The Elite painted at last

[makkyh]

Hi everyone.

As promised, all be it a little longer than anticipated, the Elite is at last painted in its original hue of Altair Green, and in my opinion suites the car very well.

Wheels are now off to be refurbished, and the car booked into the trimmer for its new interior. I have really enjoyed getting to this stage. The car looks so good, I still cant believe how unloved these Elites really are.

I have the original Phillips radio cassette in the car, but to be honest I don't like it a lot, I'm not sure if that's because I have always had a soft spot for the old Blaupunkt units. Did the factory ever supply as an option anything else apart from the Phillips unit?. Also, I read somewhere that there was bespoke luggage for an Elite. Is this a myth or fact?

Anyway, I will post more pictures as the car is re assembled and would welcome any further suggestions as to how to finish her off.

[Emmerg]

Wow that is going to look amazing. There definitely was bespoke luggage. My dad had a set back in the day, long gone though unfortunately. Shown in some of the adverts I think.

Keep the photos coming

[makkyh]

Thanks Guy,

I would love to get my hands on a set of luggage if they are out there somewhere. Any idea who made them?

[esprit s2]

That looks fantastic! Must be so satisfiying getting it painted.

[Loose Cannon]

Hi Rick

 

I can't recall ever seeing any luggage for sale 2nd hand that explicitly said it was for an Elite or Eclat in 13 years of trawling Ebay. Would they really have been "bespoke" or just a best-fit out of a manufacturers catalogue? I know someone who has Oliver Winterbottoms email address so will see if he can recall.

 

The paint looks fantastic and the car will look a million dollars when done. Shame they didn't fill the sunroof in though! My Eclat was originally this colour, but it really suits the Elite best.

 

Any reason the shop didn't remove the top aluminium rain gutter though? It's only half a dozen or so bolts each side. Also is your car dry inside? Now would be a good time to make sure the glazing is watertight as the old solbit sealant goes rock hard. the back windows especially have been nearly falling out the old cars I've bought. Test with a squirt from a hosepipe.

[makkyh]

Cheers Mark, that's really helpful.

 

The painters spoke to I think Lotus bits and they told them the top gutter was bonded to the glass, which seems to be wrong now. They were also told that finding new gutters would be incredibly hard. Any thoughts on that please?

 

The car is dry on the inside but once the headlining, carpets etc. all out we can have a better look.

 

Thanks again for your input.

[Emmerg]

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/102156188@N06/9805950154/

 

for a picture of the luggage as I remember it.  I think it was Samsonite.  thats not me in the photo by the way......

[makkyh]

Nice picture, never seen that before but so 70/80's.

Has anyone had any thoughts on the stereo?

[Loose Cannon]

The painters spoke to I think Lotus bits and they told them the top gutter was bonded to the glass, which seems to be wrong now. They were also told that finding new gutters would be incredibly hard. Any thoughts on that please?

 

The car is dry on the inside but once the headlining, carpets etc. all out we can have a better look.

 

I wonder if the message got mixed up somewhere; the rain gutter is  a "P" shaped section fixed by screws and bolts. It is very easy to remove and remount but helps if you have someone inside and someone outside.The bolt heads are under the interior side cant rails, which it sounds like you will be taking these out anyways for a headlining. The gutter is only bonded to the body by some double sided foam tape, and is a very heavy robust piece of trim which is extremely unlikey to bend (you can rock the car with them). I just wonder how the painters got the paint down the gutter or if there is a mask line now?

 

I notice you got the lower window trims off OK, these are the really tricky bits to do without damage as they are ridiculously fragile. I would deffo re-bond the rear side windows now before these go back on, and the windscreen if possible though it might be the end of it.. My windows were really loose, but even ones that appear sound let water in as the old bonding agent dries out.

 

Saggy headlining and knackered carpets are a sign of previous damp, do you know if it was an issue before/after you bought it? Did it used to live outside? It would be a shame to get new stuff in and find out it still leaks, you might not notice until it is an inch deep in the underfelt!

[makkyh]

Thanks Mark.

