New TVR owner - Other than drive it, does it need any mods?

[A900ss]

OK, so I bought a Chim 450 end of last week, my first TVR and my first V8.

Everything seems fine with the car at the moment except that one rear bearing needs replacing (I’m going to get both done though). The car has a wedge of service history, serviced every year however not at a TVR specialist so I have booked it in to Neil Garners for a 12,000 miles service.

I’ve ordered a Leven half cover as it will spend most of its time outside and whilst I was looking on their website I also ordered a new Leven stainless steel dash as my original one is splitting on the veneer but I think that is quite common.

Tyres are all good on the car, Goodyear F1’s at back and NCT at front with plenty of tread.

Interior is free from any rips or tears but I was surprised to find a CD/Radio player in there. That won’t get any use from me!!!

Exterior looks good from a distance but close up it has plenty of stonechips at the front and will need the front resprayed either this year or next.

In April 11 the car had £3,800 spent on new outriggers and chassis work – very reassuring.

Car is a joy to drive; quick, comfortable and it appeared to give MPG on the 130 mile trip on the way home.

So my real question I need to ask then is are there any ‘must do’ mods on the Chimaera that everybody does to increase reliability/driveability?

Dealer photos below, mine will follow in due course.

[portzi]

So my real question I need to ask then is are there any ‘must do’ mods on the Chimaera that everybody does to increase reliability/driveability?

Well great driveability is what we all want. sounds like your chassis is well sorted, firstly look at your Dampners to see what condition they are in and if they have been set up correctly, as the originals will be getting abit tired now, if its a mid 90's car. Afford the best you can get as most of the time you pay for what you get. This forum is full great mods just do a search and read the posts.

Get the roof down as much as you can, thats the best mod

[V8 GRF]

The other question (not unrelated) I'd ask is how old are the tyres? If they're over 6 years old I'd be looking to replace them as they may well be past their best, hard and even cracking in the bottom of the treads.

Some people seem to forget that no matter what you've done to the car the tyres are always the last point of contact and if they're not working well then everything else is a waste of time.

[A900ss]

portzi said:

Get the roof down as much as you can, thats the best mod

That's a good point actually. I have had the roof down in both positions, targa back up and down. When the targa is down, I can't see a thing out back. Is the norm driving with the targa up so you can see out back?

Edited by A900ss on Monday 4th March 15:45

[Robert Lees]

Why do u need to see what you've just overtaken!

looks a cracker, good price too if it same one on ebay.

bought my 450 last summer and love it!

[cjj799]

Not so much a mod as a precaution, but make sure the fuel hoses under the bonnet are in good order.

Love the black interior it really is the best colour IMHO, wish mine was black.

As for mods, You could tilt the steering wheel down a notch

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

A900ss said:

When the targe is down, I can't see a thing out back. Is the norm driving with the targa up so you can see out back?

That's fairly normal. Visibility is greatly reduced with the rear roof section down, although it's slightly better in the summer when the plastic screen is warmer and softer, which allows the roof section to go down slightly further.

I've had mine about 2-and-a-half years, and I confess I've never driven it with the rear section up and the roof off - I always put the rear section down.

[900T-R]

As per all of the above -

First thing is to have a close look at the two shortish pieces of rubber fuel hose from/to fuel rail, fuel pressure regulator and bulkhead. If in any doubt at all, replace immediately.

Wheel geo set up - makes all the difference, the final inspection at the factory seemed to have a bit of a blind spot for which way each wheel points and worn bushes (OE metalastic rubber ones are fine), wheels hitting potholes and the odd kerb etc. don't tend to make it better over time...

Then, if I had only one area on which to spend money for 'upgrades' it would be suspension every time.

Personally and especially on a road car I'd always vote for quality over adjustability features and so the latest spec Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs (whether the springs need replacing I would decide on a case to case basis) is where I would start. They are monotube B6 'Sports' dampers and set up by Bilstein and TVR road test engineers back when the factory changed back to Bilstein in 2004/5 - these are of an improved spec compared to the Bilsteins that were fitted to early Chims (which if they haven't been replaced already, will be very tired by now anyway).
If you're feeling (very) flush, go for Intrax - they're the best IMO by a fair margin and will transform the car.

A proper suspension set up is by far the best thing you can do to these cars

If brake pads need replacing, I would change them for Ferodo DS2500 or the equivalent Pagid/Carbone Lorraine spec. If in proper nick, the brake system will then IME be more than adequate for spirited road and occasional track driving.

[Chilliman]

If you're keeping it outside most of the time then presumably she won't be on an accumate/trickle charge... In the event you get a flat battery it's a complete bas**tard getting jump leads onto the battery terminals down in the passenger footwell, I'd seriously consider running a charging connector from the terminals to an easy accessible connection point (I think they're called Andersen connectors?) Could save enormous heartache in the event you do go flat... Or, consider moving the battery to the boot, which gives the added bonus of lots more leg room for passengers...(you'll need an alternative way of opening the boot though if the battery does go flat, I think some have fitted mods to deal with this possibility) Have a look where the upper bonnet corners rest.. these can rub/chafe badly on the body, and sometimes cause nasty noises.. little sticky back rubber pads will prevent this happening.

