Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[Lotusfab]

Ignore the wire, it has the original stereo which works, but I prefer the iPhone plugged into it! 

[LOTUSMAN33]

Simply stunning Mr Bond! ???

[Lotusfab]

Thanks, lot of effort but worth it! ???

[Lotusfab]

Finally got the passenger side fuel tank out. The easiest method would be to take the engine out first! There's not much clearance over the top of the cam covers. The take although looking ok from the outside was full of rust and the outlet fuel line was blocked solids with a black gunk, probably what happens to fuel after many years? Will have to take the entire fuel system to pieces to ensure it is clean and suitable for running the engine. 

Finally got the passenger side fuel tank out. The easiest method would be to take the engine out first! There's not much clearance over the top of the cam covers. The take although looking ok from the outside was full of rust and the outlet fuel line was blocked solids with a black gunk, probably what happens to fuel after many years? Will have to take the entire fuel system to pieces to ensure it is clean and suitable for running the engine. Some of the rust that came out is shown on the right of the picture.

[Lotusfab]

Has anyone found a cost effective alternative to the mounded heat shields? Believe they are abestos, or a way to repair them?

[Lotusfab]

Well in the absence of other advice will try bonding new heat reflective material to the old heathsheild. Managed to beat the other tank into submission. What an awful design! Still it's out now and will need a full restoration as will the crossover pipe. 

Well in the absence of other advice will try bonding new heat reflective material to the old heathsheild. Managed to beat the other tank into submission. What an awful design! Still it's out now and will need a full restoration as will the crossover pipe. 

[Andyww]

Heatshields can be made from this:

https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p/cirrus-giii-3-layer-heat-shield-material-aero-cir-s

They also have this one which seems to be designed for forming to shapes. Not seen this, looks a bit pricey:

https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p/zircoflex-form-structural-heat-shield-material-300-x-500mm-zf-fs-1-3

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Andy, that looks good stuff!

[Lotusfab]

Last time I sprayed the boot boards with Epoxy paint. can anyone recomend a brush on paint?

[ANDYR]

Hi all,

 

Came across this fascinating, winding, and lengthy chat.  I confess a few of the technical comments got me, but - if it helps - I'm making a ski rack.  I've an S3 and will drive her down to the alps later in the year if I get the project completed in time.

 

I'm happy to share the drawings once I'm satisfied they all work out okay

.  I post all this for you guys in the hope they help the FYEO project...

I made a card model, then 2 mdf prototypes - each working off feedback I garnered from the previous manufacture.

The rough shape I took from pausing the youtube video of the FYEO car shown in the Monaco display 2016: 

I think you've been referring to it in this post.  It's a question of establishing the first dimension and working from there.  I took 250mm as a rough length for the base of the 'top clamp' as it's the width across the top of the tailgate.  Similarly the 'cradle' at the end of the tailgate is made from taking the measurement across the width of the plastic below the glass.  Just then a question of what looks right.  Here's the profile for you on the car:

Not the best shot as I really need a white wall, but you can still see things.  Also here it is with the skis in.

Things to note.  Skis back in 1980's were about 220cm.  You're skis of today are 175cm. but fatter at either end.  Personally, I'd buy a pair off ebay and spray them and get OLIN decals made - MUCH cheaper and you'll feel so much better about being able to ski in them too.

In building the rack, I've had to ask and answer a few questions of how to secure the skis for long and short journeys.  they can't fall out at speed or at a corner, nor can a bump shake them loose.  Also, the clamp and fixture of it all cant damage the ski edge or base.  Lots to get into here, but not worth typing out a long post just yet.  You need the headlines.  I've worked out a decent width to allow 90% of skis to fit.  I'm a huge skiier and own several pairs so I'm confident that even if I do change, then the profile I switch to will still fit the rack both at the top and in the cradle.

also, the ski brakes will hang down onto the glass or the slatted part of your tailgate - the decision is let them rest there and have a high clearance or tie them back and hope your tie holds.  If those brakes do snap back onto the glass it could crack it!  In the shot here I was experimenting with tape to work out that height.  the bindings were also different back in the 80's (hence all the broken legs) so again, this will affect the positioning of the ski and even dictate whether the cradle is closed or open to allow for longer skis (e.g. cross country) to slip through...  lots to experiment with.

