The Long Old Road Ahead (Time to Strip!)

[hilly]

Simon

The reason the bolts were hard to undo on the cross brace is because the weight of the engine, gearbox and body work are trying to collapse the rear hoop of the chassis, hence why the brace is there in the first place.

If you had put a jack under the rear hoop of the chassis and lifted it slowly, the chassis will bend the opposite way and you would probably find the bolt holes will line up, mine does.

Hilly

[Simon350S]

Simon

The reason the bolts were hard to undo on the cross brace is because the weight of the engine, gearbox and body work are trying to collapse the rear hoop of the chassis, hence why the brace is there in the first place.

If you had put a jack under the rear hoop of the chassis and lifted it slowly, the chassis will bend the opposite way and you would probably find the bolt holes will line up, mine does.

Hilly

Ummm.... LOL Yeah

Hadn't posted in tech section cause I had that thought myself when I was having my second beer!!!!!

oops!!!!!

Better sought out that little problem tomorrow!!!! Will probably put it back until I take the engine out...!!!

Cheers anyways

Simon

[Simon350S]

i dont know what all the fuss was about... errr.. i'll get my coat.

when you re-fit the header tank and the engine bay liners etc, if you have any corroded rivnuts i have got bags of them here, im only going to need a few and then i can pass them on. massive selection including aluminium.

Cheers Simon

Tonnes of them busted.... got a hole to fill in fibreglass where one completely ripped through

Cheers for the offer of polishing bits....

Not sure what I'm doing yet, thinking of shot blasting them all to original and then refitting, only painting the original bits and keeping the rest plain... means buying shot blasting equipment though!!!! Gulp

Got another idea thats mulling around in my head but thats for a later date.....

Simon

[Simon350S]

Jacked the car up today and guess what....???

The brace bar droppped back into place no problem....!!!

My first blonde moment..... hope I can be forgiven

Fairly straight forward day today....

Full inlet assembly and engine surround removed, no problems, no more bleeding fingers!!!!

One big empty hole.....

One assembly ready for a strip, clean and rebuild.....

All the fuel and cooland hoses are pretty much tossed, either chaffed almost all the way through or gunged up and rotten.....

Will be replacing all with new, all fuel lines will be aeroquip and once mine are done I'll get a price for a complete kit from my mate as mentioned in a previous post so if anyone out there is looking to replace their hoses.... drop me a line and I'll put you in touch or get you a price.....!!!

Pretty much in a position now to remove the engine, just need a hoist!!! LOL Don't we all!!!! and disconnect the aircon pipes and all gearbox connections and were off!!!!

Can't wait!!!

Maybe I'll invest in a cheap block and tackle and hoist it out from the roof josts, much cheaper than a hoist!!!!

Simon

[bigsi]

send me your fuel pressure regulator and i can polish it up for you same as i did mine

use nitromorse to celan all the diffuser box and plenum paint off, comes off nice and easy, then gete a nice brass wire brush for your grinder then go over them with that to give them a final clean up, then its either vht paint or powder coating.

ps: second dibs on your hoist! ..lol

Edited January 31, 2007 by bigsi

[M Blur]

best of British to a fellow modder.. I'm sure end result will be worth it..

[bigsi]

simon, on the one rivnut tha o had to rip out and left a bigger hole, i have rivnuts with arms that fold out when you tighen it up. so that may e an easier option.

simon

[Simon350S]

Bugger had to work this week!!!!!

No chance to work on the car but that doesnt mean I've not been busy...!!!

Been thinking and realised that when I strip everything out of the car I aint got no where to work on the stuff!!!!

So!!!!

Voila!!! Work bench and sink!!!!!

Plenty of room to do my worst!!!

God I'm glad I bought a house with a big garage!!!!!

Simon

Edited February 7, 2007 by Simon350S

[bigsi]

now im jelous

[hilly]

So am I !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't got a garage at all and have to do everything outside, which isn't fun when you have to scrap off all the ice before you start

Hilly

[Simon350S]

Big big news...!!!

