Overfinch Classics
Discussion
Overfinch used adapted versions of the 5.0ltr Camaro engine.And the 5.7ltr L98 and later LT1 from the Corvette range,in there 500s and 570ci models.Apart from some fancy bits of interior trim.You could also spec the GM 400 auto box and a quick ratio steering box,along with sports suspension.
Edited by BLUETHUNDER on Monday 26th January 19:20
Paw said:
Do you have anymore details on what was done to the Sus and steering? Does it work?
I have an old brochure somewhere with the specs.I have to say the quick ratio box does work along with the suspension set up.Although a lot of work was done on spring rates,a lot of attention was placed on uprating to a stiffer ARB.most noticable when throwing it in to a corner.Although off road work is a bit stunted,as the whole set-up is fast road biased.My mate has a couple on the books.Will have to have a good look,the next time they are in.I had a drive of their last 570 classic with all of the mods when my Dad was looking at imrpoving his final edition classic (14 of 25) in the late 90s.
The steering rack was a nice improvement, sharpening up the front end nicely. They had these produced as a batch and might still have some in stock.
Suspension defaulted to a lower cruise height sooner if I remember and was complemented by koni shocks and avon turbospeed (Bentley Turbo R Spec) tyres. It cornered more flatly and rode better, with fewer shudders through the body.
Vastly reduced wind noise from secondary seals on the doors.
Extensive sound deadening reduced road noise, but still let through the throaty roar of the small block chevy.
The gearbox was a bit slow to kick down, but the car shifted when it did.
This particular car was silver and also had padded leather armrests on the doors, xenons and extensive body colouring.
A quality product but the parts were expensive due to their bespoke nature.
There are quite a few cars around with certain Overfinch items on but very few with the full treatment (c.£40k plus a car).
H R Owen put quite a few differentials from overfinch in the 50th anniversary 90s to improve the performance as the original diff/gearbox combination made the car sluggish.
They also used to use certain Overfinch items to create special editions with vastly increases retail prices (The days before the internet!)
There were a few very early Overfinch cars with Jag V12s in! Easily distinguished by a lengthend front end and vents in the side of the bonnet. Don't know if any still exist though.
The steering rack was a nice improvement, sharpening up the front end nicely. They had these produced as a batch and might still have some in stock.
Suspension defaulted to a lower cruise height sooner if I remember and was complemented by koni shocks and avon turbospeed (Bentley Turbo R Spec) tyres. It cornered more flatly and rode better, with fewer shudders through the body.
Vastly reduced wind noise from secondary seals on the doors.
Extensive sound deadening reduced road noise, but still let through the throaty roar of the small block chevy.
The gearbox was a bit slow to kick down, but the car shifted when it did.
This particular car was silver and also had padded leather armrests on the doors, xenons and extensive body colouring.
A quality product but the parts were expensive due to their bespoke nature.
There are quite a few cars around with certain Overfinch items on but very few with the full treatment (c.£40k plus a car).
H R Owen put quite a few differentials from overfinch in the 50th anniversary 90s to improve the performance as the original diff/gearbox combination made the car sluggish.
They also used to use certain Overfinch items to create special editions with vastly increases retail prices (The days before the internet!)
There were a few very early Overfinch cars with Jag V12s in! Easily distinguished by a lengthend front end and vents in the side of the bonnet. Don't know if any still exist though.
Edited by JimexPL on Tuesday 27th January 23:49
BLUETHUNDER said:
Never heard of Overfinch diffs being fitted to the 50th Anniversary 90.Range Rover diffs but not Overfinch.To be honest i never thought the standard set-up in the 90 was sluggish anyway.
I expect that the diffs were a standard Land Rover/Range Rover ratio - Did the V8 come with 3.54 s? - but H R Owen got them to change the diffs and re calibrate the speedos accordingly.Unless you bought your anniversary 90 new and had access to another one would you know if the diff was the original ratio?
It is unlikely that any of the first owners that bought themas chelsea tractors would have kept additional paperwork such as diff swaps!
I believe that the gearing was quite high to get a reasonable highway mpg for the NAS cars...
JimexPL said:
BLUETHUNDER said:
Never heard of Overfinch diffs being fitted to the 50th Anniversary 90.Range Rover diffs but not Overfinch.To be honest i never thought the standard set-up in the 90 was sluggish anyway.
I expect that the diffs were a standard Land Rover/Range Rover ratio - Did the V8 come with 3.54 s? - but H R Owen got them to change the diffs and re calibrate the speedos accordingly.Unless you bought your anniversary 90 new and had access to another one would you know if the diff was the original ratio?
It is unlikely that any of the first owners that bought themas chelsea tractors would have kept additional paperwork such as diff swaps!
I believe that the gearing was quite high to get a reasonable highway mpg for the NAS cars...
JimexPL said:
I had a drive of their last 570 classic with all of the mods when my Dad was looking at imrpoving his final edition classic (14 of 25) in the late 90s.
The steering rack was a nice improvement, sharpening up the front end nicely. They had these produced as a batch and might still have some in stock.
