For the love of Tuscan (project build)
Discussion
The curved pedals arrived today for the pedal box, thanks to Leigh at Autobarn Engineering for sorting these...
Also added large penny washers to the slider rail bolts to give a greater contact area
And locknuts on the inside for extra peace off mind...
Also added large penny washers to the slider rail bolts to give a greater contact area
And locknuts on the inside for extra peace off mind...
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 21:19
Agree they are worthy of being mounted and put on display! I thought it was rude not to fit them as I had the pedal box out and when I was pleasantly surprised at the cost so went for all 3. They're £90ea plus postage which I thought was amazing value considering the materials and machining involved. Contact info is on page 3 I think if you need it.
Edited by Modrich on Wednesday 21st December 22:54
Seats strip down & clean-up
The passenger seat leather covers are in surprisingly good condition, no damage, tears or even wear. I recently contacted Mervyn the TVRCC registrar who was able to reveal some more info on my car, one of which was the seat leather colour which is Prussian Blue, which I really quite like...
...just a small amount of mould damage to the under-thigh panel on the base.
The steel parts give up how damp the inside of the car must have been due to poor seals...
The seat base leather is fairly easy to remove it's just glued to the side/underside of the base and then held in place with Velcro under the removeable cushion
This is the driver’s seat backrest with ‘turtle shell’ and lumber bladder removed. The back rest is made up of the 'hoop' and backrest cushion. There are 2 vertical steel 'wires' that the backrest cushion cover is clipped onto using hog rings (the wire on the left has snapped off at the base). The hog rings need to be removed and leather pealed back at the top and sides...
The base and backrest covers and cushions of both seats removed...
This is the worst of the damage/wear to the seats, the drivers RHS bolster/hoop. It's not beyond repair though...
Although, the hoop itself is beyond repair, a common issue with these seats. Thankfully Central TVR can supply new hoop foam with updated/strengthened steel fixing brackets.
Onto cleaning-up the seat base frames, rails and stainless tracks...
All parts were wire brushed using an angle grinder attachment, treated with Kurust and painted with satin black Hammerite...
Then the leather seat covers were washed, I actually chucked them in the washing machine on a quick 1/2hr 30deg cycle, then to make sure any mould was properly dead I soaked them in a solution of white distilled vinegar and water for a couple of days then hung them out to drip dry. The vinegar is a natural way to kill mould and doesn't damage the leather, once dried out the vinegar smell will disappear leaving the leather smelling like new...
Question, is it worth re-fitting the backrest lumber bladder with new or at all? Does anyone have a functioning one and does it do its job? Or is it a waste of time having it? My opinion is that one reason why the seat ‘turtle shell’ breaks off so many of these seats is that it’s just not strong enough when you put what is basically a pneumatic jack between the foam and the shell, eventually it will just burst the shell off, which mine have. I actually bought a suitable electrically operated pneumatic lumber kit for these seats but I think there would need to be some sort of metal reinforcement added for the bladder to push against instead of the turtle shell…Let me know your thoughts.
The passenger seat leather covers are in surprisingly good condition, no damage, tears or even wear. I recently contacted Mervyn the TVRCC registrar who was able to reveal some more info on my car, one of which was the seat leather colour which is Prussian Blue, which I really quite like...
...just a small amount of mould damage to the under-thigh panel on the base.
The steel parts give up how damp the inside of the car must have been due to poor seals...
The seat base leather is fairly easy to remove it's just glued to the side/underside of the base and then held in place with Velcro under the removeable cushion
This is the driver’s seat backrest with ‘turtle shell’ and lumber bladder removed. The back rest is made up of the 'hoop' and backrest cushion. There are 2 vertical steel 'wires' that the backrest cushion cover is clipped onto using hog rings (the wire on the left has snapped off at the base). The hog rings need to be removed and leather pealed back at the top and sides...
The base and backrest covers and cushions of both seats removed...
This is the worst of the damage/wear to the seats, the drivers RHS bolster/hoop. It's not beyond repair though...
Although, the hoop itself is beyond repair, a common issue with these seats. Thankfully Central TVR can supply new hoop foam with updated/strengthened steel fixing brackets.
Onto cleaning-up the seat base frames, rails and stainless tracks...
All parts were wire brushed using an angle grinder attachment, treated with Kurust and painted with satin black Hammerite...
