How to check for rot without a ramp or lift...

[theironduke]

Just spotted a Chim well within my budget AND i have viewers for my 944 tomorrow....pleeeeease God of car selling can you smile down on me!!

Anyway, regardless of whether the 944 is sold this weekend i am keen to look at said Chim this weekend. Now the car isn't in the top of the price range so i'm not expecting concours so i can deal with a bit of body/interior tlc BUT i want to go in with my eyes open for rot.

So is there some way of checking for rust without the use of a workshop? i'll have a maglight and err....an old coat to lie on

Oh and any other Chim buying tips most welcome!!! Engiine wise i think i should be ok, between us Dad and i have stripped and rebuilt the Rover V8 in our MGB Roadster conversion no less than twice... Definitely don't want to see the inside of another one any time soon!!!!

[peaktorque]

Get yourself an inspection mirror and be prepared to lay on 'ya back

[ralphy12345]

I'd say if you expect to see rot in the outriggers (at either end and in the middle) with the use of the inspection mirror and torch then you won't be too disappointed...

But it's not the end of the earth. ;-)

R

[Badmutha]

If the seller will let you take the wheels off you can get a better view of the outrigger ends and have a poke about with a screwdriver to test the strength of the tubes, particularly where they join the corner mounting plates.

[CHIMAERA 339BHP]

Or buy one with new outriggers save your knees!

[Naybr]

Without a ramp, the best you can do is to put the front wheels on to full lock and get your hand round the back of the chassis tubes at the back of the front wheelarches. If you can feel any rot there with your fingertips, it will probably also be in the inaccessible areas behind the side outrigger members. You can't see this even with a ramp ...

The nearside tends to be worst affected.

If they are rotten it's not a disaster. Just allow £1500 for repairs in your price negotiations.

[scotty_d]

Dont just check the out riggers look at the chassis as a whole if the out riggers are bad some parts of the rest of the chassis could have problem area's too. But as said if its only outriggers not a big issue in this day and age.

[Simon says]

scotty_d said:

Dont just check the out riggers look at the chassis as a whole if the out riggers are bad some parts of the rest of the chassis could have problem area's too. But as said if its only outriggers not a big issue in this day and age.

Agreed also check the front upper wishbone mounting lugs on the chassis(around the welds)under the ex manifolds,the powder coating gets scorched/flaky and any road salt and moisture gets a nice warm/hot area to feed corrosion,chances are if you have problems here then the outriggers will be sore also unless they have been renewed,outriggers are not the only problem area on this chassis

[Kitchski]

Also bear in mind that however bad the outriggers look underneath, they're going to be 2-3 times worse on the otherside that you can't see!

[JonyPI]

Kitchski said:

Also bear in mind that however bad the outriggers look underneath, they're going to be 2-3 times worse on the otherside that you can't see!

this ^^^^

I went to go see one that seemed fairly solid underneath, but with my nimble fingers i was able to get a feel on top and found the metal start to cave in under a small amount of pressure!

[ralphy12345]

JonyPI said:

I went to go see one that seemed fairly solid underneath, but with my nimble fingers i was able to get a feel on top and found the metal start to cave in under a small amount of pressure!

Wish I'd had nimble fingers!

Mine from below


From above


And now



R

[JonyPI]

haha Iv just looked at my fingers and thought 'are they really that skinny?!' after looking at those pics

[V8 OWL]

Hi
A ramp is often available at tyre companies, small garages and the like, I would suggest you phone a few local companies up, close to where the tiv is up for sale and agree to meet there, for a fee of £5- £10 you can use their ramp to thoroughly check underneath. I would suggest that this is a minimum requirement, when you find a tvr that looks ok (to the un-trained eye), then go for a second opinion from a local tvr specialist. This will cost between £50 - £100.

It may seem a bit long winded but you will bag the car of your dreams and should cut out the nasty suprises that often arise.

The heart often rules the head when looking for a tvr i.e. the colour/ paintwork, body and interior are often outstanding. This can be misleading as there are many pitfalls to avoid.

This method worked for me, and is as fool proof as you can get.

Paul

[EggsBenedict]

take a trolley jack with you. Jack the car up on the corner of the outrigger just behind the front wheel, the triangulation will make that safe enough. Clearly you need to tell the seller your intention, because if the rot is really bad, then this will finish the outrigger off! However, I'd suggest that if he won't let you jack it up, then he knows they're shot! Once the car is up and chocked, then take a sharp screwdriver and jab it sort of up and over the tops of the outriggers, particularly in the middle where the horizontal member is, and at the front where you've jacked it up. Any penetration (oo-er) of your screwdriver, and it's definitely about a £2K job (or it is at Dan Taylor TVR - ask me how I know...). Any big chunks of rusty metal, and likewise, they're shot.

As others have said, it's not the end of the world, but you need to be able to either knock the seller down £2K, or satisfy yourself that it's worth whatever you pay for it plus £2K for the new outriggers.

As for ramps - if there's any chance the outriggers are shot, you need a garage with a 'drive on' or 4 post lift. A two post will need the outriggers to hold the car up, so garages who know TVRs will be really careful with letting you on the 2 poster...

Cheers,

Eggs