Suspension defaulted to a lower cruise height sooner if I remember and was complemented by koni shocks and avon turbospeed (Bentley Turbo R Spec) tyres. It cornered more flatly and rode better, with fewer shudders through the body.
Vastly reduced wind noise from secondary seals on the doors.
Extensive sound deadening reduced road noise, but still let through the throaty roar of the small block chevy.
The gearbox was a bit slow to kick down, but the car shifted when it did.
This particular car was silver and also had padded leather armrests on the doors, xenons and extensive body colouring.
A quality product but the parts were expensive due to their bespoke nature.
There are quite a few cars around with certain Overfinch items on but very few with the full treatment (c.£40k plus a car).
H R Owen put quite a few differentials from overfinch in the 50th anniversary 90s to improve the performance as the original diff/gearbox combination made the car sluggish.
They also used to use certain Overfinch items to create special editions with vastly increases retail prices (The days before the internet!)
There were a few very early Overfinch cars with Jag V12s in! Easily distinguished by a lengthend front end and vents in the side of the bonnet. Don't know if any still exist though.
As I understand it the 'Overfinch' steering box is just the Adwest engineering quick ratio box that I have fitted to my Defender and LSE. Makes a huge difference! The steering rack was a nice improvement, sharpening up the front end nicely. They had these produced as a batch and might still have some in stock.
Suspension defaulted to a lower cruise height sooner if I remember and was complemented by koni shocks and avon turbospeed (Bentley Turbo R Spec) tyres. It cornered more flatly and rode better, with fewer shudders through the body.
Vastly reduced wind noise from secondary seals on the doors.
Extensive sound deadening reduced road noise, but still let through the throaty roar of the small block chevy.
The gearbox was a bit slow to kick down, but the car shifted when it did.
This particular car was silver and also had padded leather armrests on the doors, xenons and extensive body colouring.
A quality product but the parts were expensive due to their bespoke nature.
There are quite a few cars around with certain Overfinch items on but very few with the full treatment (c.£40k plus a car).
H R Owen put quite a few differentials from overfinch in the 50th anniversary 90s to improve the performance as the original diff/gearbox combination made the car sluggish.
They also used to use certain Overfinch items to create special editions with vastly increases retail prices (The days before the internet!)
There were a few very early Overfinch cars with Jag V12s in! Easily distinguished by a lengthend front end and vents in the side of the bonnet. Don't know if any still exist though.
Edited by JimexPL on Tuesday 27th January 23:49
I reckon one could make a Classic better than an 'Overfinch Classic' just by choosing the right parts.......as they did!
Bish said:
JimexPL said:
I had a drive of their last 570 classic with all of the mods when my Dad was looking at imrpoving his final edition classic (14 of 25) in the late 90s.
The steering rack was a nice improvement, sharpening up the front end nicely. They had these produced as a batch and might still have some in stock.
Suspension defaulted to a lower cruise height sooner if I remember and was complemented by koni shocks and avon turbospeed (Bentley Turbo R Spec) tyres. It cornered more flatly and rode better, with fewer shudders through the body.
Vastly reduced wind noise from secondary seals on the doors.
Extensive sound deadening reduced road noise, but still let through the throaty roar of the small block chevy.
The gearbox was a bit slow to kick down, but the car shifted when it did.
This particular car was silver and also had padded leather armrests on the doors, xenons and extensive body colouring.
A quality product but the parts were expensive due to their bespoke nature.
There are quite a few cars around with certain Overfinch items on but very few with the full treatment (c.£40k plus a car).
H R Owen put quite a few differentials from overfinch in the 50th anniversary 90s to improve the performance as the original diff/gearbox combination made the car sluggish.
They also used to use certain Overfinch items to create special editions with vastly increases retail prices (The days before the internet!)
There were a few very early Overfinch cars with Jag V12s in! Easily distinguished by a lengthend front end and vents in the side of the bonnet. Don't know if any still exist though.
As I understand it the 'Overfinch' steering box is just the Adwest engineering quick ratio box that I have fitted to my Defender and LSE. Makes a huge difference! The steering rack was a nice improvement, sharpening up the front end nicely. They had these produced as a batch and might still have some in stock.
Suspension defaulted to a lower cruise height sooner if I remember and was complemented by koni shocks and avon turbospeed (Bentley Turbo R Spec) tyres. It cornered more flatly and rode better, with fewer shudders through the body.
Vastly reduced wind noise from secondary seals on the doors.
Extensive sound deadening reduced road noise, but still let through the throaty roar of the small block chevy.
The gearbox was a bit slow to kick down, but the car shifted when it did.
This particular car was silver and also had padded leather armrests on the doors, xenons and extensive body colouring.
A quality product but the parts were expensive due to their bespoke nature.
There are quite a few cars around with certain Overfinch items on but very few with the full treatment (c.£40k plus a car).
H R Owen put quite a few differentials from overfinch in the 50th anniversary 90s to improve the performance as the original diff/gearbox combination made the car sluggish.
