Another Newbie

[grb90]

OK... So I've been cruising these pages for a year and a bit collecting knowledge, ideas, inspiration not to mention dilemmas..! So time to say ...Hello..
So a couple of years ago I purchased a rather tatty Series 2 FHC which is sat in the garage waiting to be restored and rebuilt but with some enhancements to end up with a useable reliable car to enjoy. Upgrades will be a case of " best use of funds" ie EFI rather than Triple SU ? But also 5 Speed maybe? RHD, front brake upgrade.. Etc etc. So once I've made enough progress with the kitchen extension for the home office, ( chaps, walk in larder is the way to a happy wife..!!)) I hope to have some time off to get cracking
Would really like to meet local people to Gloucester ( Highnam) for coffee, snacks, etc and next time I'm visiting friends in Digby would be keen to meet "politeperson" to pick your brains!!
OK, I'll shut up now! Hopefully I haven't made any "first post" blunders, ( this is my second missive, first one vanished! Hopefully in the right place..)
Many thanks
Guy

[mgcjag]

Hi Guy...welcom to the forum....about time you joined in your definatly in the right plase as your well aware..all the best...and enjoy your project.....Steve

[Gfhug]

Guy, welcome to the forum. As you've realised there's lots of useful knowledge and information here.
EFI? Only a few have got that going well but it could be cheaper than a set of triple SUs.
Five speed gearbox? There's nothing wrong with a standard S2 gearbox and you pay a lot of money for a replacement five speed box that you'll see can give varying amounts frustration fitting and in use. Use that money for fuel and the time saved in doing other work.

Ask your questions and people will do their best to help

Geoff

[malcolm]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
I'm no exxpert, but if you're talking about replacing exxisting 3 X SUs with EFI, I can't really see the point. SUs set up right seem fine to me, and are part of the character. If your existing gearbox is duff, then maybe 5 speed, but otherwise why not see how you get on with your existing one first? If you have the 3.07 diff, then you'll cruise at 80mph at 3200'ish rpm which isn't a problem.

[288gto]

............. ( chaps, walk in larder is the way to a happy wife..!!))

Alas in my wife's case a walk in wardrobe.

Welcome to the forum Guy from a fellow S2 owner. I've done a few of the mods you mention above.
Fosseway 4 pot calipers and vented discs all round, Broadsport 5 speed, Broadsport engine with big valve head,
Electric power steering, Alternator conversion, Fan upgrade, Rob Beere oil filter conversion, modern relay and fuse protection, MX5 seat conversion, Rob Beere adjustable reaction plate, adjustable rear shocks and springs, 3.07 diff, etc.

Feel free to ask me what were worthwhile and what were no more than an extravagant indulgence that resulted in the aforementioned wardrobe as a punishment for my totally selfish spending.

Simon

[tim wood]

Happy wife = Happy life !

[grb90]

Thank you gentlemen. Tim.. Is this another thread in the making " how to keep one's partner happy? " or would that be under " running reports!!? " Personally the walk in larder has huge benefits for me! I guess a walk in wardrobe could also hold some delights tho....
Simon.. Don't think I have access to the same funds as yourself! Certainly not in terms of Broadsport engines but I assume it was money well spent and puts a huge smile on your face!
I think I'm approaching this with the mind of does one spend money on refurbishing the old, or on upgrading.. So my seats are ropey so the MX5 conversion makes sense ( to me!) I read on the forum about upgrading front brakes, and moving fronts to rears, but again I shall see how bad the callipers and pistons are once stripped. But then others say S2 brakes are ample enough for modern driving..
Malcolm, my car is US spec so has twin strombergs . From my V8 land rover days these were always upgraded to SU. So I would be starting with a complete manifold and carb set etc, hence the thought of spending similar funds going straight to EFI using the lovely Mangoletsi manifold. But again it's talking to people with experiance and insight and making a decision!
Of course it's very easy to go down upgrade routes, but I'm very aware that an upgrade in one area has a knock on effect in another and one ends up chasing one's tail....
One of the questions I've yet to find an answer to is does anyone make a camshaft specific for fuel injection? Again Rover V8 experience has taught me it makes a huge difference. ( I once unknowingly fitted an EFI cam into a 3.5 carb engine, nightmare!! Bag of nails to drive..!)
But the joy of this forum is all the wonderful knowledgeable chaps who have the answers...
I look forward to picking brains once I get started.
Finally, is it just me or does one have to spell check very carefully. I'm on my wife's Kindle and callipers became callers and pistons wants to change to pigeons, amongst others !!!

