400SE Chassis problems

[Lesliehedley]

Help! I’ve got a 400SE that needs some welding/fabrication doing to the front upper suspension mounts. I am based in Newcastle upon Tyne so I have tried the nearest TVR specialists but they all say the same. The body needs to come off to do the welding and they don’t want to take the body off. Obviously if the body is removed then a full chassis restoration would be logical but that’s a huge job according to them and would cost more than the car is worth. I tried Central RT and they don’t have the space and are too busy.

Can anyone suggest who might be able to do the welding without the body being removed or if there is no other way, someone that could do a full chassis restoration? I’m running out of options.

[Adrian@]

My thoughts are that this has already been 'repaired' in the past with an addition of a bridging piece to support the shock absorber top...



As you say, the tower top and the two shock absorber mounts that drop into the tower top in my picture could be replaced if the body was off. A@

Link to Southways 400 work on FB
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.14477637...

Edited by Adrian@ on Tuesday 6th February 17:24

[Lesliehedley]

Thanks Adrian. The bridging bar was put in by me to strengthen it when it collapsed. It was my first piece of welding ever so I don't have much confidence in it. I'm looking for a proper fix. I've seen the Southways album. I use it a lot for reference when I'm working on my car. I've tried contacting them but don't get an answer. I'm not sure they are still in business.

[Adrian@]

Give it till after the weekend and speak to Duncan at TVR classics (I am due with Duncan tomorrow). I have all the fabricated factory parts for the suspension turrets/front end that I am clearing out here, (keeping a set for my DH). BUT, these are OE parts (not parts taken off a chassis) there are no drawing (IMHO that NEEDS to happen to give the Wedge chassis a chance of surviving going forward). A@

[Lesliehedley]

Thanks Adrian that's great. I don't know who TVR Classics are. Do you have any contact details?

[Adrian@]

The base items are as such available via Duncan, these relate to the chassis BUT are far from being THE chassis tower complete (braces/gussets/strengthening washers are all added, relevant to each chassis version), as the wedge chassis is a complicated item, evolving from having the (OW design) )lower front suspension drag arms being under compression (rather than the Ford design of being under tension). THEN the evolution (via the 350 that torque twists the 1300 UJ driveshafts off the car, and snap alloy uprights on an awful trailing arm system) into the 400 chassis that then the simple original design shock supports have minor extensions to stop the front top springs jumping out in full droop AND a 'NOT a RECALL' where most of the front ARB mount brackets crack and break off the car in the redesign. Recently on PH there was a thread where the re differential mount was cracking around the differential carrier bosses. AND I own one of the damn things.



A@

[SEvans]

Adrian@ said:

The base items are as such available via Duncan, these relate to the chassis BUT are far from being THE chassis tower complete (braces/gussets/strengthening washers are all added, relevant to each chassis version), as the wedge chassis is a complicated item, evolving from having the (OW design) )lower front suspension drag arms being under compression (rather than the Ford design of being under tension). THEN the evolution (via the 350 that torque twists the 1300 UJ driveshafts off the car, and snap alloy uprights on an awful trailing arm system) into the 400 chassis that then the simple original design shock supports have minor extensions to stop the front top springs jumping out in full droop AND a 'NOT a RECALL' where most of the front ARB mount brackets crack and break off the car in the redesign. Recently on PH there was a thread where the re differential mount was cracking around the differential carrier bosses. AND I own one of the damn things.



A@

Me too and it's pushing out 270BHP through this lot!!
Cheers Steve

[Lesliehedley]

I've always thought this was a weak area of the chassis. I would have expected the triangular section to be at least 3mm steel but it appears to be 2mm. Perhaps I should use the parts of the triangle Duncan can provide but I might have them beefed up somehow, and add longer tangs for the spring to sit on.

[Lesliehedley]

Having just re-read Adrian's post, does that mean that pre 400 chassis' don't have the tangs to keep the springs in place? If so, what on earth keeps them in place?