clamping the skis down.  Iv'e been told the FYEO car was a balsa wood manufactured rack.  Remember it was a prop for a film.  If you look closely at the Monaco shot in this post, you'll see the skis are screwed into place by a black metal bar and what looks like black electrical tape!  If one of you can locate the prop maker, someone somewhere will know...  I live a short drive from Pinewood so I'm always tempted to take a chance by drive in and ask.  Anyhow,  I've worked out using some IKEA bits and bolts, and some plastic feet a neat way of clamping down the skis into the ski rack by having a wheel in the centre of the assembly that the user simply winds down an M10 thread.  A bit of rubber on the rack and on the underside of the clamping arms will protect the ski edges and hey presto...  the shot you see here is 'thoughts in progress'...the tops of the rack are yet to be made, but you can see when the skis are in the height that they could be - I think i'll take another 10mm off in the final cut in this mdf prototype.  when the two pieces are screwed into the tailgate they'll then sit right and the skis run parallel to the glass - awesome.

I here's the mdf prototype 2 for you to get an idea of the profile.

I need a few evenings to really get the drawings right and then i'll post up.

The next stage is laser cutting the whole thing out of polycarbonate and then screwing and gluing it all together.  For that i need some help from my mate Christain (who does decals btw).  If anyone has a tailgate (with or without glass) that would be grrreeattttt.  If not, i'll have to drill into my car!

 

hope helps.

Andy

 

 

[ANDYR]

Here's a couple of more shots to help you with the design.

These are salomon 179's, the blue skis are Rossy Bandits 174's - both wider than the OLINS...  

 

Andy

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Andy, great stuff. Please post some pics of your trip when you do it! Your doing a great job there. I like youmhave been thinking about this. I believe the ski racks on the Monaco car are different to those used on the film. Seems to me(I could be wrong), the lower bracket was sealed in and nit open with the skis butted up against the inside. The boot is opened for a second in the movie where you can see the tailgate bracket. Here's the picture.the top brackets seem to but up against the Tyrolia 380 binding. I believe the top brackets must have opened. One of the shots seems to show a metal piece underneath and a bolt on the side. If the top bracket opened the skis could be placed in and the bracket closed. The upper binding and lower restraint would hold the ski in place. There are no other fixings in the movie so the Monaco car is wrong. However this design would only work with the original skis. But a version of it could be adapted, although your design would probably be better. Here the other picture showing the metal. I got the idea of a flying bracket from modern ski rack carriers. You can see the top binding is a snug fit. Heres the modern ski restraint I think could be adapted.

I hope to make two upper opening brackets, similar to the modern one - that lock on one side with a key. They would essentially be metal with the upper fibreglass profile incorporated.

[Choppa]

If you watch the sequence in FYEO where Fabian took the screen grab you'll notice that the bell hop isn't able to open the rear hatch to it's fullest extent as the ski tips touch the roof of the car. Andy may be able to get the tailgate fully open with his skis on the mounts he's making but I'd suggest it would be impossible with 2m+ retro skis on the back. Also both Andy and Fabian might have to think about replacing the gas struts with something a little more powerful  due to the extra weight.

 

Also check out the photo in my signature block, that's how I took my skis to the alps, tested and stable at up to 120mph on the autobahn. Obviously nothing like OPW678W but I never had a problem with opening the tailgate

[Lotusfab]

Hi Colin, good point. I think the Olins are 2 m long. One of the Skison the Monaco car is a fake,the SL bit is missing! I'm looking forward to attempting to make these Ski holders.

