S1 Project car - part 2 - the continuation

[Lotusfab]

Of course , but if you didn't write down where and how many you might try this before you spend weeks adjusting them. Spookily I did both doors completely independently and ended up within one penny washer! Trust me I spent hours and hours getting the windows to slide freely and the frame to fit in the door aperture, this was the end result. Just Need to get the glass and can put both doors back together. Off to see Steve Fulcher tomorrow so he can sort my Tunnel and carpets. Then only the door cards and seats for him to do and its off to Bell and Coville for an MOT! Scary stuff, hopefully they wont have read this blog!

[Lotusfab]

Some people are very secretive with their cars, you may have realised I hate that, as soon as I find something out I pass it on. My only aim is to help - if your trying to put this thing back together which is a bit of a challenge! There are many other guys on here now who think the same way, wish I had started this project now as all you other guys have posted some really good gen! 

[Rolls]

Your posts are invaluable Fabian. I must say your freaking me out re. doors and glass now.... Not looking forward to it at all.

Antonio - any comments ???

[Freemason]

My battles with the doors continue. Wish I had something positive to say Roland but it truly is a nightmare. Factory build quality and engineering is rubbish, SJ parts are hit and miss, some are great but others are generic Esprit parts that require modifications to fit. Thank God for this thread, a lot of time and headache saving information for anyone tackling this in the future.

Fabian scared the crap out of me with his posts about quarter windows and sent me rushing to my storage to check my door frames. Thankfully my quarter windows are still intact, at least that's one thing I won't need to worry about!

[Lotusfab]

Sorry guys didn't mean to scare you, just don't break any glass and all will be well! If you do remove it remember long thin blade cut each side of the quater window seal till the glass falls out. Any slight pressure and you'll have a miilion pieces! 

Well my trims really coming on thanks to Steve at Nick Fulcher trimming. Hes done a superb job the carpets are stich perfect! Hes still ding the tunnel. Its taken weeks of work by me and lots more work by Steve to get it ready for trimimng, but the end results its all worth it. The seats are a major job to do correctly. You may remember mine were trimmed poorly. They have been fully stripped back. I'm really glad I decided to do it as the horizontal steel support had fallen off and had to be welded. The suspension has been replaced. The tartan has to have nylon in the weave otherwise it will not last very long. The original trim was wool and totally unsuitable. Steve has some of the original Nylon weave which will be used. 

If you look carefully on the left hand seat you can see the steel bar is missing! It has now been welded back on.

The suspension had had it somhas been replaced, better than new.

[Lotusfab]

Really recommend getting Steve to do the trim if you want it to be correct. 

[Lotusfab]

Original Esprit prototype interior.and a prototype from a museum in America.

[Paul Coleman]

10 hours ago, Lotusfab said:

Really recommend getting Steve to do the trim if you want it to be correct. 

I am sure Steve will do a fantastic job but a full re-trim is probably in the region of £15,000 these days (going by what it was years ago). I personally couldn't justify that kind of expense on a plastic kit car which catches fire a lot

And after all, it will start fading the first day and will only have my fat arse planted in it. That green/tartan & orange is a nightmare to live with!!

[Lotusfab]

I'm so pleased he's doing my car and still has the original nylon tartan. His attention to detail is stunning. There are three more S1s booked in and then that's it! Why? The big secret - There's no more nylon Hunting Tartan. They will never make any more as it's far too expensive. So no more authentic Bond S1 retrims. 

 Yes, I concur that it's a plastic kit car- hmmmm, how about £5k to take the trouble off your hands??

[Paul Coleman]

Given that this is Steve's livelihood I'm sure he will find an alternative from somewhere. The orange carpet was too expensive to have re-made but he got a number of us to commit to buy and that lowered the outlay for him

He must have finished the roll that came from Scott Walker which I was lucky enough to get a few yards off of first. SJ sell tartan and orange carpet now.

When I spoke to Wyn Edwards he said they only had about 6 rolls of the green material made (it was his car that was the guinea pig for all of this) and when that's gone somebody has to commit to having a large run of it done.

[Lotusfab]

I'd be surprised if S and J have got the correct pattern Nylon weave tartan. The stuff I had before was close, but still a different tartan and only wool, so would not have lasted. Also the seats would have fallen apart as the tartan was glued and not stitched. Well nearly there now look forward to meeting up and purchasing your fiberglass kit car! ??????

[Lotusfab]

Tunnel finally complete and ready for fitting! Has taken months to get this sorted, fiberglassing and re fiberglassing. The ashtray mounting had to be completely remade as it was assembled back to front! Still its much better now and worth all the work.

[jonroberts]

Very nice !

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Jon, have you sorted the heater?

[jonroberts]

Heater is back in with new custom built core and interior reassembled (full day as expected) but having refilled the coolant I keep getting overheating and coolant ejecting itself from the header tank (sound familiar??)  Found one small pipe on expansion tank blocked, so am waiting for nice new aluminium tank to arrive. Hopefully on the road again this weekend. 

[Lotusfab]

That old one!!! At least the worst bits done and its great it will be back on the road soon. My worst job is getting the air out of the cooling system. At least for the moment I'm on the nice jobs of trim and fire extinguishers!

[Lotusfab]

Glass, all you wanted to know!

The quater windows are clear on the S1 and green tinted on the later cars. Heres a picture.

[Lotusfab]

The tinted glass is stamped " Sundym"

what most guys might not know is what the other numbers mean.

DOT17 M24 AS2

Apparently DOT17 means Pilkington

M24 relates to the model and how the glass was constructed and 

AS2 means american standard and relates to where the glass may be used on the car. 

Clear glass on the esprit should have M30, model number. It is possible to have tinted glass that is not stamped Sundym. But it will have the M24 model number still, telling you its tinted. This is only probably of interest if you smash your clear glass like me! I may have to have Pilkington make some after all!!!

[giorgio67]

Hi Fabian, take care of the tinted one....

G.

[Lotusfab]

Hi Giorgio,

have just been speaking to PMN engoneering they has lots of tinted quater lights.

[giorgio67]

Really?  They never answered my email, do you know the price mate?  Would you keep the Lotusbits one?

[Lotusfab]

Don't know how much or if they will post. You need to call them if you want one. I will keep the Lotus bits one or you can have it for £120 plus postage costs. I really do not wish to post it as it could arrive broken. If you really want me to post it I will, but you have to accept the condition in which it arrives. There might be custom charges. I would pack it as well as possible? 

[giorgio67]

Fabian, you are very kind of person thanks.

I have not any problem to accept your "rules" about conditions on arrival...as I'm sure you will be able to make a bomb proof package! There are not any custom as I'm in EC. I've already bought two glasses from Uk and had any postage probs. So, if you like to keep the one you got no probs mate, if you like to sell it to me I will take it without asking anything to Pete at PNM.

Thanks

 

Giorgio

[Lotusfab]

Carpets in!!!!!?????

[Paul Coleman]

Whilst you've got it upside down now would be a good time to fit the head lining