TVR Chimaera Thread

drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

mik wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 5:59 pm Nice update. 8-)

Do we have an e-start vid yet? To complement your cold start one like. Pretty please?
I have to admit, filming the car in public makes me feel like an odd narcissist and leaving a camera running on a tripod while I drive off even weirder. But if it doesn't piss down tomorrow or Friday and you asked so nicely I'll make the effort :D

I'll also take a couple more interior shots of the new switch gear.
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by V8Granite »

I’ve seen a few about recently and they are such a lovely simple design, they are improving with age as you see more and more fussy modern cars.

Dave!
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ZedLeg
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by ZedLeg »

Yeah, I saw one on the street the other day. Looked tiny in modern traffic.
An absolute unit
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mik
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by mik »

I think the Griff is still prettier, but yeah - the Chimaera has aged fantastically.
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duncs500
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by duncs500 »

Agreed, I'm a die hard Griff fan, but these have agreed very well and I think they look great. Loving reading about your journey with it @drcarlos.
drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

Took the headlights apart last night to set the beams and discovered mine are all bonded in with no adjustment :evil: . A bodge it would seem by the salvage yard to get it out the door. However when checking the beam pattern it's spot on (once I'd made sure that the bulb in the passenger side was located correctly), tried to use some polish to remove the grunge on the the bowl (wouldn't come off with cleaners) and ended up removing the silver, not good at all and I'll need to get a replacement eventually but with some cleaning of the bowls and lenses with glass cleaner output is much improved.

As with all of these things when you are there you quite often find other things that need doing and I did just that last night as I was waiting for the sealant to dry I thought i'd check oil and water and found the water low (oil fine) and needing topping up. As I don't do many miles in it I wasn't sure if it was still burping from having the system all apart and I'd been checking and topping up regularly thinking I'd be chasing a leak soon. Well I didn't need to chase a leak as last night I could see visible wetness on the radiator where the plastic tank joins the aluminium core and a small amount of dampness below. So I'll pull it out at the weekend, get it stripped and off to be reconditioned locally next week. Not ideal but at least I found it quickly and it's not HGF or anything major.

And I still haven't had a chance to get out and film it either, sorry. :oops:
drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

So my story escalated further as these things do.

A new radiator was sourced from racing green for only just over £200, all fitted and car running again in about an hour.

Went for a drive to bleed the cooling (it seems to really like this as the funnel in the swirl pot method only really succeeds in having coolant going all over the engine and floor) only to keep getting flashed at by everyone who came the other way (it was now dark and with my new clean lights on).
Turns out there should be a clip on metal cover over each bulb (clue was from the replacement bowl I got having one fitted when it arrived) that cuts the point source glare and only allows for reflected light to go out of the lens!
So a hurried post on Facebook TVR group got me a worn out bowl but with the important metal clip on cover in place for £25 which arrived on Saturday.

So Saturday was spent taking the lights apart again replacing one worn out bowl with a new one, realigning it and taking the other side apart to fit the metal cover. This was followed by replacing the huge battery with an Odyssey battery that is about half the originals size and fitted with a natty motorsport alu cage to the bulkhead in the boot.

So after spending relatively little over the summer I'm about £500 into in this month.

Took it for a run down to Southsea yesterday evening to enjoy the clear weather and it performed well, a nice mix of b-roads and DC and saw quite a few interesting cars out enjoying the pleasant evening including a 4C in yellow, BMW M-Coupe and followed a DBS Superleggera on the A3 for a bit (keeping up mostly).
drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

Took the car up to Doncaster the other weekend (when it snowed), 200 miles each way.

2 issues came up, but neither affected it's ability to complete the journey.

