In reply to TVRs2Lotus :
Can you show us more of it?
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter):
Never denied that you had good taste.
In reply to TVRs2Lotus :
Can you show us more of it?
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter):
Never denied that you had good taste.
The previous post video is about the Turbo
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4fVkCDgKGE
This one is a vid on the Hybrid and 3000S
Very cool. Thanks so much for sharing. I'll have a lot of questions for you.
TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) said:Very cool. Thanks so much for sharing. I'll have a lot of questions for you.
Distinct possibility I'll be in Aurora for a few days soon, maybe I can visit... ? (btw..still on page 17...lol)
In reply to TVRs2Lotus :
Definite-maybe. Shoot me a PM and we'll discuss.
Page 17 - fuel pump questions and transmission mount design. Yeah, things have progressed.
Whew.. THAT was a lot of reading! I enjoyed it a lot and it's great reading your innovation, discovery and skillset! I saw such a push in the beginning with the motor that I wasn't sure if you were going to get it running first, THEN disassemble to do finish work, but are tackling it all! REALLY nice work!
Once I figure out how to PM, I hopefully can visit... will be in Denver, 10-15th this month.
JoeTR6 (Forum Supporter) said:It's looking good.
Have you considered modeling the frame and running a stress analysis on it? This might indicate weak points that could use reinforcement. Never having done this myself, it could also be a huge time sink not worth the effort. Maybe someone in the TVR community has already put in some effort.
Keep it up.
So, to address this a bit and maybe some earlier questions or observations Scott had early on, I can maybe help. (this is mostly memory... my references are buried right now, but when I was running the 3000S, I had a fair amount of correspondence with Gerry Sagerman (recently RIP) the USA president of TVR who was a past racer and he and I got along famously as he at one time set a lap record at Lime Rock. He was happy to see me using my TVR as it should be..
He also connected me with Mike Bigland, designer of the M chassis. I have pictures of the reason/development of that chassis as he was a race support/engineer that was campaigning a V8 Tuscan and as he said "the old chassis was too noodley". They had a lot of power coming from a well massaged SBF and he set about modifying the chassis to make it strong enough for the power they were making. When calculated it out, it was roughly 3-4 times stronger/stiffer than the Griff/lengthened Tuscan chassis. As Mike was also a part time TVR dealer and approached them with a stronger, cheaper to produce chassis. TVR went with it and thus a "Hybrid" was made in 1972 where the M chassis was in the older lighter body. The funny/sad thing is TVR never put a V8 in the chassis that was designed to take the power. My Taimar Turbo was the closest to that and I have never heard any issues on chassis strength.
To that end, be cautious of giant changes in your suspension setup, as they actually worked really great out of the box. It's more a case of the rest of car market caught up with where TVR and Lotus were.
Oh yes, the tire mount up front was for crash safety and the M with that was, IIRC the first car the had crashed at 30mph into a wall that was survivable and they were happy/shocked the steering column went up and AWAY from the driver. They could not believe their instruments etc. and wanted to crash another. Mike more or less said "it was designed to do that, 1 car is all you get, F off"...(It was somewhat serendipitous, but he went with it)
I've yabbered enough... keep up the great work and hope to get a chance to visit..
Bill
In reply to TVRs2Lotus :
I'm not changing any of the suspension geometry or pick-up points. I'm just strengthening places that show signs of significant overload.
Everything I've heard about this chassis is that it's rock solid and really puts down power well - and your autocross experience confirms that.
What shocks do you run on your cars for autocross?
Well, memory test as this was 22 years ago... but IIRC, when I got the car, I bought some used SPAX shocks (newer) and some Low useage Konis. I had always been a "run what's there" guy and it was my first try at "prepping". I was usually the fast codriver with the owner or bought a car with some parts already on it. After reading rules and learning the SPAX shocks had a perch dimension off that would lower the car, I checked and the Konis effectively were the same as stock and I ran those. I was not allowed to increase spring capacity so I ran a custom larger front sway bar and added a Limited slip as it was a "Limited" factory option. The bar kept it flatter, the LSD let me lay down some torque.
If I knew then what I know now, I would adjusted a lot more. But I got the big points... SUPER light Bogart 14x6 wheels (IIRC @8.5 pounds), the LSD and front bar transformed the car. I would not up the springs too much from stock as the ride will get harsher. Also, my sway bar tabs had bent too.. Big bars, hard driving and bottoming on the bar will bend those mounts. I was not allowed to strengthen, BUT Bolts were free, so I cut bolts the length of the distance to the bushing bracket to the frame tube and lock nutted in place to place any load on the frame if needed.
The above is TVR wise, which I assume is what you wanted to know. My current car I starting to run is the orange Elise...and I just splurged for custom DA Penskes there...
This morning was fun! Bill - aka TVRs2Lotus from above - and his brother Phil swung by to have a look at the car and talk TVR's.
Bill on the right, Phil on the left:
I really enjoyed getting lots of TVR info and history, as well as some feedback on technical questions I had.
Bill, some day in the future perhaps you'll actually get to run my car thru some cones!
And - just to say it out loud - if you're ever looking for a new home for that Taimer Turbo - give me a call...
That looks like a lot of TVR loving in one room. Wish I could have been there.
Hey! My turn to post a pic of the man, the legend, Scott and his baby!!
