Nautilus blue 350s

[alias23]

Wheres the rear pic of the car @MAG be good to get a copy

[MAG]

2 minutes ago, alias23 said:

Wheres the rear pic of the car @MAG be good to get a copy

You already have one 🤣 I sent it to you... Besides I didn't think it was a good a shot as the nose end.

[MAG]

So, that was easier than expected. The Braille G30 actually slides quite nicely into the existing battery tray. The battery isn't as long but if you push it in as far as it will go, it's a firm fit. I'd actually sourced material to make a bracket to hold it down due to it not having a chamfered lower edging that clamps in like the original lead acid. But I found I could just use a pair of heavy duty cable ties threaded under the existing tray and it's more than secure enough as it only weighs 2.7kg! Started fine on first attempt, so far, so good... Even the existing end plate clamp lines up nicely, I've just lined the existing tray with sticky back felt to give it a little extra slip resistance. 11.1kg saving on the original 😁 TBH the hardest part was manipulation of the power cables to get them onto the terminals!

[MAG]

Steering wheel cosmetics due to social distancing... 🤔

[MAG]

[MAG]

Final upgrade to the audio system en route 😁 At just 10"x8"X3" and matching my stereo speakers it'll both fit perfectly at the end of the passenger footwell and tonally match...

My little project for Sunday!

[GazzyFizzle]

Did you already have a sub Mark?

Keen to see how you get on with this!

[MAG]

No mate, currently running just the pioneer head unit and JBL 2 way speakers. This sub had just been released and is the perfect size for an Exige footwell so decided it give it a bash 😁

[BatMobile]

The sub is a game changer, get it covered in acoustically transparent material.

 

[MAG]

So, part one complete of making an aluminium backing plate to mount the sub to and applying heavy duty velcro. Test fit confirms it sticks like a bastard to Lotus's fluffy carpet material. Struggled to remove it, had to drive another sheet of aluminium behind it to pry it off! 😁

[GazzyFizzle]

Which velcro did you use Mark? Looks like Screwfix heavy duty stuff 🤓

[MAG]

7 hours ago, GazzyFizzle said:

Which velcro did you use Mark? Looks like Screwfix heavy duty stuff 🤓

It's actually Velcro brand Velcro 😂 but yes, heavy duty

[MAG]

Sub install!

What better way to practice social distancing than modifying your car? 😁

So, the install took place over two sessions, the first one was deciding location and putting in the wiring, the second was fitment of the unit.

I had a fair amount of deliberation as to where I should locate the sub and had initially decided on the passenger footwell as several others had done. This however changed, the reason for this was two fold; power source and ease of a stealthy location...

Firstly, the issue with power source is that my sub is fused at 15A so needs a reasonable current delivery in order to perform well. After some research it seemed that getting good power to the footwell would be an issue. Sourcing it from the access panel jump point would be a ball ache and although I know many have spliced the stereo loom supply, after consulting my trusty Exige manual, I found it was rated at just 7.5A! Even the Pioneer head unit I have can draw up to 10A by itself so that was a no no in my opinion.

I posted on the lotus FB group and several guys had installed in the cubby space behind the seats, for some stupid reason I had never considered this! After a quick look, I decided it was the ideal spot. It was out of the way with no additional masking needed and best of all it gave me direct access to the 12V cigarette socket which is; A. Permanently on and B. After a quick look in the manual, fused at 20A! 

The first job was routing cables, I had to get audio signal and the power on signal from the head unit, plus power and earth from the lighter socket. I had bought a basic amp wiring kit for £12 along with the sub which gave me oodles of quality power cable along with half decent shielded RCA signal cables. I ended up routing the signal cables behind the steering column after removing the head unit and column shroud. I routed down into the drivers side foot well and then just pulled away the carpet and tucked them under as I went along. Getting the power was a little more fidly, I took the power socket console apart easily, you just take the central screw out of the bottle holder and it pops off. I used simple cable splice terminals to attach my power and earth to the existing wires.

After I'd put it mostly back together I decided to do a test run with the sub on the seat but shock horror, no power! After much head scratching  I decided I must of blown the fuse while working in such a tight space. Back to the manual to locate the fuse and thankfully it was exactly where it said it should be and indeed it was blown. That was enough for one afternoon...

Next, after the fuse was replaced it was time for a test run and happily everything sprang into life! The little JBL has a fair bit of wollop so straight away I tamed the gain and boost. The app that controls the pioneer head unit has quite a bit of tweekability, I set the cross over to 100hz so the front speakers have very little LF duties to deal with.

Next was putting the sub in place. I just happened to have a sheet of stinger roadkill sound deadening left so decided to mount the sub on that to aid isolation and reverb. On top of the stinger I mounted my three strips of heavy duty loop velcro. I added some additional dense foam to the side of the sub so that it would be in contact with the horizontal portion of the cubby hole moulding.

I can confirm as per my test fitting to the carpet in the footwell that this stuff sticks damn well! I don't imagine I could pull it off without something to drive in between to use as leverage.

Final part was some tidying up of cables. I'd come across some out of use black plastic cable tidy tubing at work which was just spot on for the job!

So, everything is just about done, just some tidying to do here and there along with some final tuning now that the subs in location. But very happy with the project so far!

