What have I done?

[lostcause]

It was too good to last, My S2.2 needs rather a bit more doing to it than expected..... so I've bought another!! This one is much closer to being on the road than mine, and all of the bits that mine's missing are present on this 'new' one, a deal has been done and I should be collecting it on Sunday.......... Unless the seller welches on the deal.... fingers crossed. I could be selling my resprayed white S2.2 if any one is interested, I've finally finished the house and will need to have a clear out!!

will post pics when I get a chance

Just realised that I now own 1.46% of S2.2 Elite production

[USAndretti42]

What? You've bought another S2.2? How do you find them?

Good luck with your new machine. When you say it's much nearer to being on the road than your old one is that because the old one is in the garage and so the new one will have to go on the drive?

[eliteman]

Hi, Look forward to the pictures. I have an S2 also WNG 56X so between us we're not doing too bad. Luckily mine is on the road. S2 Red with oxblood leather interior. Cool. Good luck with yours buddy.

[Loose Cannon]

So many S2s that we could be drooling over, any chance of some pictures? Liam, your reg seems very familiar, "WNG__X" seems to have featured on a lot of Lotus', including the Eclat S2.2 press car I think.

[eliteman]

Hi, Yes WNG 56X has great history, she was owned by Lotus for the first two years as a works/promotion car and was used by the Chief Executive as his company car, she also featured and photographed in William Taylor’s ‘The Lotus Book S2’ page 179 (Type 83).

The car is still totally original with only 51k on the clock even still has the original pioneer radio cassette player! I will take some pics tomorrow and get them on if i can resize them like you and Duc suggested.

[simonb]

What is the original radio cassette player?

Might get a little carried away with originality on my S2.2 Esprit, and it would be good to know what is right (assume it has FM)

[lostcause]

I bought the ropey silver one off Ebay, did a deal with the guy and he pulled the add, I collected it today. I've flushed out the fuel tank, refitted the carbs and it fired up straight away!! It's got some electrical gremlins to deal with and the rear brakes are partially siezed on, if i can de bug it and free off the anchors, it could be MOT time Tuesday. I just whipped it round the village, the first time I've ever sat in an Elite( a complete one that is) let alone driven one....... I love it!! The paint is very tired, i.e its falling off, theres evidence of impact damage down the drivers side but its not too bad.. Plan is to eventually have it sprayed deep metallic blue over silver, in the mean time... for a giggle, I might dust it over with Satin Matt black and go for the evil look for a while.. The house goes on the market Tuesday, so I'll definately have to pass on the white one.... Does anybody fancy an S2.2 project? Its been painted in white, (original colour) just needs good polish , trim, electrics sorting and a screen

Mark

[eliteman]

Good one, saw that on e-bay and thought it looked okay! Some pics when you get a chance would be great.

[lostcause]

Sorry to say, pics are a challenge at the moment, but a bit of a progress report: the rear drums are off, its siezed cylinders, so I've bought new ones and some other odds and sods from Mike at Lotusbits, the diff out put oil seals are a bit leaky, so they've got to be sorted, had some issues with siezed bolts nothing an angle grinder couldnt fix!. The off side trailing arm is cracked and has been badly welded in the past, so I need another, the other one is galvanised and looks fairly recent. To change the rear cylinders the diff has to come out..... great design!! The car came with new GAZ adjustable rear dampers in boxes, so these may as well go on..........the old ones are a bit oily/crusty.... has any one any experience of GAZ dampers? good or bad?.

plan of action is to get the rear suspension back together then start on the front, then its time to tackle the electrics.....

I've got my Riviera bonnet(pale blue) and a new chin spoiler(bright orange), so the poor thing is going to look a bit rough to start with.

Its registered KPG 1 W, has sundym glass and power steering.... any body know it?

Mark

[lostcause]

just an update... not the nicest job in the world, diff out, rear brakes replaced, output shaft can stay leaking for now, theres a "funnel" arrangement on both back plates to direct leaky oil to a hole in the back plate.... dry brake linnings despite the leak. By all accounts, the diff seals/bearings are a real pig of a job needing oxy gear to heat the new retaining collar and a big press..... a job for later.

Sourced a replacement trailing arm and a paair of lower links and some diff mounting rubbers from Mr Taylors Emporium (glad he's just down the road!!)

just the R clips to fit on the handbrake linkage , rear drums and driveshafts to hook up, then change the drive flanges for my Speedlines.......

