Its happened all too soon rebuild requird and some questions
Discussion
After only 3000miles since i purchased the car I have starte dot get a knocking sound from the top end of my tamora. It was due a service anyway so it was sent to Str8six for a full 12k one wherupon I got the call i have been dreading since buying the car. Cam and follower worn, requires a full rebuild. Now I do not have access to £5k at the moment or for the forseeable so I at least have plenty of time to plan.
I am wondering if i can just get away with a head rebuild/ replace with a rebuilt one from racing green or suchlike. I still dont have the cash for this so it will be next year im afraid. I have already taken the top cover off to inspect it and it is as described. One lobe on cyl 6 is fairly badly worn (valve clearance was 22 thou) and the valve guides are obviously pretty worn.
I have a good mechanical background so am reasonably confident to have a go myself perhaps but i have some questions.
Is it an engine out job to replace the head or can it be done with the engine in situ?
also I understand there is a head guide i assume for rebuilding? I have heard mention of on this site but cant find any links. can anyone help with this?
I am wondering if i can just get away with a head rebuild/ replace with a rebuilt one from racing green or suchlike. I still dont have the cash for this so it will be next year im afraid. I have already taken the top cover off to inspect it and it is as described. One lobe on cyl 6 is fairly badly worn (valve clearance was 22 thou) and the valve guides are obviously pretty worn.
I have a good mechanical background so am reasonably confident to have a go myself perhaps but i have some questions.
Is it an engine out job to replace the head or can it be done with the engine in situ?
also I understand there is a head guide i assume for rebuilding? I have heard mention of on this site but cant find any links. can anyone help with this?
TVR Power - Speed6 head assembly available here... http://www.tvrpower.co.uk/store/slug/brand-new-spe...
And I think a guy called PetrolHeadPete (or similar) removed cylinder head with engine in car....
And I think a guy called PetrolHeadPete (or similar) removed cylinder head with engine in car....
In fact, here's the link to his rather detailed head refurbishment guide....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Regards
Mike
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Regards
Mike
Wow thanks for that, and the quick reply. That guide is just what I'm after and is amazingly well written. Thanks very much.
I have been looking at the various heads available. Does anyone know how they compare. For instance the racing green version lists lots of important sounding coatings etc whereas the power one just lists the parts which are replaced.
Also are there mods for the poor oil delivery. This rings a bell to me and there is mention of a mod in the guide linked but I get the feeling I have heard of people drilling out oilways to get larger diameters or something?
Once again thanks for the replies. It has cheered me up in my hour of darkness that people on here can be so helpfull.
I have been looking at the various heads available. Does anyone know how they compare. For instance the racing green version lists lots of important sounding coatings etc whereas the power one just lists the parts which are replaced.
Also are there mods for the poor oil delivery. This rings a bell to me and there is mention of a mod in the guide linked but I get the feeling I have heard of people drilling out oilways to get larger diameters or something?
Once again thanks for the replies. It has cheered me up in my hour of darkness that people on here can be so helpfull.
Call Dom at TVR Power and see what he recommends for your case, cost, etc. and what warranty he would offer you on supplying that head and you fitting it yourself, or having it fitted by someone he trusts....
One of TVR Power's earliest rebuilds has done over 100,000 miles (yep, 100,000 miles) without issue, and has been stripped down and found to be good for probably another 100,000 miles !!! You can get up to 5 year warranty with TVR Power depending on the re-build.
Also, talk to STR8Six, and Racing Green to find out all your options and costs.
Only problem with replacing/repairing the head yourself (apart from warranty) is knowing whether all the components in the block are ok and will last as long as the new head ?? Could be false economy.
HTH
Spike
Edit - Ah - checked profile - ur an automotive engineer - no further advice from me (unless u want IT advice) required !!! LoL
One of TVR Power's earliest rebuilds has done over 100,000 miles (yep, 100,000 miles) without issue, and has been stripped down and found to be good for probably another 100,000 miles !!! You can get up to 5 year warranty with TVR Power depending on the re-build.
Also, talk to STR8Six, and Racing Green to find out all your options and costs.
Only problem with replacing/repairing the head yourself (apart from warranty) is knowing whether all the components in the block are ok and will last as long as the new head ?? Could be false economy.
HTH
Spike
Edit - Ah - checked profile - ur an automotive engineer - no further advice from me (unless u want IT advice) required !!! LoL
Edited by RedSpike66 on Tuesday 23 August 18:28
RedSpike66 said:
Call Dom at TVR Power and see what he recommends for your case, cost, etc. and what warranty he would offer you on supplying that head and you fitting it yourself, or having it fitted by someone he trusts....
One of TVR Power's earliest rebuilds has done over 100,000 miles (yep, 100,000 miles) without issue, and has been stripped down and found to be good for probably another 100,000 miles !!! You can get up to 5 year warranty with TVR Power depending on the re-build.
