How many 'S' restorations / rebuilds ongoing?

[Paceracing]

Just wondered, apart from my S2, who else is restoring / developing or improving their 'S' at the moment?
It would be interesting to hear what plans people have for their cars.

Jas.

[LeeBee]

Me, plenty going on but getting it on the road is priority at the moment, next year is when the big plans start!

Cheers

LeeBee

[keithyboy]

As some of you may already be aware I'm undertaking a front end rebuild of my V8S after would you believe a clutch problem! Im sticking to standard spec and have effectively blueprinted the engine as I intend to do some sprinting next year and want to stay in the "unmodified" class! I've already finished the chassis and most of the suspension work and am in the midst of rebuilding the engine. The bottom end is complete, just the heads to be finished. Ive just taken delivery of a new S/S exhaust too - it looks so good it should be on top of the car and not underneath it! Hopefully everything will be finished b4 the summer is over! (has it begun though?!)

[Dave_H]

quote:
Me, plenty going on but getting it on the road is priority at the moment, next year is when the big plans start!

Cheers

LeeBee

Lee, you MUST get your car on the road.

It was over a year ago when I met you and saw it, it's the best S2 interior I've ever seen, the V8S bonnet looks fab, and it sounds ace!

I take it you've got big plans for it then

Cheers,

Dave.

[Dave_H]

quote:
As some of you may already be aware I'm undertaking a front end rebuild of my V8S after would you believe a clutch problem!

Keithyboy,

It's funny how these things start isn't it?

I started with wanting to replace the oil pump, and that ended up with pretty much what you've done I took off every thing in forward of the windscreen except the wipers.

Are we mad?

[Paceracing]

quote:
it's the best S2 interior I've ever seen, the V8S bonnet looks fab, and it sounds ace!

I take it you've got big plans for it then

Cheers,

Dave.

What are the plans then? Any piccies of the interior?

Jas.

P.S. Plans for mine include.......
Seats re-covered in fresh hide.
New carpets. (Wilton or waterproof equivalent).
Full respray in the same shade of red as Kat Slater's lipstick.
New differential internals. (LSD)
New gearbox internals to my own closer ratios.
V8S style exhaust.
New Wilwood / Brembo / Hi-Spec 4 pot front brakes.
Rear Cosworth disk conversion.
Engine rebuild. (Bored to around 3.2 litres, 3 angle valves, ported, flowed, fully balanced, lightened, fast road cam, new fully rolling roaded ECU mapping, uprated big end bolts, etc....)
New mohair hood
Aluminium roof struts
Chromed instrument bezels. (It should look quite good as I have the full early 'S' series wood dashboard).
Wheels re-finished.
Chassis shotblasted and re-painted. (probably zinc painted first, then may use that por15 stuff).

Jas.

>> Edited by Paceracing on Friday 12th July 21:22

[Dave_H]

Mmmm... sounds nice Jas.

Have you found a good place to supply carpets?, I'm thinking of fitting new ones if I can find a good firm that make a decent set.

Cheers,

Dave.

[LeeBee]

Well there is a picture of my interior on Pikeynet albiet a couple of years old, this might work?

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/pikeynet/00/08/13/dsc00114.jpg

Plans include an engine upgrade (not sure which yet), Borg Warner T5 sat in workshop ready to go in.Also looking at modifiying the chassis to deal with increased power outputs (maybe Tuscan racer rear chassis) upgrade current solid rear discs to vented type if I keep the trailing arms and upgrade the fronts from 285mm to 300mm using 4 or 6 pot calipers and bell & rotor type discs.Also looking to re route the exhaust through various parts of the chassis to eliminate the ground clearance problems.Probably a lot more but can't think of any for now!

Cheers

LeeBee

[kev s3]

will be starting my s3 after the 'summer'.looking to keep it pretty much standard apart from the suspension upgrades.once the body is off will be doing all the hard to get to things,clutch,speedo sensor,stainless manifolds ect.the only thing i would like to get done that i dont think i could do myself is an engine rebuild,though im not sure if it realy needs anything done? keithyboy,are you rebuilding your engine for any reasonor is there anything that can be done to it to inprove it or prolong its life? was going to get all the seals replaced anyway as thers a few oil seepages.

[Dave_H]

Lee,

That's the pic I told you about wasnt it

Spec sounds really good. Good luck with it.

If you could find a way to re-route the exaust/increase ground clearance I think you would be sitting on a pot of gold!!

Just remember to copyright it

[LeeBee]

Yes I finally found it, I think it is the only one of my car on the web (until my website is finished ) so it was easy to just put a link here.

Cheers

LeeBee

[Dave_H]

quote:
was going to get all the seals replaced anyway as thers a few oil seepages.

Kev,

The 2.9 does suffer from leaking head gaskets after a while. If yours are leaking it might be worth while the heads come off to have the gaskets replaced getting the heads de-coked, this normally improves the breathing and restores the performance/MPG.

Alternatively, (and not meaning to spend your money for you) if the heads are coming off and the rest of the engine is in good condition (good oil pressure/compression) why not replace the heads with exchange gas flowed items?

Not only will these increase performance, but as they allow the engine to breath even better than the standard items, should give you even more MPG with "normal" driving.

Dave.

[Paceracing]

LeeBee,
That dashboard is exactly what I want for my 'S', except I have a wood dash and wooden TVR steering wheel.
Are those instrument bezels the Speedy Cables, (Islington) ones or are they home made?
The same question goes for the fan / fog / instrument panel knobs. Are they Leven Technology?

Jas.

[gadgit]

My S 1.5 (S2) 2.9 is well on the way now. stripped out all the engine bay, apart from the engine that is. All the front has been stripped and repainted, and renewed where required such as springs, brake pipes, radiator, all the heads off, new gaskets, hoses etc, etc.

Still to do!

The underneath repaint of the chasis(which is sound)
the back end, seems ok but will be stripped as the rest. The new springs, shocks, are ready to go on.

Respray yet to be done. possible new hood.

Fit me hard top properly. (got it from Leebee)

polish the wheels, etc, ,etc.

As I'm sure you have all found its taking twice as long as I thought, do to the crap finish on all the parts that TVR put on. you end up stripping down ten other things to do one job.

won't be long now. (famous last words)

gadgit.

[LeeBee]

---

Lee, you MUST get your car on the road.

---

Well all I can say is...................



Cheers

LeeBee

[LeeBee]

Jas, the instrument panel knobs were made by me, they are the original switches modified by replacing the switch innards with the alloy knob and stem, I will take a better photo.The clock bezels were Speedy cables, I had planned to make some of these too but the speedo needed a service so I just shipped the whole lot off there (about £90 if I remember correctly)

Cheers

LeeBee

[j0nest]

If I didn't spend so much time aboard my S1.5 would have been finished by now. Pleased to say that all the really dirty jobs are over & the “rolling chassis” is now in A1 condition, all re-coated and new AVO’s & springs.

Progress Engineering in Maidstone have just finished the engine & gearbox rebuild for me & I’ll be fitting them back on when I get back for a few weeks in August along with the main bodywork. I have a good fried of mine redoing the electrics over the winter and then re-trim and re-spray next over the course of next year, £££s permitting.

I’d love to get the interior up to the standard of LeeBee’s.

[johno]

I'm buying a Griff !

[Dave_H]

quote:
I'm buying a Griff !

Oh shut up!

[Paul V]

Heard that before, next week you'll be restoring your S.