OUMF ‘Action Week’ report January 4th - 11th 2025

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.

​On Sunday, work continued on the TVR as adjustments were made to coolant lines (metal coolant lines routed against the spark plug leads on an engines distributor aren’t an ideal mix!) and water leaks coming from the ‘valley’ inlet manifold gasket were investigated. Earth straps were cleaned between the drivetrain and the chassis too - and the V8 ran better than ever! During this process  Luke continued the preparation of parts for powder coating, and Joe Trott’s second attempt at fixing the passenger heated seat in the Volvo came to nothing, as another replacement power module refused to work. Also outer access panels for the VW T4 were fabricated and final preparations were made for our departure for Devon late in the afternoon. 
 We finally left Oxford in Pouring rain, and endured 3 hours of driving in the rain - all the way to Todd Williams’ converted barn just outside Exeter. To our delight and relief, he and his family had prepared a delicious stew for dinner to welcome us,  and after a very enjoyable meal, a tired team soon decided to hit the sack. 
We were very grateful to Bailey Hughes’ uncle James and grandfather, Ted Head, for our first visit on Monday morning to Investment Casting Systems Ltd., in Paignton, Devon. James gave us all a comprehensive tour of their impressive facilities and manufacturing processes. Through this ‘up close’ learning experience the OUMF team saw the manufacturing process - from the CAD and CAM software development, where the team creates a 3D model of the desired product and then translates it into a readable code for multi-axis milling machines to read, cut, and create exquisite products. Investment Casting Systems manufacture a truly diverse range of products – from polyethylene storage boxes, to turbine blades for Rolls Royce jet engines. Through the process of injection moulding, molten plastic is injected at up to 120 bar, or over 1700 psi, into reusable moulds. These are created in house and can weigh up to 6 tons, allowing the company to produce, and also store, batches of up to 10,000 of the polyethylene crates that are fundamental to the mechanised robotic storage systems in the vast retail distribution centres operated by the likes of Amazon. Investment Casting Systems also have a big presence in aerospace as they have the largest computerised milling machines in the south of England, which they use to create moulds and tooling for aerospace – from engine components to flooring and seating frames for airplane  interiors.

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​​Following this visit, the team made the trip to Goodridge in Exeter, a big manufacturer of custom, OEM, and motor racing fluid transfer systems - such as fuel lines, brake lines, coolant lines, and more. The team saw the step-by-step process of how metal hydraulic fluid lines are formed to hug the contours of car bodyshells, and so allow custom line routing. The process starts with straight metal or stainless steel braided rubber tubing that is bent or fixed into a desired shape, before fittings are pressure crimped on the ends. Then each component is pressure tested to exacting standards to ensure each component is in perfect working order. Goodridge makes such products for a range of different brands such as McLaren, BMW, Aston Martin, Jaguar, KTM and many more. Many thanks to Liam Gregory, an Oxford Brookes graduate, for a thorough and insightful tour of the Goodridge facility and their manufacturing capabilities. 

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As we still had some time in hand by the finish of the tour, Liam suggested we visit one of their local customers, and so the OUMF team made an impromptu visit to Historic Motorsport (Southwest Limited), a renowned classic car restoration and rally preparation shop, specialising in Mk1 and Mk2 Ford Escorts. We were very grateful to Dave the proprietor for letting the team take a look around the workshop to see some stunning rally cars, at no notice, and for talking us through the process of rally preparation at Historic Motorsport.

We stopped for a swift pint in Exeter on our way back to Todd’s farm smallholding, where we were again treated to delicious linguine bolognese for supper, and caught up with the day's highlights of the Paris Dakar rally on TV before retiring to bed.  

The following day, Tuesday 7th January, the team made a visit to Ashwater Forge and Foundry and its sister company Zeus Engineering, where Todd Williams works. The team were guided through the process of how after-market forged and chromed components for classic cars are crafted by Alison Cartwright, who runs it with her husband Mark. The parts are superbly made, and are direct replacements for the original OEM parts, many now impossible to find. Under the same roof is the sister company Zeus Engineering which re-makes the brake parts, like calipers and discs, for classic cars, and how aluminium and cast iron is accurately machined into these highly safety critical components. We are very grateful to Todd Williams, our fellow OUMF member, and Alison and Mark, for giving us a thorough tour of both businesses and a great insight into this niche of British engineering. 

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​The team then visited Chris Smith, the much anticipated TVR expert at Dunkeswell, to see what he does, and hopefully to pick his brain in order for OUMF to complete its very own TVR Wedge! Chris had previously donated a pair of TVR engine mount brackets for the Wedge which the team had almost lost hope in finding. Back in the day, Chris ran Devon Racing, a very successful team which raced TVR Wedges, and he himself has over 30 years of very valuable TVR knowledge which the team tested with 30 questions about various aspects we wanted to know more about – and he was as patient and happy to help as we were to learn! Again many thanks to Chris for more donations towards OUMF’s TVR project, and for his invaluable insight and knowledge!

