Another resto...

[mikeeech]

I brought a solonoid used in central locking systems a couple of years ago. My thought was to maintainthe interior pull and mount the solonoid in the boot by the offside rear light via a pulley to the rear hatch lever. A second cable will need to be attached via a second fixing hole that will need to be drilled into the lever in a position that matches the pull of the solonoid. The real issue is whether the solonoid I brought for this purpose has enough grunt to pull the lever... If not a starter solonoid will definitely have the power.

I like the idea of having two cables, so a redundant system, should something break!

[SimonOmeara]

Hi Mike

I think a starter solenoid, I did the central lock no good .Then a boot opener solenoid with a 5kg pull with lever drilled around half way not enough. I reckon 8kg pull is needed with 40 to 50mm range. 

Cheers

Simon

 

 

[mikeeech]

it's been a while since i have spent any quality time on the car amazingly - given the weather! nothing much to show for my time only that I got the water prrof multi connectors on to the wiring loom and the pod lift motors to connect these up and tested to confirm everything was in order. I have also secured the wiring loom with stainless p-clips now into the offside light pod after removing the vacuum solonoid, secured the fan wiring to the under tray using the front spoiler bolts and p-clips of a appropriate size, and drilled a 22mm access hole in the bottom of the light pod underneath the winder for the motors which will allow a socket to go onto the winder in case of emergency. By chance I had a gromet that fitted the size of my drill bit and the thickness of the fibreglass to so didn't need to hit ebay for anything.

Next weekend I need to secure the bulk of the new loom behind the radiator, reassemble and setup the light pods, refit the front bumper then turn my attention to the rear wiring loom. 

Oh and I have fitted side repeaters too! 

[mikeeech]

I had a headlamp lift motor die on me today. It took me a while to diagnose it since I had assumed they were bullet proof. Oh well. I brought two for a tenner a few years back and eBay was littered with them.  Now one costs £25!

[SimonOmeara]

Hi Mike did the motor go open circuit or short ?

 

[mikeeech]

I think it's probably a limit switch issue although I have not taken it apparatus. Winding it a little with the manual knob on the bottom appeared to fix the problem for the time being...!

[SimonOmeara]

How is the wirirng coming on is it nearly done now?

[mikeeech]

Time is at a bit of a premium at the moment. The wiring loom to the rear will be easier since I won't need so many water proof connectors but I'm testing everything as I go and still need to finish my dash board design and start the design for the fuse box housing!

[SimonOmeara]

Hi Mike

When you fitted the bonnet on your car how easy was it to get the plungers and catches to line up? I am slightly worried as the plungers I have don't seem particularly straight and I have a great fear of the bonnet locking and not being able to open it!

Any tips?

Cheers

Simon

 

 

[mikeeech]

So had this problem on a VW beetle. Luckily enough and screwdriver under the lip was enough to prize it up and pop the catch whilst someone was pulling out cord but we don't have option. This is another snag I have not yet tackled. I have connected the cables and the driver's side operates the catch but the passenger's side is a bit of an enigma since pulling the lever just straightens out the cable and doesn't operate the mechanism! I'm sure the cable wasn't attached to the body when I removed it...

Anyway, I have given the bonnet opening conundrum work thought and every thing is adjusted to its highest position... The catches, where they are bolted to the body are set high and the springs in the bonnet pins set low (unwound to maximise the spring length) so there may be some chance to get it open again. Firstly I need to be absolutely sure that the catch mechanisms work on the lever!

I'll happily wait to try this until you can offer any further advice!

[Farmer Bob]

Hi Mike, I did mine last week. Just as you suggested lifted the catches fairly high and you can make sure the plungers meet the centre of the catches by eye. They released perfectly from the cables and I just had to adjust the catches down a bit to get the bonnet to sit level with the bodywork. Not as difficult as I thought it might be! The car does look better to have its bonnet on for the first time in 2 years.

