Having always wanted a TVR (or to build a kit car from scratch) I finally got my way with SWMBO giving in and allowing me to buy my P&J, the best of both worlds a TVR which needs restoration (yes I know thats the expensive way, but it is fun!!!).  I can teach the boys some mechanics said I, she knew I really meant I can have fun in restoring her and then thrashing her across Dartmoor every weekend.  So I finally bought it.  A 1992 Ash Green TVR S3.  In the sale I was aware of a few faults and knew I had work to do, but thats half the fun.  Having bought her in Portsmouth I had to drive her to Plymouth in the blazing sun with my two boys arguing who came with me and who with their mother in the Zafira.  Half and half was the solution with a changeover at Eype.  Once home the first thing was to make sure she was road worthy (it had 12 months ticket, but I like to check myself) so up on the axle stands she went and despite having given her a thorough checking over before purchase I found a few faults that needed immediate attention so welded up a seatbelt mount and changed two CV joints, gave her a full service and on the road for the summer with minimum work.  At this stage I knew I had some outrigger work to do and had every intention of having the body off over the winter - but fun first!!!!

Little did I know what was in store for me over the winter!!! The moral of the story here is - give the car a very good looking over and once you have then estimate at least 5 times the level of corrosion that you think you've found on the chassis. Had I known the state of the chassis I would certainly have looked for another or dramatically reduced the price and I wouldn't have spent the summer thrashing her around because as you can see from the little shop of horrors the seatbelt mounts were well and truly shot and the previous chassis repair (at the start of the previous owners tenure and by his father's garage!!!) had been a real cowboy job; if such work had been done by my father I would wonder if he'd taken out a life insurance policy on me!!!!.

As you can see from the photos all outrigger welding had been done by the half moon approach leaving the top open to the elements and allowing water to seep in and lay - therefore the tubes were rotting from the inside to the outside. However they are all galvanised now.

My intention is to periodically update this website adding details of each improvement or maintenance task that I complete on the car. I do not however intend to duplicate simple tasks that are detailed on other websites or those that are of a basic general nature, therefore you will not find servicing procedures or the likes on this site.

If you have any questions with regard to the procedures on this site feel free to email me and I'll reply as best I can. I am also willing to host procedures completed by others, just send me a step by step story and appropriate photos and I'll create a page for the task with a credit for the person submitting the task. I will not however host anything that may be subject to copyright or the like, so please don't ask.

Having been asked the question She Who Must Be Obeyed = SWMBO