Scimitar GTE RV8
Discussion
Boyhood dream turns into a reality.
Gone and purchased a very special Scimitar GTE RV8 without thinking about where I'm going to house it.
I really need a recommendation for a decent quality outdoors cover please.
https://www.sporting-reliants.com/ModifiedMotors.h... back in the day it was 745 NOD and was running a 5ltr Buick engine!!!
Also, any other Scimitar owners out there? I would like to hear about your cars...
Tim.
Gone and purchased a very special Scimitar GTE RV8 without thinking about where I'm going to house it.
I really need a recommendation for a decent quality outdoors cover please.
https://www.sporting-reliants.com/ModifiedMotors.h... back in the day it was 745 NOD and was running a 5ltr Buick engine!!!
Also, any other Scimitar owners out there? I would like to hear about your cars...
Tim.
Here's the run down...
Reliant Scimitar GTE SE5a 1972 -LMU 978K
This car was sold new in June 1972 to a young dentist. He had severe financial troubles and after a few weeks sold it to Victor Thomas from Norwich, who had been planning to buy a new GTE. The registration was LMU 978K and the colour purple which was very popular at the time. VFT even bought a purple suit and shirt to match the car!!
The Thomas family had also an Elan plus 2, a Mini Cooper S-1275 and a VW Beetle, so the GTE had an easy life. It was used for Spanish holidays each year with long distances along auto routes. The mileage on the V6 in 1987 was only 50k and the car was hardly used after this. It had the colour changed to Nevada Yellow as the purple had gone out of fashion.
VFT happened to talk to a firm in Daventry who specialised in V8 conversions as they had never converted a Scimitar.
By 1988 LMU was running with a 3.5 Buick on twin SUs. It seemed undergeared on the 3.5 axle and was little used.
The car was stored in a barn for many years and only used to tow the owners Lotus Eleven, a total weight of under half a ton including trailer. A factory tow bar had been fitted.
The owner had acquired a new factory chassis many years before and this had been modified with double thickness out-riggers. Although the original chassis was serviceable, its out-riggers were getting a bit thin. A total rebuild was undertaken more as a hobby than necessity. Over many years just about every mechanical part was renewed including a new 4.1 Rover based V8 and 5 speed box plus high ratio axle. New front seats plus a kit of new carpets and Viny material were purchased, but the interior was left mainly original. The emphisis was upon long term durability so that stainless items were used where possible.
Once again the GTE eventually became the racing tow-car and was used mainly on long distance runs including twice a year to Le Mans. After 25 k miles of perfect reliability it was stored in 2014 with only an occasional "run around the block" to keep every thing working. With great reluctance a decision was made in 2020 to sell the car as garage space was needed for other acquisitions. She will be missed !!
The amazing thing about the V8 power was the ability to give over 30mpg driven at steady speeds when towing ---Something to do with the Kamm tail?
Specification as follows;-
Chassis Waxoyled inside boxes and kept coated outside annually. Double thickness out-riggers.
Bored 4.1 block with competition pistons and all new engine parts. Crank, rods, pistons, flywheel ,clutch all balanced.
Flywheel lightened. Heads Buick, gas flowed by Brown and Gammons.. 20/50 oil.
Crane fast road cam, Offenhauser inlet manifold, Holley 4 barrel carburettor.
Electronic ignition module in distributor.
Engine set back in chassis in order to retain original steering arrangement
8 header pipe stainless exhaust manifolds with 2 inch stainless straight pipes, two Cherry Bomb silencers.
Expert estimate of the power is 240bhp.
LT70 Gear box as fitted to manual Jaguars. Fully rebuilt with double oil seal on shift rod. Engine oil lubrication.
Propshaft has three grease nipples.
New Jaguar axle built with 3.07 Limited Slip Differential.
EP 90 lubrication.
Fuel tank is stainless with Facet electronic pump located directly in front of tank. Wheels are Wolfrace 7 inch [?] rear from Lotus Esprit, front 6 inch [?] from after market TR6. Track widened at front to clear calipers. Spare is original car Dunlop composite with space saver tyre.