Also, talk to STR8Six, and Racing Green to find out all your options and costs.
Only problem with replacing/repairing the head yourself (apart from warranty) is knowing whether all the components in the block are ok and will last as long as the new head ?? Could be false economy.
HTH
Spike
Edit - Ah - checked profile - ur an automotive engineer - no further advice from me (unless u want IT advice) required !!! LoL
Trust me, regardless of my background all advice is most gratefully recieved. I am pretty sure I have the ability to do most of the work myself but its a case of is it worth it in terms of time taken vs money saved etc. I also bought the car in order to get my hands dirty again and do a bit of tinkering. I must say I wasnt expecting to have to get quite as deep as this so soon though!One of TVR Power's earliest rebuilds has done over 100,000 miles (yep, 100,000 miles) without issue, and has been stripped down and found to be good for probably another 100,000 miles !!! You can get up to 5 year warranty with TVR Power depending on the re-build.
Also, talk to STR8Six, and Racing Green to find out all your options and costs.
Only problem with replacing/repairing the head yourself (apart from warranty) is knowing whether all the components in the block are ok and will last as long as the new head ?? Could be false economy.
HTH
Spike
Edit - Ah - checked profile - ur an automotive engineer - no further advice from me (unless u want IT advice) required !!! LoL
Edited by RedSpike66 on Tuesday 23 August 18:28
FFF head would be fantastic but I dont think my budget would stretch that far. I am looking at all options though, including the full rebuild or even buying an engine which is already done and also ls7 but this seems wrong in my book for some reason. I have a lot of saving to do first though regardless of what I decide so there wont be anything happening for a while.
What a bummer.. I hate reading stories like this, Particularly with you not having the car long, Thankfully we don't seem to hear of it anywhere near as much as we used to.. Anyway keep the faith.. And just keep thinking of how much fun your gonna have with a nice rebuilt engine. Good luck.
Sorry to hear this.
When Jason rebuilt mine I wanted to stick to original spec. and he delivered exactly that, albeit with a few extras.
I guess you have figured its an Engine out job if you've read petes guide.
Think about it a bit, consider the warranty from Jason & Dom & Bash the credit card?
G
When Jason rebuilt mine I wanted to stick to original spec. and he delivered exactly that, albeit with a few extras.
I guess you have figured its an Engine out job if you've read petes guide.
Think about it a bit, consider the warranty from Jason & Dom & Bash the credit card?
G
VARLEYHYD said:
Sorry to hear this.
When Jason rebuilt mine I wanted to stick to original spec. and he delivered exactly that, albeit with a few extras.
I guess you have figured its an Engine out job if you've read petes guide.
Think about it a bit, consider the warranty from Jason & Dom & Bash the credit card?
G
I have begun reading it. It's pretty daunting even for me! Unfortunately these things happen. I knew the risks and I'm not going to dwell on the bad bits. It's been a fantastic time with the car so far. A dream of mine realised even though I do seem to have bought a bit of a pup. I still love it somehow and it will all come good I'm sure. When Jason rebuilt mine I wanted to stick to original spec. and he delivered exactly that, albeit with a few extras.
I guess you have figured its an Engine out job if you've read petes guide.
Think about it a bit, consider the warranty from Jason & Dom & Bash the credit card?
G
Unfortunately the credit card can't take any more abuse at the moment as it's been a bad year for that. I just need to get my head down and get some cash together and come up with a good plan. Right now I have about five! One of which is, as you suggest the rebuild by one of the specialists. Out of interest, why did you shy away from doing your engine work yourself? You seem to be pretty capable as far as I can tell from your manual.
Late to this thread so not sure how much progress you've made.
Have you seen this from Power http://www.tvrpower.co.uk/store/slug/reconditioned... it could be the most cost effective way of sorting the head if you're handy with spanners and I believe, but check with Power, that it comes with a warranty. HTH.
Have you seen this from Power http://www.tvrpower.co.uk/store/slug/reconditioned... it could be the most cost effective way of sorting the head if you're handy with spanners and I believe, but check with Power, that it comes with a warranty. HTH.
mini me said:
Wow thanks for that, and the quick reply. That guide is just what I'm after and is amazingly well written. Thanks very much.
I have been looking at the various heads available. Does anyone know how they compare. For instance the racing green version lists lots of important sounding coatings etc whereas the power one just lists the parts which are replaced.
Also are there mods for the poor oil delivery. This rings a bell to me and there is mention of a mod in the guide linked but I get the feeling I have heard of people drilling out oilways to get larger diameters or something?
Once again thanks for the replies. It has cheered me up in my hour of darkness that people on here can be so helpfull.
The short block has larger/changed oil canals since 2003 I believe. Don't know how much has been changed on the different short blocks that are out there...I have been looking at the various heads available. Does anyone know how they compare. For instance the racing green version lists lots of important sounding coatings etc whereas the power one just lists the parts which are replaced.