Tell all later when I'm ratted cause i'm out for a meal and a drink....

Speak later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simon

[Simon350S]

Well guys and girls

[silverfrost]

Well done Simon,

Looks like your making excellent progress on your project B)

cant wait to see it finished especially with the 350 wheels and the great

stomping ap callipers B)

regards danny

[Simon350S]

Jet wash turned up today...!!!!!! Dead excited which is well sad i know!!!

20k nectar points so basically free..... good old Sainsburys petrol!!!!!

Best I get outside and use it even though it was PI**ING down again!!!!!

1st job... Move the van.... push the Esprit out the garage and get the floor clean...

God that oil and grease and muck is a bugger to get off, even a painted floor..... have to get some proper cleaner instead of washing up liquid!!!! although it made the floor nice n bubbly!!!!

Off to halfords to buy a couple of cans of GUNK and back off home to clean up the greasy crappy chassis n pipe work.

...

Thats better.... atleast I can climb in there now without getting all shitted up n stuff!!!

Result...!!!

Also washed and cleaned the engine surround and cover...... Gonna need new foil lining though as its all shot 2 pieces...

Next up separate the engine and gearbox, put it on a stand, wheel it outside and give it the old gunk & jetwash treatment!!!!

Simon

[bigsi]

if you could see how green and envious i am right now... sniff :beer: :crybaby:

now get yourself some por15 chassis paint from frost restorers and paint that rear framework up, then overcoat with either their sterling silver paint or get some nice flatt hammerite in silver to finish it off as the por15 paint reacts to u.v so its better to overcoat it.

now you can get in there is the time to do it, a good little grinder with some rotary wire brushes on will clean that up in no-time, make sure you wear some safetyglasses and gloves.

that fuel pressure regulator is easy to get ali welded up again.

keep it up

simon

Edited February 16, 2007 by bigsi

[Simon350S]

I HATE DIRT!!!!!!!!!!!

As a consequence of that I'm trying to de greasify anything I can get out of the garage!!!!!!!!

Today its the turn of the engine!!!!!

Separation of engine and box first........ then hoist the bitch up and get her on the stand...... (following a trip to B&Q to buy some bolts!!!!!)

Anyways..... engine well grubby!!!!!

Then following a rather long time with my new jet wash (best purchase of 2007!!!!) and a good old brush down with gunk.......... and !!!!!!!!!!!

Photos make it look better than it is...... but to be honest, if i wasn't so much of a fussy git, you could stick it back in and be happy!!!!!!!!!!

Cylinder head and gasket were good, no evidence of any leakage and all valves a very nice colour!!!!!!!!!

Pistons n liner look very good........ Liners still have the original marks of the anti glaze stuff.......... (not sure whats its called!!!!!!!!) All looks good for the onward journey!!!!!

Simon

p.s. Well pissed already...... and now off to the pub to top it up!!!!!!

[bigsi]

now i really am jelous.

i got that engine stand out back sat there.. i could have had my block on there, cleaned off and painted in some nice silver engine paint by now.. and the frame in the rear all painted up..

are you going to paint your block simon before putting it back in? would be good if you did as the crud wont stick then it just wipes off nice and easy with a gentle trickle from a hose.

it would be nice to see another engine bay looking concours level. just keeping it clean will be easier then.

have a good one,

si

[Simon350S]

Well another busy weekend..........

Looks like at some point in time someone spent some money on the old girl and actually maintained her properly!!!!

Shame about the last few years in the previous owners hands!!!!

Went about removing the exhause manifold..... Looking good from the condition of the nuts....

A good spray of WD40 and they came off a treat, just a shade over hand tight, a light tap and I could spin them off with my fingers.....!!! looks like when the manifold was last changed they used new stainless nuts n studs!!! all in perfect un corroded condition..!!! RESULT!!!!!!!