Brakes are uprated to Reliant SE6 spec with split front rear hydraulics. Copper pipes, stainless flex.
Front suspension, TR6, has extra grease nipples on trunnions.
All dampers are adjustable [BUT turn adjusters with care, they do seize!!]
Optional front spoiler fitted, but this is vulnerable !
Headlamps Quartz-Iodine with 4 dip and 4 main by relays.
Battery power cut out fitted.
Body professionally prepared with all gelcoat cracks [very few] ground out and filled with GRP matting. Resprayed in
2-pac and kept in an over overnight.
Victor Thomas
Founder of the Historic Lotus Register 1974
September 2020
reliant scimitar gte se5a with rover v8.
Exterior: had body off resto some years ago by previous owner when rover engine fitted and re painted.Paint has the odd nick here and there, little bit of crazing on nose, bit dull on rear and front spoiler, initial prep was probably not the best .Not show class but generally looks bright and glossy .
Interior: has optional cobra seats, new carpets, all gauges work, has crack in dash (new better ones available ) new seat belts with new lap belts fitted to rear.Upgraded vw blowers for vents.
Chassis: Excellent with polybushes, new hieght and damping adjustable Spax shocks, new trunnions, 15 in Cobra supaslots with excellent tyres. New slotted discs and green stuff pads, braided hoses.copper lines ,new uprated master cylinder,overhauled calipers,new rear brake shoes and slave cylinders.Was told it has LSD but haven't checked.
Mechanics: Rover 3.9 v8 with stage 1 heads, new Newman fast road cam and followers new water pump and timing chain and sprockets. New offenhauser manifold with edelbrock carb, tubular exhaust manifold told had high comp pistons .New electronic distributor, coil, HT leads electric fuel pump and regulator, uprated alternator,uprated alloy radiator.Rover 5 speed It77 box.
In summary useable practical classic that pulls well, stops well, stays cool.No show pony but with fibreglass body, solid chassis and Rover engine should do another 50 years
Classed as historic so no tax or mot
Please no time wasters.
Looking through the previous owners notes he says it was fitted with an early jag axle with Isd and 3.07 ratio-cant verify this but when doing the pinion oil seal it was leather and when buying a new modern seal I had to get one that was Jaguar so might be true.
Also says it was bored to 4.1 Itrs and fitted with high comp pistons
Reliant Scimitar GTE SE5a 1972 -LMU 978K
This car was sold new in June 1972 to a young dentist. He had severe financial troubles and after a few weeks sold it to Victor Thomas from Norwich, who had been planning to buy a new GTE. The registration was LMU 978K and the colour purple which was very popular at the time. VFT even bought a purple suit and shirt to match the car!!
The Thomas family had also an Elan plus 2, a Mini Cooper S-1275 and a VW Beetle, so the GTE had an easy life. It was used for Spanish holidays each year with long distances along auto routes. The mileage on the V6 in 1987 was only 50k and the car was hardly used after this. It had the colour changed to Nevada Yellow as the purple had gone out of fashion.
VFT happened to talk to a firm in Daventry who specialised in V8 conversions as they had never converted a Scimitar.
By 1988 LMU was running with a 3.5 Buick on twin SUs. It seemed undergeared on the 3.5 axle and was little used.
The car was stored in a barn for many years and only used to tow the owners Lotus Eleven, a total weight of under half a ton including trailer. A factory tow bar had been fitted.
The owner had acquired a new factory chassis many years before and this had been modified with double thickness out-riggers. Although the original chassis was serviceable, its out-riggers were getting a bit thin. A total rebuild was undertaken more as a hobby than necessity. Over many years just about every mechanical part was renewed including a new 4.1 Rover based V8 and 5 speed box plus high ratio axle. New front seats plus a kit of new carpets and Viny material were purchased, but the interior was left mainly original. The emphisis was upon long term durability so that stainless items were used where possible.
