invest in the old cerb....
Discussion
Looking at spending a bit of money on my 2003 4.5 beloved Cerb.
Tried over the last few yrs to walk the line between keeping it genuine but also improving some bits here and there; got decent race shocks, a great low ratio Tuscan diff after the old fluid one started spinning up the inside wheel on hill climbs, new custom exhaust which is definitely on the mental spectrum, and thats about it.
Runs great although last owner Austec & dyno showed about 375bhp at the wheels which is a bit low for a 4.5 despite its 34k miles.
Up for spending a bit on it and open to thoughts. My ideas include;
Engine rebuild given the miles are creeping up and that bhp thing. Red rose at the same time, or maybe the 4.7?
In my time i have bent two spiders and i know they are heavy and soft. Aware a lighter set has a disproportionate effect on handling. Like the look of what some folks have done with deep dish rims to but aware the arches need messing with (again..after my 888's needed a little arch adjustment).
The nose is fairly chipped and the paint after 11 yrs could always look better, but i know a full respray isnt cheap.
Bit of leather refurb especially on that typical driver side area that gets worn.
The kid in me has always wondered about a cheeky nitros kit...certainly would be a giggle on the hill climbs.
....thoughts?
Tried over the last few yrs to walk the line between keeping it genuine but also improving some bits here and there; got decent race shocks, a great low ratio Tuscan diff after the old fluid one started spinning up the inside wheel on hill climbs, new custom exhaust which is definitely on the mental spectrum, and thats about it.
Runs great although last owner Austec & dyno showed about 375bhp at the wheels which is a bit low for a 4.5 despite its 34k miles.
Up for spending a bit on it and open to thoughts. My ideas include;
Engine rebuild given the miles are creeping up and that bhp thing. Red rose at the same time, or maybe the 4.7?
In my time i have bent two spiders and i know they are heavy and soft. Aware a lighter set has a disproportionate effect on handling. Like the look of what some folks have done with deep dish rims to but aware the arches need messing with (again..after my 888's needed a little arch adjustment).
The nose is fairly chipped and the paint after 11 yrs could always look better, but i know a full respray isnt cheap.
Bit of leather refurb especially on that typical driver side area that gets worn.
The kid in me has always wondered about a cheeky nitros kit...certainly would be a giggle on the hill climbs.
....thoughts?
mccrae said:
have a look at this one we did to get some ideas john
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm0Yofv7y7I
Very nice. Who did the work?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm0Yofv7y7I
I think you should be thinking flywheel not rear wheels!
Back on topic, it all depends how much you want to blow and what your priorities are.
Sounds like you like performance, a 4.7 is very tempting for me, so I can see that for sure. Not cheap though. I would hope your engine has some life left after just 34K, most are double that and still going well. Remap?
Hows the chassis? What about refurb of stuff like calipers, bushes, new manfolds,drive shafts,fuel lines, brake lines, radiator, etc?
Race seats? fancy interior?
The list is long....you pays your money...
Back on topic, it all depends how much you want to blow and what your priorities are.
Sounds like you like performance, a 4.7 is very tempting for me, so I can see that for sure. Not cheap though. I would hope your engine has some life left after just 34K, most are double that and still going well. Remap?
Hows the chassis? What about refurb of stuff like calipers, bushes, new manfolds,drive shafts,fuel lines, brake lines, radiator, etc?
Race seats? fancy interior?
The list is long....you pays your money...
Edited by Alistair H. on Friday 14th March 12:17
Alistair H. said:
I think you should be thinking flywheel not rear wheels!
Back on topic, it all depends how much you want to blow and what your priorities are.
Sounds like you like performance, a 4.7 is very tempting for me, so I can see that for sure. Not cheap though. I would hope your engine has some life left after just 34K, most are double that and still going well. Remap?
Hows the chassis? What about refurb of stuff like calipers, bushes, new manfolds,drive shafts,fuel lines, brake lines, radiator, etc?
Race seats? fancy interior?
The list is long....you pays your money...
Thx
Engine is great. Cost me a bit last service as the steering pump and rack needed work and a new starter. But in general its been great. Temd to agree that limited options and a lot of buck for a bit more bang.
Maybe leave it and go explore another angle i have been thinking about; 5.0 Chim which I used to have pre Cerb/kids and ask tvr power to drop a bit of forced induction in. Rover 8 & turbo whine
Back on topic, it all depends how much you want to blow and what your priorities are.
Sounds like you like performance, a 4.7 is very tempting for me, so I can see that for sure. Not cheap though. I would hope your engine has some life left after just 34K, most are double that and still going well. Remap?
Hows the chassis? What about refurb of stuff like calipers, bushes, new manfolds,drive shafts,fuel lines, brake lines, radiator, etc?
Race seats? fancy interior?
The list is long....you pays your money...
Thx
Engine is great. Cost me a bit last service as the steering pump and rack needed work and a new starter. But in general its been great. Temd to agree that limited options and a lot of buck for a bit more bang.
Maybe leave it and go explore another angle i have been thinking about; 5.0 Chim which I used to have pre Cerb/kids and ask tvr power to drop a bit of forced induction in. Rover 8 & turbo whine
Edited by Alistair H. on Friday 14th March 12:17
mccrae said:
Or go ls7 and supercharge , ls9 gets a bit tricky
This is very tempting: http://www.chevrolet.com/performance/crate-engines...Or for outright performance, an Atom?
browrz said:
mccrae said:
Or go ls7 and supercharge , ls9 gets a bit tricky
Ah yes interesting. Guess push 500bhp+ with not much problem. Just would be a shame to step away from the AJP. but still an interesting idea.Mark
Edited by portzi on Friday 14th March 16:20
it depends on what u want from the car. if it's just power an ls is the way to go but you could buy another cerb for the cost. if it's a strong engine which it sounds like it u could just improve it or get it upgraded which would be half the cost of an ls and still be AJP. look at things like all the bushes, hoses, u could get nice stainless steel brake hoses get the engine bay looking all your boxes and covers painted. I'm trying to do the same but only have 4 months left as I'm moving so can't do everything I wanted to. 
Gassing Station | Cerbera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff