My 2.0L car was purchased from my brother Paul Elverstone on 3rd October 1989, and at this time I was still driving my hard top automatic TR7, so I had to sell it, as running two cars was expensive for me at that time. The automatic was eventually sold on 14th February 1990. Well, the five speed convertible car was a different drive from the automatic that I owned, and it was used daily to and from work, with the roof down at every opportunity.
MY 2.0L CONVERTIBLE BEFORE IT'S GRINNALL CONVERSION
It was only about five months later that one day, the car would not start, it would turn over but just would not go. It was later diagnosed that the timing chain had slipped and internal damage was done to the engine. I was aware that the TR7s could also be fitted with the Rover 3.5 engine, and as I have experienced riding in a Grinnall conversion, I decided to make some enquiries at Mark Grinnall’s office on 4th June 1990. After speaking with Mark Grinnall, the car was arranged to be collected on 23rd June for its trip to the workshops at Bewdley, Worcestershire for the V8 treatment and a few other options. The other options were going to be: Power Assisted Steering, 14” Alley Cat Wheels, and the Rover five-stud conversion. At this point, I would have liked the bodywork repaired, but this was left for a later date
ROVER 3.5 ENGINE,RECENTLY CONVERTED FROM THE OLD 2.0L UNIT
It was on the 4th August that I received a call from Mark Grinnall, letting me know that my car was ready for collection. So on 18th August it was a trip up to Bewdley to collect my ‘new’ car. I remember catching a train to London, and then onto Birmingham, and then a train to Kidderminster station, from there I made a phone call to his office and before long, I was picked up and taken to the offices. The car had only 15 miles on the clock when I collected it from the workshop, but I was soon going to change that! For the first 500 miles, I was advised not to take the car above 3,000 R.P.M, as this was the bedding in period for the engine. Also, I had to bring the car back to him for a 1,000 mile oil and filter change service, which I did on 24th August.
The car was still used as every day transport to and from work, but now, with the V8 engine, it made the journeys more interesting. I remember driving the car and thinking that the engine sounded ‘tight’ and the exhaust note ‘very crisp’. People really do look behind to see what is approaching them, as they can hear the exhaust first, and then see the car second! It wasn't long before I was accelerating through tunnels and under low bridges, just to hear the noise of the exhaust, which always sounded good to me. The other thing I liked doing was starting the car up in the company car park and setting off some car alarms, always a winner that.
The power assisted steering was a joy to use, and made parking the car easier, and with the tougher suspension, you can really go through roundabouts with ease. As you can imagine, a lot of fun was had with the car, it was good taking it out on all the TRDC events, but the one thing that let it down was the body work
ME IN MARK GRINNALL'S OFFICE
The bodywork on the car was really bad, and it needed panels replacing or repairing. So on 13th March 1991 I visited Mark Grinnall again to get a quote for some bodywork. The car had some bad rust around the door panels, and dents in other panels. A date was booked for the bodywork, and on 2nd December I made another trip to the workshop to leave the car for the body work treatment. Well, it was not long before I received a call again from Mark Grinnall on 24th January 1992 saying that the car will be ready in about twelve days, and on the 8th February, I made another journey to the workshops to collect the car. This time, it was in gleaming red and no rust or dents in sight.
Since the engine conversion, I have no real problems with the car, it has just done 53,000 miles and is still a joy to drive, and the exhaust note is still loud. The car had no problems switching to the unleaded fuel, no timing or any engine modifications were made and I have not used any ‘lead supplements’ either, just fill it up from the petrol pump and off you go! I have been keeping records of the M.P.G, and I can say that I used to get about 23-25 M.P.G to and from work back in 1991, but these days, I’m achieving 25+ M.P.G. Since I’ve had the conversion made to the car, I make sure that the oil and filter are changed every 3,500 miles. The only thing that has been replaced recently is the viscous coupling for the fan and the ignition coil moved to another part of the engine bay, and some welding to the underside for M.O.T work. Over the years, a mohair hood was fitted and I would like to re-trim the interior at some stage
It has all been worth while, my brother bought another TR7 shortly after this Grinnall conversion, and he had the 2.0L engine replaced with a Rover 3.9 unit. It was a ‘home brewed’ project, a friend sourced the engine and all the ancillaries, and assembled it all together. Some parts were obtained from Rimmer Brothers, and other parts were sourced from 2nd hand places. When it was all put together, it did not sound or handle as good as the Grinnall conversion. But at the end of the day, you pays your money and takes your choice.
Well, that’s all for now, until next time, Pip-pip!
