black eclat

I have the oil restrictor fitted to my 2.2 with no issues. Another worthwhile mod is to drill the castings holes in the exhaust cam box. This prevents the oil building up in the cam cover and returns it to the sump.

Lotus Bits and SJ Sportcars are your best options.

That swivel joint is a custom fit. There should be a spring on the tabs, holding it together to complete the seal. I also fitted a custom joint in that position on my exhaust when I fitted the 2.2 engine and new center silencer. It just seemed easier to fit the system with an extra joint there. The Y piece is a disaster to remove as it will surely have had a clatter or 2, straining it and causing you to swear a lot when removing and refitting.

The workshop manual reads as follows: "An 8 Amp In-Line fuse protecting the fuel pump, this being located in the right hand toe-box" Hope this helps.

Well, the bottom heater control lever on my car is mechanical. It opens and closes a re-circulation or fresh air flap, so no worries there. The top flap is for hot or cold but it must be mainly for air conditioned cars and I do not have that. I say that because when I move that lever, I can get hot air from the heater matrix or ambient air from outside. I haven't looked into it any further than that. 😁

So I have done this with my Eclat 520. I first of all fitted a Ford 4 speed to my then 2.0 engine. You must change the pedal box as the brake pedal for the auto prevents you fitting a clutch pedal. Either way it must be removed as there is no room to remove spindle shafts. My Eclat had the hole blanked off in the bulkhead for the clutch cable so that was easy! I had to also change the propshaft as the auto box was a different length. Remember to also install a needle bearing in the end of the crank for the manual gearbox input shaft. This is not required for the auto box. The gearshift aligned perfectly with the cut out in the centre console so I had a local seamstress make me a leather gaiter to replace the auto box handle gaiter. For the switch box, I just left mine in the neutral setting and pulled it back into the dash board. Always meant to remove it but so far, its still there. Getting rid of the auto box will also allow you to get rid of the auto box oil cooler and associated pipework. Finally get a world championship badge to neatly fit in place of the automatic badge on the rear. A few months later, I then upgraded my engine to the 2.2 ltr unit and subsequently blew the gearbox on the motorway. That when I installed the Getrag gearbox. This required a bit more fettling. I had to cut away some of the gearbox mount to get the tail end of the gearbox to sit into the tunnel. I also had to fabricate a centre mount to carry the forward weight of the gearbox. the lead weight on top of the gearbox around the gear lever also had to be shaved to allow this to sit right into the V part of the chassis. Once all this was done, I had to cut and shorten the propshaft to get it to fit. All of my previous work was perfect for the Getrag. These box's are expensive and difficult to get but well worth the installation work Picture of the mount that was custom made to carry the Getrag gearbox. Don't forget the needle roller spigot bearing!

My 520 had just 1 solenoid in the offside headlamp well and this controlled the vacuum to both headlamps. There was a Y piece at the outlet of this solenoid that was piped to each vacuum pod. this solenoid was accessed by removing the headlamp and then removing the pod to give clear and easy access. There is another option. This solenoid was piped backed to a vacuum tank in the drivers foot well. It was connected to the inlet manifold via a rubber tube to a brass connector screwed into the side of the manifold. You could just blank off this connection and remove all the associated vacuum equipment and get rid of the weight. There are different variants of this set up. Some Eclats had 2 brass outlets on the manifold, 1 at each end. The outlet nearest the bulkhead was connected to the brake servo and the outlet nearest the water pump outlet was connected to the vacuum reservoir(s). Some Eclats had 1 reservoir in the drivers foot well and some had an additional reservoir in the passenger foot well. My car had 2! I junked both reservoirs, both vacuum pods and springs and all the tubing. The supply for the solenoid was used to drive a relay to operate my MX5 electric motors to raise / lower headlamp pods.

Speak to Mike at Lotus Bits is the best advice. I went the other way, from Auto to Manual. The Lotus part number for the bell housing is AO75F0330F. It is different for the Auto box if I remember correctly. But you will also need the following parts; Flywheel, Flexiplate, Propshaft, Selector lever, Pedal box, Kickdown cable, Inhibitor Switch, Transmission Oil Cooler and pipework. There is a surprising amount of work to complete the changeover. The worst part is changing out the pedal box. That was a nightmare.

C2 is most likely just a noise suppression capacitor. KW is the ballast resistor.

