It was me...

[CharlieCroker]

Oh yeah, mine had long gone by then. With the AC in place it must be a real PITA. With no AC it's straightforward, hope you work it out.

[directordanw]

It lives!

Well...the engine turns over on the starter anyway but I call that living. For a car that sat in a builder's yard for four years. Of course there's the small matter of carbs, fuel tank, spark, timing, refitting the belts, flushing the cooling system and hoping the water pump works but you know how it is. A minor victory like this gives us the energy to push on.

[directordanw]

So I've had the initial findings back from Andy Graham at the Archive - I'll post the full letter etc. when I get it - and he's confirmed that the black and silver paintwork is indeed how it left the factory. But not the first time it left the factory. The car was originally all Gloss Black, fitted with an automatic box and was (in serial numbers at least) the second S2 to be produced. It was however then returned to the factory as a dealer order and refitted with a Getrag manual box, a new paint job and a new VIN. This then became the 96th S2 Elite off the production line and the third UK model to be finished in black over silver. And the only one ever with a manual box and half leather interior.

So I'm now wondering if anyone knows the whereabouts (or indeed the existence) of the other two black/silver Elites. I'd love to know if they're still out there!

[oilmagnet477]

Hi Dan - when you did the new cam belt, was it out by 1 tooth as you thought? If so, is it just a case of moving one cam back by a tooth (or the other one forward?). Sorry if this is a daft question but no experience of overhead cams, especially not double!

[directordanw]

As it turned out it wasn't out at all. By the time I'd removed all the belts and turned the crank pulley round to TDC again it was all spot on. It was then just a question of marking everything on each cam and copying these marks to the new belt. The only tricky bit is actually keeping everything in place while sliding the new belt on. It's a tight fit to get on but on the whole the procedure is not that difficult if you're careful and methodical.

[oilmagnet477]

"if you're careful and methodical"

 

Mmmmmmmmm! - I'll be booking myself on that course then! 

[directordanw]

Don't worry. I'm neither. People always say 'take lots of photographs, put all the bit in labelled bags'. And every time I start a job I think 'I'll do that this time'. And then my hands are filthy and I'm holding something somewhere that I really need four elbows to reach and all my good intentions go out the window. And I rely on my memory. Again. And I've got away with it so far...

My big fear about the cam belt change was that the valve springs would cause the overhead cams to ping out of position as soon as the old belt was off. This didn't happen. In fact everything is pretty solid. So if it doesn't line up first time its easy enough to slide it off and start again. And because I was replacing the whole tensioner unit I had a little bit of extra slack to play with too.

[oilmagnet477]

With regards to the AC - losing it will save a bit of weight and it'll be one less thing to go wrong. However, is it as simple as just taking it off - what holes/connections need to be sealed as I assume it connects into the rest of the heater matrix somehow?

 

Whilst I'm keen on retaining originality to a point (in that it is supposed to help with future values) if it makes the car lighter and more reliable (and increases access!) - is that a bad thing? You could always keep it bagged up as a possible future refit if someone wanted it?

[Loose Cannon]

I wonder why they chose to give it a new VIN just because of a box change and a bit of silver paint? That means there is 1 less Elite S2 than the factory figure of 196 suggests, fewer if they were in the habit of doing such things regularly!

 

I wouldn't get too hung up on the "special" aspect on a car produced in tiny numbers. There are so many "development cars", cars driven by the rich and famous, etc (according to current owners Colin Chapman personally owned and drove nearly every car off the line it seems!) By the time you get down to counting colours and gearboxes you are often in single figures of production, so they are all special really.

[directordanw]

I know what you mean about the A/C, it is extra weight, potential extra problems and makes access much harder. But I'm leaving mine on at least until the car is running, just to see see if it even works. I am keen to keep as much originality as I can! Charlie Croker is the man to talk to about getting rid of the unit although I can't imagine it'll be too tricky. Once it's been drained, and god knows what you do with the A/C fluid - it's pretty noxious stuff. And if you want to remove everything the condenser is in front of the cooling rad so I guess you'd have to take this out before you could get rid of it.

[CharlieCroker]

My aircon was so dry and crusty that when I tried to release one of the hoses to the compressor it simply split open. Absolutely nothing came out of the system, no fluid not anything. I decided to cut the hoses as they were way beyond saving. I left all the connections inplace as they were practically impossible to move. I could have saved it with new hoses but I decided to get rid as I don't even use aircon in my modern daily car, just not hot enough over here to warrant it. Your call but it's a bloody ballache working around it, unless you really suffer from heat exhaustion or absolutely want to keep originality then remove it, put it to one side in the event you sell the car on, you can't sell the unit, trust me I've tried.

[TAR]

Be careful with the air con. If it is still pressurised it will go BANG! when you undo any of the connections. You wont find fluid in it, you will find gas which is noxious and bad for the ozone. If you decide to let it escape, do it in an open area and keep away from the car for a little while afterwards so it has time to dissipate.

 

My advice, if you think it may still be gassed, is get someone to empty it correctly for you.

 

[directordanw]

Lying under the car today (with the rain running under the garage door and up my legs) tracing the route of the fuel pipe from front to back I was left with two questions. Firstly I couldn't find a fuel cut-off valve anywhere. I'm assuming they were all put in the same position - just in front of the gearbox on the driver's side - so I'm wondering if all cars (particularly S2's) were fitted with them. In which case a PO has removed it (possibly when they fitted a Facet pump?). So does anyone have a spare because they were fitted for a very good reason and I'd like to replace it. And secondly I saw the fuel line disappear into the chassis and I'm guessing along the centre with the propshaft. Is it possible to replace the pipe with exhaust and propshaft in place. Any hints? Thanks as always.