Gotta say re fitting the diff, single handed is a challenge!! Thanks to Matt for his help getting the bugger out!

Mark

[lostcause]

had a grotty weekend, one of my rear shocks disolved as I attempted to reassemble the drive line, never known a shock tube to rust this bad, got a pair of replacements, so they can be fitted tonight... i hope. just the rear flanges to change for my speedlines and the back is done. Front calipers are good, pads had rusted in though and needed some gentle persuasion to come out (lump hammer and a big chisel) . the discs arent as good as the ones on my Speedline hubs, replaced the bearings and fitted braided hoses in place of the perrished originals. Gravity bled the brakes initially, I'll finish that off tonight. The MOT is getting closer!! (satin black may be on hold as a saner solution has been suggested....... Matt again!)

Mark

[lostcause]

OK, an Update on progress, I seem to be making a meal out of simple tasks! Spent ages vacuum bleeding the brakes, just as the fluid runs clear of bubbles, I get a rush of air and have to start again...... Brain dead mode, having wasted nearly a litre of Dot4, it dawned on me that with the front of the car in the air, the front port in the mastercylinder is barely covered with fluid, hence the air ingress DOH! I'll try again when the car is level..... Following the instructions in the workshop manual I tackled the tatty radiator, "remove top and bottom hose, fan wiring, undo the rad mount bolts and remove radiator with fans attached" Yeah right!! two hours of swearing,grunting, straining and the 3 foot wide rad finally gets extracted through the 2 foot 11 and 15/16 of an inch hole. The replacement (without fans) was fitted in minutes.... fans and plumbing tonight.

The rear dampers are proving very stubborn, the top mount lock nuts were easily removed the retaining nut below it wont budge, the top of the shaft has chewed up nicely courtessy of 1/4 spanner,mole grips, bessey clamp and pipe wrenches, despite oaths, threats and pleading I'm going to introduce them to my angle grinder later! I have resisted this wonderful, universal, siezed nut/bolt remover in defference to sleeping children in the area. Compressing the spring is a pain without a Klann compressor, I've used some screw efforts but they are fully closed and the spring is still under compression..... How do you other guys clamp them?.

Post radiator removal I have lost the actuation of the n/s head lamp, but dip beam now works in it! I have no wipers, washers, brake or foglights and an evening studying the wiring diagram gave me a headache! I think I've sussed out each fuses circuits and i know a few are blown/corroded. Fingers crossed I'll have it ready for MOT on saturday .

Ultimately I want the car Metallic blue over silver with a red pinstripe above the side moulding strip, it is currently half shiny silver with the passenger side and roof suffering from peeling or peeled lacquer, not pretty, the bonnet (Riviera) is light metallic blue and the new chin spoiler, eye searing orange gel coat... It is bit of an eyesore. I was tempted to " Hit it" with satin black rattle cans (ten should do it at around £3 each) for a giggle, I was then persuaded to just do the top half in a metallic blue with custon rattle cans from a paint factor...... at least then it would be an approximation of where I will end up with the car and "it wont cost much more".... Turns out that professional aerosols are around £12 each and only contain 100ml of paint (total volume is 400ml, 100 each of paint and thinner, 200 ml of propellant. Metalics have to be done as a lacquer over base, so another £30 worth of lacquer would be required to go down this route.... Alternatively a litre of cellulose candy pearl "Azure Blue " (Lotus B20 code) is only £45.... I've scrounged a compressor, I've got a gravity feed gun and I love the smell of thinners...... We'll see after the MOT

[lostcause]

More done! Rear dampers fitted, brakes bled on the level this time however the pedal seems a bit "long" I guess the rear adjusters need a tweak, half a dozen fuses changed and most of the electrics work, seems half the bulbs are dud, Rad all plumbed up and refilled with coolant, just the fans to fit and test, Theres a relay or some thing around the steering column area making a high frequency buzzing noise, could that be the fan fail module? The factory manual I have doesn't have much in the way of component locations or revised dash info for the S2.2, can any one help?

Regards

Mark

[lostcause]

. I hate electrics!

Seems the loom is pretty screwed up, the fan relay wiring is peculier to say the least, Looks like the loom is coming out next

[lostcause]

seems I have fuse box issues, both of the front ones have high resistance across the terminals, on removal they are pretty corroded, guess whats on the shopping list tomorrow.

