Is there anything on this car that is not difficult to do??

[jazzdude]

Having taken most of this car to bits and put it back together I am well aware of the acrobatics, the double jointed and contortionist postures needed to do most jobs on it, and how much time and patience doing anything on this car needs.

So set out to change the sparks today, what could be difficult about that?

After going through every permutation of shaft lengths, standard spark sockets, in 3 different socket sets of different sizes, what a palaver, especially drivers side closest to the back of the engine. Then trying to get my bunch of saveloy fingers down between the wing and the rocker cover to locate the plug ends and push back on the HT leads (no extenders). 8 plugs? took me close to 2 hours to do, most of that time on the driver's side due to the heater pipes next to the rocker cover.

I really don't blame TVR garages charging what they charge, even for a 6000-mile service if they need all day just to do just the basic bits.

Don't get me started on the fuel lines I did last month, or the diff oil and exhaust manifold bolts.

[jazzdude]

glow worm said:

Try renewing your heater hoses .... TVR put them in before the engine, so it's fun and lots of lost knuckle skin

Tried that after a leak at the top end by the fuel hoses. It was easier to graft 2 feet onto the existing one than to try and get the whole thing out. Bodge I know, but effective, I wasn't going to take the heater pipes out from the passenger footwell again.

[jazzdude]

I get your point about the simplicity of these cars. Apart from fitting my own car stereos in the days before din plugs in my youth I had never done any of my own maintenance.

So with a set of sockets and spanners I am still amazed at what I set out to do and what I have achieved with this car. If it was not such a simple thing I would not have touched it, my other cars all go to the garage to be done.

My point is the ACCESS, do do even the most simple task you need so much patience when your fingers or hands can not get to that nut or bolt that's in plain and easy sight.

Today I took off the alternator as its bearings decided to sing tunes. Two bolts they said. Got them out but I can't for the life of me see how I am going to get that nut at the back under the alternator back on again without loads of deposits in the swear tin.

[jazzdude]

NZ fan said:

very true and without all the "special" tools i have accumulated over the years some of these jobs would be very daunting.
re. the nut you are concerned about refitting i find that if you take a screwdriver or rod of some sort that the nut will easily slide over
slide the nut up to the handle and hold it there, position the other end of the screwdriver/rod on the end of the bolt where you want it to end up then let go of the nut and watch it slide down and sit at the end of the bolt then spin it with you finger or another screwdriver
to get it started iyswim? good luck and keep on TVRing.

The nut in question is under the alternator, at the back where you cant see it and is also set in under the wiring connections. I will be amazed if I can get a screwdriver to slide the nut down at the right angle to get anywhere near that bolt.

I am just hoping that somewhere I can just about get a finger to it (with the nut superglued to it) and spin the bolt on the other side until it bites. Otherwise, I can see that the water hose next to it might have to come out, so I can come in from the side.

[jazzdude]

Sardonicus said:

f you consider this 10 minute job a pain in the neck I have some bad news for you reference the rest of the car wedge the nut into the closed end of a combination spanner with tape piece of card/paper etc then pass this down behind the bracket/alt whilst turning the long 11mm headed bolt into the waiting nut you have prepared

In the 2 years I have had the car, I have lifted the body off the chassis outside on my drive (on axle stands), changed all the suspension components, dropped the diff and changed the bushes, and refurbed the chassis, retrofitted power steering, retrofitted air conditioning, decatted the car, re-connolised the seats, moved the battery to the boot, fitted an inline servo to lighten the clutch, changed the dash to stainless steel, burnt my own EPROMS and changed the mapping on the 14CUX and rewired the engine bay and the earths.

This winter I plan to rip out the 14CUX and go Megasquirt, again, rewiring and mapping it by myself.

Apart from the electrics, I did all the work myself and even though it was frustrating at times, I amazed myself, and the wife, with the perseverance and patience required to do these jobs.

As I said earlier, I am not from a mechanic background and had to work it all out for myself. Bought the tools along the way (you can never have enough) so this post was born from the frustration that looking into the engine bay, you say to yourself, 'that looks easy enough', and then find yourself spending an hour trying to undo a single spark plug.

[jazzdude]

Sardonicus said:

hen you should be a dab hand by now with things like this seriously though keep up the good work