First one was that after about 40 miles I realised my lower legs and feet were cold despite adjusting the heating to downwards. The wife was fine, lovely and warm and so was my upper body, by the time we got there and suffering 3 hours of 3 degrees I couldn't feel my feet, coming home at minus 1 was worse and it's hard to drive smoothly when you can't feel your feet.
When we stopped I put a message on the Facebook group asking what the issue may be or was it a feature? Suggestions included the vent maybe shut, but when I got up I had an email message from the previous owner telling me the hose had split that transferred heat from heater box to drivers footwell, he'd removed it and blanked it off the holes. He had a new pipe and he'd send it to me but I'd need a new vent.
I got a vent for the princely sum of £13 from eBay and the pipe arrived it was then I discovered that it hadn't split, what actually happened is that when he'd upgraded the ignition system he'd either forgotten about the pipe or purposefully left it off because the upgraded coils were sat exactly where the pipe needed to run :evil: .
So what should have been a 30 minute job turned into a 2 weekend mission as I've had to fabricate (grind, cut and weld the old bracket to fit two different mounting holes) a new mount and relocate the coils to the big open and free space on top of the left hand rocker cover, why this wasn't done when the upgrade was done is beyond me as it's literally where the standard ignition amp lives so there is space for the there, plus you have better access to the leads if you need to change them :roll: .
So now with coils relocated I've mounted the vent, fitted the pipe and all that remains is to bond it in (with sikaflex) so it doesn't leak. Hopefully done tomorrow.
This also made me aware that the brake fluid reservoir where it was sealed to the body was not sealed anymore and it was allowing water (quite a lot of water in fact) to get into the drivers footwell, so that's been sealed up with new RTV sealant now.
The second issue was that the oil pressure sender appears to be failing and the gauge sometimes reads normally and sometimes at zero when it's hot. So when it's serviced in the spring I'll fit a new sender then. I already replaced the sender for the pressure warning light (and this works perfectly now) so was comfortable it was just the other sender failing too.
I'm still strugging to get the silicone hoses to seal on the new radiator so I'll get some Mikalor clamps in the new year too.
Other that that it was fine, a bit scary it the snow (as I couldn't feel my feet and kept making jerky pedal movements) and I've decided I need a car limits day in it next year so I know when it breaks away, how to control it and what it feels like during this process. I have pretty good control and know how to drift and all that (nearly 20 years of grass track racing teaches you that) but I'd prefer to learn 'this car' on an airfield rather than a wet roundabout on the public road.
Other than that I had the 2 front wheels refurbed by a local firm who stripped and repowdercoated them, they look great now, unfortunately one of the rears has flaked too now so I need to do both of them in the spring also.
It's going into my mum's garage this weekend as her bungalow sale fell through so I might as well take advantage of the space as I cleared it out.
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by Sundayjumper »

drcarlos wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 4:36 pm Other than that I had the 2 front wheels refurbed by a local firm who stripped and repowdercoated them...
Oooh, where & how much ? I have several that need doing.
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mik
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by mik »

First winter after I got the Evora I discovered a horrible low-level cold air blast low down on the drivers side (only noticeable over 60-odds). Turns out it was a known issue - fixed under warranty. Thoroughly unpleasant on the motorway.

It did remind me however that the bottom flap (fnar) on the heater system of my Superstrada years ago was knackered, so you only got heat to windscreen or face vents. Ran it like that for 3yrs of Scottish winters. <insert manly growl>
Last edited by mik on Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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nuttinnew
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by nuttinnew »

At least the lack of heat helped you spot the water ingress sooner :?
drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

Sundayjumper wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 6:05 pm
drcarlos wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 4:36 pm Other than that I had the 2 front wheels refurbed by a local firm who stripped and repowdercoated them...
Oooh, where & how much ? I have several that need doing.
here:  https://thealloyclinic.co.uk/

Aout £72 a wheel for my 15" wheels
drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

nuttinnew wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:09 pm At least the lack of heat helped you spot the water ingress sooner :?
True, it's going to be in the dry for the next few months now so that's good, although my mums bungalow sold again today so only for about 3 months really. Might need to look into local dry storage for next winter if we don't get our extension done this year (so I can reclaim the garage).
drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

mik wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:04 pm First winter after I got the Evora I discovered a horrible low-level cold air blast low down on the drivers side (only noticeable over 60-odds). Turns out it was a known issue - fixed under warranty. Thoroughly unpleasant on the motorway.

It did remind me however that the bottom flap (fnar) on the heater system of my Superstrada years ago was knackered, so you only got heat to windscreen or face vents. Ran it like that for 3yrs of Scottish winters. <insert manly growl>
one journney was enough for me! As I want to tour with it you never know whats going to occur with weather so I want it working.

The mrs helped guide the tube into the hole (fnarr) and it's been sikaflexed in now. Tomorrow i've just got the clamp to tighten on the other side and it's done.

As for the draught, I suspect the pinched door seal is the cause and they have to be pinched in 2 places to stop water ingress from there as the pinch causes the water to dribble out rather than gather and get in, so a devil and deep blue sea moment. I'll leave them alone as I think once I have heat down there it will be fine as the passenger side is.
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by Sundayjumper »

drcarlos wrote: Sat Dec 11, 2021 3:57 pm
Sundayjumper wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 6:05 pm Oooh, where & how much ? I have several that need doing.
here:  https://thealloyclinic.co.uk/

Aout £72 a wheel for my 15" wheels
Did that include tyre removal / refitting / rebalancing ?
drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

Sundayjumper wrote: Sun Dec 12, 2021 11:31 am
drcarlos wrote: Sat Dec 11, 2021 3:57 pm
Sundayjumper wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 6:05 pm Oooh, where & how much ? I have several that need doing.
here:  https://thealloyclinic.co.uk/

Aout £72 a wheel for my 15" wheels
Did that include tyre removal / refitting / rebalancing ?
Yes, all of that was included. I took them off the car and dropped them in, they also do a drive in service but there is a longer wait for that as they only have space for about 10 cars onsite so I went with the wheel drop off and 2 day turnaround service.
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