Thanks Matt!

[lostcause]

update:

Fuse boxes changed, seems to have cured all existing ills, however have discovered a couple more! Wires from alternator had dodgy crimps on them and fell off, sorted that and now the voltmeter registers more than 11 volts when running, thanks to a friend who has a workshop in northampton(Cheers Joe..J.D.Garage, Moulton Park, cant recommend the guys here higher), the rear hubs have been swapped for s2 Eclat ones, so I have Speedlines all round, they really do make the car look better, The brakes are adjusted up now and the handbrake works on a couple of notches. One of the exhausts is rubbing on the brake drum, that will have to be sorted. Next job is to change the door mirror..... How the hell do you get to the fixings without stripping the door completely or cutting an access hole?

Another issue is the battery, the correct one is an 075, I bought a Yuasa jobbie as its a very high output one but its too big to sit in the space, looks like i'll have to modify the case by cutting off the clamp flange around the base to get it to fit .. any one else come across this?

Good old Matt had a play with the headlamp motors and has got the n/s one behaving itself again...thanks bud!!

fingers crossed MOT on tuesday PM.

I really must get some pictures posted.

Mark

[lostcause]

Finally, at last the beastie is ready for its MOT, I've booked the retest for tomorrow PM (Tuesday),

hopefully there are a couple of pics with this, unless my interweb incompetence strikes again!!

[Loose Cannon]

Well done on the progress, sounds like another Elite will be back on the road soon. Do you still have the white one? Any pics?

[lostcause]

still got the white one, however the pics are 10mp, i'm too much of a technophobe to reduce them, to upload, I'll take some more(have to dig it out of the garage first, you can just see the back of it in the pics above.

[matk]

Nice looking Elite in a nice colour. Good luck for the MOT.

[lostcause]

thanks Mat, sadly the camera lies!! the lacquer has lifted above the waist moulding on the n/s and all of the roof, I'm going to fit a Riviera bonnet and blow over the top half with Lotus Azure blue mettalic to see what it looks like, when funds permit i'll have it painted properly.

[nickfire]

Hi

nice progress reports....

Can i ask where you got your dampers/shocks from?

New or secondhand?

Am after some and not sure what to go with.....

Cheers

Nick Harrison

www.nickslotuseclat.com

[Matt-watts]

I'm glad I could help you out Mark

I hope the MOT goes well........... As I'm rather looking forward to a little drive in your car !

I've never driven an Elite before and from your comments on how you find it, its going to be great fun

Keep up the good work

Best Wishes

Matt

[lostcause]

MOT Passed!!!!!! Just got to get some rent for it now and put some miles on it. Matthew, thanks for all of your help and enthusiasm i wouldn't have got so far this quickly without it.

Nick, my car came with GAZ adjustable rear dampers, I've fitted them as the originals were totally fubar'ed, they seem to do the job but I've no idea as to what is the best set up, I have posted a thread about this on the suspension thread but have had very little feedback. I've got a pair of NOS Armstrongs to put on the front at the weekend, it also needs upper balljoints as the gaiters are knackered.

things to do list is still long:

fit front spoiler, now that its painted

cut the clamp webs off the battery so it sits in the battery tray properly

investigate missfire/rough running/hesitancy when the lights are on! (alternator?)

investigate lower ride hight on the right of the car (please dont be a distorted chassis!) And its low when I'm not in it, so no pie/beer consumption issues!!!

change front shocks/upper balljoints

fit new rear wheel bearing to n/s (slight play advised on MOT)

Fit replacement steering rack (this came with the car) as weeping nad has slight play (MOT advise)

change exhaust for the new stainless job off the other car

clean up all electrical connectors/replace as required (intermittent faults and lazy wipers/windows)

replace/repair the subframe on the Riviera bonnet, paint it and fit it

respray upper half of the car

new carpet

Fit a sound system!!!

regards

Mark

Edited August 18, 2010 by lostcause

[StrokerBoy]

MOT Passed!!!!!!

Nice one ! I always get a strange feeling when I've got a new MOT certificate in my hand, like I've just got away with something that I don't deserve. Not that any of my vehicles are dodgy or unsafe, just that there seems to be a million tiny things they could pick you up on...