five minutes a day fixing my lotus

[EXCEL V8]

Perhaps we could investigate getting some made by a company like Superflex - group purchase?  Maybe in different Shore harnesses - harder for the racers; softer for the road?

Pete

[TAR]

That bush looks like its just been compressed overtime into a different shape. 

[oilmagnet477]

According to SJs (and it is what I put on mine) -

front lower and both rear diff bushes are like this:

PN A075R0095F

Front upper

PN A075R0096F

Although at over £120 for the full set of 8 (four either side), I consider it as worth the investment as I'm NEVER doing it again!

[tom kilner]

Very useful pics for the comparison - thanks. Nor much like the manual diagram but a lot like mine.

These ones feel snug and clean up ok so although I too don't plan on doing it again - I'll spend that 120 plus vat (i.e 150!) on another of the thousand things that need doing.

Lb Mike was saying that if you've got the piston liners out (as i will have soon) you might as well replace them cos they're only 60 quid each (plus vat) i mean point totally taken but if i work my way through the car like that i will have spent at least 20k.

So I'm left taking the view that if it works ok or can be fixed well then it stays.

[oilmagnet477]

Tom - I agree on the whole and it all depends on available funds. One of the reasons my Elite project has stalled is because every time I try to do something, it ends up costing!

If you are going to keep the originals (which certainly don't look 'original' ie 40+ years old) then a coating of silicone spray might just keep them going a bit longer.

Great stuff - keep it up

[tom kilner]

Thanks for the tip.

If I keep it up like this I'm going to end with a shed load of parts and no car - a sadly common occurrence!

Here's something that gets money thrown at it - luckily under a twenty for the pair so logic and common sense prevail.

 some of the suspension and braking components aren't as old as the chassis - but these are. Also the diff drain plug has been savaged, although i might just grind it better... or mig it back to size?

And luckily the brake adjusters look quite good.

[oilmagnet477]

@tom kilner

I replaced the rear brakes whilst re-doing my Elite's diff. I don't think you can buy 'new' Elite Brake cylinders - I bought some Éclat ones (which are slightly smaller at 3/4") but SJs do a 7/8th refurb kit (£6.50+VAT) when I did them and they worked fine.

I hope you don't require new adjuster arms that feed through the rear plate - they come off a 3 lt Capri and I had to buy 2 new ones as the previous owner (or someone had cut them off!) They were about £90 IIRC so I really hope yours are OK. Check out my 'beast is home thread for more details.

[tom kilner]

I have read and enjoyed the beast thread,  and hopefully learned a few lessons from it!

The Adjuster arms look ok and with a bit of cleaning should be fine. The adjusters themselves were siezed into the cylinders - steel, aluminium, time and damp,  but hopefully the tip of the arm hasn't been destroyed.

I've ordered some 3/4 cylinders from a Capri - I would think that with the whole system nicely cleaned up the breaking performance should be better than its last mot test, but ill get it checked for f/r balance.

I won't throw the old cylinders away though just in case.

[tom kilner]

Out with the oldIn with the new

The keen eyed will notice that there's only one hole low down in the chassis mid point whereas my old chassis had two.

I think this might be rear seatbelts?

Any other differences please let me know!

And a little bit of reassembly required... after some cleaning and replacements.

[EXCEL V8]

My replacement chassis (series 2 galvanised) also needs a second hole drilling like yours.  The holes that are missing in mine are the ones for the bonded-in threaded bobbins in the body.

Pete

[tom kilner]

Hmm if the s2 cars only had one bolt maybe that's all that's needed?

Now I'm up against the usual suspects:

I think that's the lower shock mount bush bonded onto the mounting bolt,  it's not stepped.  using leverage on the 19mm (3/4?) bolt head caused my socket to break.

It's soaking in plusgas (a lot like diesel but around 50x the price) and I plan to use heat and a slide hammer.

Many have commented that beating the bolt end with a lump hammer doesn't work - this has probably because hitting the end causes the bolt to shorten across its length and so expand width wise in the bore.  Pulling impact should do the opposite,  as would twisting except I've exceeded acceptable torque already,  according to my socket.

[EXCEL V8]

My hub to trailing arm stud was like that - LOTS of heat did it!  I'll be fitting a grease nipple before reassembly.

Pete

[tom kilner]

Yes indeedy huge amounts of heat like an oxy-acetylene torch and mind not to melt the hub.

Heated along a line to cause even expansion,  then rotated to get it moving. Many thanks for the professional expertise and help from my neighbour dave morgan.

Grease nipple for sure.

[tom kilner]

 So the new bolt from sj is ready,  and I've fitted a grease nipple so in 2059 the bolt will come out, assuming it's been greased every coupe of years.

Whilst under the car and advised by lb Mike I replaced the rear seatbelt mounts. Cheap at 40 quid the pair in stainless including bolts.

Grinder powered by the sun! - I've got a 25w panel,  charge controller,  100ah leisure battery and an inverter to give 230v - claims 1500w available.

Saves running 50m of extension cable for a five minute job. Four five minute jobs in fact.

I think the hard part is not setting the car interior on fire grinding through those welded 17mm bolt heads.

[tom kilner]

Now from stainless to copper.

Just trying to remember to do everything I need to before refitting the diff. Perhaps just the handbrake cables and propshaft to fit. All heavily greased.

 

[mikeeech]

The handbrake cable is definitely easier to do with the body off. Replace the fuel line with the body off as it's far easier to route through the chassis from above. Remove the fuel lock valve and stick it in the boot.

[tom kilner]

Thanks Mike handbrake cable fitted,  and I've routed the fuel line - new original lotus nylon item, because it fits through the grommets and under the clips, and my 40 year old nylon stuff was still working, so it might outlive me, although I know it's not popular.  - also I refitted the fuel cut off valve in the engine bay as it provides a handy terminus for the nylon pipe after a good straight run.

Maybe I'd have put it in the boot  if I'd read this earlier though🤔

I'll need a fuel filter on the boot end of the fuel pipe - I think my car had one in the engine bay too but I don't see why.

[tom kilner]

Looks like another five minute job 😉

It seems about all the 40 year old expansion tanks are rotten. the bracket and filler neck is good This is about a fivers worth of steel. How hard can it be?

I'll probably let you know.

[silverfrost]

Good idea Tom,   The return pipe may well be a pain to mig/stick weld though due to the small diameter, so i would suggest welding the cap holder in, and then the small diameter return pipe so you can check it has a clear path for coolanr return, and you can file excess weld of the inside if it penetrates the small pipe wall,    Think the factory small pipe was maybe brazed for this reason

then weld the sides on afterwards if that makes sense as you will need to get to the inside ,  

 

[tom kilner]

I was hoping to braze it all up -and work from the outside.  - I'm ok with braze and you can move the heat around nicely. My mig work looks a lot like the" how not to do it" pictures. 

When there's anything left to photograph.

The braze will allow joining steel to brass,  and i thought I'd chop my old tank up to copy the holes.

[tom kilner]

 Step two:

[Straker]

Your going to need some PPE for your assistant 

[tom kilner]

Ah that's the pest control officer. He was just passing by on rodent duty.😀

 

 

 

[tom kilner]

Now a trip to the tip:

Luckily there's plenty more where that came from!

[tom kilner]

Tada:

Fake header tank constructed.

The only surprise? I used £30 worth of oxygen. 🙁

Also I struggled to get the lead solder to stick to the steel - in the end I put a coating of brass on it, then soldered the brass filler neck to that.