Then the leather seat covers were washed, I actually chucked them in the washing machine on a quick 1/2hr 30deg cycle, then to make sure any mould was properly dead I soaked them in a solution of white distilled vinegar and water for a couple of days then hung them out to drip dry. The vinegar is a natural way to kill mould and doesn't damage the leather, once dried out the vinegar smell will disappear leaving the leather smelling like new...
Question, is it worth re-fitting the backrest lumber bladder with new or at all? Does anyone have a functioning one and does it do its job? Or is it a waste of time having it? My opinion is that one reason why the seat ‘turtle shell’ breaks off so many of these seats is that it’s just not strong enough when you put what is basically a pneumatic jack between the foam and the shell, eventually it will just burst the shell off, which mine have. I actually bought a suitable electrically operated pneumatic lumber kit for these seats but I think there would need to be some sort of metal reinforcement added for the bladder to push against instead of the turtle shell…Let me know your thoughts.
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 21:32
Hi mate, I'm west of Edinburgh too 
That's good to know, always up for coffee and TVR chat. Your Tuscan's probably tucked away for the winter but happy to arrange something in the spring, I'll send you a PM. I didn't think there were any TVRs around here as can only remember seeing a Tuscan once a few month's back heading into town past the airport one morning, assumed it was from out of town, silver/grey if my memory serves me correctly, got my head turning though.
Good to know the kit I've got won't go to waste then for the lumber support, I'll add it to my list of jobs to do...
That's good to know, always up for coffee and TVR chat. Your Tuscan's probably tucked away for the winter but happy to arrange something in the spring, I'll send you a PM. I didn't think there were any TVRs around here as can only remember seeing a Tuscan once a few month's back heading into town past the airport one morning, assumed it was from out of town, silver/grey if my memory serves me correctly, got my head turning though.Good to know the kit I've got won't go to waste then for the lumber support, I'll add it to my list of jobs to do...
Leather seat covers for repair
The only seat covers that need to be repaired are both seat bases and the drivers seat hoop, I'll be sending these to Gliptone for a minor re-dye.
The hoop leather cover needs to be removed from the foam first. I spoke to Adrian at Central TVR and he explained how to do it in a way that it's easy to re-fit. There is a single thread that weaves through thread loops that are sewn into each side of the seem pulling both sides together, by cutting this single thread the cover can be removed. It's also easy to re-stich the cover back on and no special tools are required...
This leaves the bare hoop foam...
With it's broken brackets...
That will be replaced by a new one from TVR Central with improved brackets...
The only seat covers that need to be repaired are both seat bases and the drivers seat hoop, I'll be sending these to Gliptone for a minor re-dye.
The hoop leather cover needs to be removed from the foam first. I spoke to Adrian at Central TVR and he explained how to do it in a way that it's easy to re-fit. There is a single thread that weaves through thread loops that are sewn into each side of the seem pulling both sides together, by cutting this single thread the cover can be removed. It's also easy to re-stich the cover back on and no special tools are required...
This leaves the bare hoop foam...
With it's broken brackets...
That will be replaced by a new one from TVR Central with improved brackets...
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 21:38
...literally minutes before speaking to AdrianTime for a break from the mundane strip down, here's some tech I'll be fitting...
New Meta alarm system with custom looms supplied by Carl Baker. This is a direct replacement of factory Meta system which is probably well over due replacement. This is now installed and took just a couple of hours with the help of Carl who talked me through each step over the phone. I now have proximity immobiliser deactivation, remote boot release and total closure.
TPMS
Android touch screen car stereo
Focal 130AS Access 13cm component speakers
Tweeter pods, mine will be in machined aluminium finish
Seen as the rear view mirror needs to be replaced thought I'd replace it with one that incorporates a front and rear dashcam
New Meta alarm system with custom looms supplied by Carl Baker. This is a direct replacement of factory Meta system which is probably well over due replacement. This is now installed and took just a couple of hours with the help of Carl who talked me through each step over the phone. I now have proximity immobiliser deactivation, remote boot release and total closure.