Can has been garaged over at my mums for the past few weeks. Had it out to go to the office last week so my friend who was leaving could have a sit in it before she left (first time out properly for nearly 2 years as she immuno compromised but that's another story) and my other colleagues VXR8. We had a little underground car park rumble off.
Taking it back tonight to tuck it away until the weather gets a bit nicer.
Having it out for a bit made me get on and order the oil pressure sender (got a US made one that apparently is better matched to the gauge than the original), the Mikalor hose clamps and drop links (trying out the Bilstein accord ones as apparently they are perfect fits).
I still need to top coat the chassis paint and Dynax that, I'd wire brushed the flaking powdercoat and old Por-15 paint of and re-applied some new Por-15 in November but it needs a coat of colour matched hammerite to finish (chassis is white and Por-15 is black) and then some dynax to make sure it's well sorted for the future. I'd left it because i'd protected it and it was going to be garaged for the winter and painting is awful in the cold.
I've decided to re-furb the cracked seats myself with the furniture clinic kit (seems to have a good rep) which they will colour match for me. So the seats will be out at the weekend to come home for that.
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

Only a few small updates on this.

The rear wheels had also started to flake so I've had those powder coated as the Alloy Clinic too. Another good job and quick turnaround.

I painted over the Por-15 with some hammerite so it now blends with the chassis a bit better.

Took apart the rear brakes to ensure they'd be fine for the MOT as rears always seem to have a habit of seizing, no problems found.

Checked the drop links as I was told they were worn (by the previous owner), they appear in great condition so I didn't bother fitting the new Febi units I got, they'll keep though for when they do need replacing.

Adjusted the throttle stop slightly and it seems to have cured my cold starting issues and every starting issue full stop. The idle is now 1000rpm when warm and about 8-900rpm when cold and as I'm not running a stepper motor to make adjustments (these have a habit of failing as causing more issues than they solve, so we elected to remove it) this seems acceptable.

Ordered new oil, filter and antifreeze (I'll be changing the hose clamps to the Mikalor ones I bought) for the service and MOT next weekend. My mechanic has said that I can service the car on the ramps, do the coolant and oil pressure sender as he's booked up for MOT's most of the morning.

Next Saturday is MOT time.

I've driven it to work a few times, been to some classic car meets locally and tried to visit the Autobarn meet in Winchester this weekend. This meet was massively over subscribed (with a carpark for about 30 cars, the FB invite had 900 going and around 3.5k interested) and I think they'll have their collars felt by plod as there were queues on the main road in both directions approaching and both B roads at the crossroads were solid. Cars were parked on the grass verges on both the mainroad and both B roads for about 1/2 a mile in all directions. I didn't stop. I did use the opportunity for a long drive with the roof down though.
drcarlos
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

MOT done, found a bodge from purchase time on the wiring for the Crankshaft position sensor, now rectified.

Oil and filter change done, coolant hose clamps done and coolant replaced (jury is still out on effectiveness). Oil pressure sender done, the old one was actually leaking as well, new one reads at about 75psi at idle now, picking up to about 85psi when revving, rather than the rather weak 35/45ish that the old mismatched sender gave.

Front brakes need doing (not a failure or even an advise, but a suggestion) so have ordered OG Sierra Cossie discs (grooved) and regular EBC Granada/Escort Cossie pads, it took me about 2 hours of searching for the correct parts on my car (I have an upgrade braking system) and discovered that many mainstream supplier no longer sell parts for those old fast Fords. At least there's a good selection on eBay and as my car is overbraked I went for regular EBC pads (I've never had a problem with them in the past) rather than any special compound. Fitting next weekend hopefully, along with Dynax on the chassis which I didn't have time for on Saturday.
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Re: TVR Chimaera Thread

Post by drcarlos »

More of a usage update than a fixing update, although a washer hose split and I had to replace it which involved a removal of wipers and spindles to drop them through the holes. Once the holes were there you can fish out the old hose and replace it with a bit of dexterity.

I've used it for a few runs this year with a tank of fuel in a day down to eastbourne classic show, along the coast to Littlehampton (to get a cornetto from the famous stand from the Inbetweeners) and back home.

Over to Brooklands for the best of British day where we were parked in a lineup of TVR's from early Granturas to T350's.

