M Rebuild Log |
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A couple of updates a week to let everyone know whats been going on with the rebuild, in between the main diary entries.
If you've got any advice on any issues we're facing, or have any questions, please send an email to projectm@tvr-3000m.co.uk
Archives
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Tuesday, April 08, 2003
More wiring done now, we've wired in the fans and the horn, and have done most of the ignition circuit. We've managed to do away with some of the old wiring in the process too, so the engine bay in particular is much tidier. The relays and fuses are being moved inside the car, and we'll just be left with a live and earth 'post' on the bulkhead. The rest will be tubed up to keep it all tidy. On sunday afternoon we tried to start the engine up again, but lost light in the end, so gave up. Turns ok, and was about to start when we lost a connection somewhere, so will have another go in the next week or so. Bad news is that the radiator is still leaking. Not only is the core itself still dripping away where I thought i'd soldered it, the small connection at the top left that goes to the expansion tank has come loose. We'd tried previously to JB Weld it back on, but it came away again when I put the jubilee clip back on, so we'll need to clean up the whole area and give it another go. I'm a bit stuck now on the core issue, I think getting it professionally looked at is the best bet, but don't want to go to loads of expense if I can avoid it. A re-core at £140ish is really not an option, so suggestions are welcome - anyone own a rad repair business?! Finally, we've tried to find the source of the handbrake warning light switch - it doesn't appear to be TR6 from the parts listing, so any advice or sources of this gratefully received! Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Sorry it's been a while since an update, I was off work last week, but did manage a couple of days on the car. My PC however, decided to die on me, so i've been unable to add any diary entries or updates. Back at work now though, with nice quick access again, so hope to add a full diary entry over the next day or so. Since the last daily update, we've been cracking on with wiring. We've got a definite plan, ordered and received all the bits we need to continue, and have made a good start on the re-terminalising process. The dash is complete now, and all the dials are back in place. We ended up removing the old plastic hinge from the glove box and I got hold of some very small brass hinges which pin to the wood and are a lot more solid. We replaced the old plastic locking mechanism with a new brass spring affair, which works brilliantly. We've decided to leave the LEDs for now and do them as a mini project later down the line unless we encounter any major problems with the dash wiring along the way. We've bought new 'delta' switches from Europa, which have integral bulbs, so they're not needed there. We also stripped down all the light units and gave the lens units a good soaking in hot soapy water and a scrub with an old toothbrush - the results are fantastic, especially when coupled with the new chrome units we bought! We are missing, however, the bulb holder unit from one of the reversing lights. Does anyone have one around anywhere? Still on the hunt for Eyeball vents for the dash, crash pad and footwells too - if anyone has any spare, or a good source, please let us know! Monday, March 17, 2003
Not a lot done over the weekend really - too nice to be in the garage, so spent some time on the patio working on the dashboard. On Friday night we reassembled all the dials, completely transformed now they have been cleaned up. We also had a shot at cutting out the glove box and a slot for the radio. The radio was fairly straightforward, but the glove box was a nightmare. Using the jig saw was in hindsight not the best way to do it, but we do now have a hole, with a piece of wood attached and hinged. As the dash is MDF, I used some iron on edging to make the outside of the hinged section and the inside of the hole look ok, then stapled the hinge to the wood as per the original. This has caused a problem though, as the old plastic hinge has come apart most of the way along, so i'm on the look out now for something else I can use. The MDF has split in places where the staples have gone in, but some short screws in the back should keep everything in place nicely. Overall result is quite good, next job is to put the clamps on the dials again, and sort the LEDs out that will replace the bulbs in each of the units. Friday, March 14, 2003
New TVR technical site has been launched this week - seems to be in it's early stages, but has good potential, and worth a look: Quite a mixed few days of late: Sunday 9th - didn't want to do too much, so we thought we'd fire the engine up now it's on the body. Got the wiring in place, and put water back in the system, only to discover that we've put a hole in the core of the rad while fitting the new kenlowes. Total demotivation followed, and several choice words. We stopped for the night soon after. Hopefully we can get away with JB Weld instead of another re-core, it's only been started twice since Adrian had it re-cored last year :-( Wednesday 12th - Decided to stay inside and work on the dials and gauges. Took all the bezels off, cleaned the glass, repainted the bezels, cleaned out the mechanisms with air, resisted the temptation to roll back the clock...! Ready for reassembly tonight, and more work on the dash. Also this week - looking into seats for the car - the originals are in a really bad state, so we've been looking at alternatives. Steve Reid suggested MX5 seats, but these are apparently like hens teeth. We have come across these though, the lower picture which tilt forwards. I've called for prices, and two seats, with headrests and runners which can bolt straight onto the floor come in at £428 inc VAT. I'll measure up tonight to see it they'll fit. Any opinions folks? Saturday, March 08, 2003
Progress on the eveing of Friday 7th March 03. Slow progress.... Fitted the master cylinder to the servo, this took us ages because we were made aware that there had to be a 2mm gap between the 'bolt' in the servo and the 'plunger' inside of the master cylinder (sorry I don't know their technical names!). After checking, our gap was a tad less, then we spent much time wondering how to adjust for this, not to much success, if you know please tell me as I am baffled. However, we still fitted the two together and they look very good! We also fitted the heater valve cable. Thursday, March 06, 2003
Progress last night - Got the steering column into place eventually, once we'd found all the bits! So, we can now steer again without man-handling the wheels! Steering wheel will need some refurb work, but it's on for the time being. Chris picked up a brake fluid resevoir cap from Two Stroke - the cost? An amazing £2! Tuesday, March 04, 2003
News from Sunday: Very productive day, started at 11.30am, finished at 8.30pm, so loads going on! Clutch cable in, adjusted, covered in heat resistant sleeve, and attached to pedal All in all, a very productive, if somewhat exhausting day! Website of note - We needed a new master cylinder fluid cap for the new resevoir, which comes from a Saab 99: These folks have them, were very helpful, and apparently know a fair bit about TVR's too. Worth a call if you need something similar: |