Right then better start my '77 S1 project...

[CharlieCroker]

And here it is, basically if you had your bonce in the footwell on the passenger side and looked straight up, I managed to make a cradle for the unit to sit in. Also somehow made some sort of hanger for the speaker. It's all controlled by my smartphone, volume, track selection, equaliser, all done from the touch screen.

[CharlieCroker]

Great day out at The Retro Rides Gathering, even though it did monsoon at lunchtime. Great to see Rob again even though brief, and met up with some old friends and made new. Next show is quite some way away but hope to get it to Ultimate Stance in November. The Panther was flawless there and back, never skipped a beat.

[CharlieCroker]

Ok, so I'd thought I'd have a quick look tonight at removing the ac condenser, thought I'd just prepare myself for the battle ahead, loosenva few nuts here and there, work out a plan of attack. Well to my shere amazement, I have the thing out already and on the garage floor! I really thought it was going to be a nightmare but it was an incredibly straight forward removal. First thing get the bonnet out of the way, second the front splitter, this I've made easy months ago by using self tappers instead of bonding, so just a matter of unscrewing those and its off. This is what gives you access, and you pull the rad through this cavity once your bolts are free. There's onlt 8 bolts in total to remove, 4 at the bottom and 4 at the top. Bit of a fuffle to get the top nuts free but they all moved without any problem.

This in front of the rad, that's what I call a airflow blockage.

The far left nut is a pain to get to, but by pulling the rad foward into the engine bay, a 13mm gets it done.

Now, the first thing the air hits is the rad not the ac condenser.

I'm gunna put this original rad back in and test the car to see if its any better. If not I'll get the 3 core in there. It's fairly easy to put in and out now as I've taken the opportunity to change allbthe crusty old bolts.

One question, how can I clean out the otter switch pipe, this is super crusty inside, would a bath of caustic soda help?

[silverfrost]

Charlie the otter switch you  try Mr muscle oven cleaner and a small wire brush,  Wear gloves and goggles though as its

 evil stuff not sure if that's crud or corrosion in the pipe but may be worth thinking about replacing that if it does not clean up well.  As for the radiator in the pics in looks like the tin worm has had it meal and does not look like there is much life left

 in that radiator also if the pipe where the otter switch goes looks bad , imagine what the inside of that rad looks like that

 has thin waterways..... 

 

 Regards Dan 

[CharlieCroker]

Well that's an improvement if not perfect much better. Running at 90c still but in traffic the fans are kicking in and dropping the temp to around 85c, so feeling much more confident. I have to say that's the best run I've had to date in the car, had the radio and fans on and the volt meter was constant at 13.5v and see it's really pulling like a train, not missing a beat, and to any doubters the handling with the new airbags is awesome, precise and turns like a fly. Just need a new UJ in the steering to take out the slack, reckon that will make a huge difference to the driving experience.

[silverfrost]

Glad to hear it Charlie, next step get that custom radiator fitted, and enjoy your motor in the meantime 

 

Regards Danny

[V8-ESPRITS3]

good to hear Luke, always one more job to do...........

[CharlieCroker]

Cheers lads, new rad will be on order soon, got some more suspension work to do first this winter, next show Ultinate Stance, see you there or be square!

[CharlieCroker]

What's the saying, "it never rains but pours"?! So after my successful run yesterday, and feeling really up beat about things, it's now obvious my UJs are, technical term, "f*#ked". Yesterday on the run I had the blue tooth radio on full blast and was enjoying the moment, bit of sun, music blasting, shades on giving it the beans so I couldn't hear what was going on at the rear. This morning I had a quick spin in it to double check things and start getting a squeaking type knocking noise. So back in the garage, put her up on stands and started my investigation. Immediately I could here a grinding noise, I thought it was in the brake drum but as I pulled on a UJ I could hear it was coming from there. I had greased them way back but they've gone, really sloppy and one on the spindle side barely turns is so stiff. I tell you what, you guys that are mid build, your problems really start when you start driving the car so if you can, get these issues out the way now.

I've got one side out already and I'll get the other out tomorrow but question is, lotus bits will have these right? I have a list building fast so a trip down there is on the cards.

[Fueltheburn]

There are 2 technical terms you should be well acquainted with by now

OMJ - One More Job

FUCT - Failed Upon Continous Test

Both of these terms are in permanent use if you use your car on a daily basis as fixing one problem will simply highlight a weak area elsewhere

[soldave]

I've just gone through a UJ replacement at the back and I went for the non-serviceable Spicer heavy duty ones. Have heard them mentioned in discussions before but don't think they've been tested, long term. It's an option if you're don't get Lotus Bits ones.

[silverfrost]

Bugger

 

  But look on the bright side at least your cooling has improved and could think of far more worse things to wrong than the ujs

 

  I would of thought lotusbits would have these,  I am suprized no one has ever converted or made a kit to convert these

  to constant verlocity joints,  are the shafts all the same on the elite,eclat and excel I maybe or maybe not ?