[Herc]

Replacing the fuel line in-situ - yes you can do it.  When I rebuilt my (your) chassis, I used some duff fuel line I bought off eBay.  I realised it was rubbish once I put fuel in it, so had to replace it with the whole car reassembled.

 

The main problem I encountered is that the fuel line slips under a couple of clips inside the rear end of the  centre box section, and you need to get it back out.  With mine, one clip snapped off the chassis and stayed on the fuel line, which proved tricky, but I wangled it in the end.

 

I did the usual trick of taping the new fuel line to one end of the old line and pulled the fuel line out. 

 

Access is very tight all around: you need girls' hands like mine.  I think for access I dropped the rear end of the propshaft off, and removed the handbrake level, but that was all.

 

As for the fuel line, I used this stuff in the end: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130704620805?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[directordanw]

Fuel tank cleaned, painted, re-plumbed and refitted.  Just got it finished before the rain started. I had hoped to refit the carbs because at the other end of the car I am delighted to discover I've got a very strong spark - despite a very manky looking coil.  So hopefully once the carbs are back in I should have ignition.  Should have...

 

 

[directordanw]

So, it's been a very long while since I've had a chance to think about the Elite - real life really does get in the way! - but today the sun was shining and I had nothing better to do so I thought it was high time to pick up for 2016.  The Eclat Riviera has been sold, very satisfactorily, and I'll be driving it to Austria to its new owner in the next couple of weeks.  I'll be sure to post any photos and stories along the way.

So, the Elite.  I'd already changed the cam belt and removed the a/c and was planning to pull the water pump today to check it out, clean it and maybe recondition it.  All going well, but then I discover the fourth bolt which is half hidden behind the distributor toothed wheel.  It's a 10mm like all the others but I can't seem to get anything to it at any angle.  Socket won't fit, too tight for a ratchet spanner and an open ended spanner doesn't give me enough room to start it turning.  What's the secret?  Without pulling off the cam belt again... Please don't tell me I have to do the cam belt again..!

[Herc]

I did mine with a ratchet spanner.  Too tight as in the bolt won't shift?

That said, I later removed and refitted my aux housing after complete reassembly + cam belt fitting relatively easily.  So the worst case is not that bad.   

[directordanw]

I can't get the whole of a 10mm ratchet spanner round it.  I've been thinking about an open-ended ratchet spanner but it's mean investing in a set (more tools, what a hardship!).  Does anyone know if they're any good?  I struggle to get my head round how they work!

[DaveyT]

Highly recommend them, Dan. The top jaw kind of hinges slightly as you ratchet back...

Chicago brand from here in the uk, guaranteed for life, and they adapt across metric and imperial rather nicely because of the opening mechanism 

i went for the set of 3, from 10mm up..£49iirc

Perfect for undoing brake unions around pipes as well, and a great help getting my awkward manifold nuts off.

[directordanw]

Planning to refit the tailgate today but had forgotten that a number of the hinge studs had sheared during removal and the rest are all pretty grotty.  So, does anyone happen to know the size of the stud?  Is it an M8?  I'm hoping it's something pretty stock so I can create my own.

[mikeeech]

I've just taken my tailgate off with a 10mm spanner so I doubt the're m8. I'm not at home until tomorrow and I have some m8 bolts so will be able to answer for sure then.

[directordanw]

It's M6 - it is indeed a 10mm nut.  I managed to replace the two broken studs with a bit of threaded rod cut to length.  On to the next problem, how in God's name does one get a spanner to the PAS pump adjuster?  I've tried from every direction!  Help please.

[pbharcourt]

You need double jointed wrists and work from underneath the front of the car and in the wheel arch.

You need to wrestle a ring spanner on to the back and hope it stays there while undoing the front which is behind the fan belt.

Very difficult to do and you cant really see what your doing!

Replace the alternator belt while its off otherwise you will have to do it all over again!

[directordanw]

Another year has shot past since I last posted about my restoration. That's cos another year has shot past since I've got anywhere near the car. But now I've got three months before I disappear off for work again and I'm really going to make some progress this time. Hopefully!

First up a complete suspension rebuild - new springs, shocks, bolts, bushes, everything. Well if I'm going to work most of the year I need to waste it on something in my time off...

Back end first. And apart from the odd stuck nut it all came apart pretty easily. The original Lotus shocks were very intelligently fitted with two nuts on the top so you can avoid the nightmare of the shock shaft just spinning while trying to remove it by double nutting the two nuts off. This also helps slowly release the spring tension although access is good at the back so it's pretty easy to get spring compressors in. 

 

Edited March 28, 2017 by directordanw

[directordanw]

There were some surprising components the PO had used in a previous rebuild - any number of different washers, bits of commoner pipe fitting as spacers, no reinforcing bracket at all on the near side radius arm. But it all meant I had less remorse taking the grinder to any stubborn bits. (There are loads more photos but for some reason my phone will only let me upload some - any ideas?)

Everything not being replaced is now getting cleaned up, derusted and repainted before refitting  I do sometimes wonder why freshly painted components that no one will ever see still please me so much!

 

Edited March 28, 2017 by directordanw