Once again the GTE eventually became the racing tow-car and was used mainly on long distance runs including twice a year to Le Mans. After 25 k miles of perfect reliability it was stored in 2014 with only an occasional "run around the block" to keep every thing working. With great reluctance a decision was made in 2020 to sell the car as garage space was needed for other acquisitions. She will be missed !!
The amazing thing about the V8 power was the ability to give over 30mpg driven at steady speeds when towing ---Something to do with the Kamm tail?
Specification as follows;-
Chassis Waxoyled inside boxes and kept coated outside annually. Double thickness out-riggers.
Bored 4.1 block with competition pistons and all new engine parts. Crank, rods, pistons, flywheel ,clutch all balanced.
Flywheel lightened. Heads Buick, gas flowed by Brown and Gammons.. 20/50 oil.
Crane fast road cam, Offenhauser inlet manifold, Holley 4 barrel carburettor.
Electronic ignition module in distributor.
Engine set back in chassis in order to retain original steering arrangement
8 header pipe stainless exhaust manifolds with 2 inch stainless straight pipes, two Cherry Bomb silencers.
Expert estimate of the power is 240bhp.
LT70 Gear box as fitted to manual Jaguars. Fully rebuilt with double oil seal on shift rod. Engine oil lubrication.
Propshaft has three grease nipples.
New Jaguar axle built with 3.07 Limited Slip Differential.
EP 90 lubrication.
Fuel tank is stainless with Facet electronic pump located directly in front of tank. Wheels are Wolfrace 7 inch [?] rear from Lotus Esprit, front 6 inch [?] from after market TR6. Track widened at front to clear calipers. Spare is original car Dunlop composite with space saver tyre.
Brakes are uprated to Reliant SE6 spec with split front rear hydraulics. Copper pipes, stainless flex.
Front suspension, TR6, has extra grease nipples on trunnions.
All dampers are adjustable [BUT turn adjusters with care, they do seize!!]
Optional front spoiler fitted, but this is vulnerable !
Headlamps Quartz-Iodine with 4 dip and 4 main by relays.
Battery power cut out fitted.
Body professionally prepared with all gelcoat cracks [very few] ground out and filled with GRP matting. Resprayed in
2-pac and kept in an over overnight.
Victor Thomas
Founder of the Historic Lotus Register 1974
September 2020
reliant scimitar gte se5a with rover v8.
Exterior: had body off resto some years ago by previous owner when rover engine fitted and re painted.Paint has the odd nick here and there, little bit of crazing on nose, bit dull on rear and front spoiler, initial prep was probably not the best .Not show class but generally looks bright and glossy .
Interior: has optional cobra seats, new carpets, all gauges work, has crack in dash (new better ones available ) new seat belts with new lap belts fitted to rear.Upgraded vw blowers for vents.
Chassis: Excellent with polybushes, new hieght and damping adjustable Spax shocks, new trunnions, 15 in Cobra supaslots with excellent tyres. New slotted discs and green stuff pads, braided hoses.copper lines ,new uprated master cylinder,overhauled calipers,new rear brake shoes and slave cylinders.Was told it has LSD but haven't checked.
Mechanics: Rover 3.9 v8 with stage 1 heads, new Newman fast road cam and followers new water pump and timing chain and sprockets. New offenhauser manifold with edelbrock carb, tubular exhaust manifold told had high comp pistons .New electronic distributor, coil, HT leads electric fuel pump and regulator, uprated alternator,uprated alloy radiator.Rover 5 speed It77 box.
In summary useable practical classic that pulls well, stops well, stays cool.No show pony but with fibreglass body, solid chassis and Rover engine should do another 50 years
Classed as historic so no tax or mot
Please no time wasters.
Looking through the previous owners notes he says it was fitted with an early jag axle with Isd and 3.07 ratio-cant verify this but when doing the pinion oil seal it was leather and when buying a new modern seal I had to get one that was Jaguar so might be true.