Also are there mods for the poor oil delivery. This rings a bell to me and there is mention of a mod in the guide linked but I get the feeling I have heard of people drilling out oilways to get larger diameters or something?
Once again thanks for the replies. It has cheered me up in my hour of darkness that people on here can be so helpfull.
Problem with the older heads, from what I have been told, is that the oil for the inlet cam is actually arriving in the middle, and being split from the half of the camshaft.
The exhaust cam gets the oil from one side, I believe the oil has to travel to the right, around the head, then gets sprayed over the cam from cylinder 6 towards 1.
I know that RG has changed the way the oil is being divided over the cams in their heads.
Other than that, RG's got a changed half time bearing, which also helps in getting the oil better to the car, if memory serves correct (especially on startup).
RG do use DLC for their coatings on the valves, pistons, and some other bits that I probably look over right now.
And of course, if you go for the RG FFF head, the most important mod is the lack of finger followers, and they're now working on a variable valve setup for that cylinder head...
Late to this thread myself...When you say full rebuild? I'm assuming you’re talking about the head?? My questions are why is the head re-build so expensive? and secondly if its an engine rebuild why would you have to rebuild the bottom end if its the cam and followers.
You say you have a good mech. Background, then I would get the engine out get the head off and do it yourself. It seems a lot of TVR owners seem to thing that the Speed Six is a beast from the dark side and is a mystical engine that only the gods have the power to tame the smoke & mirrors its just a internal combustion four stroke engine... if you follow the steps in Pete’s top end rebuild guide it should be straight forward for you. Buy your bits from Dom when you've re-built it get to Dom to check your work for small fee which I'm sure they'll do and Bobs your tea-pot at least you can put it back on with confidence that you've got quality bits from the same supplier and they’ve done a visual check and set the initial timing up...Just a thought.
Don’t be afraid its only an engine!
;-)
Good luck with any route you take.
Buzz
You say you have a good mech. Background, then I would get the engine out get the head off and do it yourself. It seems a lot of TVR owners seem to thing that the Speed Six is a beast from the dark side and is a mystical engine that only the gods have the power to tame the smoke & mirrors its just a internal combustion four stroke engine... if you follow the steps in Pete’s top end rebuild guide it should be straight forward for you. Buy your bits from Dom when you've re-built it get to Dom to check your work for small fee which I'm sure they'll do and Bobs your tea-pot at least you can put it back on with confidence that you've got quality bits from the same supplier and they’ve done a visual check and set the initial timing up...Just a thought.
Don’t be afraid its only an engine!
;-)Good luck with any route you take.
Buzz
Thanks for all the comments/ advice guys. I have looked at the various options mentioned and am still saving up. Its gonna be a long time i think. To answer the last post, I am thinking exactly the same as you mention re just doing the head. Jason at Str8six recommends full engine rebuild as the bottom end may need bearings, and also most of the money is in the headwork. Fair enough I suppose, if you have 5K. unfortunately I dont, so the head is all I really want to do. I have read most of Petes guide and whilst it is a daunting read its nothing i havent done before on many other engines (apart from the comedy valve timing)
I will be sure to update if and when i get started/farm it out/burn the car.
I will be sure to update if and when i get started/farm it out/burn the car.
Bud have a go and do it yourself.I am no mechanic(carpenter by trade)but have re-built many engines over my 29 year car history.a couple of years back i ran a scooby which as they all seem to do detonated the engine,i had quotes from 5-10 grand to rebuild it.In the end i pulled the motor out on drive( on my own)put it in my workshop and rebuilt it from scratch with the help of a manual.As long as you have the time and dont rush it can be done.I have seen horror stories from garages who have done rebuilds,you love the car have the skill go on do it
.ps even if it takes a year you can do it when funds allow and in your head you will be dealing with the problem
.ps even if it takes a year you can do it when funds allow and in your head you will be dealing with the problemspongy said:
Bud have a go and do it yourself.I am no mechanic(carpenter by trade)but have re-built many engines over my 29 year car history.a couple of years back i ran a scooby which as they all seem to do detonated the engine,i had quotes from 5-10 grand to rebuild it.In the end i pulled the motor out on drive( on my own)put it in my workshop and rebuilt it from scratch with the help of a manual.As long as you have the time and dont rush it can be done.I have seen horror stories from garages who have done rebuilds,you love the car have the skill go on do it.ps even if it takes a year you can do it when funds allow and in your head you will be dealing with the problem
Ditto for sure.....ps even if it takes a year you can do it when funds allow and in your head you will be dealing with the problem
What other guides has Pete done as I'd be interested in reading them. If any one could put some links up I'd be greatful.
Cheers
Buzz
P.S Where are you based Mini me??
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