Time for a new Griffith project.
Discussion
The ECU work is done and dusted now, so I need to think of something else to do to the car in the off-season. 
Given the extreme milage - 104k on the original cam - this wasn't difficult to find.
So, what started out as an engine refresh has turned in to a large refurb project. The goal is to have an as-new Griffith 500, but taking advantage of the 10 years of development that have happened since the car was new.
In no particular order, here's what I'm doing:
Body-off chassis refurb - strip and paint with POR15 products
Replace all the ball joints and fit polybushes
Fit the braided brake hoses that have sat in the cupboard for the last year
Refresh the fuel system, including new fuel pump and plumbing
New stereo stuff
Repair the heated seats. (I like them and I use the car in the winter)
Retrim seats and door cards etc.
7" reflector lamps and HID kit
Cam shaft (H404 is most likely), followers, rockers, chain
Ceramic coated manifolds
Generally tidy the engine bay where I haven't already done so
New clutch - it seems sensible while everything is apart
And whatever else I find is broken along the way...
I started by stripping the interior out last night and found the seat bases were almost rusted through in a couple of places!! I can see there's a lot of work ahead. Pics and stuff will follow in the next few weeks.
Given the extreme milage - 104k on the original cam - this wasn't difficult to find. So, what started out as an engine refresh has turned in to a large refurb project. The goal is to have an as-new Griffith 500, but taking advantage of the 10 years of development that have happened since the car was new.
In no particular order, here's what I'm doing:
Body-off chassis refurb - strip and paint with POR15 products
Replace all the ball joints and fit polybushes
Fit the braided brake hoses that have sat in the cupboard for the last year
Refresh the fuel system, including new fuel pump and plumbing
New stereo stuff
Repair the heated seats. (I like them and I use the car in the winter)
Retrim seats and door cards etc.
7" reflector lamps and HID kit
Cam shaft (H404 is most likely), followers, rockers, chain
Ceramic coated manifolds
Generally tidy the engine bay where I haven't already done so
New clutch - it seems sensible while everything is apart
And whatever else I find is broken along the way...
I started by stripping the interior out last night and found the seat bases were almost rusted through in a couple of places!! I can see there's a lot of work ahead. Pics and stuff will follow in the next few weeks.
dnb said:
Yes - a very good idea. I did most of these in the engine bay and dash when I did the ECU & fuseboard work... But no doubt there will be a few in the doors and stuff left.
I wrapped the door stuff up in placky bags and used fibreglass tape to insulate things like the temp sensor wiring. The main area for worry is the lights as these are exposed to the elements and come with poxy automotive spade connectors. The fuel pump/relay/wiring is asking for trouble where it is too.
Keep us posted, I wish I had the space and money to do it.
jester7 said:
I am in the middle of doing my own rebuild on my Griff, its mostly stripped down, just deciding on weather to remove the chassis from the body???
There have been several body-off projects for Chims, Griffs and Cerbs reported on PH now. Some had worse rust than others, but they all had it bad enough for the owners not to regret the effort involved. My '96 Cerb chassis had it worst on the outriggers and engine mounts, and large areas of the powdercoating disintegrated in other areas with rust starting to work away.
dnb said:
apache - good idea re. the bags in the doors! I have the space for the work now, but I think I used most of the money to buy the space...
Jester7 - If your chassis looks anything like mine, then it's definitely worth doing.
Jester7 - If your chassis looks anything like mine, then it's definitely worth doing.
Thanks for the advice, have now got the chassis off the car!!! Took about three hours only cause two bolts snapped off in the chassis.
Quick update:
Got all the interior I need out for now. Carpet templates are in production and seat covers have been removed from the seats ready for the trimmer. We've selected the new colours and material too.
I've started on the engine removal. Ancilliaries are all removed and I'm in the process of dismantling them for painting, service and the like. Watch out Clive - I'm (for a while anyway) after the tidiest engine bay in a Griff
Doubt I'll get much more done this weekend - there's pressing house stuff to do and my garage lights have packed up
Got all the interior I need out for now. Carpet templates are in production and seat covers have been removed from the seats ready for the trimmer. We've selected the new colours and material too.
I've started on the engine removal. Ancilliaries are all removed and I'm in the process of dismantling them for painting, service and the like. Watch out Clive - I'm (for a while anyway) after the tidiest engine bay in a Griff
Doubt I'll get much more done this weekend - there's pressing house stuff to do and my garage lights have packed up
Yes, these are the worst places. I have no ideas that make sense to me yet as to why these bits should be the worst - the left hand side (which collects all the mud and stuff from the road) is in better condition than the right, and the area subjected to the most spray from the wheels is OK too.
The bottom of the tube is actually in very good condition because it has been maintained reasonably well over the years.
The bottom of the tube is actually in very good condition because it has been maintained reasonably well over the years.
I would have thought the top sides are worst because moisture (and salt and crud) gets trapped between the tube and the body. As to why it's worse towards the rear of the outriggers - just a guess, but maybe there's more heat radiating around in the front (front brakes, engine exhaust) so that crud cocktail gets dried out more and so is less corrosive.
Getting back on to topic...
I started on the engine while the chassis is sitting in the queue at the shot blasters.
I found that I had 15 1/2 pads on my rockers. I suppose I'm doing better than CliveF on this, but it's not ideal for engine performance! Given it was the inlet for cyl 3, I suspect this was causing the excessive hydrocarbon readings I saw on the gas tester.
I'll see what else the weekend brings.
I started on the engine while the chassis is sitting in the queue at the shot blasters.
I found that I had 15 1/2 pads on my rockers. I suppose I'm doing better than CliveF on this, but it's not ideal for engine performance! Given it was the inlet for cyl 3, I suspect this was causing the excessive hydrocarbon readings I saw on the gas tester.
I'll see what else the weekend brings.
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