 

   just looked on the web and cv joints are a no no as the ujs and shafts form part of your suspension

Edited August 30, 2015 by silverfrost

[Fueltheburn]

Elite and eclat are the same, Excel is a CV joint but has a different setup with more components.

There probably is not enough call for a company to sort the CV joints in terms of time, investment and return. I will probably look at this when I begin the Eclat Riviera next year but I wouldnt have thought many would want to pay the price for a re-engineered part if they can fix the original for a quarter of the price.

[oilmagnet477]

Not sure exactly who or where it is but there is a company that do a CV coupling for the Elan somewhere in Norfolk.....

Were featured on W/Ds some while back. Not sure if they could do anything but as you say Keiran, is it really worth the extra cost - doubtful, unless you are going to use it as a daily driver.

Given that you pretty much have to take off the drive shafts to do the rear brakes, I'd have thought that doing them every time you do the brakes isn't such a daft idea, then again, which are likely to need doing more regularly?

[oilmagnet477]

On second thoughts, this isn't really an option given that the outboard drive shaft goes through the hub carrier with the UJ behind the H/C.

As you were!!

[CharlieCroker]

And here they are in all their knackered glory! I don't know what it is but at the moment, although I'm having the usual running problem, actually working on the car is proving very straightforward, I had each side out in under and hour.

You need a 36mm massive socket on a breaker bar to get the castle nut off, but even that didn't give me any problems. On old VWs I've worked on in the past you need the will of God to get them off!

Lotus Bits do have the heavy duty ones listed at £100, I don't know if that's an exchange but seems reasonable? £30 fir just the joints but you're then going to need to get them pressed in. Seriously though my budget for this car is so far above and beyond my estimate that I may as well see it through now, what ever the cost. I'm gunna go the full fat option onbthis car now, new rad, new UJs new fuel pump new friggin everything!

[johnpwalsh]

Charlie, we all know that in the end the project will be damned near perfect, we have all watched the quality of the work so far so get on with it man.  And remember to do the usual first class postings as you normally do for others to follow. 

[V8-ESPRITS3]

Stick with it Luke, its still money well spent.

[eclat22]

There is a cv conversion, but this involves welding to the chassis,upper suspension links and new hub carriers, the original driveshaft act as the top suspension link thus have additional loads that can wear ujs unless they are well maintained, I have the modified set up on the race car as it also provides adjustable rear camber.

Regards Dan

[silverfrost]

  Luke as Rob said still money well spent !  Preventative maintainace is always the way ahead  Your car looks smart,the outside is nice and the interior is spot on, just the finishing touches your dealing with now, get them done and you will of earned yourself hopefully a good few trouble free driving miles which is what its all about.  Well not for me anyway I prefer working on them than driving them  

 

  Regards Danny

[CharlieCroker]

Bare in mind I've spent best part of a year with the car in the garage fixing the paint, interior (I mean you all saw how long that took and the lengths I had to go to to get it back to respectable) and all the other jobs, custom exhaust, brushed bright work and everything else. It's only now that when you take the car out on the road that the real problems start to show. I did two shows in 2 months 300 miles and those ujs just couldn't handle it. They are so stiff at one side that I can barely get any movement in them by hand. The fuel pump packed up on me again (second time in two months, I carry a cheap spare so I managed to get home) that's why I've gone for the facet red top, hopefully that will solve that. Those charging issues, overheating, most people would have thrown the towel in a long time ago! Not complaining though, this was always going to be a rolling restoration and I'm slowly getting to a more reliable stage. All the beat, Charlie ;-)

[Barrykearley]

Once it's done - it'll be well sorted. These are just annoying running in niggles - it's all part of the fun.

Unless you replace everything - you will get these niggles. And let's face it the ££££ to replace everything far outweigh the annoyance of now replacing them ujs.

Best of luck with the reassembly - and gutted I never got to shelsley to see the panther

[pbharcourt]

There is a Lotus Elite spyder rolling chassis for sale on Gumtree for £500 at the moment, it has the CV drive shaft conversion, new looking tyres, new spax dampers and spyder suspension.

Good value

[CharlieCroker]

Got my new red top installed no problem, 5 minute job, bolt old one off and new one on, plug in and away it goes. Seems quieter than the previous but I suppose that was expected. Onto the UJs now, in the meantime I've been looking over the rear suspension, it's so ahead of its time, a really simple and well executed design you can see how each component works in conjunction with its counterpart, creating a well balanced triangle to each wheel. Anyway I'm strapped for cash at moment so the panther is up on stands for a while, may have to go into early winter hibernation, we'll see.

Edited September 5, 2015 by CharlieCroker

[silverfrost]

Job well done on the pump Charlie,  One thing I will say on the pump wiring though, for a couple of pounds you can buy heat shrink, better than seeing blue connectors and far better than electrical that always ends up looking pants, heat shrinks makes such a difference not only in protection but looks like a quality install, I swear by the stuff now and always use it on all terminal connections. Just my two pence....

 Hope the panther gets back on four wheels soon mate