Yeah, as above, the 2 things to check when replacing a cable is the roller wheel at the clutch pedal and that the clutch fork has not popped out of its location in the bell housing. With the new cable fitted, the lock nuts should be in almost the same position as before, if they are not, then something has moved / changed.

The light switch on my center console is a twist and pull switch. I twist it clockwise to switch on side lights. I then pull it out to switch on main lamps and the pods raise. The column stalk switches between dip and main beam. The column stalk on its own, will raise the pods and switch on main beams but only while the stalk is held "on" All of this functions without the engine running or the keys in the ignition. Hope this helps.

Hi Robbie, I did a conversion on my Eclat back in 2009 using MX5 motors. On my conversion, I used the supply for the vacuum solenoid to operate a relay. The relay is fed with a fused supply from the battery which is switched by the relay to operate the motors.

I have used a 2 post lift since 2008 and it works very well. I jack the front from under the lower wishbones on the chassis and the rear on the cill just in front of the rear wheel.

Yes, I would also suggest the S2 springs. If you get adjustable platform dampers, you can still maintain ride height. I have the SJ dampers at the moment with new spring seats to maintain ride height.

9 days was a lot of driving and the next time I would add a longer break mid way just to relax. On reflection, a days stopover at lake Como would have really suited the group. I was hoping to entice a few of the classic cars from the club to attend but I think the length of the trip and the high miles put them off. Car insurance in Ireland is crap at the moment and a lot of classic car owners are on limited miles policies. The Swiss Alpine roads are the best in Europe so next time I will certainly give you a shout.

Day 8 was the track day at Spa with a short run to Adenau for some evening time Ring laps.What can I say about this racetrack? It is just an epic venue, the track is smooth with gigantic run off areas and of course it has Eau Rouge. In my opinion, it is the most frightening and most delightful corner on any F1 racetrack. This was my second track day at this venue. I was easily the slowest car there so once I found a little space on the track, I could settle into enjoying some 6 or 7 laps per session without having to worry about faster traffic. I was however, wringing the neck of the Eclat so while I was the slowest, it was no walk in the park for some of the cars to overtake. The 2.2 has some lovely grunt in the lower gears and with the Getrag gearbox and Wilwood brakes, it can really close up on faster traffic through the corners but falls away on the long straights at SPA. That sais, the cars in my track group were all Porsche's, M5's, Lambo's and some Exiges. I sometimes find that a track day in Mondello, my local track, can be boring after a half a dozen laps but here even on my own, each of the four 25 minute sessions were over far too soon. We packed up and left the circuit at 4pm for the short 1 hour journey to Adenau. The Nurburgring schedule had the track open to the public from 5:30 pm to 7pm and some of the lads were drooling to drive the Ring.However, when we arrived, we found the track closed to the public. Porsche were testing their new GT something or other and they had booked the track. I wasn’t too bothered but 2 of the young un’s had their hearts set on a few ring laps and I was gutted for them. We retired to Pinocchio’s for some Steak and beer and usual banter.Later that evening there were reports of a mini Ring invasion and some unusual antics of some “locals” but we did not see any of this.Day 9 was the return leg with a stop off at Circuit of Reims Gueux.We left the hotel at 9am for a 4 hour journey, 374 kms, to Gueux.This circuit was permanently closed in 1972 but the remaining grandstands, timing pavilion and pit lane buildings still survive today. This is largely due to the excellent work carried out by a volunteer group, the Friends of Gueux Circuit. The building are still a magical place and it is easy to envisage all the great drivers standing by their cars at the pit garages. Fangio, Hawthorn, Brabham, Clark and Hill all competed at this great circuit in their career.It is easy to stand atop the timing tower looking down the straight and imagining the post war Alfa Romeo, Ferraris, Mercedes and Lotus, slipstreaming their way to a possible victory. A magical place that I hope is maintained for future generations.After the obligatory photos, it was time for the final push to Cherbourg, 5 hours and a 500kms drive was ahead of us. We pushed on and arrived at the ferry port 1 hour before our scheduled departure. We are all back home a week now and while we are exhausted, it seems strange that we don’t have a 5 or 6 hour drive ahead of us. It’s strangely quiet and even boring! During the nine days, I covered 2,680miles in total. I estimate that I spent the best part of €1200 on fuel. The car was faultless and never skipped a beat.I had the pleasure of a great bunch of lads on an unforgettable road trip, in a 38 year old classic Lotus."This is Hoon-Five-O signing off""Over"

Day 7 was a short run to the Auto Technik Museum and then onwards to our overnight stay just outside Spa.The first sight that hits you as you approach the museum are the Air Francs Concorde and the Russian Tupolev TU 144 mounted on a set of steel posts, the nose of each plane rising up in the air as it would if it was taking off.This gave the group a rather leisurely 3 to 4 hours to spend in the museum. To take in all the exhibits would take 3 to 4 days. It was just spectacular and my personal the highlight of the show was the Red Countach LP 500 S. It was and still is my fantastic dream to own such a car someday. The wedge never looked better!