Guy

[mgcjag]

Hi Guy....nothing wrong with S2 brakes.....have you thought about running with the strombergs for a while..correctly set up and modified they are not far off tripple SU,s. Many on here run with them... nothing wrong with a standard 4 speed gearbox especially if you have a 3.07 diff...Steve

[grb90]

Haha.... And that's exactly why I'm on here... Thank you! Ok so lots to think about. Whereas I'm thinking replace rather than restore/ overhaul perhaps I'm looking down the wrong end of the scope! Food for thought..
I believe, again as a US spec car I have a 3.54 diff?? And my understanding is that means the revs are higher than necessary? Especially for UK / Europe driving?
So much to learn!! I think I fall into the " a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" bracket

Guy

[mgcjag]

Hi Guy...your doing the right thing.....find out as much as you can befor you start.....also think about resale....tripple SU,s would be more desirable than injection.....so if they are going to cost about the same to install......then i would go SU,s

[Nickleback]

Hi Guy & to the forum.

As a fellow S2 FHC owner (ex XKE), I started out like you four years ago in the same situation and I am still another six months away from finishing from getting all the major restoration work completed, but then you never really totally stop improving / maintaining them.

Depending on your budget and views you really need to make a directional decision that suits you, do you want the car as original as possible but restored, or modded/restored for best everyday driving or somewhere in between.

If you decide to update / modify anything then I can thoroughly recommend LHD to RHD conversion, changing to three SU's, changing the diff from 3.54 to 3.07, stainless steel exhaust, uprated alternator & starter motor.
I got the same brakes rebuilt as I think they are good enough and also kept the existing seats(rebuilt) as I wanted the cabin to look standard.

You will also need to decide whether you keep the same looks outside especially at the rear of a S2 as a lot of people clean them up, me included !

I also chose to restore original parts wherever possible rather than use pattern/copy items as I really enjoy sourcing original items and getting them refurbished like new, but I them also wanted to keep as much of the patina of the car from the last 49 years

Have you considered changing the car from XKE spec to full UK spec, do you want to keep the original colour, are you concerned about resale effects, will you budget stretch, how much do you want to do yourself ?

So many choices, but above all, do what you want to do and enjoy the journey, there is so much help and advice available here on the forum.

[grb90]

Mike... Thanks for that... From a Petworth boy!
It's great getting all the ideas and tips from people with experiance before getting down to work. I'm the kind of person who could easily end up getting sidetracked into changing things on the go, but in this case I want to have a clear idea of what I'm planning before starting. I know I don't want to do anything irreversible. But I'm also not aiming for an original spec concours car. It's a 2 part story in as much as I'm really looking forward to doing the work, or as much of, myself as possible. I enjoy that element. But I also want to end up with a car I ( or my wife ) can use regularly!
My current issue is this forum is so darned interesting it's too easy to whilst away an evening on the sofa surfing than actually getting in the garage getting on with it!!!!!!

Guy

[AshM]

Welcome Guy from another S2 FHC owner.

As others have said - you'll get all the advice you want on here - whether you need it or not!
Sometimes different views but all based on practical experience.

My upgrades are all able to be returned to original if ever required. Lots of Fosseway parts - front brakes, alternator, starter, manifold heat shield, otter switch and rear brakes easy-bleed. Delighted with them all. Pricey but highest quality and very friendly back-up if needed.

100% agree with keeping 'better half' happy - I get a lot of stick about the amount of time I spend on the forum. She calls it my porn! Which is amusing enough at home but a little off-putting in the pub when she asks "...are you on that porn again..."

Enjoy the forum and will look forward to following your progress.

cheers
Ash