TPMS
Android touch screen car stereo
Focal 130AS Access 13cm component speakers
Tweeter pods, mine will be in machined aluminium finish
Seen as the rear view mirror needs to be replaced thought I'd replace it with one that incorporates a front and rear dashcam
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 21:45
I've been using the 'sensor in the valve cap' type with the same display for years and they're brilliant and very accurate, batteries last a few years. Thought I'd try the internal sensor type this time as I will be getting the wheels refurbed and the batteries on the internal sensors seem to last forever...
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 21:48
Seat hoop welding & hog ring wire replacement
Passenger seat backrest 'hoop' repair. As you can see, the common failure point on the Tuscan seat is where the hoop bracket bolts to the backrest frame at the base. These have failed on both side on the driver’s seat, the plates had actually snapped off so are beyond repair, this will be replaced, but the passenger seat brackets are just cracked which I can probably get away with by just running a weld over front and back. I used foil tape to protect the leather/foam from the heat...
The driver’s seat backrest frame needed a new hog ring wire attached. This is what the leather back rest cover attaches to...
I drilled the frame for the new wire, stronger than just tacking it to the frame as was done in the factory...
And a couple of welds to hold in place...
Then all bare metal painted with Hammerite...
Passenger seat backrest 'hoop' repair. As you can see, the common failure point on the Tuscan seat is where the hoop bracket bolts to the backrest frame at the base. These have failed on both side on the driver’s seat, the plates had actually snapped off so are beyond repair, this will be replaced, but the passenger seat brackets are just cracked which I can probably get away with by just running a weld over front and back. I used foil tape to protect the leather/foam from the heat...
The driver’s seat backrest frame needed a new hog ring wire attached. This is what the leather back rest cover attaches to...
I drilled the frame for the new wire, stronger than just tacking it to the frame as was done in the factory...
And a couple of welds to hold in place...
Then all bare metal painted with Hammerite...
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 21:55
Seat base bolster repairs
I haven't said this so far but I really like the simple construction of these seats which make them a lot lighter than a normal car seat even though they are not your typical lightweight shell type bucket recliner.
But as with all seats with thigh hugging bolsters the foam tends to crumble with use as you climb in and out, this happens on the RH bolster on the driver’s seat and LH on the passenger seat.
The round bar in the thigh bolster does a good job of supporting the foam which means they aren't too bad and are straight forward to repair. The damaged foam is cut away and the exposed round bar is treated with Kurust as, with all bare metal on this car, it was slightly rusty...
Then 2 pieces of high-density foam cut to shape with a V groove down the centre that will sandwich the wire top and bottom...
All bonded in place with contact adhesive then shaped ready for the re-trim...
I haven't said this so far but I really like the simple construction of these seats which make them a lot lighter than a normal car seat even though they are not your typical lightweight shell type bucket recliner.
But as with all seats with thigh hugging bolsters the foam tends to crumble with use as you climb in and out, this happens on the RH bolster on the driver’s seat and LH on the passenger seat.
The round bar in the thigh bolster does a good job of supporting the foam which means they aren't too bad and are straight forward to repair. The damaged foam is cut away and the exposed round bar is treated with Kurust as, with all bare metal on this car, it was slightly rusty...
Then 2 pieces of high-density foam cut to shape with a V groove down the centre that will sandwich the wire top and bottom...
All bonded in place with contact adhesive then shaped ready for the re-trim...
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 22:05
Mini update on what’s going on with the rest of the Tuscan. Spoke with the guys at the bodyshop this morning and showed them pictures of what I've been doing, they reciprocated by showing me pics of a classic Citroen DS estate (not the usual slick coupe 4 door) they've just restored, one of five RHD version's left if I remember correctly, in bright yellow with yellow leather! I think they're as excited to get their hands on my Tuscan and do it justice as I am, soo nice to deal with guys like this that are enthusiasts as well. They're only down the road so they will be popping round next week to take a look at the Tuscan so they can give me a proper idea of costs.
Getting the interior ready for the re-trim. Pretty sure I will be covering most of the interior with Alcantara like synthetic suede instead of carpet everywhere, and just carpet on the floor with some synthetic leather in the footwells for practicality of cleaning. Will be a shame to cover the heat shielding up...
Ok, anyone guess what these are and what I've used them for...
Getting the interior ready for the re-trim. Pretty sure I will be covering most of the interior with Alcantara like synthetic suede instead of carpet everywhere, and just carpet on the floor with some synthetic leather in the footwells for practicality of cleaning. Will be a shame to cover the heat shielding up...
