Ian's S4s refurb

[Bibs]

5 hours ago, Barrykearley said:

id have made her strip

[swindon_alan]

Yer, that and the spreader plates

Can you get them off of eBay or is it an Ann Summers jobbie?

[Chillidoggy]

Job done.

5mm thick flat bar in the engine bay side, 2mm reinforced rubber jointing between the chassis tab and the GRP, 3mm thick spreader plate over the original plates, and fixed by M10 bolts with nylocs. If the noise is still there after all this, then it’s something else.

[Sparky]

It'd be quite amusing if it was just your coolant pipe flapping about.

[Chillidoggy]

Yes, and it would be a relief, too!

[Chillidoggy]

Disaster has struck. All work has ceased until a replacement has been procured.......................

 

[eeyoreish]

[Sparky]

I've faxed you a replacement.

[Chillidoggy]

 Very disappointed. I was expecting a chocolate one at least.

[Giniw]

So ... Is it quiet? 

 

 

[Chillidoggy]

I don't know yet.

The foul weather and/or the lack of time has stopped me from testing it, but I'm hoping to do so in the next couple of days. Report to follow.

[Giniw]

So, it's quiet so far! That's a good start!

[Chillidoggy]

That's one way of putting it!

I'm praying that's it, then I won't have to listen to the wife moaning about it every time.

[21gg]

1 hour ago, Chillidoggy said:

then I won't have to listen to the wife moaning 

There is only one way to fix that ! 

[Chillidoggy]

17 minutes ago, 21gg said:

There is only one way to fix that ! 

In my case, fixing the car IS the only way.

[swindon_alan]

I like my wife moaning. It means I'm at the right angle

[Chillidoggy]

Just now, swindon_alan said:

I like my wife moaning. It means I'm at the right angle

 

Does it goes something like:-

“It’s about time you painted this bedroom ceiling, Alan!”

[Chillidoggy]

Job done!

No creaking, knocking or groaning (at least not from the Esprit).

And thanks to Giniw for putting the idea in my mind that it’s not actually the bulkhead that’s moving in the car, rather it’s the chassis tab not being clamped hard enough to prevent movement between the chassis tab and GRP bulkhead in the engine bay.

As I was doing the job, I noticed that the chassis tabs had chafed a rectangular recess into the GRP over the years. Clearly the reinforced rubber jointing, serious overkill clamping plates and oversized bolts has cured that. I also cut the original Lotus bracket tubes off as they weren’t doing anything (on advice from @CHANGES).

 

[eeyoreish]

It'll just take you longer when you take the body off over the winter.

[Chillidoggy]

Some pre-Duxford show polishing under supervision by Shan.......

 

[Chillidoggy]

Brake Stuff.

I always felt that the EBC Yellowstuff pads were a little inconsistent side to side when cold, although OK once they were warmed up. They do at times tend to squeal like you've trodden on a piglet, and I finally grew tired of it. Having successfully used Mintex M1144 compound pads on my Dax Cobra for many years, I though I might try a set of those to see what difference they made. It had also occurred to me that, as I'd fitted the Hi-Spec Monster 6 calipers prior to the new brake conversion, they could have been subject to a diet of muck via the old Delco master cylinder during the bleeding process, so I decided to remove them for cleaning and inspection.

Removing 6 pistons from each caliper required cutting a few pieces of softwood to act as blocks when the compressed air was applied to remove them. I found one or two of the smaller pistons reluctant to move even under full pressure, although they did after a few seconds. The calipers are alloy, as are the pistons, and whilst I could see no marks whatsoever on them, there were a few areas in the caliper piston recesses that showed some pick-up. That said, it was very light, however some of the fluid washing around in there was a bit dirty, so I flushed them out and reassembled them.

The Mintex pads are not supplied with any shims, but Hi-Spec supplied me with some self-adhesive 3M rubbery material which has to be cut to size. I've only ever seen stainless shims before, so it seemed a bit odd! I decided to try the pads without them first but the noise was dreadful, so I pulled the pads again, and fitted the sticky shim material. This stopped the squealing, although it was clear they will take some time to bed in on the old discs before I can really decide if they're any better for me.

I also need to progress with setting up the new proportioning valve which I've not had time to do so far, as it's a tricky matter when you live in a built-up area. To be on the safe side, I gave it maximum limiting to start with, and after some discussions with Sparky on percentages front/rear have now wound it in a couple of turns to see how that feels. Clearly, the thought of a green Esprit going backwards into a sign post is not a good thing, so a little caution needs to be exercised.

[swindon_alan]

2 hours ago, Chillidoggy said:

Clearly, the thought of a green Esprit going backwards into a sign post is not a good thing, so a little caution needs to be exercised.

I can give you some pointers on thoughts of a green Esprit going forwards into a signpost if you would like?

[Chillidoggy]

The 1140s started squealing yet again, and I also noticed that the braking seemed uneven, pulling to one side. Called Hi-Spec, who asked me to bring the pads, the caliper and disc from the offending side back to them. When I removed the new pads, I noticed an inclusion in one that looked like a metal arrowhead, very odd.

I felt that some of the pistons weren’t operating as they should be, too. Took the bits back to HiSpec, they remachined the calipers in one of the passageways, and tested it. They offered a replacement for the 1144 pads, so I took some M1230s to see how they fared.

Have to say the HiSpec service was very good indeed, as was that of Pete from PNM, who, when I called to say I had a problem, offered to send me new discs and calipers FOC. You simply cannot beat that kind of response, and once again I find myself praising the PNM service when all the parts were way out of their warranty period. I declined the caliper offer though, hoping to sort out the issue via HiSpec. Pete did however send me new discs, and I returned the old ones to him.

Anyway, I replaced the caliper, and it then pulled slightly to the opposite side on initial braking. Aaaaarrgh!

So I called HiSpec again, and they said they’d have a look at the other caliper, remachine it and test it for me. That will have to wait now as I’m away for a week, but meanwhile I did jack the proportioning valve up earlier today to increase pressure to the rears. The car felt better overall, in spite of the slight imbalance. With more braking effort being available on the front due to the big brake kit, I felt I could get away with more to the rear. Until I upgrade the rears, which is on the cards at some point. And I’d really like the electric parking brake.

Dear Santa......

[swindon_alan]

That inclusion looks like a Concorde pin badge. I would blame Sparky, it obviously fell off of his overalls when he was assisting you with the gearbox Ian 

[Chillidoggy]

I thought it was more like the space shuttle, but whatever it is, I don’t think it should be there!