[Adrian@]

Lesliehedley said:

Having just re-read Adrian's post, does that mean that pre 400 chassis' don't have the tangs to keep the springs in place? If so, what on earth keeps them in place?

The parts I have taken to Duncan are OE factory parts (this next picture is from the Southways FB pictures)



No to the tangs have to be at a set height (the parts in my picture fit to a minor jig) that get additions added. It is simple mods like this that are missing from earlier cars that need to be added to DIY rebuilds to future proof the car...Duncan said exactly that on size, BUT, these are parts that would of fitted into the factory Jig that Duncan has.
Note, that once you've built any TVR chassis, it is impossible to re install it back into the factory jigs (to effect a repair).

There are people that would not add the bits even if...
A@

Era correct Wedge chassis's are at first black dipped paint ...then powder coat thermoplastic (that peels off over time to reveal the 'hidden' rusty thinned metal, I will add, my thoughts are 'most' are) then powder coat thermoset. A@

Edited by Adrian@ on Thursday 8th February 17:50

[mk1fan]

Do you know Byker28i? I believe they are in Byker. They maybe able to assist.

[Lesliehedley]

No, I don't know Byker28i. Who are they? Can you give me any contact details please?

[Wedg1e]

Leslie, you could try these people, I know they have fabricated suspension parts for Wedges so may be able to help... they're over Hexham way:

http://tvrservices.co.uk/

[mk1fan]

Lesliehedley said:

No, I don't know Byker28i. Who are they? Can you give me any contact details please?

Byker28i is their screen name on here.

[BlueWedgy]

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?h=...

Although not overly useful sorry, as the website seems to be down at the mo.

Edited by BlueWedgy on Thursday 29th February 07:35

[Byker28i]

mk1fan said:

Lesliehedley said:

No, I don't know Byker28i. Who are they? Can you give me any contact details please?

Byker28i is their screen name on here.

Sadly not, my username is an old one, a mix of 2 wheeled transport and capri's, although mixed that way because my Sister is up that way...
I'm in westest wales now

[mk1fan]

Thank you.

I have vague memories of a Wedge owner and PH member with a garage being in Byker don't recall who though (clearly a 'Mandela Effect' recall). Only 'stuck' in my mind as I lived in Heaton for a few years.

[Lesliehedley]

Wedge1: Thanks for the tip. I know Neil at TVRservices. Unfortunately when I contacted him his waiting list was two years and growing. Although most of the other specialists that are capable of a body off restoration seem to be very busy at the minute as well. Hence my desperation.

[Wedg1e]

mk1fan said:

Thank you.

I have vague memories of a Wedge owner and PH member with a garage being in Byker don't recall who though (clearly a 'Mandela Effect' recall). Only 'stuck' in my mind as I lived in Heaton for a few years.

I've only known of four wedge owners up on Tyneside, none of whom are still owners as far as I know.
Neil Snowden who owned my red S1 Tasmin before I bought it in '95/6; Tony Mather who had a white 280 FHC, I covered the chassis repairs I did to it on my website.. and a third gentleman whose name escapes me (might have been Stuart) but he answered a letter I had printed in 'Sprint' mag in '96/7 that asked where all the S1s had gone (they were thin on the ground even then) - he was older then than I am now so may well no longer be with us. There was also carob of this parish, but can't see any recent posts from him...

Edited by Wedg1e on Friday 1st March 01:46

[Wedg1e]

Lesliehedley said:

Wedge1: Thanks for the tip. I know Neil at TVRservices. Unfortunately when I contacted him his waiting list was two years and growing. Although most of the other specialists that are capable of a body off restoration seem to be very busy at the minute as well. Hence my desperation.

Neil contacted me through Wedgeneering over some dimensional info, I forget what now... but he proceeded to make some replica A-frames for a car they had in that were works of art. One set were standard and the other had provision for full rose-jointing to go on a race car.