S1 Project car - part 2 - the continuation

[Lotusfab]

Am working on the final touches on the boot and battery. Have used a larger battery than the original and managed to shoehorn it into the tiny battery box. It wouldnt fit without filing the base moulding tabs! Think its worth the effort. Ive done lots of starts and run the Kenlows without the engine running and the battery hasnt had even one recharge! Will post some picture of the finished boot and battery as there arn't any pictures on here.

Lost the Valvoline battery sticker so had to buy another one, got it off EBAY for £3.25

[Lotusfab]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1970s-Lotus-Recommended-Lubricants-Sticker-Esprit-Elite-Eclat/131513420799?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3Df5c4e71c1c45430591206abb2f78d830%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D291561673567

[Paul Coleman]

I've grown to hate everything about that green/tartan interior hahaha The way the whole thing fits together is just cheap & nasty in my humble opinion. Some of it is held in with plumber's pipe fittings and on my car, when you pull the driver's sun visor down the cant rail above the door becomes un-clipped every time. If you accidentally catch that green material it will snag and you'll pull a thread which then stands out like a sore thumb - ask me how I know. Oily boot prints from the MOT tester look lovely on a bright orange carpet too

It's hardly surprising that Lotus changed it quite quickly but that's how mine was originally so that's how it's staying.

 

Edited November 7, 2015 by Paul Coleman

[Lotusfab]

I agree, thats probably why they changed it qite quickly. I've just come to a halt waiting! Noticed S and J now supply orange carpet!

[Lotusfab]

Finally replaced the carpet and finished the baterry. In order to squeez the high Amp battery in had to make two new brackets all the other parts including the battery cover came from S and J.

[Paul Coleman]

It will be interesting to see what you make of it once you start driving it. For me the best part was restoring it and finding all the missing, impossible to find, bits. Just aimlessly driving around doesn't really do it for me I could never understand why the likes of Wyn, Jeff & Leon sold them shortly after finishing them but now I can - the journey was the fun bit

 

[Lotusfab]

Mmmm are you coming round to the idea of selling? When the summer comes and you do a few shows you might think differently. I know what you mean though, I have had other cars, restored them and then got bored. If I have to endlessly repair it I might get fed up!

[Paul Coleman]

It's still a way off being finished yet so still quite a few jobs to do although to be honest I can't really be arsed to finish it

I'm not really into car shows so doubt I'll be taking it to any to be honest.

I must admit that if somebody offered me a serious amount of money for it then I'd seriously consider it.

I have an e-type restoration project which I'm working on and if both cars were finished I'd walk past the Esprit 99 times out of 100 to get into the e-type. No contest for me

 

[Lotusfab]

Paul,

 

thinking of replacing the header rail ( Top of windscreen where the visors fix to) as the ABS plastic is distorted and has seen better days. Do you think S and Js copy is a good approximation to the original?

 

[Lotusfab]

Have fitted all boot carpet. Used velcro tape to hold them in as they need to be removed for maintenace purposes. The velcro is self adhesive and comes in strips. Just stick one strip to the carpet and the other to the boot board. Also riveted in the studs for the engine torneau cover( spelling?). Havnt got this part, does anyone have the cover and a picture? Just the engine cover to detail and the engine bay is finished bar the paint detailing. 

Radiator is on its way back from S and J. They kindly checked it out and apparently its already triple cored and has been refurbed. They flow tested it and its perfect. Thanks Dave ( previous owner). 

Two things that might help the budding restorer:-

1.  The tailgate struts are inverted! You must invert them or the balance of the tailgate is wrong and the spring will  not work properly when you shut the tailgate.

2. The instrument mask goes on the outside of the perspex! This is unusual and I got it wrong, so have to take the binaccle off for the third time!

just have to clean the bulkhead of glue for the second time and thats all I can do till the trim comes back. 18 months every day of hard work so far and counting!????

Or is it ????????

[Paul Coleman]

47 minutes ago, Lotusfab said:

Paul,

thinking of replacing the header rail ( Top of windscreen where the visors fix to) as the ABS plastic is distorted and has seen better days. Do you think S and Js copy is a good approximation to the original?

What ABS plastic? Do you mean the ends of the sun visors?

36 minutes ago, Lotusfab said:

Havnt got this part, does anyone have the cover and a picture? Just the engine cover to detail and the engine bay is finished bar the paint detailing.

Mr Bond's car (and mine) had a green tonneau cover made from heavy vinyl...