Also says it was bored to 4.1 Itrs and fitted with high comp pistons
Sounds like a great car you have there, pictures please.
Here’s my mum’s old SE6A that we put a 1UZFE back in 2010ish, we replaced the trunnions with Jag ball joints, fossway 4 pots and vented disks on the front, AP racing 4 pots on the rear with solid disks and Jag lsd, Spax made up track dampers to suit the car. I had it repainted a couple of years ago, right back to gel coat repair.
It was used as the Mrs track day car for a fair few years, I now need to pull my finger out and get it back to a nice classic cruiser. Maybe this year.
Here’s my mum’s old SE6A that we put a 1UZFE back in 2010ish, we replaced the trunnions with Jag ball joints, fossway 4 pots and vented disks on the front, AP racing 4 pots on the rear with solid disks and Jag lsd, Spax made up track dampers to suit the car. I had it repainted a couple of years ago, right back to gel coat repair.
It was used as the Mrs track day car for a fair few years, I now need to pull my finger out and get it back to a nice classic cruiser. Maybe this year.
I knew this car and Vic in the late 90's and have been in it many times. I used to do some part time work for Vic when I was a teenager. Back then it had a rover V8 in it and before I left he had started building the 5L engine for it, but I'm sure it was a Ford small block V8. This was his main every day car and indeed it was used for towing Lotus Elevens about.
It was this car that influenced me into buying my own Scimitar a few years ago.
Vic had a lovely collection of car when I knew him a pair of Lotus XI, 7, Elan, a pair of Esprit's, Excel, Europa, VW Beatle, Jag E Type, C type and D type if I remember correctly. I haven't seen Vic in probable 16 Years, I hope he is well.
I would love to see some photo's of the car now.
It was this car that influenced me into buying my own Scimitar a few years ago.
Vic had a lovely collection of car when I knew him a pair of Lotus XI, 7, Elan, a pair of Esprit's, Excel, Europa, VW Beatle, Jag E Type, C type and D type if I remember correctly. I haven't seen Vic in probable 16 Years, I hope he is well.
I would love to see some photo's of the car now.
Morning everyone Sorry for the lack of contact, it's been a mental week...
On saturday I took the boys out for a drive in the Scimitar and hit a pot hole snapping the passenger side rear axel couple, that connects to the coil over suspension arm.
Managed to get a friend to pick up kids and limp the car home as luckily not too far from home. Managed to find a replacement 4HA salisbury axel the next day from a gentlemen down the coast, which I picked up on Sunday.
So I've dropped the axel out of the car and opened the dif to find there is an LSD in really good nick so ive decided to transplant it over to the new 4HA. So I need some help and recommendations on the below...
So I need rear diff case gasket,front pinion flange seal 🦭 or front prop flange seal and both half 2 shaft seals 🦭 may not need those as it looked like they may of been replaced recently. Also it’s got all new brakes on the rear which I’m going to swap over. I may not need to remove the half shaft flanges as I may undo back plate bolts pull the whole lot out in one piece that’s if seals are new
Does anyone have any info on torque settings for rear diff caps on both axels please?
On saturday I took the boys out for a drive in the Scimitar and hit a pot hole snapping the passenger side rear axel couple, that connects to the coil over suspension arm.
Managed to get a friend to pick up kids and limp the car home as luckily not too far from home. Managed to find a replacement 4HA salisbury axel the next day from a gentlemen down the coast, which I picked up on Sunday.
So I've dropped the axel out of the car and opened the dif to find there is an LSD in really good nick so ive decided to transplant it over to the new 4HA. So I need some help and recommendations on the below...
So I need rear diff case gasket,front pinion flange seal 🦭 or front prop flange seal and both half 2 shaft seals 🦭 may not need those as it looked like they may of been replaced recently. Also it’s got all new brakes on the rear which I’m going to swap over. I may not need to remove the half shaft flanges as I may undo back plate bolts pull the whole lot out in one piece that’s if seals are new
Does anyone have any info on torque settings for rear diff caps on both axels please?
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