Restoration Diary
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Engine Replacement (added 9th September due to holidays etc)

On Saturday 3rd August the big day finally arrived when we collected our engine. Around 4 months ago we took it to Terry Hird Engineering after we had dissembled it so that it’s condition could be assessed and then reassembled with new parts as necessary. We did not expect it to take this long but it did at least give us plenty of time to do the bodywork! 

There was a fair amount of logistics involved in collecting our engine – only a couple of miles from Tony’s house. We hired an engine crane and a car transporter trailer with the plan being to take the rolling chassis to the engine; fit the engine, clutch and gearbox on site then take the whole lot back to Tony’s house. We did it this way round as it was easier than trying to safely transport an assembled engine, and as it turned out Terry was on hand throughout the day to pass on some tips from the trade.

I was still immobile because of my leg being in plaster so Tony drove my BMW with tow bar, and Tony’s friend Graham came to help – a much-needed extra pair of hands. We arrived at the workshop with the gearbox and clutch and a selection of tools. We hoisted the engine up, the engine crane more than up to the job, but using chains and a strop to secure it in place (it is dangerously heavy!). We then fixed on the clutch using Terry’s aligning tool, we attached the bell housing to the gearbox, and then attached the gearbox/bell housing assembly on to the engine. We had the Haynes manual to hand so we could tighten everything in the correct sequence and torque it up.

At this point the engine crane was really proving its worth, we wheeled it over to the chassis with the engine hoisted as high as it would go, just clearing the spare wheel holder. It was relatively straight forward lowering it into place, just needing strong shoulders to lower the gearbox enough to get the angle right. When we took the engine mounts off we did not label them left or right, they looked identical so we did not think it would matter, but on one there is a proper circular hole for the chassis bolt to go through and on the other it is an elongated hole. Well Sod’s Law stepped in and we had them on the wrong side so we had to lift the engine a few inches to swap those. Is the one ordinary hole and one elongated unique to our car or is it the same on other M’s too?

Mission Accomplished!!

The following day we were able to fit some of the ancillaries. The trickiest thing we did first was to adjust the ignition, lining it up for 14 degrees for our John Wade camshaft, the Haynes manual really paying for itself here. We fitted our shiny rocker covers, the distributor, cap, spark plugs and ignition leads. The cherry on the cake was fitting the carburettor and air filter, sitting proud in the centre of the V6.

As an interesting aside we were talking to Terry about his business, as we were surprised at just how much this man knew. Terry’s main business being engines, but we got on to the subject of TVRs and Tony mentioned about motor racing. It turns out that in the past Terry used to have a shop and one of his good customers was the Martin Short. Some years ago Martin got hold of an old kit car (Caterham style) and took it to Terry (being his local go-faster type shop) and asked what he could do with it. Terry suggested he take it racing and from that Martin Short’s racing career began! Terry helped build several of Martin’s engines with much success before they parted company and Martin went on to higher things with Roll Centre and what we know today.

Our next job is to get the engine running with a view to checking all of the mechanicals, any problems we do find should be easier to sort with excellent access whilst the body is off. We have all of components to do this so just need to get everything set up, such as fuel supply, and I intend to make a ‘mini’ loom just for the engine related electrics and necessary instruments. Watch for future updates on this!