Better than new?

[stoxman]

Dear all,

I had a gorgeous 4.2 a decade ago but then moved around the Gulf, had a family etc and had a succession of other cars -997 GT3, 993 C4S etc. Like an old love, the Cerbera was still an ember smoldering somewhere in my heart and now I am back in England with somewhere to store one, I am back on the lookout for a Cerbera. I want a keeper that I can (almost) enjoy spending money on to keep her in tip top shape for decades to come.

I have waded through dozens of previous posts and come across most of the common faults (s6 engine rebuilds, rotting chassis, dodgy wiring etc. Please don't think that this is just another "Should I buy a Cerbera/ what are the common faults" etc posts. Mine, I hope is a slightly different question.

It appears that with SOME items, it is possible to have better than the original that rolled out of Blackpool 15 years ago (a zinc chassis being better than the original powder coat/ a TVR power s6 being stronger than the original etc). Would you kindly list those areas where you believe it is now possible to replace original TVR parts with reconditioned/redesigned/ taken from parts bin of other cars and have something more reliable than the original.

The reason for my question is to establish whether a Cerbera with a new chassis, suspension, engine rebuild etc is a fundamentally "strong" car and therefore capable of being a 20 year keeper (albeit with fastidious maintenance and consumables going wrong and needing £2k p.a. to put right)

Thanks in advance.

Alan

[C3BER]

It's a car and one you break and mend and break and mend.

[gruffalo]

pretty much every thing can be upgraded, both the AJP and the Speed six can be made better than original. Chassis made more durable and extra bracing fitted to stiffen up. Brakes, well they were good as original, put CL or Pagid RS pads in and they will out stop most things on the road or track. T5 gearbox can be rebuilt stronger, wiring can also be upgraded with bigger section wire used and the loom modified to reduce voltage drop.

Basically you can go as far as you want.

Mine is a 1998 4.5 that live outside. She gets a mix of use from long trip across Europe often ending up with a couple of days being spanked on a track some where and then driven back to a short run to the shops or the commute to work in rush hour traffic, in all instances I have never failed to arrive or get home under my own power.

Upgrades I have done to mine are brake pads, dampers(Nitron) springs (higher spring rates) and exhaust. She will embarrass an 997GT3 on the track and potter in traffic on a hot day with no overheating quite happily.

Next upgrade will be an engine rebuild to 4.7, not because it is worn out, but a few gaskets are starting to leak after 15 years of good service and while I am at it I may as well do it properly.

Can you keep one for 20 years I intend to keep mine for that long, I have only had mine 4 years and am still totally hooked.

Hope this helps.

[kstearn]

Ha, 20 years, mine lasted 14 the way it left the factory, then the chassis finally went AWOL.

I'm hoping it'll last forever, with minor fettling now the chassis and sp6 n diff have had a sorting out, like my old Lotus though, you gotta use it, somehow evey week, otherwise it will get the hump, and play up, leave ya windows open just in case, oh only if its in a garage,

Get one, then once you've started spending it may take a while to stop, I can't help myself,
cheers,
Karl

[Mr Cerbera]

Yes !, in answer to the OP's question.

Leven do a fabulous wiper-arm conversion that gets rid of all those ridiculous 'wipers bending half-way round the screen at anything above 48 mph'.

I also think that their adjustable stainless steel pedal kit is damn good too.

.....oh, and whilst you're at it, replace the flexible brake hoses with Goodridge.

.... and lastly, replace the Clutch Slave Unit with the one from Raceprooved.

HTH

[purpleliability]

gruffalo said:

Chassis made more durable and extra bracing fitted to stiffen up.

Have you got any more information on the additional chassis bracing options? I've always felt this is an area that could really be improved on (I'm running the same suspension and brake upgrades as you) but have never been sure where to start.

Thanks!

[gruffalo]

purpleliability said:

gruffalo said:

Chassis made more durable and extra bracing fitted to stiffen up.

Have you got any more information on the additional chassis bracing options? I've always felt this is an area that could really be improved on (I'm running the same suspension and brake upgrades as you) but have never been sure where to start.

Thanks!

Nothing specific but you can add more is across the front high up if you lose the F1 panel to improve the ridgidity of the front end a bit, additional work can be done under the gear box and round the diff as well to make it all a whole lot stiffer. Willow sports cars are the people to talk to about getting it done, how far they can go will I guess depend on your budget. I for one want to find a way of connecting the rear of the roll cage to the back of the chassis while retaining the fuel tank and boot space as well as rear seats.

[purpleliability]

Thanks. Have you got any pictures of of the work on the front?

I'll check out Willow, agreed, connecting up the standard roll cage to the rear chassis would be great

[fatjon]

Things that have worked for me.

Raceproved clutch (had a few problems but on balance better than the TVR one)
Decent radiator not the cut on shut range rover one it came with from the factory.

Braided fuel lines and quality hoses.

Relocate the fuel pump and filter out of shot blasting area

An after market alarm and immobiliser combo to replace the battery killing TVR one. Now I can park for more than a few days without plugging in a charger. It also does door popping which is a nice bonus.

Nice springs and shocks 450 front 400 rear seems to work well.

Rose jointed drop links, saves changing them every 6 months when they break or start squeaking

Emerald ECU, quite a transformation when set up correctly.

Properly rust proofed chassis, which is next on my list.

Relocate the alternator fuse and use a quality replacement

Replace the thermal barrier between the exhaust manifold and fibreglass with some that works.

Heat insulate and relocate battery wires to save buying a new car quite so often.

[kstearn]

If your taking a look at Willow, have a look at my chassis pictures on the T540 thread i've been compiling these last few months.
Nick and his team have taken my rusty wreck of a chassis and turned it into something beautiful, and added some chassis bracing across the outriggers so my seats are now secured to the chassis and not just the tub.
Get a look at last months Sprint magazine from TVRCC the Str8six tuscan racer article, even though Willow don't get a mention, and they're stickers are on the front corners, most of the body n chassis construction was done by Nick and his team. Most of the photos are actually at Willow's workshop, evidence enough.
Cheers

[SkepticSteve]

When I had mine, the front top whishbone were appaling as they are so flimsy.

So I would say replace all the whishbones with decent race proven solid tube type!

[Byker28i]

stoxman said:

The reason for my question is to establish whether a Cerbera with a new chassis, suspension, engine rebuild etc is a fundamentally "strong" car and therefore capable of being a 20 year keeper (albeit with fastidious maintenance and consumables going wrong and needing £2k p.a. to put right)

Thanks in advance.

Alan

I hope so. I've had mine 7 years and just done the full body off chassis restoration and replace everything.
I've no plans to sell it...