Somebody stop me.....
Discussion
Before I lose control and spend ALL my money!
So it's off to Wedge Auto on Saturday for the exhaust manifold leak.(£200) Oh, and I'll just get a waxoil treatment done whilst its in (£200) and then I really really need those new carpets (£250) and I've already bought the in garage car cover, and the alloy bits and a nice wooden wheel and some nice new Goodyear Eagle F1s and and and and I realise that in the past 6 months I have spent loadsa money on my beastie without even blinking. My camels back just broke 'cos (without even thinking) I just bought some new Magnecore plug leads (£70)just cos I thought the old leads looked a bit tatty when I looked under the bonnet last saturday!
Whats going on FFS? Is this some sort of mental disorder I'm suffering from? Maybe it's the exhaust fumes from the leaky manifold, or maybe the vibrations caused by a big Wedge at full chat have screwed up my inner ear and somehow affected my brain. Can I sue someone? Anyone? Isn't it all PW fault for putting big V8s in the cars in the first place? Should I start with him? Either way I need help!
Oh, and one more thing. I've seen it said that people think a 400se only has about 200bhp, against TVRs claim of 270bhp. Can it really be this low? I mean according to my Noddy book of cars the last Rover SD1 Vitesses had 190bhp from their 3.5litre lumps. Surely TVRs fettling (not to mention the extra 500cc) should yield more than 10bhp?
Andy 400se (but no money and no clue as to how to stop spending)
So it's off to Wedge Auto on Saturday for the exhaust manifold leak.(£200) Oh, and I'll just get a waxoil treatment done whilst its in (£200) and then I really really need those new carpets (£250) and I've already bought the in garage car cover, and the alloy bits and a nice wooden wheel and some nice new Goodyear Eagle F1s and and and and I realise that in the past 6 months I have spent loadsa money on my beastie without even blinking. My camels back just broke 'cos (without even thinking) I just bought some new Magnecore plug leads (£70)just cos I thought the old leads looked a bit tatty when I looked under the bonnet last saturday!
Whats going on FFS? Is this some sort of mental disorder I'm suffering from? Maybe it's the exhaust fumes from the leaky manifold, or maybe the vibrations caused by a big Wedge at full chat have screwed up my inner ear and somehow affected my brain. Can I sue someone? Anyone? Isn't it all PW fault for putting big V8s in the cars in the first place? Should I start with him? Either way I need help!
Oh, and one more thing. I've seen it said that people think a 400se only has about 200bhp, against TVRs claim of 270bhp. Can it really be this low? I mean according to my Noddy book of cars the last Rover SD1 Vitesses had 190bhp from their 3.5litre lumps. Surely TVRs fettling (not to mention the extra 500cc) should yield more than 10bhp?
Andy 400se (but no money and no clue as to how to stop spending)
A standard catted TVR 3.9 as fitted to "400" Chimaeras/Griffiths and V8S typically comes in at around 195/200 BHP. The only measurements I've seen for a 390SE were somewhere around 230 BHP if I remember correctly. Presumably a 400SE would be similar or slightly more.
In practical terms, when my V8S was putting out 195 BHP Jack Acre's 400SE was marginally quicker in a straight line - and that's in a heavier car.
In practical terms, when my V8S was putting out 195 BHP Jack Acre's 400SE was marginally quicker in a straight line - and that's in a heavier car.
After my engine was rebuilt I commented about the leads, my old dirty ones still there (had a bit of a wipe though) and was told nothing wrong with them for what I want, so saved £70, which was nice. And the way my ears are still ringing after going back to Nuneaton for a service, must mean drain bamage is happening, thus mixing the effects of the "wife wants new (insert random thought)" and "wallets empty" gland. Give it to the wife/gf and give them a shoe catalogue and let them empty it for you. Bound to feel less guilty but you will still be skint. 
Better get jlak facket out and hide for a while.
Better get jlak facket out and hide for a while.
Wow ! I've already got photographs of your engine bay and none of them do it justice. That's a good one though 
By comparison - If my engine bay is going having a really good spring clean, then you could get a license to perform open heart surgery in yours.
See you at the Gorge Rumble - Nacnud
By comparison - If my engine bay is going having a really good spring clean, then you could get a license to perform open heart surgery in yours.
See you at the Gorge Rumble - Nacnud
Ted - Oi!
How come as soon as I talk about borrowing money a dirty great advert for 'easy' finance up to £50,000 appears right next to my post !
It's already difficult enough to postpone it till next year and frankly, that advert is not helping - no, not at all - gibber, connoly, gibber, mmmmm, gibber, alacantra, lovely, mmmm, gibber....
How come as soon as I talk about borrowing money a dirty great advert for 'easy' finance up to £50,000 appears right next to my post !
It's already difficult enough to postpone it till next year and frankly, that advert is not helping - no, not at all - gibber, connoly, gibber, mmmmm, gibber, alacantra, lovely, mmmm, gibber....
quote:
Just been talking to the bank manager and a polished engine bay seems a distinct possibility
Hmmmm, If I call him again do you think I can get a full hide interior ?
quote:
It's already difficult enough to postpone it till next year and frankly, that advert is not helping - no, not at all - gibber, connoly, gibber, mmmmm, gibber, alacantra, lovely, mmmm, gibber....quote:
You see????!!! It's not just me.
