drdoom

I'm somewhat vague on this by now as it was some time ago that I worked through. That said I suspect David @Fridge may be on the mark with regard to the headlamp lift control relays. Lord, the H/L control system is something with which to reckon.

Agreed. As this evolved I found it irresistible to target loads by grouping, so forward luggage block serves pod full time (relays within), ignition switch, main beams, low beams, pod lifts, horns, electric water pump, and electric parking brake concept. As to the tunnel array we have large posts for windows, wiper unit, cabin fans, accessory loads all,etc. The black 4 terminal block seen left is for dedicated direct to battery feeds in 10GA for the ECU. Rehab beckons sublimely . . . .

The electrical campaign, in this case something akin to exploring unmapped jungle thickets with no regard for either time or budget, is about to conclude. The bulk of wiring and bits have been carefully placed in 2 storage bins, the final section which spans the scuttle beam undergoing checks for fit and taping up. As requested by sympathetic TLF'ers I reluctantly here post the odd pic.

Yes, but only for my money . . . .

My trimmer counselled against trimming the binnacle in leather, relating how F308's dash tops display recession of the leather with aging by which vent apertures become untidy. Poor bugger has therefore been tasked with getting it done in Alcantara, much more difficult to work with but with no risk of refections.

I believe the underlying wisdom in the OEM colour is that it minimizes distracting reflection back to the driver off the screen. Cheers

Tip of the hat to @Fridge for the advice on overhead trims. I've collected a gallery of Esprit pics over the years, one of which nicely illustrating how the trims serve to frame the "ceiling". In fact it would be jarring to trim the side edge pieces in other than Alcantara as both nearby areas, firewall cover and windscreen finisher, are so trimmed. Thanks indeed

Headlining for mine will be original as well. I've no need of throwing Alcantara up onto the roof but the A-pillars appear better integrated trimmed in fabric matching the dash and doors. The headlining fabric will be applied also to the 2 trims which cover the side edges above the door windows, better integrated than contrasting. Cheers

The public should have benefit of useful education in any decent society, it was by way of that I came to fully grasp the imperative of seatbelts. On the other hand sloppy government is what we can thank for much of the current day automotive annoyances. Not so very long ago one did not dare to run other than feeble incandescent headlamps in many parts of America for fear of sanction in using superior halogens. That was government indifference combined with cronyism. Nowadays the automakers clearly have latitude to slam our retinas with whatever the f&*k they think will add to the bottom line, and thus the public is again done a disservice. The infernal nagging of these audible alerts is well beyond what's needed but corporate Karens , abiding absolutely no risk of liability, will heap as much of the crap onto us as they can figure how to. As this process unfolds it's a pitiful truth to say that the outcome is sure to be an ever dumber Joe Average, not wiser but certainly more detached from a grating reality.

In regard to seatbelts warning, if one is by now too ignorant and/or careless to buckle up then society has perhaps failed in educating on the necessity of belts. With restoration of my S2 I have chosen to tap off the "start" circuit for that lamp, too much fussing required to recommission that to Federal spec but sufficient to serve as reminder. Can't imagine anyone I know ever failing to buckle up as we're a nicely aged lot.

It's all too clear this is about intolerance for any measure of disorder and therefore the hallmark of Fascism. I expect others here will find no reason to quarrel on this, given the marked ascent of would-be dictators around the globe. We'd all do far better if such dedication were directed at those aspects of societies that bring misery to the species year-in and out. From some point pre-Covid through to now our highway patrols and city police alike have buggered off greatly on speed traps and, Lo, there has been no upswing in carnage. Imagine that. Note too that we have very few speed cameras anywhere, nearly none. Fact is the average Joe will drive at a velocity with which they feel comfortable, as has been established through research on driving behaviour. Police resources are consequently better directed at gang issues, a real menace to the public at large.

Page 2, for A-pillar in Alcantara. Nice stuff but rather a bear to work with over curved surfaces, as I'm told.

Page 5, here in my thread, appears a pic of door panel trimmed in Alcantara.

Ferking daft! On one of our local highly travelled thoroughfares authorities placed on the verge at mid-point of a sweeping downhill curve an LED noticeboard which flashes what it regards to be the speed of the oncoming cars. What idiocy! We've all got bloody speedo's on board, wisely ignored while keeping eyes on the road until they've been drawn off task to read what is not helpful. The world increasingly appears to operate under administration by crooks, idiots, and arseholes. Have none read Orwell??!!

Introspective at times lately, taking stock of what has been accomplished over the years and what it will take to get this Lotus back among the living. I am resolute in this, having reckoned competently with career, household and family challenges which impaired progress and somehow channeled my leisure energies into various technical meditations that are manifest in some elements of this Esprit. The electricals, for example, have morphed into a maximum effort ( though conventional ) build after starting out as mitigation for underfed lights and windows. Good to be moving on from that, having de-bugged and proven the thing works. Took up one of the Lotus positions, feet on firewall, head in driver's footwell yesterday exploring loom routing. In more normal upright orientation took up the exercise of instrument pod installation as dry run before the thing is trimmed, verifying the mutant loom path downward through the scuttle and reckoning with the struggle of heater control panel insertion into the pod. With door panels now nicely trimmed in Alcantara the folded leather inserts above armrest are proving to be a challenge in mating to the panels. Seems such a remarkable measure of force is needed in pressing the 2 pieces together so that sufficient length of the retaining clips protrudes through to the panel backside for bending over that I initially blanched, with a notion to whimper in the trimmer's direction for assistance. Left that aside for a couple of days and when later imagining how he'd resolve this with a bit of strongarm I took up the effort myself, elevating the force application judiciously. Result now being that all but the 2 corner point clips are bent over securely yielding a tidy joint between insert and panel. The force needed to compress the mating items at the corners is such that I'll need another pair of competent hands on task, either the trimmer's or a mate's. Onward

Yes, gathered some idea of what makes Offerman tick by way of interviews seen/heard over the years.

