Jacques1993

Thanks so much for that!

Progress has been slow, mostly down to me avoiding the outside climate at all costs! Although... today of all days I was feeling somewhat brave so I ventured outside My next big job is the brakes. I first checked the reservoir and it is very low so it has obviously lost fluid along the way somewhere? First port of call were the rear drums.. (which I thought would be an easy job) With my limited knowledge of lotuses I have to say that the rear drum set up is nothing short of a nightmare. I'm guessing they configured it like so to save on the unsprung weight? I also made a few interesting discoveries. Being a 1978 S1 I have learnt that the chassis would not have been galvanised, so as usual there is a lot of surface rust. The rear diff has had a pretty bad leak. which is looking like the front seal. I need help with a few bit please. I was going to replace the rear cylinders as units are cheap, but it look like a complete mission to do. So I was planning to bleed the brakes first just to establish whether they hold or not. Is there a particular method to bleeding the rear cylinders? Also I am in need of some exhaust hangers as all of the ones on the car are finished. Where would be the best place to get them? Many thanks. Jacques.

It runs! After replacing the naff battery I got off fleabay with a decent one, and replacing the coil... It fired into life! It warmed up nicely and seems to have decent oil pressure... So for now I'm very happy!

Hi thanks for the advice, I forgot to mention that the car has an electronic distributor (lumenition). what voltage should I be getting across the coil?

Hi, hope you are all well. Wanted to say a massive thank you for all the help so far, it has been great. The last few days have been fairly busy with Lazarus. But the main bit of good news is I managed to get the sump plug out! I tried Barrys suggestion of the hacksaw blade, and with some more heat and hammertime I eventually was able to get a grip on it and get it out! but what a pig it was. Shows where it sheared off. Here is the new shiny Plug that I brought off Kieran. (Sorry its a bit Blurry) After all the advice regarding the fuel lines I wanted to get cracking but with an anniversary looming I couldn't justify the cost at this moment. So I have stuck with the original lines for now. Tank back in. Next typically I found the old pump (which was a cheap moprod replacement) was dead. I have replaced it with a low pressure solid state one which I got off ebay which should deliver about 3-4psi. This I'm hoping will eliminate the need for a regulator. I put it on one of the rubber mounts to hopefully try to eliminate the noise for which they are notorious for. In line filter has been fitted. (I forgot and took the picture before) Radiator is back in now, oil and filter have also been done. I connected the battery, put fresh fuel in and optimistically tried to start it.... The good news is that the new fuel pump works well and so does the fuel cut off valve, so the carbs are getting a healthy fuel supply. The engine turns over strongly. BUT there is no spark. Where would be the best place to start? Thanks.

I hope you have all had a good break! I still have not received the easy-out kit for the sump bolt so progress on getting the car started has been halted. So I thought Id spend some time and get the rest of the interior out. As previously stated it is in a pretty bad way. The front seats are the worst and definitely beyond repair and the frames look pretty unusable. OS Passenger seat out. Everything pretty much out, just needs a good clean up and hoover. I do need a bit of advice regarding the fuel lines as I am soon to put the tank back in... I believe they are still the original plastic ones and they look a bit nasty. Would they still be ok to use? Or while I'm at this stage should I replace the lot with new rubber hose? If still ok to use, I need to purchase a new olive for the banjo bolt fitting underneath the tank. Would anyone know which size I would need? Also at some point I will need to purchase a new drivers door beam.... where would you recommend to be the best place to go? Thanks for all your help so far, it is very much appreciated.

Hi, thanks for the help, much appreciated. I found the plug on ebay and ordered one. Yes my car is a 521 and I'm slowly getting to grips with it . That's good to hear about the seats, il bear it in mind for when it comes to crossing that bridge. I need to get the blinking thing running first! I do have a quick question for anyone that can help.... Whilst running around the wiring I took the coil off which looks like it's had better days and noticed this little gizmo attached... I'm not too sure what it is? Is it a resistor of some sort? For peace of mind in going to replace the coil.... Which would be the correct one as there seem to be many to choose from.

Hi, thanks for the advice... Il check it out. In terms of the interior... Mine is there but completely ditched, what did you with yours? Thanks for the advice, I ordered a kit so hopefully this should sort it.