I've never seen another.

[Lotusfab]

HEADER RAIL BACKING PANEL (Series 1)		A079V4083J	EACH	37.00

This is the part. Cover looks good. Why did they fit it?

[Paul Coleman]

The panel above the top of the windscreen is fibreglass not ABS?

Re cover - I presume it was to keep the minute bit of luggage that you can get in the back to stay in one place? It shrunk over the years and I have only managed to get 5 of the 6 poppers fitted at any one time.

[Lotusfab]

Quote

 

Mmmm thats interesting mines made of that awful plastic same as the bulkhead. Do you think S and J s one is a good copy? 

Just found out S and J sell a black mohair Tonneau cover for £94, but you have to do the studs yourself. Do you think the green would have matched the green cloth before it faded? 

Edited November 9, 2015 by Lotusfab

[Paul Coleman]

Mine's fibreglass, ABS would be way too flimsy?

Jeff's car, which SJ restored a few years ago had a repro green cover but it may have come from Steve Fulcher rather than Steve Roberts? Look at the pictures at the bottom of Jeff's yellow car... http://www.coachtrimmer.co.uk/ourwork-Esprit.aspx

 

[Lotusfab]

Yep it is too flimsy, so is the bulkhead which breaks far too easily! Will have to ask Steve about that green cover.

[Paul Coleman]

The bulkhead? Do you mean the panel behind the seats? Again mine is fibreglass, in fact all the interior panels on my car are fibreglass.

Re the green cover - yes you haven't spent enough yet to say you're finished

Edited November 9, 2015 by Paul Coleman

[Lotusfab]

Yeh, Im starting to see that! Yes the pannel behind the seats on mine is ABS plastic and its the worst material you could use! This is the other problem.the sides have been ciut by 1/2 an inch to fit an 8 inch stereo in and the end has been removed! Should look like this!

When these cars were cheap some of them were trashed. About 40 percent of my car has been replaced with new parts. Now I'm having to replace some of the interior trim!

[Lotusfab]

The boots almost done just have to get the rear boot board a little flater and fit the fire extinguisher system!

[Lotusfab]

[Lotusfab]

Which extinguisher system? Most guys seem to use the lifeline 2000 type system. Has anyone used this OMP black collection extinguisher system?

the company have a history going back 30 years and were in the Rush movie. Black would be better than red in the boot. 

Or this?

[Lotusfab]

Quote

 

Coolant Filling

got the radiator back from S and J and put the whole thing back together. I Have filled and refilled the coolant so many times now I have lost count. If it helps anyone this is what I have learned.

The coolant cannot be filled on the level otherwise there will be airlocks in the system. These will cause the coolant to overflow and come out through the header tank when the thermostat opens and there will be no flow through the radiator. the best way to do it. Get a jug, pull the pipe of the cylinder head and fill this till it overfows. Put it back on the head. Jack the car as high as you can so the front is almost touching the floor. Fill the header tank. Be patient and wait for all the air to escape. Then lower to floor and run up to operating temp so the thermostat opens. Allow to cool down completely then top up header tank to 2 inches below top. Run engine to operating temp and check the radiator has flow and is hot all the way across. If it isnt squeez the pipes at the rad and from the thermostat to try and get the air out with the header tank cap off. 

This is the only car I have had with such problems filling the coolant and getting the rad to work! I replaced the front core plug, which was leaking. I used wellseal. Its still leaking so will have to do the job again. Still only attempt 2 so far!

This time I have measured the coolant capacity as I cannot find it in the manual. Itbhas taken 8.5 litres. Think it will take a little more, just cooling down for a top up!

[Paul Coleman]

It's a larf innit?

[Lotusfab]

?????????????????????????????. That about sums it up! 

Up to about 9 litres of coolant now. S and J sell the tonneau cover for a very reasonable price in black, but they are kindly making me a green one! Its made of mohair which is a good choice as the sun will fade the colour and destroy most other materials. Will put some pictures on here when done.

Thanks to Paul have found a jack and handle, now just need the brace and bag which I think Lotus bits may have. My motivation is taking a hit at the moment, one step forward and two back. 

Well better get ready to drain the coolant out again and replace the core plug again!

[Paul Coleman]

You don't need to worry about the sun fading the tonneau cover - you'll never have it fitted long enough as you'll be taking the engine cover off to keep fixing it I've never even managed to fully fit it yet!

The original was heavy duty vinyl with a cloth backing to it.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Paul Coleman