Lovely work George, though literally feeling your pain having done much of the comparable chassis prep on my own S2. The snippets of levity editted in were therefore a palpable relief, top marks in choosing Ron Swanson, Dr. Evil, etc. The colour you've chosen for this toy will certainly bring smiles. Ahh, to be able to travel by Esprit to the Six Hours, a fine treat we pedalled off to in hired Renault some years ago. Cherish the memories still. Cheers

Wiring path question in aid of my own S2 project - do the loom runs from instrument binnacle pass through the holes in scuttle not used for vents ducting, or do they otherwise route through the gap between pod and steering column? Cheers

Fair enough on wire and fuse pointers, not so on relays. What they afford is both reliable switching and the sparing of load currents through switch controls that may be hard or impossible to replace. Certainly there are a number of locations on our early cars where factory wiring was marginal enough to threaten fire hazards later once the load components went into decline. Cheers

I'd suspect the trims to be interchangeable, otherwise perhaps a change to the body shell would have been done and I've yet to see any suggestion that occurred during the GG cars run. Note that the triangular black bit where the trim meets the top of door-wing joint is a separate thing, a light piece of plastic fixed partially in place by the push pin visible on its exterior. That would need to be sourced along with. Cheers

From what I've seen, yes to Mediterranean locales and high marks for New Zealand which we found resoundingly appealing. Yep to Canadian wokeness, though it's way amplified by media just as are America's troubles. Sorry but media have a great deal to answer for at this juncture in history. Mexico, again as amplified by media, continues to seem relatively lawless in the same way most Latin American countries do though that does not stop many of our citizenry seeking property down there. Incidentally, select banana republics south of Mexico have turned out to be appealing for both Canadian and American whackjobs seeking refuge from the impending apocalypse(s). I suppose nothing promotes peace of mind like a hoard of guns, ammo, dried food, bottled water and camo outfits stashed in some frontier bush camp. As to Canada realistically, we lately had a reckoning while strolling the prime waterfront of Vancouver, long regarded as a world level destination. This was just weeks after our month long explorations in NZ and the contrast was striking. We approached from where parked to the east of Gastown which, though tourist magnet billed as the site where Van was founded, looks altogether shabby and certainly more so than 40 years ago. Not at all unlike most public spaces in this town where I regard the inflows of capital over recent decades to have been plundering the commonwealth. (small "c" intended.) So much for progress in this town. By comparison most everywhere in NZ we found things to be in fine shape and a populace looking remarkably well kept and well adjusted. Bet there are some hurdles to clear making way there as resident but it would be an easy sell were I not attached to my people here. Cheers

Yes to cutting in a separate starter switch, handy at times other than lighting up the engine and just the ticket for quick restart in the event of a stall in traffic. Considered the 308GT4 treatment but thought it more loud than the already striking interior form would benefit by. Do appreciate the GT4 more as time has passed by. A fellow Esprit owning mate doesn't fancy the fuel pump inertia switch, worries it could cut the fuel in the event of some unexpectedly severe pavement. Long years back we were motoring south down the lovely Oregon coast, he in the Esprit, me leading in my Elan when we encountered at motorway speed an abrupt edge in the tarmac. Must have been 1 1/2 - 2 inch sheer vertical edge, presumably due to unfinished road work, and marked by a pitifully small, hand painted piece of plywood propped up at the verge. Only able to recognize the peril at a very late stage I briefly pounded the brakes hard, releasing before impact to minimise the suspension trauma. My antics surely caught mate's attention but he was more focussed on the gap to me than would afford a good look at the tarmac issue, hence came at it pretty quickly. The jolt did no lasting harm to either car, I'm glad to say, but the Esprit bonnet was found to be popped off its latches when we next stopped for a break. Cheers

I'm inclined to pile on in this but we have hijacked the Ukraine thread and there is "The Donald" nearby in these General Chat fora.

Hi Tony, what you have there is the cluster native only to the S1. In case you hadn't spotted that. Guess that was needless to say, now that I have spotted the thread topic. Was focused on your personal profile inset which presents term "S3"

Ahh, Logan's Run . . . was it in that film we were treated to the sight of Jenny Agutter's ladyberries? Might have been Walkabout, though that one past me by. Of late my mind circles around from time to time in reflection on what gives my life meaning, if any. As half of one more childless couple there's none for us to focus on in support, and all too soon my aged parents will be gone. So it's thin ground on which to stand in regard to meaningful living, so what I consequently strive for is to make happier the people with whom I have contact at every opportunity. Even the bloody customer support types, despite a long stretch on hold listening to the loop of sometimes discordant "music". I'll carrousel myself out the door, thank you. Still have whitewater kayaking to try. Cheers