[ANDYR]

Hey Fabian,

Cheers for the comments.  Yes, I like the idea of offering up an established ski rack and then perhaps placing the sloping ski rack profile in and around it.  I suppose having the utter knowledge the skis are secure in that device and then feeling smug about the build around it.  All a question of aesthetics and function.  Forms should follow function said William Morris - and 160+ years later, his stuff still looks good.  if done well, it could look super, if not, it will always annoy you.  You're detective work is awesome.  There appears to be two ways of securing the skis on two different cars.  One is having the locking mechanism as part of the ski rack top and cradle bottom.  The other is having the ski rack top and cradle as a place for the skis to live with a mechanism added onto it.  I'm going for the latter.  I think a handle that is turned to push down some form of bar makes intuitive sense.  Keeping things simple.  One thought I did have was that top bar could be broad/wide.  The more surface area acting on top of the ski the better.  See sketch here I pondered over with a beer.  This bar becomes more of a 'plate' that pushes down on the ski.  some spongy material (like the underside of a mousemat) is the plan for both this bar and the ski rack surfaces.  That will add to the grip and prevent nasty scratches etc.  But skis have all sorts of bits and bobs in front of the leading binding nowadays so, again, I think your mechanism will be dictated by a formula involving ski current design / likelihood of changing skis / offering someone else who has different skis a lift / ease of use / length of journey etc.  Whether to be open or not at the cradle end.  My prototype (by luck) catches the end of my skis so they don't slip away.  With a bit of a poke with a finger, the skis do slide under the rear edge.  See photos.  

This gave me the idea of having an interchangeable end.  Simply screw off a different thickness to allow for longer skis.  Either way they'll still have to come off as the tailgate won't open that far to allow any decent access.  You'll just bust your skis or ski rack if it were forced too.  My gas struts came from a Corsa.  I bought them off ebay for about £20 and they work and fit just fine, but again, I'll need to update you when I've got the two racks on and two pairs of skis.  It might be you'll always need to remove the skis for access so the strut thing isn't an issue.

For the ski buff, yes a pair of Crossmax P10s.  Those pilot thingy's on the top of the ski could cause havoc with the locking mechanism.

will work on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2017 by ANDYR
change to copy and photos

[Steve4012]

Regarding the boot  boards, I've just refurbed these and the engine cover and used rustoleum black hammered finish to paint. Comes out very dark grey and has the slightly mottled finish which I think looks pretty good.

[PhilW]

Looks very nice

[Andyww]

That looks great. I was trying to find the right finish for these a while ago. Hammerite is not really correct.

Why is there a rubber bung on the right hand panel?

There seems to be many G car owners in Surrey, but never see any on the roads!

[Steve4012]

Thanks. The bung is over the coolant bottle on the right. I do get out in the car, mainly local and hopefully more this year.

[PhilW]

Andy

There was an additional plastic coolant bottle (expansion tank) added along with the normal metal expansion tank on some later models.  Pretty sure they are straight from a Morris Marina.

[RichardJGC]

12 minutes ago, PhilW said:

Andy

There was an additional plastic coolant bottle (expansion tank) added along with the normal metal expansion tank on some later models.  Pretty sure they are straight from a Morris Marina.

There was also an upgrade kit available from the factory which I was lucky enough to get in one of their sales. The upgrade is detailed in a Technical Service Bulletin and seemed to apply only to later cars. I bought a kit just to get a new metal header tank but will fit the lot as part of my restoration.

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Steve, looks awesome!

Very nice Andy, look forward to seeing the Ski holders finished.

[RichardJGC]

21 hours ago, RichardJGC said:

There was also an upgrade kit available from the factory which I was lucky enough to get in one of their sales. The upgrade is detailed in a Technical Service Bulletin and seemed to apply only to later cars. I bought a kit just to get a new metal header tank but will fit the lot as part of my restoration.

If anyone is interested....this shows the cooling system factory upgrade.

 

[molemot]

I fitted one of the factory upgraded cooling modification kits....found it well worth while, works significantly better then the original...bought it in the sale for not very much! Well done with the turbo, mine is still running well years after I rebuilt it. I have changed the wastegate adaptor for a new one, the original wasn't as bad as yours but still pretty 'orrid. I added a stainless spacer and spring positioning spigot to the bottom of the spring, and now have the correct boost pressure too.  Fun, isn't it??

[Lotusfab]

Hi John, yep lots of fun! I have got the new Wastegate valve on but still need to sort the exhaust connection. Look forward to seeing the boost pressure guage move! In theory the seal at the valve should be perfect with no leakage and the boost pressure should register at lower rpm. Also look forward to testing the turbo. Need to sort the fuel tanks before all this though!