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​Following this, we made a visit to Supacat, a leading off-road vehicle design and manufacturing company, part of their associated group. The team received an overview of Supacat’s current vehicle production and previous military vehicles, such as 4x4, 6x6, and high mobility transporters, which are designed to transport personnel and equipment across rugged terrains. Another side of their business focuses on designing and manufacturing products for the civilian sector, including mobile emergency lifeboat launches, energy generators, off-road and fully adjustable mobility devices, and more. It was an intriguing visit, though they were unable to share too many details with us.

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​For the final stop on Tuesday the team visited Classic Fabrications located just outside of Exeter in Dunkeswell – and 100 metres from Chris Smith! Many thanks to Steve Kerti for showing us around his shop and giving an inspiring idea of what top flight classic car restoration is all about. After many years of apprenticeships and hard work for others, Steve opened Classic Fabrications specialising mainly in classic Porsches, after spending 5 years working for a Porsche Specialist. The team got to see many of the projects he and his team are working on – mainly Porsches but other cars too - and what it was like to work in the classic car restoration industry, all showcasing his manifold talents gained over years of experience in fabrication, painting and restoration.

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Classic Fabrications being the team’s last visit in Devon, the team then prepared for the trip home to Oxford. Sadly we were letting late and were well north of Exeter, so didn’t have the chance to give sufficient thanks to the Williams family - Todd, Taffy, Rosine and Beatrix - for their extremely kind and generous hospitality and support with ‘bed and board’ for the OUMF team during their stay in Devon! So thank you once again! 

​After an incident-free journey back to Oxford and a good nights rest, on wednesday January 8th work continued on projects at the OUMF HQ and especially on revitalizing the TVR using advice given to us by Chris Smith. Ollie Raja Brown led the way teaching Samuel Cox, and Luke Crutchley some practical welding skills, and took charge welding all the necessary parts of the Elva wishbones needing to be powder-coated on the Friday.

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The next day, Thursday 9th January the team set off early for the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, site of the Autosport International show – and many thanks are due to Nigel Atkinson at ARP Fastenings for providing the team with tickets to attend the show. Whilst there the team met with many of our sponsors who bless us with their continued support – so vital given the lack of funding. They are what holds the OUMF team together, and what allows us to continue work on our various projects. The long list of visits the team made to the many stands started at ITG Filters who agreed to donate several more filters for various cars including the Elva and Sebring Sprite. The team visited ARP who have supported the team in various aspects of our projects, most importantly all of the bolts and studs for our engine builds. Bilstein whose ongoing sponsorship includes the recently donated new spring dampers for the Elva. Arrow Precision has also contributed so much to the OUMF team’s success in motor sport with their superbly crafted crankshafts and conrods, and  the MD Ian Arnold promised to consider supporting us with these items for the engine we are currently building for the Elva Courier in 2025 which we hope will lead to more success on track this season.

​Westwood Cylinder Liners Ltd were happy to meet the new team and be thanked for their help with cylinders for the TVR V8 engine building project. Mintex, who have provided brake pads and rotors for many of our project cars pledged to continue their support, as did James Blore at Raceparts UK who gave us such precious assistance last year with the Elva’s steering column. We were glad to see Paul de Bok at Race Winning Brands and thank him for their huge support throughout the years, mainly with the JE Pistons for many of our projects, and to send our best wishes to MD Martin Stelleman who could not make the show this year. Safety Devices received our collective thanks for past help with rollcages, as did Engine Parts UK for their great support with our engine builds, most recently the vital parts needed to build the V8 for our TVR Wedge. We were also pleased to be able to thank Dan Jones at 3J Driveline and Mark Wilson at Longford Gears for their long  support, sponsorship and help with all the team's drivetrain needs and keeping our projects wheels from spinning independently with their excellent LSD’s. The team also talked with Chris Butcher, MD at Oxdale Products who offered the team possible help and support with laser cutting materials for future projects. All in all, a very enjoyable and interesting day!

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Next day, the 10th January, the team visited Professional Coatings in Cold Ash near Newbury, and we were all very grateful to MD Aston Martin for letting us visit his workshop ould be and allowing us a full ‘hands-on’ experience of the powder coating process. Every member of the team got to go through the process of sandblasting, cleaning, priming, powder coating and baking their own parts. The visit was all action, and was a great learning exercise, with all the parts cleaned, prepped and coated within a few hours, on a very cold day – so we were very lucky that there was a raging bonfire in the yard to keep the team warm.

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