Time for therapy? Right I'll go first:
My name is Andy and and I'm a Tivaholic.
Primal scream anyone?
Andy 400se, getting my Magnecore leads today, oh and I did begin to wonder if a nice BIG ignition coil might not be a bad idea too..........
Just to throw in my 2p-worth on the 390SE engine power debate: I've got my engine in a few hundred bits at the moment, and I've been looking at it quite carefully, I can tell you!
It's a bog-standard 3.5 crank and rods. The block must have bigger liners than a 3.5 'cos the bore's 4mm bigger, but where they came from God alone knows. The 390SE bore was 93.5mm, whereas all Rangey/ Landie 3.9s use 94mm. Whether they use the same liners I haven't been able to establish, but I've just had a 20 thou rebore which takes my cylinders to 94mm as well. Incidentally, the bulk of the 'big-bore' conversions stick with the 94mm bore. You can add a long-throw crank from Rimmers et al and it becomes (woohoo!) a 4.8L... but I digress. My engine used pistons from Omega; flat-topped with valve pockets. 'Normal' 3.9s use(d) slightly dished crowns with no pockets. The 'normal' compression ratio for a 3.9 is 9.35:1. On the 390SE it was quoted at 10.5:1, probably entirely a function of the pistons as the combustion chamber appears to be standard 3.5L size. Which leaves the cam. According to Rimmers, a radical cam (i.e. one that gives lots of lift) requires the valve spring platforms to be machined and different guides fitted. I presume this is because the rocker arms can't travel far enough to give the extra lift. That would tally with my pocketed pistons, except the heads look like any other 3.5L. I know my car's had at least one replacement camshaft, but what profile TVR fitted as new I don't know. The heads have had mild porting work carried out; nothing spectacular, just to match the inlet manifold ports I guess. Externally, the fuel system lacks even an uprated fuel regulator. So, what does all this suggest about TVRs power claims? We already know that the supposed 275 bhp was achieved on a one-off engine by Andy Rouse, that was unusable on the road and lost more oil than the Torrey Canyon. NCK, who prepared the early 3.9s, allegedly got 220-240 bhp. But with reference to my engine and the basic 195bhp output, I struggle to see how even a 10.5:1 compression and a wild cam could drag another 45bhp from only another 400 cc's. Less than that, if you recall that a 3.5L is actually 3528cc, and the 390SE is 3905. 'Maybe' the cam is the key, and finding the original profile would help here. Also, my car had composite head gaskets, which typically knock 1 point off the c.r. So it may well have been close to the 'modern' 9.35:1 before I stripped it. One of these days I must put it back to back with a 350....;-)
W.
It's a bog-standard 3.5 crank and rods. The block must have bigger liners than a 3.5 'cos the bore's 4mm bigger, but where they came from God alone knows. The 390SE bore was 93.5mm, whereas all Rangey/ Landie 3.9s use 94mm. Whether they use the same liners I haven't been able to establish, but I've just had a 20 thou rebore which takes my cylinders to 94mm as well. Incidentally, the bulk of the 'big-bore' conversions stick with the 94mm bore. You can add a long-throw crank from Rimmers et al and it becomes (woohoo!) a 4.8L... but I digress. My engine used pistons from Omega; flat-topped with valve pockets. 'Normal' 3.9s use(d) slightly dished crowns with no pockets. The 'normal' compression ratio for a 3.9 is 9.35:1. On the 390SE it was quoted at 10.5:1, probably entirely a function of the pistons as the combustion chamber appears to be standard 3.5L size. Which leaves the cam. According to Rimmers, a radical cam (i.e. one that gives lots of lift) requires the valve spring platforms to be machined and different guides fitted. I presume this is because the rocker arms can't travel far enough to give the extra lift. That would tally with my pocketed pistons, except the heads look like any other 3.5L. I know my car's had at least one replacement camshaft, but what profile TVR fitted as new I don't know. The heads have had mild porting work carried out; nothing spectacular, just to match the inlet manifold ports I guess. Externally, the fuel system lacks even an uprated fuel regulator. So, what does all this suggest about TVRs power claims? We already know that the supposed 275 bhp was achieved on a one-off engine by Andy Rouse, that was unusable on the road and lost more oil than the Torrey Canyon. NCK, who prepared the early 3.9s, allegedly got 220-240 bhp. But with reference to my engine and the basic 195bhp output, I struggle to see how even a 10.5:1 compression and a wild cam could drag another 45bhp from only another 400 cc's. Less than that, if you recall that a 3.5L is actually 3528cc, and the 390SE is 3905. 'Maybe' the cam is the key, and finding the original profile would help here. Also, my car had composite head gaskets, which typically knock 1 point off the c.r. So it may well have been close to the 'modern' 9.35:1 before I stripped it. One of these days I must put it back to back with a 350....;-)
W.
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