cash- who knows! What I do know is that there’s no point having all these ambitious plans for all these cars when I’ve no hope of properly maintaining them as it stands.
Exhibit A:
GR_TVR said:
CanoeSniffer said:
I was under the car with PHer mate Dave changing the gearbox fluid
Ah you went for it - what oil did you end up going for?Hopefully not too much metal came out with the old stuff
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