Day 6 was originally planned to repeat the Furka pass and the Grimel Pass and then continue on to the Susten Pass, Black Forest, to arrive in Baden Baden, some 477kms and 7 hours later.Given our late arrival at Andermatt and the pure exhaustion that was evident across the group, we changed to route to skip the Grimel and Furka Pass. This reduced our travel time to 5.5 hours and took in some derestricted German Autobahn routes where we could make decent progress.The Susten Pass was easily my favourite road of the trip. It was relatively clear of traffic and the views were amazing. The road was interesting and the switchbacks were easy on the car and driver alike. After a short stop on the top of the pass we pushed on via the autobahn B500, to the Black Forest. I am afraid that I have nothing of interest to say about this section of the trip and in hindsight, regret adding the B500 to the route. We did get a good run on the Autobahn and this allowed for some fine vmax driving. However there were many miles of cones and roadworks which put a damper on the spirited driving.We arrived in the Holiday Inn in Baden Baden at 6pm where we relaxed with some fine foods and beers late into the evening.

Day 5, we woke to a wet misty morning in Davos and headed out to the Fluela Pass. We soon encountered snow and our climb onto the pass was brought to a sudden stop when the road was blocked with cars that could not climb the mountain road. We regrouped and stopped at a local establishment, Gasthaus Alpenrose for some teas and coffee. Almost an hour later the thaw had arrived and the road was clear for us to restart our journey.The Umbrail Pass is less known and less traveled pass but comes equipped with spectacular views and leads the traveler onto the top of the Stelvio. This then gives you the problem of which side of the Stelvio to descend first. We chose to descend the eastern side and then climb back to the top to descend the western side and continue on to our next stop which was Lugano.The western descent is a real car breaker, 43 tight switchbacks which will test the brakes of any car if it pushing on down the mountain. Its at this point, I was thankful for the Wilwood vented discs and 4 pot calipers all working with 5.1 fluid. I had discarded the dust shields to allow more cooling and by the time we had reached the bottom, the brakes were beginning to loose their feel. Time to maintain a slow but steady pace to get the brake temps down! We left the Stelvio at around 4pm and carried on with our planned route to Lugano before we headed north back into Switzerland for our overnight stop in Andermatt. However, because of our delay in starting our run on the Fluela pass, it left us travelling us driving late into the night to get back to Andermatt. In hindsight, we should have turned around after Stelvio and we were blinded by our itinerary and stuck to the plan.We arrived in Andermatt late into the night at 9pm and discovered that the town was reshaped somewhat since the Google Maps or Garmin Maps were drawn up, which left us with left turns that did not exist. This led to some 20 minutes of frustrated radio communications and expletives until the new road layout was discovered. However, once settled in and fed, beer and burgers, we were able to look back over the day’s events with some amusement.

We landed at 5:30pm and ran the short hop to Le Mans, a 3hr, 288km drive which got us checked in at just before 9pm.The cars were parked and we retired for the night to prepare for the long day ahead. As you can see, my car is the oldest of the group and I was the oldest driver of the group! But the Black Eclat led the group and munched through the miles without a single hiccup. My buddy in the Grey Elise brought up the rear and between us we managed to keep the group together most of the time!The day started damp but brightened up as the day went on.It was on this section of the trip that the toll tags came into their own. We had passed through 2 the previous day but passed through 6 on this section of the trip. It would have been a real pain having to lean out or get out of the car to pay the toll. It was also on this section of the trip that the 2 way radios proved to be a valuable tool. While the range was extremely short, maybe 2 km’s at best, it did give us the opportunity to check that everyone got through the tolls and keep the group together as we changed from motorway to motorway. It also proved a source of banter on the long boring drives. Just under 7 hours later and 674 km’s we arrived at our second stay over, the Ibis Hotel in Lausanne.After the customary beers and fine food, some of the young un’s (and the not so young) went out for a nightcap. The next day, day 4, saw another early start to take in the Grimel Pass, the Furka Pass and the Klausen Pass. These 3 passes are spectacular and we had lunch in the bright sunshine at the top of the Klausen Pass. The roads are in good condition and were relatively free of traffic. The retaining barriers along the roadside are sketchy to say the least. I could not imagine these barriers retaining any poor unfortunate who happened to overshoot a corner! But the scenery, the words fantastic and spectacular are just not good enough to describe what you see, every where you look. Its just overwhelming.We arrived in Davos for our next stopover at 5pm. The hotel had parking for 5 cars but we squeezed in 7 with the M3 parked at the front door. We dined in a local restaurant and retired for some beers in the hotel.

