What to look out for

[dog man]

Hi All I'm new to this Forum.

I have been thinking of selling my 60's Dodge and getting a Chimera but I have a couple of Q's

Firstly I have seen 500's mostly going for way over my budget (8.5k) but then I spotted one recently for near enough my sort of money...is it a steal or could it be bad news? Especially when most 4.0's and the odd 4.3 can be found at 8.5k ish, a 5.0 at that money seems to good to be true?

Secondly, I saw one ad talking of 'top end re build' at 40k odd....that seems a bit low (mileage wise) to have that work done so what goes wrong? lifters? guides?

I was going to approach buying one with mainly checking for rust on the outriggers and was less 'worried' about the engines...should I be just as cautious with the engines when looking?

Cheers!!

[Rum Runner]

Hi Dogman
Yes 500's do demand quite a lot more dosh , but there roughly 600 made and not sure how many are left .( They are a lot quicker than a standard 4.0).
The best bet for 8.5k is to try and get end 94 onwards with Serp motor and T5 box , again its on condition . Don't be to fussy about colours , get the car on a ramp of poss and have a good look around the chassis .
From what i know you will find most all 4.3's have rover box and not serp.
Therefore if you can you may get a 4.0HC , this was my choice when i bought mine as it was a 95 4.0hc serp / T5 box , which is probably your best option at 8.5K. Unlikely to find a good 450 at this price with reasonable miles on the clock.
Engines are strong apart from cam can wear quickly , this can be put down to hard use when cold , although many say that the 0-40w oil is just to thin. I would agree with this as most of these cars are kept in garages and not used that much in winter months . I use 10-50 Silkolene Pro S , then engine is certainly quieter on this thicker grade , also when these engines where new 40 years ago they probably ran on 20-40.
Again the oil pump was improved on the serp motor of end 94 - on. You can tell if it a serp engines on not by the front pulleys , old engine has V belt and serp flat .
Facelift cars of 96 different front grill also will demand more £, and again with a 98 with round rear light clusters .

Edited by Rum Runner on Thursday 14th June 11:20

[dog man]

Hey there thanks for the reply. Yeah I noted the 4.0 hc and I like the sound of it. The 4.0hc seems like the drivers choice as it must provide quite a lot more power at higher revvs - right? So would you say a 5.0 with serp and t5 at this price is going to potentially be an okay car (ramp inspection's permitting) or should I ignore any and concentrate on the 4.0hc? How about the 4.3?

P.S you may have gathered that I am power crazy!

Cheers!

[midas dude]

Hello Dogman,is the 500 on ph classifides?if not,its very hard to assess any car.
However,i would say that a good,well maintained 400 would probably be quicker than a badly running 500,and therefore cheaper to keep in order.
Dont forget,always buy on condition!
Good luck,they are fantastic cars to own,AL

[Rum Runner]

Hi dog man , as said the 4.3 has the old box and pre serp motor which are less desirable , though the 4.3 is a nice engine so i am told .

Edited by Rum Runner on Thursday 14th June 13:06

[peebee]

Might it be this one?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/185621.htm

Looks good as far as it goes. Worth looking further.

And such a good colour!

Edited by peebee on Thursday 14th June 13:09

[dog man]

Thanks mate. I do want the best car in the long run so I hear what you are saying about 4.0/5.0. Yeah I have seen the recently added 5.0 on ph classifieds. How does it look to you?

P.S Are those the silencers under the bonnet behind the rad? (on any Chimera) I suppose they dont have enough ground clearance for silencers under the body? it's wierd seeing headers going the 'opposite' way

[Bigboz]

I can most certainly vouch for the 4.3. Lovely free revving engine and according to some the best variant made. It offers significant benefits over the standard 4. Again it is all on condition.

PS My 4.3 is for sale!!

[Rum Runner]

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/185621.htm
Looks interesting i have to say !.
Could be interesting http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/169660.htm.
Also http://www.tvr-car-club.co.uk/classifieds/classifi...
And
http://www.tvr-car-club.co.uk/classifieds/classifi...

Edited by Rum Runner on Thursday 14th June 13:47

[dog man]

Wow!

That gives me plenty to look at.

One minute I'm focusing on 4.0HC's then I see the black 5.0 on the TVR club site....

Looks like as soon as I'm ready (got someone coming to see my Dodge next week) then I'll have a good range to chosse from.

Would you drive one to the South Of France? I mean how are they for touring comfort-wise?

Cheers!

[Rum Runner]

Yes i would once its back on the ground as i am going form front to back at the moment cleaning the chassis. I do this to check everything as well , but when its done i will have no issues going anywhere, comfort is superb as the suspension is not to hard and the tyres are quite high profile for modern standards .
I have done 300 miles straight drives and been reallty relaxed more so than in say a newish vectra i used quite a lot.I picked the 500 up and had a 170mile drive middle of the night through Wales chilled /crusing/ comfy/ relaxing .
This 500 is so everything it will potter along at 30-40 in fifth , cruise over the mountains hear like a auto not needing to really change down and return nearly 30mpg , then drop it a few gears and nail it and it turns into a beast .
In some ways though my 4.0hc sounded better , both on standard pipes, probably more race sounding due to shorter stroke .Much more torque in the 500 though.
My 4.0 had no PAS which i prefer ,Much much more feel ,and i live up a hill at the end of North Wales so having to fight with it around town is not a issue. I bought the 500 with PAS as it is more common on latter cars and it would be heavier as the tyres are bigger on 500's. Main issue was though as it was quite a expensive car resale was a concern , and it seems more people want with PAS than without.