Ok, anyone guess what these are and what I've used them for...
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 22:08
Rear screen quick release pins
So TwinKam guessed what they are. These are quick release bonnet pins and I thought they would be perfect for holding the rear screen in place…
As I've been getting to know my Tuscan I've got used to TVRs quirky design features, most of which I find refreshingly simple and different to how any other car maker would do things, but, I just wasn't comfortable with the way the rear screen was 'held', not 'fixed' but held in place with stories of them blowing out at high speeds.
My Tuscan had the original plastic clips, or what was left of them, they didn't function at all so they were removed and I started scratching my head as to a simple but 'mechanical' method of properly fixing the screen in place, and with adjustment built in. I wanted something that wasn't going to 'hang-off' or protrude from the screen when it was removed so it wouldn't get damaged or damage the screen. So, after trawling the internet for ideas as soon as I saw these bonnet pins I was sold, they're made from anodised alloy and the adjustable pin from stainless steel so should last forever, and they're available in loads of colours to either stand out, match your paint or in black as I've fitted to just blend in. And the best thing is they’re a tenner a pair…
These are 32mm head size, you can get a smaller 22mm version but think the larger size will help spread any loading better through the Perspex.
The second best thing is they're pretty straight forward to fit...
The rear screen will be replaced as it is badly cracked and scuffed by the boot lid making contact with it when closing, which is something else I will be fixing as I'm not going to fit a new screen for it to end up looking like this one after a few months. So I had the luxury of being able to experiment with different fixing methods if this doesn't work.
The pins will be roughly the same location laterally as the factory clips, but offset enough so the back of the latch doesn't touch the interior trim when locked in place, the angle of the pin needs to be as close to 90deg to the angle of the rear screen as possible so the latch functions as it should. Drill a hole at the correct angle through the trim/GRP into the boot, and hold the pin in place...
Then on the underside I bonded a wingnut in place...
When both sides are done you can position the screen and mark the pin centres on the screen
Then drill the Perspex and bolt the latch in place and fit the screen.
One of the things I wasn't sure about was how water tight they would be so tried wetting them and leaving overnight with tissue on the inside of the screen but the tolerances appear tight enough not to let water through when locked in place.
So, I'm pretty chuffed with these, and I don't think they detract from the clutter free styling of the Tuscan and most importantly they actually do a solid job of holding the screen in place. Just a push on the centre releases each pin and a gentle push back down locks the screen in place. You can adjust the length of the pin so the screen seals nicely. I think I’ll be rolling this out to my new screen…
So TwinKam guessed what they are. These are quick release bonnet pins and I thought they would be perfect for holding the rear screen in place…
As I've been getting to know my Tuscan I've got used to TVRs quirky design features, most of which I find refreshingly simple and different to how any other car maker would do things, but, I just wasn't comfortable with the way the rear screen was 'held', not 'fixed' but held in place with stories of them blowing out at high speeds.
My Tuscan had the original plastic clips, or what was left of them, they didn't function at all so they were removed and I started scratching my head as to a simple but 'mechanical' method of properly fixing the screen in place, and with adjustment built in. I wanted something that wasn't going to 'hang-off' or protrude from the screen when it was removed so it wouldn't get damaged or damage the screen. So, after trawling the internet for ideas as soon as I saw these bonnet pins I was sold, they're made from anodised alloy and the adjustable pin from stainless steel so should last forever, and they're available in loads of colours to either stand out, match your paint or in black as I've fitted to just blend in. And the best thing is they’re a tenner a pair…
These are 32mm head size, you can get a smaller 22mm version but think the larger size will help spread any loading better through the Perspex.
The second best thing is they're pretty straight forward to fit...
The rear screen will be replaced as it is badly cracked and scuffed by the boot lid making contact with it when closing, which is something else I will be fixing as I'm not going to fit a new screen for it to end up looking like this one after a few months. So I had the luxury of being able to experiment with different fixing methods if this doesn't work.
The pins will be roughly the same location laterally as the factory clips, but offset enough so the back of the latch doesn't touch the interior trim when locked in place, the angle of the pin needs to be as close to 90deg to the angle of the rear screen as possible so the latch functions as it should. Drill a hole at the correct angle through the trim/GRP into the boot, and hold the pin in place...
