Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[Stuart Monument]

Fabian your attention to details is incredible. I’m 10 mins from Fulchers if you fancy a coffee when your up this way. Stu 

[Lotusfab]

Hi Stuart, thanks. Would like to see your cars! Just need to make some time to pick the seats up.

[Lotusfab]

Fuel filler neck connection

Have you ever looked closely at your fuel cap and noticed it's either off centre or at an angle to the body? If your like me you have spent hours trying to get it right with only marginal success. To get it anywhere near results in strain on the body around the filler connection. Well I have found a solution. A Mocal flexible filler hose. 57 mm. I got it from Daemon tweeks. Disregard the size in the picture, I found 57 mm fits. 

 

I have also managed to source Terminal connectors that are very similar to the ones Lotus used. They are 6 mm spade type witha plastic case. They lock when pressed on. I got them from Autosparks at a very reasonable price.

[Fridge]

TBH I had no problem with my S1.

Easy to fit.

It sits centrally and evenly using the parts and materials fitted to the late S1s at the factory in 1978.

[Lotusfab]

You were lucky. Normally the cap sits at an angle unless you put strain on the screws around the filler neck. Some cars are cracked around the filler hole screws because of it.

[TAR]

Mine were also fine originally when removed. Are you sure this isn't as a result of changing the tanks? Its possible the fill pipe isn't exactly in the original configuration?

[Fridge]

29 minutes ago, TAR said:

Mine were also fine originally when removed. Are you sure this isn't as a result of changing the tanks? Its possible the fill pipe isn't exactly in the original configuration?

Given some of the inaccuracies in replacement tanks I wouldn't be surprised.

[Lotusfab]

I rebuilt my S1 and found the cap angle not satisfactory. Had to hold them in place with silicon. The Turbo is the same. Not many people would notice. Strain on the coupling with the original tanks transferred to the body via the screws.  Probably someone on here has seen the cracks that are caused by this around the filler hole in the body?

[Lotusfab]

New auto spark connectors finish off the new door mirror harness I made.

Yes I am still building this!

[Lotusfab]

Fuel Pump 

Gotta love these projects! The original fuel banjo outlet from tank is 10 mm, the banjo bolt is  either 1/2 inch or 13 mm. But the bosche fuel pump inlet is 12 mm. So how did the original 10 mm banjo,outlet connect to the 12 mm bosche pump? Any ideas? I'm guessing maybe the original pump was not 12 mm inlet?

[Lotusfab]

Here's what the banjo looks likeso this has to connect to the 12 mm Bosch fuel pump inlet! The design of this is really lacking unless of course the original pump had a smaller inlet 10 mm?

Anyone else got this set up? Maybe it's not original?

[RichardJGC]

Looks very much like mine.

Washers still to be added.

 

[Lotusfab]

Hi Rich, I think it's original just can't see how it can connect to a 12 mm inlet? Maybe the bosch pump is different? I have had two Lotus fuel pipes supplied and they don't fit! 

[Andyww]

I cant remember having any issues here when I replaced all my fuel hoses. Presumably the banjo on the other tank is the same size? It should be that size for the return hose which the stainless braided hose.

Possibly non-original pump? What about the pump to filter and filter to the metal crossover pipe.

BTW on mine that metal pipe has simply cut-off ends with no barb or anything on either end. Really poor installation. Not sure if they are all like this.

Edit: Having looked at some pictures of the pump I remember now, yes it does have that huge inlet. I think all I did was use a hose which was stretchy enough to cover both ends, probably 10mm.

[Lotusfab]

The other tank has a smaller banjo forvtge regulator return pipe. the crossover pipe has no bars and is just a pipe, not good! I have checked. I believe the tank outlets were pipes on later turbos, no banjos. The pump is correct from 1986 inlet 12 mm outlet 9 mm. Maybe my 81 car originally had a different pump???

[RichardJGC]

30 minutes ago, Andyww said:

BTW on mine that metal pipe has simply cut-off ends with no barb or anything on either end. Really poor installation. Not sure if they are all like this.

Mine is the same....very poor indeed.

[910Esprit]

Original pump on mine was a Lucas 4FP

You could use a reducer:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10mm-to-12m-Connector-Reducer-Barbed-Joiner-Hose-Pipe-Union-Water-Air-Fuel-Gas/222191560064?hash=item33bba62580:g:SLsAAOSwMsVXjdTV&frcectupt=true

 

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Steve, I thought of that, but then wondered why this has never been brought up before? I then started to think it's because the pump is different

[snowrx]

My '85 came with a large hose (~13mm ID) from tank to pump inlet also, but I've not yet had it off the banjo to see the outlet barb size. 

 

[Lotusfab]

The Lotus pipe that came fits the banjo, but won't fit over the pump. It could probably be stretched onto the pump inlet with silicon lubricant, but not really a satisfactory solution. The cross over pipe which has no barbs risks the pipes coming off. My car had clips on the pipe but interestingly P clips with rubber held the fuel hose to the chasis so the fuel pipe couldn't detach. 

[Andyww]

The previous owner of my car had a small engine fire which very luckily went out before it caused any damage. It was caused by the hose from the right-hand end of the crossover pipe to the pressure regulator coming off the pipe.

I now have a long piece of hose which fits 100mm over the pipe and two hose clips!

[Lotusfab]

Hope to get a lot more of this done in the next few weeks.

[Lotusfab]

Solution to the fuel pump issue was an 11 mm pipe.

The parts and sizes are correct and original, so thus is how Lotus designed it.

[Lotusfab]

Finally the electrics on the drivers door are installed and tested. Lucas connectors and those locking terminals did the trick. The next problem is I can't put the door handles on because the screws are Philips 10 UNF x 3/4 inch long. The way around all of these screws anomalies is to retap the threads to metric with the next size up. Much cheaper and easier to get hold of. Why then have I ordered 10 of these screws? The wiring on these cars is thankfully very simple. Of course the Turbo is much more complicated than the S1, so the S1 is simplicity itself. It just looks complicated when it's a ball of wires!

The best addition in the Turbo is the cigarette lighters. Not because I want to smoke but because alll modern kit needs a 12 volt power source. I should have put a power supply in the S1. If you are rewiring I would add a power socket before it's complete.

[Andyww]

Yes those special chromed screws which fit the interior door handles graunch up after unscrewing a few times even if using the correct size driver.

I keep meaning to try to find some chromed socket-head dome screws, which would likely only be available in metric. Using a ball-ended hex driver they should not graunch up.