[mikeeech]

A few odd jobs finished off today with the elite out of the garage and high on axle stands for those annoying bits left underneath. I had to extend the clutch cable marginally since the getrag box clutch forks were a smidge further back. I also secured the fuel pipe to the chassis which was an outstanding task.

Finally whilst I was grovelling on the concrete I measured the thread on the Speedo drive connection on the gearbox since I don't have any method of connecting the drive to the output shaft. 

More as a note the self the Speedo drive is M22 fine pitch (1.5mm) with a thread length of 15mm. The gearbox is M19 fine pitch (1.5mm) with a thread length of 10mm. Since M19 is not a thing then more likely 3/4-20. I now need a trip to an engineering workshop!

Lastly new fuel lock valve fitted to the area near the fuel pump but, typically, I need longer bolts than I had! God damn it!

[mikeeech]

I've got a week off next week and it's supposed to be sunny... I can't believe I have not had any time on the car since last September. Since I'm rewiring can anyone recommend an electric aerial for a 17mm hole in the rear wing that has the right angle?

[alan.phillips]

HI Mike. justas a matter of interest where did you get your new fuel lock valve from?

[mikeeech]

22 hours ago, alan.phillips said:

HI Mike. justas a matter of interest where did you get your new fuel lock valve from?

I got one of these which allows the valve to be opened manually should it stop working.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOVATO-PETROL-FUEL-SHUT-OFF-VALVE-7mm-IN-OUT-/123041082643?hash=item1ca5d1ed13

[Elite 4.9]

Quote

I brought a solonoid used in central locking systems a couple of years ago. My thought was to maintainthe interior pull and mount the solonoid in the boot by the offside rear light via a pulley to the rear hatch lever. A second cable will need to be attached via a second fixing hole that will need to be drilled into the lever in a position that matches the pull of the solonoid. The real issue is whether the solonoid I brought for this purpose has enough grunt to pull the lever... If not a starter solonoid will definitely have the power.

I like the idea of having two cables, so a redundant system, should something break!

Hi Mike, 

Owning one of these cars for a long period of time and living with some of the after though ideas to make it easier to do so can call for and imagination like with the soleniod. Looks like a good idea to me.

Under this subject, my Elite takes quite a pull on the cable lever to open the rear window,

so I decided a fail safe system was needed. Take a look at the hole I drilled in the bottom of the boot, big enough for your hand and close enough to reach the rear hatch lever.

This gives a fail safe way to make sure you have access no mater what.  The original  system,  to me,  looks like possible trouble. My fix is still secure because someone would have to drop the rear tire to access the wing nut to access the small safety door in the floor of the boot and above the spare tire.

I am going to do the same thing with the bonnet latches. Drilling a hole in the fire wall behind and just below the latches with a small handle connected to another cable attached to the latch. One for each side so in the event of the normal lever that opens the bonnet doesn't work one still has access to the engine bay from under the dash.

cheers

Richard

[oilmagnet477]

https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/retrosound-hide-away-amplified-aerial-230-555.html

@mikeeech Would this make a useful alternative, thereby losing the external OE fitting? I would think losing that item alone must further improve the cars' drag figure 😄

I had a spare which I've already provided to someone else - I think they are getting pretty thin on the ground as he couldn't find one.

[mikeeech]

It's been a while since I've updated this thread. It's fair to say I have had a few issues which has frustrated me a little. Over the long winter break I was able to source a new drivers side door handle so my door handles match although, as I discovered today, the barrel change with the door lock that came off needs a look at but more on that later. I also had a bit of a tidy out with a few things sold on ebay.

So the first thing to get to was to just connect the Speedo drive. This needed a coupler made up so should have been a simple job but the end is fraying a little which is making the tight squeeze harder so the Speedo drive will now need to go off for repair and an engine hoist to move everything to one side by a few mm will get this sorted. But one failed job...

My rewiring has stalled a little too since I need to find an electric aerial that fits. I'm not precious about it and it doesn't have to be electric but since I'm doing the loom in the boot then I might as well spend a little time searching and have so far come up with nothing.

