1994 GRIFFITH 4.0L - Road & Track
So, where to start with a project like this ? One thing for certain, when a lot of changes are planned, we start with parts or a damaged car and not a nice example of a classic TVR !
Step one, source a brand new fully restored and ready to go rolling chassis, or if you cant find one of those (quite rare) then a nice crispy rolling chassis that is ripe for a full restoration ! This one came from under a MoT failure Chimaera. Not pretty as it is but that will change. This particular chassis was borrowed from the Comet Coupe project.
Look away now if you are easily upset ! Unfortunately this is how we expect the chassis for Griffs and Chims to look like if they havent had regular attention to the underside to prevent corrosion. It is not always serious, it can just be superficial but that wont be found out until it is shot blasted.
Once the chassis is repaired and freshly painted, the best part is re-assembly using new or refurbished parts. In this case the front suspension was rebuilt with stronger tubular wishbones from Grantura Eng. New ball joints and a set of double adjustable AVO shockers. As the intended use of the Griff was to include trackdays the suspension was built using Polybush inserts.
I knew I wanted to cut the body about so why not start with an accident damaged part rather than a perfectly good body tub. More work this way yes, but in the long term peace of mind knowing i wasnt mutilating a perfectly good shell. And my plans to mutilate it were pretty severe.
This shell did need some repairs before i could set about modifications but it worked fine as a donor. The cage will be supporting the screen so the fact that there was a repair needed to the screen surround wasnt so much of an issue.
One of the big requirements for the body shell is easier access to components in the engine bay. Even the brake booster is accessable now. Exhaust manifold bolts are visible for the first time too !
Next step was the fabrication of a radiator support frame. The idea was for this to also support the front body work so would need to be capable of that too.