After all the planning, the testing and the mechanical preparation, Wednesday 20th arrived and it was finally time to get Hoon-5-0 started.We all converged at the port of Rosslare and met on The Oscar Wilde, in the Gaiety Lounge. We made ourselves comfortable for the 18 hours we would be at sea. I was nervous but luckily they had some medicine on board that eased my worries.

My buddy's car got a similar work over. The Elise had new rear toe links, new CL pads front and rear, new 5.1 brake fluid and new tyres. His biggest fear was the engine, being a K series. We did some serious work here on this engine. When he bought the car it was a non runner as the HG had failed. We stripped the engine, had the head skimmed and tested for porosity, had the engine block decked and then began re-assembly. We fitted an uprated oil ladder, new HG and bolts and top end gaskets. We added an electric water pump to continue water circulation for 2 minutes after the engine is switched off to prevent hot spots developing in the head. We fitted a dual core radiator with a second fan which can be manually operated from within the car. We also fitted a remote PRRT thermostat housing. The car already had throttle bodies and a flowed head, so the addition of an Emerald ECU allowed finer adjustment of the engine map and temperature cut in time of the cooling fans. Again, this was monster load of work that took several months to complete but finally it was ready to go . . . .

So what of the Eclat? I had decided that a full mechanical service was required to ensure that I did not need to call on the recovery service, AA. I replaced all rear suspension bushes, all universal joints, trailing arm mountings, stripped, cleaned and lubricated all suspension bolts. I replaced all oils and coolant, had the Dellortos professionally overhauled, new brake pads, shoes and 5.1 fluid. I replaced the radiator and pipework and added a manual fan control override switch to the dash. I did a full geometry check to ensure factory settings for alignment front and rear and fitted new tyres. That was typed out in 3 lines of text and in about 30 seconds, the reality is that that work took me 4 months with the new tyres being fitted the day before we departed for the ferry! I also squeezed in a rolling road session to check the engine and fuel/air mix following the Dellorto rebuild. 157 BHP at the wheels thank you very much. (This may have been helped by the addition of vernier timing pulleys) So I was ready to go. . . . . .

This year, March 17th to be exact, I passed the 50 year on this planet milestone and had decided some time ago to celebrate in style with a European style trip. I wouldn't be alone as my best pal was also celebrating the same milestone. So cue January 2017 and the planning began. We had established that the best roads to drive were in the Swiss Alps, the best scenery was the Italian lakes, the best racetrack was Spa Francorchamps and the best bygone nostalgic photo-shot had to be Circuit of Reims-Gueux. The car of choice for me was easy, my 1979 Black Eclat. My bud had a dilemma, his 1975, S2, Elite was still dismantled in several pieces in his garage and has been for close on to 10years! So that wasn't going to work and he fairly quickly opted for his 1999 S1 Grey Elise. We spent most weekends of January and February researching routes and testing scenarios that would deliver the most mountain passes, the most countries and still get a track day in Spa. Finally we had decided on the routes, the time frame and the dates. Very soon however, word spread through the car club of what was afoot and we had 15 like minded individuals who had expressed a desire to help us celebrate our birthday! The basic details were, 2,500 miles, 7 Alpine Passes, Lake Como, Spa Francorchamps track day, Nurburgring Laps and 6 European countries and 9 days. This grueling schedule whittled down the willing participants to 8 and so Hoon-Five-0 was born.

Recently I replaced the trailing arm rubber mounts on my car and it threw the tracking out. I had as much as 2° toe out. It was the spacers on the trailing arm mounts that allowed me to correct the tracking. In relation to your wheel spinning, did you tighten the suspension bolts to the correct torque setting with the car on the ground and the car fully laden?