[Jcx]

Fine effort 👍

[MAG]

I'm getting so much stuff done to my car in this social distancing period! 🤣

Sooo, inspired by @MrP_ and his excellent work I decided I'd add a rubber lip to the splitter. Because I have an @alias23 street splitter it's much easier as the material can be drilled. This week I started buying bits and was originally following Paul's advice of using 3M tape along with primer 94. The rubber arrived today, I went for the 16mm stuff from a UK source as my car's already quite low and having the full on 25mm stuff would be asking for trouble in my opinion. 

I decided to touch the splitter up with some tough paint before I started on the lip which meant that I had to mask everything off. I then went about the conundrum of working on the car as I only have a single basic jack. But using the same technique I'd used before to fit the rear canards, I used the slope of my driveway to roll the car up onto a two level set of slabs.

This gave me reasonable access. At the last minute I changed my mind and decided I'd use small screws for attachment, just for my own peace of mind more than anything else. After much deliberation I then decided I could actually complete the fit without taking the splitter off. To make this work I pre drilled the rubber and decided on a screw every 75mm would do the job. I then used a small minicraft hobbyist drill to line up and drill one pilot hole at a time into the splitter while offering up the rubber. I used 1/2" self tapping zinc plated cross head screws. It was actually quite a straight forward process! And I'm really pleased with the results.

[MAG]

#slammed 🤣

[MAG]

More carbon adornments 🤣

[3eighty]

Looking good all round. Happy with the audio install, any feedback on that specific sub? Looking to do something similar.

[MAG]

8 hours ago, 3eighty said:

Looking good all round. Happy with the audio install, any feedback on that specific sub? Looking to do something similar.

Thanks, sub is great, really well made, full aluminium casing. Tight, controlled, powerful and punchy. More than enough power for such a small cabin 👍

New 380 Cup style carbon fin on the way from Simply Sports cars! 😁

[MAG]

On 20/04/2020 at 15:02, MAG said:

More carbon adornments 🤣

Unfortunately the fit of the binnacle is not up to standard, so I will be returning it. The problem is, is that there are gaps visible when looking at it head on down the sides. If pressure is applied to close these gaps then it pops up and away towards the point on the dash. I think I'm going to look into some DIY alcantara as an alternative. I've done some before on my Mini and am fairly confident in having a bash 😁

[MAG]

That was quick!

[MAG]

Another little update today...

When I originally had my @alias23 / @GFWilliams mirrors fitted I decided to have the mounting point covered with black vinyl instead of being painted for speeds sake but I've never been 100% happy with the finish. The indent of the remaining hole always showed a little and there was a small join line underneath, it's not something that others would probably notice but I knew it was there 🙄

I decided to take it upon myself to fill and paint the mounting plinths!

And TBH, it turned out easier than I expected, so here are the steps for others that may want to have a bash;

Loosen the mirror stalks from the inside accessed through the small black plastic grommit and by pulling away the rubber door seal lightly. It's key to have the right tools in the form of T bar Allen keys that won't fall inside the door! You don't need to remove the stalks completely just create a 3mm gap or so, so that your paint spray can get behind a little.

If you have vinyl on, the next step is removing that by pulling it off and using a little alcohol or white spirit to loosen its grip!

Next is one of the key stages: masking. Get some quality masking tape, I used frog tape and take your time masking accurately around the area up to the rubbers edge and around the base of the stalk. Take your time, accuracy pays dividends later.

Next get some good fine filler. I used Halfords 2 part filler for small body repairs as it sets nice and quick and is easy to work with. Use a flat blade or fine spreader to push a small bead of filler into the hole making sure some excess stands proud. Then, let it set... After this use a small sanding block wrapped in fine grade paper to rub the filled area flat until a smooth flush surface is achieved.

Then wipe the area to be painted with alcohol until completely clean. After this you can start painting! I don't like to mess around with primer, colour and laquer systems. As I wanted a matt-ish finish to match the windscreen surround I just used my trusty hard wearing plasticote wood stove paint which I've used previously on a number of other external parts like the rear canards. It's really easy to work with, drys really quick and is very hard wearing! I applied around 4 coats with a 15-20 min interval between.

After application, leave to set for around an hour and then you can remove the masking and tighten up the stalk bolts 👍

Repeat for the other side then you're done...

I'm really happy with the results 😁

[Edinburgh 111s]

@MAG

really looking forward to seeing how the cup 380 wing looks from SSC. Hopefully it’s as close to OEM as possible and the end plates look as good as the pictures on their website. 

enjoying this thread. Some very tasteful updates to the car. 

[MAG]

47 minutes ago, Edinburgh 111s said:

@MAG

really looking forward to seeing how the cup 380 wing looks from SSC. Hopefully it’s as close to OEM as possible and the end plates look as good as the pictures on their website. 

enjoying this thread. Some very tasteful updates to the car. 

Thanks mate, for a grand plus import tax Vs 4800 for a real one I can forgive it a few imperfections...

[Edinburgh 111s]

2 hours ago, MAG said:

Thanks mate, for a grand plus import tax Vs 4800 for a real one I can forgive it a few imperfections...

Absolutely! 1k is a great price. Can’t wait to see pictures of it on your car. If it looks good I too will be having one. 
you’re building a rather fine looking car. Very much an OEM look which I love.