Hi again guys, After my last post concerning the milky oil, I spoke to the previous owner who said it did not have a head gasket problem. Inspired with this thin bit of good news I decided to soldier on. The last few days have been busy, so progress has not been amazing. I did decide however to buy a heavy duty car port to give me some shelter from the elements whilst I worked. It was £150 from ebay delivered. Once set up and I got the car inside, and to my surprise there is a lot of room around the car to work comfortably. and I was very impressed with the gazebo itself which seems very sturdy. I thought the next logical step would be to drain and flush the filthy oil out. I put the 15mm socket on my wrench and approached the sump plug with bucket in place. I slowly tried to crank it off... and then typically, another disaster! I sheared the head off the plug. The oil did drain so I suppose the job was half completed. Any suggestions please on how to get the rest of the thread out? Annoyed with myself I thought id try and get the radiator out to have a look. I took out the bottom plug and lovely bright green coolant came out. The Radiator itself does not seem to be in bad shape at all, no corrosion or leaks and most of the fins are straight and undamaged. Which I'm pleased about! Managed to also get the drivers seat out today which is completely trashed as are the runners... so not sure as to what to do with that at the moment. Suggestions always appreciated. Thanks.

Hello again, So first things first. give her a quick once over with a wet sponge to get rid of most of the grime. it came up ok but some of the paint is quite badly cracked and damaged in places (especially front bumper and headlights. so this will have to be addressed at a later stage. Here she is: Next I decided to put the wheels in motion of actually trying to get her to run. I removed the air box out of curiosity. It contained a rotten air filter. (The engine bay as a whole is filthy). To get the plugs out was nothing short of another nightmare. number 3 was more than happy to stay put. Eventually with more of my persuasion (lots of heat and more hammertime)... They eventually came free! Woo!! I added into each bore a mix of brake fluid and diesel which I will leave for a few days in the hope it will encourage everything to move freely. Next on the checklist was to remove the old fuel tank. First impressions were not good here either. (See photo) This job went surprisingly smoothly and took little time. The tank still had fuel in from 8 Years ago!! So gross!! Once out I took the time to clear out all the old fuel and sludge. Next i took a wire brush to her as I was worried about the visual rust. Thankfully it turned out to be only be superficial. A nice treatment of Jenolite should see her back in action. This is more of a question I have. I took the dipstick out to have a look and I was greeted with this horrifying sight. My question is, would 8 years worth of sitting around and all the condensation create this horrible milky oil? I'm hoping this was not originally a problem with the car. It is very runny, far more so than conventional oil, and the Stick has a tiny amount of corrosion starting... I know its hard to judge from a picture. But what do you think? Many Thanks.

Thanks for the welcome! Thanks for the pointers. All good fun ey!? I like the sound of the meet, Il hopefully try and get along to the next one.

Firstly... Hello one and all! My name is Jacques I'm 22 and I'm from Colchester. previously I worked as a mechanic, but now I work for myself doing gardening. Intro over. Where do I start? One day whilst working at one of customers, I popped my head over their back fence out of curiosity, only to notice this yellow 1978 Lotus Eclat! First impressions said a lot... It looked in a very sorry state. I had a look around it and it was indeed it a dire state, but in fairness it seemed complete. I asked the customer about it and he said he had brought it running with an Mot, with the intention of fully restoring it but had since lost interest. He parked it on his rear driveway and that is where it stayed for 8 years!!! Letting my heart rule my head I asked him if he wanted rid of it and with a bit of arm twisting he kindly handed over the paperwork and keys and said I could take it away! Hurray! But suddenly panic came over me... I hadn't asked the my wife. One phone call later, and being the lovely girl she is... She said yes! One problem down another problem came along in the shape of moving it. I managed to get a chap to bring his transporter over so that I could get it home. It was nothing short of a nightmare... The previous owner had left the handbrake on and the O/S/R was seized to within an inch of its life!!! It was not budging. After quite a lot of persuasion (heat and hammertime) we managed to get it unstuck and on the transporter. At last, I had the lotus at home in my garden. I had another look round and only then did it hit me how I may have bitten off more than I can chew. The purpose of this thread it to keep track of the 'resurrection' and see if I can ever get it back on the road. I have never owned a lotus or worked on a lotus before, but I know how to wield a spanner. here goes nothing. Stay tuned for more. The car as it was when I found it. Once I got it home.