Thanks to Chris Smith at Devon Racing, we were very kindly given some new engine mounts from another TVR, and the engine, with the gearbox, was finally mated with the chassis. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the problems for Gerald. A lot of hard work allowed the engine to be plumbed in and started, after which we quickly realised oil was leaking out the back of the engine through an oil gallery bung that wasn’t properly sealed. We also found the coil would get extremely hot even when the engine wasn’t running, so that needed to be replaced too. The engine had to come out again.
However, every cloud has a silver lining!

Saturday January 4th had been a long and cold day of engine prep, and the OUMF team that had gathered for the start of our annual Action Week decided that to lift our spirits and give a boost to the start of the year, this was the moment that we should attempt to start the engine of the TVR 350i project. Its mighty Rover V8 motor had been meticulously rebuilt by our engine team, spearheaded by Tom Reid and James Biley, over many months - and we all really wanted to hear it rumble! So the last coolant lines were connected, the oil sump pan was sealed, and the distributor was connected. The engine was turned over to get oil pressure, the spark plugs were refitted, and the key was finally turned… and as it fired up on all 8 cylinders, a great roar of triumph and jubilation also rang from within the barn in celebration as the V8 lived once more for the first time in over 20 years! Alongside progress on the V8, Luke Crutchley had been hard at work removing, cleaning and preparing parts from various projects like our Elva and Toyo Golf for our upcoming visit to Mr Aston Martin and his Procoat business later in Action Week. However, as our hopes and spirits rose within the barn, the weather and temperature outside deteriorated. It grew colder and colder and then snow started to fall. The forecast promised much more, including freezing rain overnight, and so the team made the decision to cancel the upcoming visit to the Bicester Scramble the following morning with our Riley 1.5 rally car. As work was finished in the barn for the night, the OUMF team celebrated by making the most of the weather with an epic snowball fight and some last minute snow drifting as we headed home in preparation for the following day, before we set off for Devon.

In every project, there are certain moments that stand out, and we have just hit one of those milestones: the engine is finally installed in the TVR! This marks a pivotal step in bringing our vision for this restored classic to life.

The journey to this point was not without its challenges, as we spent months sourcing the right parts, restoring or modifying every single part, ensuring every detail met our standards for performance and compatibility. The freshly built engine was finally ready to go in, but after careful preparation of the engine bay, our first go at the installation uncovered that the engine mounting brackets were the wrong fit—a frustrating setback.

​Introduction
The headliner, also known as the roof lining, is the fabric panel that spans the interior of the roof above the heads of the occupants, and in the Kestrel’s case, the fabric extends down the B and C pillars to the waistline of the car. It is suspended from 6 arched metal rods that slide into pockets on the upper, roof side of the lining and their ends locate in holes in the cant rails down either side of the inside of the roof. Over time, headliners can sag, tear, rot, become damaged by UV, or stained by tobacco smoke and hair products. The process of replacing the headliner is a painstaking but rewarding process which can greatly improve the overall look and feel of the car. With the average price to install a headlining kit ranging from £250-£500, our aim was to document the entire process so that other enthusiasts might feel confident enough to tackle the replacement and do a professional job, at a fraction of the price. While our headlining is known as a suspended headliner, and this is a report on the fitting of this specific kit, the steps are applicable to many other models and designs.

Those of you who have been following OUMF recently will have seen that we now have a current project in the form of a Riley Kestrel. This has been on display to the public at the NEC Classic Motor Show in November 2022, and many will have seen it in a particularly sorry state… body panels missing, half painted, no interior - the list of things that were missing or badly damaged was probably longer than the list of what was present. Some of you may wonder, what prompted this departure from the dedicated competition car projects to date, and where did this car come from?

However, before I address these questions, I should first say that – possibly to the surprise of many - this wasn’t how we got it, even though it was fully running and driving when it arrived! So, how on earth did the car end up in the state that is in now?

After nine years of racing, development and lobbying, the OUMF Riley Racer has been invited to race at this years Goodwood Revival!