MV Turbos

30/10/2026

Wow, just wow!
Capri 2.8 Injection in for a long brake pedal. Started by pressure bleeding the system finding a few air bubbles but nothing significant. Spotted a weeping pipe on the o/s front, so this was also attended to. Moved onto one of the front wheel bearing that had a bit of play. Adjusted it up to stop the pads being pushed back when any movement occured. We then moved onto the back brakes, removed the drums and helped the self adjusters a bit to reduce cylinder movement. This improved things a bit still not quite right. Spotted a fluid pulse back into the master cylinder when the brakes were applied, so it's time to source a master cylinder next. Not so straight forward though.
A little modification was required to the speedo cable as it kept coming loose from the gearbox. More detail by the photos and we still have a tank sender unit to replace once its received.
Amazing car in amazing condition. Find another 👌

29/10/2026

How s**t was this 😡
Some of you will have seen the post of the 2.9 Sierra 4x4 Twin Turbo sometime ago that was in for the fullest of engine rebuilds. Not the usual 225 hp conversion this one. This was a 280hp one. Fired right up and ran beautifully. Super quiet, even the tappets. There's a but however !!! 😭
Once warmed up there was a wierd rumble from the engine. If you laid your hand on the plenum you could actually feel it. It was decided that further investigation was required so it was parked up and re joined the queue. I likened it to the crankshaft rattling around or broken which it obviously wasn't as it had just been fitted. Obviously if it was something I'd done wrong I was just going to have to swallow it 😢
The thought of removing the engine all over again with all the associated turbo pipework etc etc was too disheartening so the engine was supported from above and the strip down began. Front suspension off, then the crossmember and rack followed by the driveshafts, front diff and front timing cover. Then it was removal of the gearbox, clutch and flywheel before the sump could be removed.. Finally the big ends and main bearing were dropped out followed by the crank. The bearings etc looked in good order all be it had probably been run for less that 15 mins.
Next job was to have the crankshaft measured even although it had just been checked and polished by Brown Engineers over Edinburgh way. All arranged by the customer. They had carried out this work and supplied the appropriate main and big end shells, being Standard mains and +10 thou big ends which I was then handed back.. On measuring the crank the fkn mains should have also been +10 thou. How the f**k can a company the does engine machining for a living make such a serious mistake.
How pi**ed off was I after all my previous hard work and attention to detail. The correct shells were ordered and the car is good at last after the reverse of all that strip down was completed 😡
I actually called it right too. I had said it sounded like the crank was rattling around, as it never really sounded like a big end knock. So, at the end of the day, not my fault, although to be honest I never ever considered it would be.....
What a job that turned out to be ! 😭😭😭
Bit of a long one that... 😉

19/10/2026

Just an insight into where and how hard that TVR bolt was. 5hrs in at this stage...Madness, however it has finally relented
🤬😠
Thanks to Fraser Caldwell who has just spotted a crack in the chassis. Not visible from my side but now that I've watched the video it clearly has. Looks like I'll be seeing a bit more of this car 😭😭😭

16/10/2026

Never Give Up.... 😢

We had the TVR back in for the blowing manifold gasket. The plan was to replace the 8 however it soon became apparent that it was not going to be. 16 mild steel bolts screwed straight into the alloy heads. Some corroded to the point of having hardly any heads on them. It was decided to attempt changing just the one that had failed. This should have made thinlgs a bit simpler. Little did I know what I was in for. Firstly, there was no way you could dare shear the bolt, or round the head as the engine would have to come out which would probably involve lifting the body off the chassis I think. The top bolt came out as it wasn't particularly tight. Probably the reason the gasket had blown. The bottom one was a different story. Call me patient as it took 6 hours to get it out. Genuinely. A few degrees back and forth stealing a degree at a time. Heat, release oil, heat, release oil. In the beginning a 9/16" spanner, being levered with a bar. As the head became worn we moved onto a 14mm. Gave the bottom of the fl**ge and the head a good hit with a blunt chisel hoping to make it a bit looser, to no avail, so it was just perseverance 😭 A major result finally getting it out. Now the manifold web had to be cut to free the front pipe. It being nearest the collector gave us little movement to get the old gasket bits out. Then a screwdriver was wedged between the head and fl**ge after levering some space with a large bar. Slipped the gasket in from underneath, got the bottom bolt in and flipped it around to the top. Back on it with the bar, screwdriver out and pushed it round the rest to get the hole lined up with the top bolt. A final tighten up followed by a start up. I was truely terified incase it hadn't resolved the issue but success. What a job. 7.5 hours for two bolts and one gasket. The design is ridiculous. Zero space and steel bolts into alloy subjected to extreme heat. Studs and nuts would've been the answer. At least they could be split with a chisel if siezed. An absolute nightmare of a job. Saved a fortune however given the alternative... 👍