Edited by Rum Runner on Thursday 14th June 23:45

[dog man]

Oh this is great. I love the fact that it will return fairly good fuel consumption.

Now what about all the classic tales of bits falling off and poor build quality? I know part of it is true but surely most problems are worked out by 40-70k miles?

(sorry to go on and on)

[nikman]

frazer guest said:

Rum Runner said:

and it seems more people want with PAS than without.

Edited by Rum Runner on Thursday 14th June 23:45

The Chimeara isnt really a sportscar, (sorry lads), more of a half way house between sportscar and GT. In fact, i would say it was a better GT than my old V12 XJS.

Take a closer look (ignoring the appearance of the body styling) and it appears to be more of a 'road legal' racing car than a 'sports' car!!

[nikman]

frazer guest said:

nikman said:

frazer guest said:

Rum Runner said:

and it seems more people want with PAS than without.

Edited by Rum Runner on Thursday 14th June 23:45

The Chimeara isnt really a sportscar, (sorry lads), more of a half way house between sportscar and GT. In fact, i would say it was a better GT than my old V12 XJS.

Take a closer look (ignoring the appearance of the body styling) and it appears to be more of a 'road legal' racing car than a 'sports' car!!

I understand what you are saying, but.....

I have been left just a little bit dissapointed with the Chim. Its not as hardcore as i thought it would be. I mean, it aint a Catherham is it?

Now, thats not to say that it isnt a good car, an entertaining car, and i do like it a lot. Its just not as sharp a tool as i would like it to be.

If you're talking about handling then I'm with you Frazer, although with some £££ thrown at it, that can be better. But if it's srtaight line grunt, well, a suggested 0-60 time under 5 seconds for the 450 and better again for the 500 isn't exactly MX5, MGF, MR2 territory.

[nikman]

Yup Frazer- I agree with you about the PAS. I guess at the relativelly modest price these cars designed and built to when new, it was always going to be a bit of a compromise in the the handling and chassis department. Once they got the old RV8 to fit and work as well as they did, and got the car to look as good as they did I maybe they figured they'd achieved most their goals and knew owners could improve handling issues with uprated suspension, better shocks etc.

[Rum Runner]

Frazer if all bushes etc are in good order you may find a big improvement with all the geometry done .
I recon i could get my 4.0hc down the B roads around Wales quicker than this new 500. The 4.0HC had no PAS and could feel all the changes in surface and the tyres loading up .But the 500 is quick in straight line seems much lower geared than my 4. as well. Its has the later diff but even so !.

[dog man]

I haven't got a chally, its a Coronet but (lucky for me) its hlf nice, half project so I'll have to take some nice piccies but the headline facts are 440 ci, 425bhp , cam,inlet, 750 Holley, FBO ignition, headers, Flowmaters. All the right stuff!

[Rum Runner]

Dog man , yes i like coronets vet cool , looked at buying a Charger 6' before First TVr and Mustang . Nearly bought a Monaro before i bought my second TVR as i really need more seats ,which i suppose is same as a pontiac GTO in USA.

[dog man]

frazer guest said:

dog man said:

I haven't got a chally, its a Coronet but (lucky for me) its hlf nice, half project so I'll have to take some nice piccies but the headline facts are 440 ci, 425bhp , cam,inlet, 750 Holley, FBO ignition, headers, Flowmaters. All the right stuff!

Coronet, forgive me, but where they like a 4 door seden? So a bit of a sleeper then?

And running a 440 big block.

Nah its a coupe. In '67 the Coronet and Charger looked the same but the Charger was a fast back.

I'm reluctant to post pics 'coz its kinda at a half way point between being bought as a project and being painted. In other words it looks a bit shite at the mo.


http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o264/dogman_buc...


She's a beast really - 420 h.p, 500 odd lbs/ft torque if not more...I mean the power is just crazy. It would top out at about 140mph with this gearing (3.23) but with a 2.73 diff it'd hit 150mph or more but you wouldnt want to be in it at the time! It smells, it leaks (rain), it's thirsty, it's rusty, it's incredibly fast, it'll do 12-14 sec 1/4 (never actually taken her up the strip yet).....Sounds a lot like a Chimera though!!!

I'm looking at slightly less budget now - prob £7.5 k or a bit more. I've been to the TVR center and had a chat - I didnt realise just how prone to rust they are I saw a couple of Chimaera's and a Cerbera both with big rust issues so I'm now hopefully better prepared to find a good 'un privately.

Fancy swapping to 'spider' alloys asap though (gotta buy it first though)

[dog man]

Cheers Frazer Guest. Already talked to him after the TVR center recommended him. I agree, sounds quite like a 'geezer' at first but is a very nice chap and knowledgeable. He doesnt have one in my price range at the mo tho.