Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[stephenwhyte]

I'll get you a pic of mine too later today as I need to go and see the car again - it's back in the workshop getting new bushes. It's spent more time in that workshop since I took ownership in '15 than in my own garage...

[Andyww]

Secondary seal

[stephenwhyte]

Spotted that second seal in a post before - good idea that!

[Andyww]

Yes these reduce wind noise and look better with the large frame gap mostly filled in.

P/N C082U5779F

£28.00 each from SJ

[stephenwhyte]

1 hour ago, Andyww said:

Yes these reduce wind noise and look better with the large frame gap mostly filled in.

P/N C082U5779F

£28.00 each from SJ

Stupid question but how do they fit and stick - silicone? Easy job or tricky? I'm tempted but at the same time I'm doing everything I can to keep this car original.......

[Lotusfab]

Yep that's a good idea, the wind noise is annoying!

[Andyww]

27 minutes ago, stephenwhyte said:

Stupid question but how do they fit and stick - silicone? Easy job or tricky? I'm tempted but at the same time I'm doing everything I can to keep this car original.......

Self adhesive, 5 mins to fit

[jcslocum]

9 hours ago, Lotusfab said:

Hi Jon,

any pictures of part 31 would be great, thanks.

 

This is what I recently bought used. They are very thin and hard after all these years. They were originally glued into place on the inner door area and bolted to the door to hold the window frame.

 

[Andyww]

We need these!

Unfortunately not suitable for 3D printing but relatively easy to vac form given the right gear. There was someone on here a while back who was looking into making all the vac formed parts.

[Lotusfab]

Perfect. Could make something similar from fiberglass. Lots of effort though.

[RichardJGC]

There is also a similar plastic trim on the front end of the door. Will post a pic later when I get back in.

[RichardJGC]

Front door finisher

 

[stephenwhyte]

Yip I've got those original ones fitted to mine but was in so much of a hurry today I forgot to take a photo of them.

 

[jcslocum]

On 4/12/2017 at 10:26, Lotusfab said:

Perfect. Could make something similar from fiberglass. Lots of effort though.

Fiberglass would be pretty easy I would think. Making a mold from the part isn't that hard from what I have done in the past. Made from CF would be a nice little treat once an FG mold is made. I may give it a shot one weekend.

 

I know little to nothing of 3D printing, but why are they not a good part for that??

Edited April 13, 2017 by jcslocum

[Andyww]

Steve at SJ has had some parts made from fibreglass such as the A pillar "triangles" but he admits they are not very good because they are all too thick. I send mine back for a refund. This part needs to be thin as card otherwise it wont look right.

The low cost 3D printers such as I have are not really 3D at all, they are 2D, because they build up the shape in layers by moving the head in 2D. So as you can imagine with a shape like this it would waste masses of material which would have to be cut away as these printers cant print over a void, every layer must have a supporting layer under.

Another way to make this part would be to hand-beat it from aluminium sheet. That would be better than fibreglass I think.

[Lotusfab]

Like the aluminium idea! 

I bought this aerial from eBay. It's a shame no one on here has identified a new one that fits. Maybe none do? Its a Japanese replacement. Unfortunately it's too big! The mechanism is too fat and the length of the antenna mast about one inch too long. The original is unusually thin at the base end. No alternative but to dismantle the new aerial and use the parts to repair the old one.

The aerial inside the mast of the new one is about the same length as the original but has a toothed drive. It will need work but hope to fix the old aerial using these new parts. Will post some pics. The new aerial is reasonable quality, but the old one was built to last much longer! 

[Lotusfab]

Ohhhhhh dear!

only just started working on this and it's a bit of a mess at the moment. Have serviced and tested the original motor. There is nothing on the new Aerial of use except the mast and aerial connector. The New aerial is about 15mm longer than the original. I am hoping to compensate for this by making the unit slightly longer. The new aerial uses a toothed drive cable. This has to be taken off and the original used. The aerial mast comes to pieces if you unscrew the top of the aerial then the inner part pulls out. A Clip holds the drive cable to the aerial centre. This has to be drilled out and the original drive cable fitted. It's just a piece of Nylon, like a strimmer uses. 