Then on the underside I bonded a wingnut in place...
When both sides are done you can position the screen and mark the pin centres on the screen
Then drill the Perspex and bolt the latch in place and fit the screen.
One of the things I wasn't sure about was how water tight they would be so tried wetting them and leaving overnight with tissue on the inside of the screen but the tolerances appear tight enough not to let water through when locked in place.
So, I'm pretty chuffed with these, and I don't think they detract from the clutter free styling of the Tuscan and most importantly they actually do a solid job of holding the screen in place. Just a push on the centre releases each pin and a gentle push back down locks the screen in place. You can adjust the length of the pin so the screen seals nicely. I think I’ll be rolling this out to my new screen…
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 22:17
From what I can make out, the boot lid scuffing the rear screen is common and I don't know if it was intentional at the factory to help hold the screen in place or whether it's just down to poor fitting/mould irregularities but it's not what I would call an acceptable panel to panel relationship!
The RH boot hinge on my Tuscan was bent from the rear impact it suffered and the gas strut was shot so removed all the boot lid hardware including the latch and then spent hours trying to work out (with new hinges) how to make it all work without scuffing the screen, even with minimal screen rubber seals so the screen sat slightly lower there just wasn't enough clearance and the only way to make it work was to re-profile the boot lid...
The RH boot hinge on my Tuscan was bent from the rear impact it suffered and the gas strut was shot so removed all the boot lid hardware including the latch and then spent hours trying to work out (with new hinges) how to make it all work without scuffing the screen, even with minimal screen rubber seals so the screen sat slightly lower there just wasn't enough clearance and the only way to make it work was to re-profile the boot lid...
seat hoop retrim
So, this was the condition of the driver’s seat RH bolster
And this what it looks like after a visit to Gliptone. Not bad, obviously the leather is starting to look quite dry so it will be getting a good feed when this is all done...
And this is the new hoop foam from Central TVR bolted to the frame making the job a lot easier...
The refreshed leather cover loosely fitted
Then with a needle (blunt is best) and strong thread start weaving between the thread hoops on each side of the seem to pull the cover together
Now I have to admit, by this point, just one side done I wasn't happy with the quality of my threading (you need to keep tension on the thread by tying knots periodically and my knots weren't very good...) so I did the next best thing...and handed it to the misses...who proceeded to undo it all and spent several hours doing a perfect job, which was a nice...but unfortunately I forgot to take any pics before moving onto the next steps so you'll have to take my word for it...
So, this was the condition of the driver’s seat RH bolster
And this what it looks like after a visit to Gliptone. Not bad, obviously the leather is starting to look quite dry so it will be getting a good feed when this is all done...
And this is the new hoop foam from Central TVR bolted to the frame making the job a lot easier...
The refreshed leather cover loosely fitted
Then with a needle (blunt is best) and strong thread start weaving between the thread hoops on each side of the seem to pull the cover together
Now I have to admit, by this point, just one side done I wasn't happy with the quality of my threading (you need to keep tension on the thread by tying knots periodically and my knots weren't very good...) so I did the next best thing...and handed it to the misses...who proceeded to undo it all and spent several hours doing a perfect job, which was a nice...but unfortunately I forgot to take any pics before moving onto the next steps so you'll have to take my word for it...
Edited by Modrich on Sunday 31st March 22:24
Yeah should be fine. If it was in an area like the lumber region or where you sit on it might be too firm but bolsters won't matter and take a lot of abuse so firmer the better. You'll find shaping the foam easiest with a large fine hacksaw blade so you can shape gradually. Don't use a knife blade as it's easy to gouge out too much. Make sure the shaped surface is nice and smooth otherwise any lumps or bumps will show through the leather. You can smooth and seal the finished surface with a hot air gun then smooth it out with a scraper or blunt knife, try it on offcuts first though.
You might get away with only unstitching part way up the side bolster, just enough so you can peel back the leather past the damaged foam. Tie a tight knot with some thread across the existing hoops/thread at the point where you are going up to so you don't lose tension all the way up seam.
Hope this helps
You might get away with only unstitching part way up the side bolster, just enough so you can peel back the leather past the damaged foam. Tie a tight knot with some thread across the existing hoops/thread at the point where you are going up to so you don't lose tension all the way up seam.
Hope this helps
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