Servicing and storage
The Ginetta factory never issued a service manual as such with the car, especially considering the car was a mixture of Landrover and Ford running gear. With very low milages service intervals can seem a long way apart on mileage so timed service intervals are a better bet.
At least Monthly
Check tyre pressures and tyre condition (note for uneven wear- suspension alignment can be knocked out). Tyre pressures 23psi front and rear seems the optimum
Check the fluid levels in the hydraulic systems
Check the engine oil level
Check water level in the header tank
At least Yearly.
Change the Sump oil and Filter. Id recommend GTX magnetic for classic engines. Modern thin full synthetics don't suit this engine. Use OEM Landrover oil filter, only a tad more expensive than a pattern one, and much better
Check battery Level
Run injector cleaner in the fuel tank
Check fan belt tension and radiator hoses condition
Check chassis for corrosion, clean and repaint where necessary
Check plug colour and condition. Replace as necessary
Clean air filter with hot water and detergent, FROM THE INSIDE OUT. Let it dry and reapply K & N Filter oil.
Check for any wiring burning around the fuse box and relays
Tighten every nut and bolt you can find in the glassfiber body
Check for play in suspension rose joint joints and track rod ends. Replace as nessasary.
Every three years
Change Hydraulic fluids for clutch and brakes.
Change Gearbox oil- DONT USE ATM fluid as originally stated, use a good synthetic gearbox oil such as castrol SMX
Change Diff' oil
Change Fuel filter. Range Rover unit, under the body by the rear nearside suspension.
Check tracking angles.
Check / Replace HT leads, distributor cap and rotor arm. Many a miss fire on these engines can be traced to faulty HT components
Wayoyl Chassi. Remove rear wheels and rear luggage compartment to gain full access to the rear of the chassis
Drain, flush and refill cooling system . Use at least 30% Antifreeze to minimise corrosion.
Careful storage can minimise the damage from storing the car over the UK winter months, so here's a few ideas to help.
Make sure the last run the car has is sufficient to get the car to full working temperature. Less than this can lead to condensation in the cylinders and exhaust system, leading to internal corrosion.
Change the engine oil (even if low mileage) as acids from the combustion process remain in the oil, and corrode the engine internal components. Replace with fresh (cheap will do) oil and turn the engine over on the starter having disconnected the primary of the coil to run the fresh oil through the bearings. If the engine is started to do this, ensure the engine reaches full temperature before turning off. Use fresh oil in the spring.
If you wash and wax the car, leave it outside to dry for several days before storage, trapped water can do lots of damage over the winter. Pressure washing is NOT recommended, as it can force water into screw threads and electrical connections
Spray all the alloy engine parts with liberal amounts of water repellent like WD40.
The chassis metal components will benefit from a coat of a product like Waxoyl, but avoid the disk brakes!
You will need to decide either to start the engine on a regular basis throughout the winter or if you want to "winterise" the engine fully. See the notes about the clutch below first.
Any fuel will need draining from the injection system. This can simply be done by running the engine out of fuel, but estimating how long this will take can be awkward as the Ginetta fuel gauge is far from accurate. Alternatively take the plate off under the fuel tank to expose the fuel pump. Clamp off the rubber hose from the tank to the fuel pump with a G clamp. Disconnect the inlet to the fuel pump and place a suitable container at the end of the pipe, and release the clamp. Use the clamp to stop the fuel if the container fills. (may sound obvious but you will be glad when you find you have two gallons of fuel instead of 1/2 a gallon !) . Finally turn on and off the ignition several times to force any remaining fuel back into the tank from the fuel injection. The pump only runs for a few seconds without the engine running (as a safety system) so the ignition needs cycling. The pump speed will be heard to rise as all fuel is pumped out. Its not recommended that you run the engine to drain the injectors as it will not reach operating temperature and condensation will form.
Some people recommend the plugs are removed and thin oil put into the cylinder liners. The problem here is dirt surrounding the plug can get into the cylinders, that will do as much damage as any possible corrosion. If you do this use an air line to blow around the plugs before and as you remove them to remove any dirt. Only use a thin spay lubricant in the bores, as thicker oils can goo things up over time. Don't use too much, and the engine can be restarted in the spring and simply burn the lubricant away.