 

The interior is dry and no sign of staining. In fact, although I am going to completely re trim the interior, the carpets are good enough to stay.

 

I am still in a bit of a quandary regarding the colour of the interior. The leather is dark green with Draylon light green inserts.The colour is of its time, and all the documentation relating to car mentions it so I don't want to radically change it,I just want add a contemporary note. What I was thinking was to replace the green Draylon with tan leather, and replace the the headlining again with tan leather. Just wondered what your thoughts would be. Big decisions but all exciting stuff.

[Loose Cannon]

IMHO tan will clash with green badly. Check out this ferrari on Ebay at the moment with tan hide and green carpets :

 

 

One of the old generation Lotus deisgners said that the Altair green was meant to have a complete dominant green theme running through it; paint-trim-carpet-glass tint. It was also the Chapman family's favourite colour combination, Hazel ran at least 2 identical to yours, Elite and Eclat.

 

I think it all hangs together really well, but as you say of it's time and quite bold. Only a few years back a retrim in a different colour would have been a knee-jerk response, but these days keeping it green would get nods of approval from the "oldskool" fans. My Eclat was Altair, but I changed it to white as the black interior just did not go at all (and the interior was better than the paint). Matching that light green is tricky.

 

It's you who has to look at it when it's finished though. The leather headlining idea sounds nice and I was thinking about trying that on my copper Elite, but it still needs sponge padding to look "right" - I've seen 2 done with it glued directly to the interior panels and it looks hard and shiny.

 

By the way the cloth inserts on S2s are actually a wool moquette made by this company;

 

http://www.automobiletrim.com/moquette-fabric.html

 

The blue and tan cloths are an exact match for my blue and copper Elites and in the fullness of time will hopefully be getting the "treatment". I know they can wear badly and fade too (your light green will have matched the leather or been darker once), but they won't be getting the use they used to any more. I wouldn't be surprised if the green on the website was a match for yours, but as you say leather inserts will probably be cheaper and last better...

 

just not tan...

[Herc]

I love green leather, although the emerald colour that Lotus used is seriously out-there.  A little less bright, and with some darker. green inserts might work.  I suspect less is more though.  

 

My Porsche 997 has altcatara headlining in a dark grey, but I think that's on a frame - can't remember TBH.  Anyhow its luuvly.  Altcatara might work well in the Lotus, but I agree with Mark that it need some padding on the back.  There are some fabrics around with padding that aren't quite alcantara, but close.

 

Herc

[makkyh]

 

Some more pics showing progress and wheels off to be refurbished.

Thanks Herc, that's a good steer on the headlining, I agree that it would need the padding as leather stuck straight to the roof would look a bit sore.

Edited September 20, 2013 by makkyh

[makkyh]

Mark, you have thrown me now into deep confusion. Where I had thought about tan leather inserts as a definite, I am now seriously thinking about the green cloth from the company you gave me the link to. I am thinking that originality will carry the day.

 

Thanks again for the input, its times like this when the forum really does come up trumps.

[Dunc]

it is looking great!

[Emmerg]

Isnt it just

[makkyh]

Hi Dunc.

 

Bearing in mind the problem we had starting the car at yours on the hill, would you recommend a new patrol pump?

[makkyh]

Dunc. If you still have my number, could you give me a call please.

 

Thanks

 

Rick

[Dunc]

Will do Rick - been working late and only picked this up.

 

Will call tmw.

chat soon

D

[Jorge E]

Great job, Rick. Great job!

 

Let me see your progress...

[neil1961]

you've done a fantastic job on her

[CharlieCroker]

Looks great!

[makkyh]

Have just had a call from the trimmers and the work should be completed by Thursday. I will post some pics then. I just need to do something with the centre binnacle, as the imitation wood is looking very imitation wood. Any suggestions???

[red vtec]

Can you not put a new veneer on? Ed china did it on a wheeler dealer show on a jag. He vacuum bagged it so it dried flat on the trim.

Also great work.

Edited May 17, 2014 by red vtec

[mikeeech]

how about milled aluminium