S2!

[drdoom]

Hello @JonSE. How've you been getting along with your project?

[JonSE]

Hi there,

By coincidence was checking into various things yesterday!

My paint man is looking to complete in a few months then it’s off to a U.K. specialist for the task of bringing the fully refurbished rolling chassis and body back together (also to make it as “functional” as a car as possible in car terms so it drives….)

I’ve recently moved house and while I’m as enthusiastic as ever, I want to try to avoid the “car in bits” scenario / distraction which it has a danger of becoming, so thought process is to make some decent progress off site to make it drivable at least until I can bring it back home again and work on some of the finer details.

Also need to build it a garage which is a bit of an ongoing project!

 

 

[JonSE]

Body shop progress, after a year of storage, they have the car in the shop and are really cracking on!

Now looking for post paint storage as the body will be ready earlier than the build up folks can accept it. 
 

Great to have turned this corner though as all the parts are nearly done and it’s then the reassembly….

More pics…

[JonSE]

I’ve not seen the body in person but admit to being shocked to even seeing it look uniform in primer!!!

It’s going to be a basic white colour as I’m expecting some knocks and damage during the panel refit as it’s been apart over a decade.

It’s ultimate purpose might be in amateur motorsport in gentle hill climbs and sprints so it needs to be just presentable as opposed to concours.

Had it been white (even roughly) it wouldn’t be getting this focus as I’d have got the mechanicals done and a working car to use for a few years then addressed any paint issues, so I’m really happy at reaching this stage now!

[TAR]

Those photos really show how much better the body is once it has a little paint. Looks like real progress  

[Elite 4.9]

congratulations on all the hand blocking. That is some dirty, difficult work and you are picking a color that will hide the most and also look clean when it is really dirty. Been there done that. lol

Looking great !!!!!

cheers, Richard

[JonSE]

Thanks! But for this stage I can lay no claim to the progress.

The paint was stripped by a GRP guy and the blocking and preparation is a friend of mine who does standard paint but also his own custom stuff like scooters etc.

No Lotus mechanical content but got chance today to change the oil in my mower and bike after a load of heavy gardening, then a nice blast around town to the harbour….

[JonSE]

Other panels have now been sprayed and worked to final finish.

Quick question - I’d like the car moving under its own power as soon as possible, steerable etc.

I expect the main dashboard ought to be ready to go back in to build around after the crash bar is fitted?

As well as the steering column and wiper mechanism, anything else that might hold up progress that I’m best to address while I have a little time for preliminary build up (chassis / engine / gearbox will be rolling stage so ready to go)….

Also I’ve asked before but I’m not clear, how do I amend the dash to give 2X Din size gap ahead of the gear shift? Is it the main dash or the arm rest piece that’s different on S2 versus S1?

Prefer the 2X Din size ideally if it’s an easy adjustment….

[LOTUSMAN33]

I made a mould to do mine but never kept it unfortunately as it broke on removal being so thin and flexible.

Its the centre console which gets altered to suit the early radios.

 

[JonSE]

Researching trimmers I found this interesting site…

So the other Bond car is here in the U.K.?

Also the registration mark shows as expired, anyone know the story on this?

https://www.dclass.co.uk/lotus-esprit-retrim

[JonSE]

What an evening, small job (maybe the last of the actual strip down?) and it’s bitten me.

Simple job to strip the dash-crash bar of its rolling boot lock mechanism so that I can get the bar itself powder coated and the boot lock rotating bit painted to neaten it / protect it from rust.

Won’t be seen once back in but a bit grubby and keeps my hand in.

WHAT A SWINE!

Various relays etc off no problem, got half a self tapper out then one end of the bar mount.

 The other - no way.

Eighth of a turn, backwards and forwards - no joy.

Got heat on him, no joy.

Tried to fill it from the other end with oil - nah.

Eventually conceded defeat and drilled 2X small holes into the bar just above where I hope the thread goes (other side does) and doused internally with oil and left to marinade.

New oil can left by previous house owner - waste of time, put more back on me than in the work space.

Hopefully can tease it out and not shear the bolt, as that turns it into a repair job - but was tempted to force it thus as my new drill can probably allow me extract the stud if I did.
Reckon the captive bolt bit has really expanded in the tube after being left so long.

Plus point is I’ve finally freed up some desk space and inspired by a few of you guys I’m going to try and do a bit as often as possible to start the ball rolling again after the house move.

This will include repairing the binnacle GRP where it got cut for a switch start to be inserted and then preparing the instruments for remounting as a module.

Idea is to get multi block loom in place so I can remove the complete binnacle if needs be when the refit starts a bit more quickly like on an S3.

Also got a monkey bike resto on the go for a similar period of time and I’m going backwards and forwards between the 2 now to keep my spirits up if a job gets too tough….

 

[Fridge]

Yes, it's good to strip those under dashboard items down and get them media blasted and powder coated satin black.

Otherwise they rust like originally. Don't forget the pedal box and heater box (if rebuilding and not going with an Economy 7 unit).

Keep chipping away. You'll need all those bits quickly once the body shell goes back on the chassis.

Your binnacle should repair easily. Filling that hole made for the missile switches, or whatever.

[JonSE]

Success!

Felt a bit stiff but worked it out this evening 🙂

 

[Fridge]

It's always while returning to a difficult job. Good result!

[drdoom]

Shout out to @JonSE for this comprehensive chronicle, as it's a treasure trove of details on S2 bits and their assembly. Fortifies my own resolve!

