GTV Spider (Type 916) 1995 - 2004

We purchased our Spider in 2007 for the price of £4,300 from a nearby seller. It was in very good condition apart from a noisy exhaust which we fixed immedately. Someone had patched the rusty holes in the exhaust with loads of sealant which didn't really do the job.

For the next ten years we used it in the summer months as our main car, taking our other car off the road for the duration. Otherwise we would hardly ever take the Spider out in case the weather turned bad! This forced us to use it every day and we would commute from Tadworth to Leatherhead each weekday through the lovely country roads we have in Surrey.

Reliabilty was excellent over the ten years with very little maintenance apart from an auxilliary belt breaking during our tour of northern England and a long trip home after having to argue with the insurance company.

I retired in 2017, and the Spider was starting to show its age as well. Some engine seals were leaking and we were getting worried about its long term reliability. It still ran well but felt like an older car.

The decision was made to strip and rebuild it as a retirement project.

Engine

The engine was taken out and parts stripped and cleaned.

The block, cylinder head and crankshaft were taken to Sutton Rebore in Carshalton who measured and checked all tolerances and bearing sufaces. The big end and main bearing shells were smoothly worn (thanks to regular oil changes). The barrels were on standard bore sizes and just needed honing. The big ends and mains journals just needed polishing and the cylinder head was lightly skimmed.

New shells, piston rings and valve seals were fitted, the valves were checked and lapped in and the engine was painted and assembled with new seals and gaskets.