At least I have polished up my wheel centre caps and got these on, and my waistline trim and pinstripes are now done.

My A post trims need polishing and fixing at the base of the screen properly so these will have to come off to be positioned and I'm not happy with the gap on the passengers side also!

So with all that backing up on the "jobs i must finish one day" list I thought I would a least have some success with refitting the door window surrounds.

Getting the frames from the dark corner of the garage where they have been lurking for nearly 5 years, removing the rust and crusty felt and repainting them was almost as satisfying as fitting the new felt into the, now pristine, channel. This came from Woolies trim btw with the 16mm base and was an excellent fit.

Now, getting the window frames out originally was a bit of a head scratcher and I ended up cutting the doors, but over the intervening years Mike at lotusbits told me that getting the window out of the frame with the frame still in the door is the way to go so refitting must the the opposite of removal right...

...Getting the frame in the door without the door glass is easy now. Getting the glass past the door frame into the door is also easy. Getting the glass into the door frame with the door frame in the door is a different story entirely. To cut a long story short I fitted the glass to the frame at the quarter light side, had to remove the door latch assembly to enable the frame to be lifted as high as possible that then allows the mounting lug on the lower part of the door frame to exit the door at the latch hole giving a few extra mm to bend the frame out. This took a lot of grunt.

Fitting the door seal, refitting the door latch mechanism and bolting the frame to the door beam just meant I needed to check the gap at the top so I could adjust with washers to get that perfect seal. When I first fitted the latch mechanism last year i was cautious to check that it worked before closing the door. Since I hadn't changed anything I closed the door, found the gap at the top of the door frame needed adjustment only to find that the door would not open! Grrrr.

I hadn't checked that the barrel I changed in the door lock worked and the mechanism had locked the door. Working the mechanism from the inside with a window in the way is really hard let me tell you, made more difficult since I hadn't fitted the interior door release but all sorted eventually. So the door handle will come off but I will finish this job next weekend which will include the window motor and wiring of course.

That reminds me that I need to refurb my wing mirrors which will include re chroming the bases...

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by mikeeech

[silverfrost]

Sounds like you have been busy Mike,   does the car already have a hole for the electric aerial ?  As car bulder solutions do a glass screen fitting aerial if you wanted to keep clean lines on the freshly painted body   

 

[mikeeech]

8 hours ago, silverfrost said:

Sounds like you have been busy Mike,   does the car already have a hole for the electric aerial ?  As car bulder solutions do a glass screen fitting aerial if you wanted to keep clean lines on the freshly painted body   

 

Unfortunately it does. This is perhaps the only reason why I'm on the hunt since a dab radio will need something different I think. I have an age appropriate radio which will become obsolete at some point although I would kill for an original with the dictaphone...

[Clive59]

I put this in my Elite S2.2 last week, easy fit.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Aerial-Car-Electric-Automatic-Booster-Power-Antenna-AM-FM-Radio/382906140020?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

[mikeeech]

20 hours ago, Clive59 said:

I put this in my Elite S2.2 last week, easy fit.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Aerial-Car-Electric-Automatic-Booster-Power-Antenna-AM-FM-Radio/382906140020?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

Did this go on the rear wing... If so that's fab!

[TAR]

22 hours ago, Clive59 said:

I put this in my Elite S2.2 last week, easy fit.

Does it sit upright? I thought it needed a high angle base to acommodate the angle of the rear wing. 

[Clive59]

yes, no problem with space, and the kit came with a plastic piece that fitted the angle of rear perfectly for the external hole, so looks nice and neat. And a bit of metal strip to locate the bottom end. Seems very secure. Sorry, didn't take any photos 

[clivef38]

I would love to see a pic if possible as i have to respray my Elite as at the moment i have filled the hole in. I have been given a good second hand unit thanks to oilmagnet. Another option would be nice.