It was a fun morning and went by too fast!! Also, I was showing my brother some of your thread and I spotted those wheels it came with. IIRC, those were a fairly rare option. While they may not be ideal, and a bit narrow... they look the part.. Gemini wheels?
I really enjoyed seeing your work and can hardly wait to see it roadworthy... and as I come back to visit my brother, I look forward to a ride... or as you said.. drive! 
Adrian Venn and David Gerald, good suppliers and info in UK.. and others I need to dig up and send later.
Thanks again and keep up the good work!!
Oh yeah Scott...... you are Ninja level on space utilization!!
Sorry- back to add or edit.. the more I look, the more info wants to tumble out of my head... I've more or less been dealing with TVRs in one way or another for 40+ years! Geez! Has it been that long!!!???
Anyway, I saw someone had posted questioning size/fit. They are actually pretty decent if you are taller.. if you are "expanded width".. more of a challenge! BUT, WAAAAYYY easier than getting and out of an Elise! Let me tell ya!!
Anyway, my torso is closer to that of someone 6' 2"....yet, I have shorter legs. When I could reach the pedals, I was closer, but still had head room... with a helmet is was slightly rubbing the headliner.. (Not in the 3000S though!!-- btw, that 3000S was weighed at a National event and was 2145 pounds.. 
)
But to my original point, I gave a 6'6" friend (mostly leg) a ride in my Tuscan..he said with the seat back, it was the first car he had been in that he could extend his legs flat and just a tiny tip of the toe to touch the floor board...so LOTS of leg room!
Glory days link http://tvrna.tvrccna.org/racing.html
Stampie (FS) said:That looks like a lot of TVR loving in one room. Wish I could have been there.
You would have been welcomed with open arms!
TVRs2Lotus said:
I was showing my brother some of your thread and I spotted those wheels it came with. IIRC, those were a fairly rare option. While they may not be ideal, and a bit narrow... they look the part.. Gemini wheels?
Yeah, those wheels do seem to be unusual, and lots of people prefer the wheels with the "T" in them. I prefer the ones I have. They'll definitely be for my regular road tires, and then I'll have a second set for wide sticky stock.
This is going to look really repetitive. Trust me, from a work point of view, it's repetitive.
More tab doublers. Got this RR bracket ground to fit and clamped in:
Thru the magic of electric-arc wizardry - SHAZAM! - welded in:
I fitted one more in front and then had to take a conference call. I'll buzz it in tomorrow.
More work this morning. I did weld in that doubler from above - no pic. Been there, done that.
I felt like doing something a bit different, so I attacked a couple other trouble spots on the frame. First up, this body-mounting plate had cracks in the corners. You can see the left side is pretty prominent, and the right is much smaller.
I ground them out with a cut-off wheel on the dremel, and then welded them back up:
Then, on to this little hot-mess. This tube is pretty awful, and needs full replacement:
First steps with the sawzall:
The bottom wall basically crumbled as I cut it.
Flipped the frame 90 deg, and then did some detail trimming with a sanding disc and dremel:
Tons of loose flaky rust inside the tube. The joint with the frame tube has some corrosion. Before I get to the tube replacement, I may patch in a doubler to make it a bit more sturdy:
I'm heading back out to grind some more. Will post more progress later.
Man, it's a good thing you're a master welder! I'm so glad I'm not faced with a hot mess of frame rot. Of course maybe I just see what I want to see, which is no problems. The other side of the coin is "the hammer sees everything as a nail"! With all the reinforcement, your frame will be hella strong... and 20 lbs heavier!
In reply to Stu Lasswell :
Nah, maybe five pounds heavier!
Did some more precision-grinding this afternoon. Here's the intersection of the two diagonals with the tube being removed. They must have welded them all at once, since the tube I took out was not part of that inside corner weld. The trimmed bits just popped right out.
A far-away view:
A REALLY far-away view:
Inside the horizontal lateral tube. Some rust in there for sure, but nothing that makes me want to cut it out and replace it.
The diagonal that leads up from this joint looks a lot better:
And lastly here's a quick mock up of the new tube. It fits reasonably well, but I need to spend some time correcting the fit. And the inside will need to be coped to match the round tube.
That's it for now!
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) :
I was being facetious. Still, I am glad I'm not faced with that frame... it would be the end of the project for me. My frame repairs cost me $40. Got it back home today. Still got to clean up and paint the little bits, like the suspension pieces, e-brake assembly, diff mounting cage. Then I'll have to bite the bullet and make the big order to Goodparts! My poly bushing set is on its way from the UK. Oh, and start working on the front suspension rebuild. At least I've got an extra TR6 front end for spare parts.
In reply to Stu Lasswell :
I got your sarcasm! You're good! I'm glad your frame isn't too bad.
What are you getting from Good Parts? Everything I got from him (and I got EVERYTHING) looks really nice.
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) :
I'm getting all the back half stuff you got... R200 kit, CV axles and alloy hubs, but also the modified diff, if he has one that's not too pricey. I think I need to go with the 3.357 since I'm staying with the TR gearbox. No overdrive. The original TR diff (that TVR used) was 3.41 I believe, With low profile tires, even in 16", freeway drives will be high rpm. Original 185/75/14s are about the same height as 225/50/16s.Maybe I can find a decent one in a yard and modify it myself, but his price seems to be in line with what I see on ebay. Maybe Michael knows the local market and can advise.
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