👏

[JonSE]

Special delivery arrived fresh from the paint shop this PM……

Been getting mega help form @Fridge to start to plan the build back up, much appreciated!

[Fridge]

Wow, I forgot that beauty was coming back today.

You sleeping with it tonight 😆

[JonSE]

Ha!

Some more pics as I was helping the offloading, which went well…

[snowrx]

Rear shot looks a bit like a catamaran 

[JonSE]

Since the last post have done, well, not too much really!

Life has got in the way a bit, now we live at the coast, we spend a fair old time down the beach with our 2 young kiddies.

New job, general house stuff after a recent move and just gardening hoovers up all my “spare” (yeah, right!) time at the moment.

Promised myself after a few hours sorting the garden I would try and get in the zone for preparing to think about getting the body ready for its new rolling chassis and refurbished engine (due late this year) today.

Bare but prepared body ideally will be ready to just drop on when the mechanicals arrive as I only have 1X covered space at the moment to work with.

So had a longer time in the basement getting the boxes at least into a place I can start to pull them out and prepare the contents in priority order for restoring.

Shout out to @Fridge for a to do list of stuff that can be done while the chassis is prepared so I’m doing more things in series than my usual parallel approach.

Have a firm that specialises in looms that are going to unmake then reassemble mine to plan lined up and a powder coat place for some assorted bits.

Need to buy the tanks and some decent black paint (maybe Raptor which I need to brush on?) and build a bit of the body up without making it too heavy.

Also have an aim to get the binnacle back together with choccy block connectors (to aid future potential easy on and easy off).

Also pinged the trimmer for the priority articles such as dash that has a healthy lead time on so single items don’t dent the rebuild schedule too much in 6 months.

During the move and since we got here, I reckon I’ve moved on around 2/3rds of my previous possessions as I try and simplify my life, including 2 other classic cars.
 

We are finding that we now live in the place that we used to previously drive to so they weren’t getting used that much and had become a bit of a bind to keep on top of. With those types of distractions now resolved, I’m back on managing the Esprit again so hopefully can make some decent progress over the next 12 months.

First job is to drag the shell out of its nest, wash it thoroughly and give it a good wax coat to protect the new paint.

Pictures show 2/3rds of an Esprit less interior engine and chassis!

 

[Djs44]

10 hours ago, JonSE said:

Since the last post have done, well, not too much really!

Life has got in the way a bit, now we live at the coast, we spend a fair old time down the beach with our 2 young kiddies.

New job, general house stuff after a recent move and just gardening hoovers up all my “spare” (yeah, right!) time at the moment.

Promised myself after a few hours sorting the garden I would try and get in the zone for preparing to think about getting the body ready for its new rolling chassis and refurbished engine (due late this year) today.

Bare but prepared body ideally will be ready to just drop on when the mechanicals arrive as I only have 1X covered space at the moment to work with.

So had a longer time in the basement getting the boxes at least into a place I can start to pull them out and prepare the contents in priority order for restoring.

Shout out to @Fridge for a to do list of stuff that can be done while the chassis is prepared so I’m doing more things in series than my usual parallel approach.

Have a firm that specialises in looms that are going to unmake then reassemble mine to plan lined up and a powder coat place for some assorted bits.

Need to buy the tanks and some decent black paint (maybe Raptor which I need to brush on?) and build a bit of the body up without making it too heavy.

Also have an aim to get the binnacle back together with choccy block connectors (to aid future potential easy on and easy off).

Also pinged the trimmer for the priority articles such as dash that has a healthy lead time on so single items don’t dent the rebuild schedule too much in 6 months.

During the move and since we got here, I reckon I’ve moved on around 2/3rds of my previous possessions as I try and simplify my life, including 2 other classic cars.
 

We are finding that we now live in the place that we used to previously drive to so they weren’t getting used that much and had become a bit of a bind to keep on top of. With those types of distractions now resolved, I’m back on managing the Esprit again so hopefully can make some decent progress over the next 12 months.

First job is to drag the shell out of its nest, wash it thoroughly and give it a good wax coat to protect the new paint.

Pictures show 2/3rds of an Esprit less interior engine and chassis!

 

Jon 

I have 2 tanks available - std steel ones from my car . Need a paint but in very good condition . 

I bought alloy ones just because . 

[JonSE]

Well, I had a bit of a push this Sunday and managed to get it finished…..

KIDDING!

@Fridge was keen to swap his car for a motorbike….

Meanwhile, thanks to a new burst of enthusiasm, I pulled the shell out of the garage to give it a thorough wash to eradicate all the cutting dust & repaint materials that had collected in the car….

I’ve also needed to add a couple more drain holes to ensure water can’t get trapped in any of the voids once it’s back together I found….

[JonSE]

Gave the interior a through scrub down….

Left with the fans and a dehumidifier running overnight and I’m happy with the results, will save getting filthy crawling around the dirty dusty shell….

Spotted a couple of minor repair areas I need to address….

As these will be mostly hidden, I’ll focus on getting the car back together though and may revisit them….

The paint on the boot floor just washed off….

[JonSE]

The finished article seemed to hit the spot with the kids on the street….

[JonSE]

I’m still just procrastinating instead of getting on with it, but the parts are all now in one place ready to be gone through so that I can prep the bits I need to go back on the shell.

What has helped (which was the idea!) was seeing another S1 in the flesh again after seeing the @Paul Coleman car a good while ago, so thanks to @Fridge for driving down and having a nice day out with me!