With regard to the targa, mine doesn't go down if it's really cold weather, just to avoid the risk of cracking the window (goes brittle), although the targa top comes off regardless (well almost). Some put a rolled up towel across the rear window before folding it down, helps to avoid creasing...

There's a thread running at the moment on this forum about the 123 Dizzy... sounds like a great mod!

Chilli.

Oh, and welcome to the mad house (and probably the dark side if you're mod/power mad like many of us )

[Dodsy]

Things I would have done immediately if not already sorted in order of priority:

Short fuel pipes at the back of the engine - they have a nasty habit of splitting
ACT induction pipe
Rose jointed anti roll bar drop links front and rear
replace dampers and springs

Preventive maintenance:

Replace all coolant hoses with silicon
Remove pre-cats
ACT stainless steel coolant swan neck pipe

Things to check:

Wishbones - condition
Suspension bushes
Diff bushes
Radiator condition

Nice to have:

Leven handbrake and stalks
Leven wipers
ECUmate diagnostic tool (assuming you still have the 14CUX ECU)

[Dodsy]

A900ss said:

When the targa is down, I can't see a thing out back. Is the norm driving with the targa up so you can see out back?

When putting the roof down make sure you release the velcro at each side first. Then make sure the plastic window folds properly , some people put a rolled up towel into the fold to make sure it doesnt split when folding. Then just push it down.

It will go a bit lower in summer as the plastic softens

[Monsterlime]

Dodsy said:

Things I would have done immediately if not already sorted in order of priority:

Short fuel pipes at the back of the engine - they have a nasty habit of splitting
ACT induction pipe
Rose jointed anti roll bar drop links front and rear
replace dampers and springs

Preventive maintenance:

Replace all coolant hoses with silicon
Remove pre-cats
ACT stainless steel coolant swan neck pipe

Things to check:

Wishbones - condition
Suspension bushes
Diff bushes
Radiator condition

Nice to have:

Leven handbrake and stalks
Leven wipers
ECUmate diagnostic tool (assuming you still have the 14CUX ECU)

On this subject, do you know the part number of the swan neck pipe? I keep seeing ACTH029, however I can not find that on the ACT site.

Also, I've seen mention of the rose jointed anti-roll bar drop links before, but several sites list them for pre-Serp cars?

Cheers

[phazed]

Phone Tim at ACT, very helpful guy.

http://www.actproducts.co.uk/

Drop links, phone again, don't rely on web sites.

http://www.leventechnology.co.uk/index.htm

[Robert Lees]

I did the fuel pipes this weekend as a complete amateur it was a little frightening and very fiddly. I had staining on the rear of the drivers side rocker cover and the helpful chaps on here suggested a leak. Replaced with stainless hoses.

I removed plenum and rockers for painting also. This helps with access, but again daunting if a novice like me. Posted pics on another thread, plenum removal and something...

[ybt1982]

It's a slippery slope I was convinced that nothing would need doing and it was fine as standard. The little bits soon start adding up and before you know it your going mad and hitting the bank account

A bit of advice, don't talk to phased, chilli or db?? (Derek), they will have you hooked up to NOS after a complete engine rebuild sand chasing track times.... or Brummie on the quarter mile

[A900ss]

Just got back from work today to find 3 packages had been delivered.

A new Leven hood cover (the dash is on back order and will probably take another 3 weeks)
A replacement offside mirror
A new CTEK battery charger

New mats should be here this week as well.

It really is like Christmas again.....

[nutsytvr]

A900ss said:

That's a good point actually. I have had the roof down in both positions, targa back up and down. When the targa is down, I can't see a thing out back. Is the norm driving with the targa up so you can see out back?

Edited by A900ss on Monday 4th March 15:45

Just use the wing mirrors.

[macdeb]

V8 GRF said:

The other question (not unrelated) I'd ask is how old are the tyres? If they're over 6 years old I'd be looking to replace them as they may well be past their best, hard and even cracking in the bottom of the treads.

Some people seem to forget that no matter what you've done to the car the tyres are always the last point of contact and if they're not working well then everything else is a waste of time.

Cool, as an ex-British Steel [remember them] chairman once said, 'however grand the drivers intentions, what matters is the patch where the car meets the road'. Anyhow, mods is a slippery, expensive, addictive slope. Welcome to the mad-house.
PS; I drive roof off and rear section up, like to keep an eye out for blue flashing lights.

[deeen]

My personal experience, for drive-ability, springs / dampers followed by full geometry set-up.

For reliability, have a really good look at the radiator and hoses.

No problems with fuel hoses on mine, but good advice to check.

Have fun!

Edited by deeen on Tuesday 5th March 21:39

[TA14]

A900ss said:

Tyres are all good on the car, ... NCT at front with plenty of tread.

They may be in good condition but NCT5s have no place on any sports car.