Last weekend we took in a visit to North Wales (a visit to Port Merion, the mountain railway and Snowdon were all planned), left Friday afternoon and headed for Bristol as we were going via Newport to visit the cars previous owner to collect the rear ARB and spare wheel. The run down the M4 was fine at 60-70mph with a couple of delays in traffic close to home at Reading and then from the M32 to M5 junctions, which hit us for both time and fuel meaning our arrival in Blackwood was 1 hour later than planned, so we had a quick chat with the old owner, grabbed the parts and a quick KFC for dinner (posh me) and headed up to Harlech at about 7:00 via some great driving roads, some of it behind traffic but because of the time a lot was clear, as we left Builth Wells I made a mental note that the next fuel station we saw we would stop at (we had at that point just under 1/2 a tank, a lot of the TVR group don't trust the gauge and always fill at 1/4 tank) as the car literally had enough to get us there if we were lucky. As we continued on the A470 north it became apparent that there were no services at all on it and as we neared Dolgellau we started feverishly googling (when we actually had some service) for fuel stations, finding 2 close to our route that were closed (we later found out everything closes at 7pm!)
I decided upon reaching Dolgellau that we'd head into the town and look for a place and ended up asking some locals and the plod who told us that everywhere where was closed apart from Shell in Porthmadog which closed at 11pm and was about 8 miles beyond our destination. As the gauge was less than halfway between 1/4 and empty and having some 30 miles to go I was getting nervous, running out in an area with zero reception, in a car you can't really sleep in was not something I wanted to do, but with no choice I had to push on.
The A470 from Dolgellau to the turn for Harlech onto and along the A496 involved a lot of coasting, momentum conservation and bum clenching with every shudder had me thinking it was dying. The gauge would sometime rise slightly when we went round a corner so I knew there was still enough fuel in there to make it move but hardly at all. We finally pulled into the guest house carpark at 11pm with gauge pegged at empty and 288miles on the trip meter. Fortunately the nearest fuel station was walking distance if it came to it and opened at 9am in the morning. When I filled it the next day (on 290miles) a shutoff on the pump confirmed delivery of 52.7 litres, leaving just over 4 litres left, it was really close! Consumption was 25.2mpg, not bad considering we taken the A470 with lots of acceleration away from roundabouts and had over 1 hour of queuing in traffic on the run. This apparently is not bad at all for a Chimaera.
A couple of days visiting the local attractions with the roof off most of the time and an additional visit to Bala via the A4212 (great fast and smooth road). We came home yesterday on the hottest day of the year via Llanberis (climbing up to the pass via Bedgellert which was recommended by the locals) and got on to the North Wales expressway and headed out towards England that way, a nice piece of road that is fun in places for a DC stopping for lunch and to dry out (Leather seats and 35 degrees plus meaning that a grim wet sweaty t shirt is the order of the day at every stop) at a services that had a McD's, we took shelter inside for a cold drink and some fries only, enjoying the cool AC for 30mins before setting off again.
At Stafford services I decided to put the roof on to keep the sun off us and just keep the windows open and carried on taking for the first time the M6 toll (which was totally clear and meant we kept up a steady 70 all around Brum) when we hit the M40 we stopped again at Warwick for an ice cream and more cool drinks sitting in the shade for 30mins. At this point I noted we'd done nearly 200miles and the fuel gauge was showing only just a touch under 1/2 a tank, with the journey home calculated at 295 miles we'd already done 35 getting to Llanberis with a big climb in the mix I was thinking we'd need a stop on the way home. I decided to go via the A34 and see how far I could push the miles as there were more stations to fill up going that way (at least 4 at steady 25 mile intervals) the rest of the journey was uneventful save for the dickhead woman in a Touran that decided to undertake me into the merge on the A34 where I discovered I need to replace the horn button on the steering wheel as it's broken.
We pulled into Yateley at about 7pm (after leaving Harlech at 10am) with 330miles showing on the trip meter and still faint flickers of life from the gauge around corners, so likely more fuel left than the journey there. Likely a 30mpg run, not bad for 4.0 V8.
What have I learned. Well you can definitely fit a longs weekends stuff in a Chimaera boot, even with a spare wheel and roof panel in there too.
My fuel gauge is to be trusted and it will do 330miles on the motorway if driven reasonably sensibly.
It's reliable, it never missed a beat in about 750miles, mostly I think down to the more modern ECU and ignition systems.
It's certainly fun and fast when you want it all sorts of modern stuff will keep with it on bends but they are all over tyred to fuck (my lads little Corsa 1.4 runs a ridiculous size of tyre for what is a hairdyer motor), however nearly everything is left for dead as you accelerate way after the corner.
Lot's of people want to talk to you about it, from the old guy in the guesthouse to the Dutch chap halfway up Snowdon who spent his 20 minute sightseeing break looking at the car and asking questions instead of admiring the scenery.

I'll be refitting the rear ARB in the next few weeks to see what difference in makes after I've either bought new drop links or looking at them and seeing some discussion on most being crap I may buy some rose joints, some steel bar, poly bushes and make by own, then they will be stronger and I can just replace the rose joint end when they wear out.

I'll update this with a proper home run MPG calc to for the record.

And finally I'll wash it as it's covered in dust and flies.
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