15/10/2026

Ok folks..... lets put this one to bed before a fight breaks out 😄

This RS200 Evocation was dropped off with a few drivability issues which I was challenged with trying to fix. Once I plucked up the courage I took it for a drive. Did less than a mile and returned to the workshop. At that time I only had two words. Fukn hell !!!
A clutch that was on or off. A twin plate cerametallic twin plate full race type clutch ( not a paddle type) Add to that a poor quality sticky throttle cable and a five and a half inch tall accelerator pedal that could only be applied with you toes! Also what I'd suggest is no more that a basic running map making the car diabolical to drive. First job, gearbox out and clutch stripped. The flywheel, intermediate plate and the cover were machined to allow the correct clearance for two kevlar lined plates which have allowed some control for normal driving. A new throttle cable was made up incorporating a teflon liner and the pedal was modified to allow much better pedal control.
The front alignment was checked too and found to be about 5mm toed out. Not ideal on a front end with no weight.
I found the brakes to be fine and typical of a racecar set up with plenty feel. They will never compare pedal feel wise to an Es**rt Cosworth using an accumulator type set up rather than twin servos. Next item on the shopping list should be mapping, but concentrating on drivability other than just outright power. If you open the butterfly a small amount the engine surges. Not ideal if trying to pull away smoothly, resulting in it bogging down or over revving to clear the hunt.
I believe it will get there eventually, but it's never going to be a Grand Tourer 😀

15/10/2026

Quite impressed with this thing to be honest..

A Ford Edge in for probably its first out of Ford service to be honest. Wasn't surprised that the wheels wouldn't come off. As for the oil filter, I'd like to meet the village idiot who fitted that. One and a half full turns levering it round before it finally relented and even then it was still tight. I don't get it. Always service a car so that if you get it back for the next one it's easy. Also had a full transmission oil and filter change. Fun and games getting 7lt of oil back into the box through a 12mm hole in the top of the box.
All in all I'd say, one of the better Fords.

13/10/2026

Next challenge. Had this in for a few weeks trying to improve its drivability... of which it had none 😵‍💫 Follow the story tomorrow on this one. I must have done something awful in a previous life...lol 😀😀😀 Looks the business though 👌

10/10/2026

More as promised on the Es**rt Cosworth. An absolutely pristine example having had a very serious refurbishment. As previously mentioned in for a big brake kit front and rear and an uprated intercooler. The intercooler was a tight fit on this with two brackets ( that were missing) making it a bit of a challenge to work out how it fitted. Finally obtained the brackets and got it all fitted up. The radiator is moved slightly back towards the engine and the intercooler is mounted forward with an ever so slight adjustment to the front chassis crossmember.
An unusual engine set up running coil packs and a Haltech ECU with a built in map sensor.
They don't come much cleaner than this. A fantastic looking car in the perfect colour 👌

06/10/2026

Stunning as new Es**rt Cosworth done and dusted and ready to go home. In for big brakes and an uprated intercooler. More on this one later. Took a fair bit of time getting the powder coating off the hubs, discovered between the hubs and old discs. A definite no no.

04/10/2026