They also used to use certain Overfinch items to create special editions with vastly increases retail prices (The days before the internet!)
There were a few very early Overfinch cars with Jag V12s in! Easily distinguished by a lengthend front end and vents in the side of the bonnet. Don't know if any still exist though.
Edited by JimexPL on Tuesday 27th January 23:49
I reckon one could make a Classic better than an 'Overfinch Classic' just by choosing the right parts.......as they did!
Also very interested in the secondary door seals?.......are these only available from Overfinch - and are they easy to fit??
Any other Overfinch Classic mods worth considering?
dealmaker said:
Bish said:
JimexPL said:
I had a drive of their last 570 classic with all of the mods when my Dad was looking at imrpoving his final edition classic (14 of 25) in the late 90s.
The steering rack was a nice improvement, sharpening up the front end nicely. They had these produced as a batch and might still have some in stock.
Suspension defaulted to a lower cruise height sooner if I remember and was complemented by koni shocks and avon turbospeed (Bentley Turbo R Spec) tyres. It cornered more flatly and rode better, with fewer shudders through the body.
Vastly reduced wind noise from secondary seals on the doors.
Extensive sound deadening reduced road noise, but still let through the throaty roar of the small block chevy.
The gearbox was a bit slow to kick down, but the car shifted when it did.
This particular car was silver and also had padded leather armrests on the doors, xenons and extensive body colouring.
A quality product but the parts were expensive due to their bespoke nature.
There are quite a few cars around with certain Overfinch items on but very few with the full treatment (c.£40k plus a car).
H R Owen put quite a few differentials from overfinch in the 50th anniversary 90s to improve the performance as the original diff/gearbox combination made the car sluggish.
They also used to use certain Overfinch items to create special editions with vastly increases retail prices (The days before the internet!)
There were a few very early Overfinch cars with Jag V12s in! Easily distinguished by a lengthend front end and vents in the side of the bonnet. Don't know if any still exist though.
As I understand it the 'Overfinch' steering box is just the Adwest engineering quick ratio box that I have fitted to my Defender and LSE. Makes a huge difference! The steering rack was a nice improvement, sharpening up the front end nicely. They had these produced as a batch and might still have some in stock.
Suspension defaulted to a lower cruise height sooner if I remember and was complemented by koni shocks and avon turbospeed (Bentley Turbo R Spec) tyres. It cornered more flatly and rode better, with fewer shudders through the body.
Vastly reduced wind noise from secondary seals on the doors.
Extensive sound deadening reduced road noise, but still let through the throaty roar of the small block chevy.
The gearbox was a bit slow to kick down, but the car shifted when it did.
This particular car was silver and also had padded leather armrests on the doors, xenons and extensive body colouring.
A quality product but the parts were expensive due to their bespoke nature.
There are quite a few cars around with certain Overfinch items on but very few with the full treatment (c.£40k plus a car).
H R Owen put quite a few differentials from overfinch in the 50th anniversary 90s to improve the performance as the original diff/gearbox combination made the car sluggish.
They also used to use certain Overfinch items to create special editions with vastly increases retail prices (The days before the internet!)
There were a few very early Overfinch cars with Jag V12s in! Easily distinguished by a lengthend front end and vents in the side of the bonnet. Don't know if any still exist though.
Edited by JimexPL on Tuesday 27th January 23:49
I reckon one could make a Classic better than an 'Overfinch Classic' just by choosing the right parts.......as they did!
Also very interested in the secondary door seals?.......are these only available from Overfinch - and are they easy to fit??
Any other Overfinch Classic mods worth considering?
They make them for Land rover and also do uprated one.
Bish said:
JimexPL said:
Mike, did you used to work with Louis at Hunt & Keal?
Sure did.......how do you know him?He now resides as landlord of the Royal Oak in North Woodchester (Cotswolds).
I see that the H&K showroom is now empty...
dealmaker said:
Thanks Mike!
Anyone know anything about the Overfinch door seals, Brakes or anything else I should be considering to fit to a Classic??
I expect that the brakes were one of the off the shelf upgrades. Unless some knows otherwise, the door seals were made specifically for Overfinch, and they would not supply them to you 'off the shelf' (unlike the steering box). They were a soft rubber sealing the gap between the door/window frame and the shell. The large hole between the bulkhead and the bonnet was also filled in.Anyone know anything about the Overfinch door seals, Brakes or anything else I should be considering to fit to a Classic??
JimexPL said:
dealmaker said:
Thanks Mike!
Anyone know anything about the Overfinch door seals, Brakes or anything else I should be considering to fit to a Classic??
I expect that the brakes were one of the off the shelf upgrades. Unless some knows otherwise, the door seals were made specifically for Overfinch, and they would not supply them to you 'off the shelf' (unlike the steering box). They were a soft rubber sealing the gap between the door/window frame and the shell. The large hole between the bulkhead and the bonnet was also filled in.Anyone know anything about the Overfinch door seals, Brakes or anything else I should be considering to fit to a Classic??
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