A cheaper method of repair would be to just buy the mast on eBay if the motor is ok. The original aerial is much better quality and built to last. The new one is a bit flimsy but the actual mast is pretty good. Will let you know if it works!

have started the frame but still a lot if work to do. Here's a picture so you can see how the new repair will work, it's only in there temporarily and not flush as it will be when finished.

[Lotusfab]

Andy, any luck with the cx500 wheel centres?

I've finished drilling and tapping the window frame repair. Hats off to Matt, it fits perfectly and has made an excellent repair. I used three tapped screws in each side, but then again I always over engineer. It does not need welding but might get it done anyway. It's an easy job now the repair section is holding it in place in exactly th correct position. Must get myself a TIG welder for Christmas! Will post some pics soon and hope to have the drivers door finished. Just a small repair to the door loom to do.

[Andyww]

2 hours ago, Lotusfab said:

Andy, any luck with the cx500 wheel centres?

 

Been a bit busy with other stuff recently but I was going to get at least one other quote for the machining. Will get back onto this today.

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Andy.

[Lotusfab]

Window frame repaired, thanks to Matt

[Lotusfab]

The Good

I got the door trim pieces, only two but enough to make more. Thermoplastic being the obvious choice. A head gun and a mould taken from the good bits?

The Bad

I took the aerial mast to pieces again! I rebuilt it and rejoined the nylon in the original aerial. Put it all back together. It looks fab, but doesn't work!???????

I had to come in as it has taken a long time to get this far. The motor turns but the aerial won't raise. There's a glitch system in it. Maybe the motor magnets have gone and there's insufficient torque?May still be able to fix it but needed to take a break before bits starts to get broken!

The Ugly

My Turbo isnt looking very Bondish. It hasn't moved on much due to all the extra problems. Looks like the engine has to come out in order to get the manifold off. ??????

 

 

There's a lot of work in changing the mast length. All the brass ends have to be removed very carefully and refitted. The very end of the mast has to be connected to the nylon.

[Lotusfab]

Well went back out and got it working beautifully, then the nylon guide broke☹️So now have to try and make a new one, tricky?

By nylon guide I mean the bit that locates into the groove guiding the nylon cable into the slot.

The problem intitially was the clutch. It has to be secured with a nut that it tightened just enough for it to slip at the appropriate time.

[Lotusfab]

The Nylon guide looks similar to this,v

[Lotusfab]

 

Aerials

now Ive looked into this its probably pretty easy to repair - depending on whats broken. The aerial mast is easy, as is the cord. The motor can be cleaned or refurbed. Broken parts are problematic. I found to find a suitable new aerial, but theres probably one out there? 

This is a different model of aerial. The one I have is very small so that it can fit within the front wing. The inside is very similar. This nylon guide has a small lip which runs inside the spiral that holds the nylon cord. It ensures the cord doesn't tangle. The clutch ensures there is no damage when the aerial reaches the end of travel. 

The guide on mine broke. Its not an ideal design. I have made a repair to the guide using epoxy resin. I drilled some very tiny holes in each half for the resin to anchor to. Should be a very strong repair. Will test the aerial extensively before replacing, as the door must be removed again to service the aerial. 

The circuit diagram shows an in line fuse for this. In fact there are several separate wiring diagrams for sub systems on the car, many of which seem to have inline fuses. If you squeez under the dash they are all over the place! There was no power to the aerial before I removed it, so another job to get the power back on after the aerial repair is complete. Good job I like electrics! 

The fuses in the main fuse box are incorect im pretty sure they should not all be 25 amps. So have ordered new ones and will slowly recomission all the systems with the correct fuses. 

Door frame

 

 

Just needs paint and reassembly.