Finally spray lots rust preventing spray (like WD40) into the dry fuel tank. The tanks are mild steel, and not plated internally and don't need much excuse to rust badly internally. The tank is heavily baffled so its almost impossible to get the spray every where but it helps.
The engine will need starting and running to full working temperature about every 6 weeks. (I usually wait for the fans to come on ) Once started, turn the tick over up to around 2000 - 2500 rpm using the plastic screw adjuster on the end of the throttle cable in the engine bay. A normal rate tick over may not provide enough oil splash from the crank to lubricate the cylinder bores and does more harm than good. You may upset the neighbours however ! Once the engine is hot and running depress the clutch and try putting the car into 5th gear slowly to check the clutch is still free. If it has seized on you will be notified by the sound of crunching gears !
Most of us don't have the benefit for a dehumidified garage, so some items will corrode. The worse case is normally the flywheel surface into the clutch friction plate, so after 6 months of storage the clutch will no longer disengage. This can be a night mare to free if the car has been stood some time. If this has happened, either the engine will need removing to get at the clutch or try this, its worth a go.
This is a dangerous procedure is the car should come off the axle stands. It also loads the clutch, handbrake and rear suspension very heavily.
Jack up the rear of the car securely on axle stands to get the wheels of the ground and rear wheels should be removed . Run the engine to operating temperature in neutral. Stop the engine and put into 5th gear and restart. Using 5th will maximise the load on the clutch, and minimise the load on the brakes and suspension. DO NOT USE LOWER GEARS. The rear drive shafts are now spinning. Now depress the clutch, and gently apply the hand brake. As the engine rev's start to drop, give the engine enough throttle to stop it stalling. Increase the hand brake / throttle until the clutch free's (frequently with a bang !)
Ideally the cars weight should be removed from the tyres, to stop the them deforming over time. This must be done correctly to prevent damage to the cars suspension. If the car is simply jacked up on the chassis rails, the suspension will drop. This will cause the springs to relax and extend, and the metalastic suspension bushes will become distorted from their natural resting position. When the car is returned to use the ride height will have altered and altered the camber angles accordingly ruining the handling for several months until things resettle. To prevent this the wheels need removing, and axle stands placed under the alloy uprights all round . This will put an equivalent load onto the suspension as having the wheels fitted on the ground. If you jack on the wishbones the loading will be reduced accordingly and is not recommended. You obviously need not worry about this procedure if you are going to replace the tyres in the spring.
Great stuff glassfibre, all it needs is a cotton cover to keep off the dirt. Keep the roof on, and leave a window out to ventilate the interior.
Keep the battery charged up once a month or so. Don't leave an unregulated battery charger permanently as this will make the battery gas and loose its acid. Only regulated battery chargers with a permanent float option should be left connected. This does not quite fully charge the battery so no gassing takes place.
Leave the handbrake off, so it cannot stick on.
The disks will have rusted, calipers may seize, hydraulic fluid will absorb water, engine cooling fluid may loose its corrosion inhibiting abilities, the battery may be low on its acid level. Any remaining fuel may have oxidised.
So basically:
Replace the Brake and Hydraulic fluid if its over three years old. Don't think that low mileage means no deterioration, hydraulic fluid in particular absorbs large amount of water from the atmosphere.
Check the diff oil, and gearbox levels (mine drains slowly over time).
Check tyre pressures and condition.
Pass an eye over the rubber cooling hoses for perishing.
Replace the engine coolant if its over three years old.
Disconnect the coil primary and remove the plugs, put in a small squirt of WD40 or like into each bore and crank the engine until the oil pressure rises. Replace the plugs and reconnect the coil leads. Put in fresh fuel. Cycle the ignition until the fuel pump slows as the fuel pressure rises in the system. With a good battery the engine should now start. Raise the tick over up slowly to around 2500 rpm, and hold there until the engine is warm. Drain and replace the oil.
Try the brakes carefully on the first road test. The disks will sound horrible until the surface rust has cleared. Stuck calipers will show as the car pulling to one side.
Unseen corrosion in the tank can slowly block fuel filters that may not be apparent. There is a large Range Rover fuel filter located on the upper rear chassis that should be replaced periodically. A good check for rust in the system is to check the colour of the semi transparent pipes that feed fuel to and from the engine on the offside engine bulk head. These become visibly rusty brown if corrosion has taken place.