Exhaust manifold and head look in fab condition!!!!!

Next to separate the wastegate!!!!

Again perfect nuts n studs.....

Although tring to separate it from the manifold was a different story!!!

Anyways, several very heavy blows with a block of wood and a lump hammer and it finally started to give way!!!

Decided to strip the thing down to see what the diaphram was like.....

Not impressed!!!! the large spacer between the two halves of the housing had previosly been broken into 3 pieces and had been silicone sealed back togeather!!!!!!! New one needed me thinks....

And the diaphram is pretty much tossed, gonna need a new one!!!!!

If only someone hadn't bought my new one in the sale before I got there!!!!!

Anyways!!!!!

Onto the cleaning........

IDEA!!!!!!!!!! lots to clean....... not enough time to clean them!!!!!!!!!!

Put them in the dishwasher!!!!!!!!!

Didnt work as well as expected though.... even after a thorough gunking in the kitchen sink first!!!!!

Anyone guessed from the last few photos that I'm a single man!!!!!!!

Thought I'd strip the block and get the crank out. s removed the oil pump & dizzy assembly...

and then the water pump, tensioner, alt bracket, and end cover......

Got stumped by the oil pickup pipe though.........

Anyone have the special tool to remove the securing plug from the block????

Also does anyone have a liner extractor I could borrow????

Come to a bit of a halt with the engine now cause of the above....

If anyone can help it'd be most appreciated!!!!!!

Simon

[esprithk]

holy cow...from the kitchen photos....

(1) how many brands of beers/wines have you drunk so far??

(2) that's a nice way to use a dish washer...(I heard it is the best to clean up the rear lights set)

[M Blur]

std mid-project Lotus diet as far as I can see..lol.. helps for bruising etc. I managed to clonk myself well and truly on saturday when a block stud went into my forearm with 32 kgs behind it..lol I was packing it up to send to Magnus in Sweden and the scales were 2 flights up.. bruising already starting to subside.

[hilly]

Anyone have the special tool to remove the securing plug from the block????

Come to a bit of a halt with the engine now cause of the above....

If anyone can help it'd be most appreciated!!!!!!

Simon

Simon

What I used to get the oil pickup pipe olive un-done was a M12 bolt (19mm hex head) with a couple of nuts locked together at the other end, shove the bolt head down the hole and use a spanner on the nuts to un-do the pipe fitting, easy peasy

Hilly

[Simon350S]

Great idea....

Will give it a go!!!!

Just the liner puller now!!!!

Wonder how secure they are???

Could I just rotate the crank to try busting the seal and then remove by hand???

Simon

[bigsi]

erm... i wouldnt,, knowing your luck it will break something else!!

didnt one of the guys here make a tool for this?

i have a few sets of liner clamps here now tha twere made for me, so as soon as i have finished with them im going to give them to the club for other members to use.

[Simon350S]

Cheers Hilly....

The bolt thing worked a treat!!!!!

Block now separated!!!!!

I'm so glad I've gone this far with the rebuild!!!!!

Main bearings are shot to pieces!!!!! Severly scored in several places, looks like a crank regrind and some oversized bearings!!!! Could have done without this but hey.... atleast I've found it now!!! Could be worse and have put all the work in only to find they are shot at a later date!!!!

I'll try and take some photos tomorrow, but to be hones I dont think my little old camera phone will be up to the task!!!

Anybody recomend anyone to undertake this task??? Is it something you can return to Lotus for a reasonable price???

Any advice appreciated...

STILL LOOKING FOR A LINER PULLER GUYS!!!????

Just emailed Mel Broome about my interior retrim.... If I get an answer tomorrow I may well not be in here due to heart failure!!!

Simon

[hilly]

Cheers Hilly....

The bolt thing worked a treat!!!!!

Good stuff

Hilly

Edited March 6, 2007 by hilly