Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[Lotusfab]

Makes the springs look untidy!

[Lotusfab]

At last all the bits you can unbolt are off to the powder coaters today. Won't be cheap but it will move the project along very quickly. Then I need to get drilling and removing all the body shell parts, waistline trim, heater matrix and door bits etc, ready for Neil at a Thompson body repair in Plymouth. 

Thanks to Matt he has the fuel cap in copper fire. It's a base coat and lacquer. The lacquer has gone slightly creamy which is making it difficult to get a colour match. The Lotus paint code readily available is apparently too metallic looking compared with the original. They have a colour swatch and have found a Chrysler paint that is very close. Matt has kindly allowed them to polish off some of the lacquer so they can get a better colour scan. So fingers crossed Bond will be back soon! 

I guess I'm now really building this Bond replica in memory of Sir Roger Moore. I was hoping to get him to sign both the cars, still sad he has gone! 

Nearly there, a couple of skis and no one would ever notice! !?????

[Lotusfab]

Take ages to POR15 correctly! I decided to clean up and POR15 the the seat belt mounts as The new ones didn't fit and I need to remix the sills. They are in good nick. Here's a picture after blasting. I finished cleaning and etching with metal ready, just need to paint and put back. With Matts superb handbrake mount the sills can go back on with structural adhesive. 

i decided to zinc plate the calipers and paint over them. Why? Because the zinc plate will degrade if left exposed and powder coating will peel of. So will use a bake on ceramic paint over the zinc. That way they should outlast me! 

[Lotusfab]

Of course the only problem with bake on paint is using the wife's oven for an hour, baking when she's out and trying to hide the smell!

Decided to set a target date for spraying of July. This way I will have no option but to get it ready in time! Hope Lotus bits can do the hubs ASAP. Still,have the wheels to build!

[TAR]

Wow, this is really progressing quickly. The seatbelt mounts have cleaned up really well. Mine are not too bad but I had a new set from Matt so will use them.

I bet you're getting a bit worried whether you'll remember where everything goes when you get a big bag of bits back from the powder coaters.

 

[Lotusfab]

Yep, I may need some pics from the members! I took a lot and know some stuff from the S1, but there's a lot of different bits on here. The suspension will be easy enough but the binnacle may be tricky! 

[Lotusfab]

et Volla! 

[Lotusfab]

It has taken me a day to get these and a few other parts done. Not really a good use of my time, which is very limited. So guess I will be heading off to the powder coaters with everything I have left. I have an engine rebuild to do also. I have had all the bolts and washers zinc plated. I am hoping this will be a totally corrosion proof car. I am planning on aqua blasting all of the engine components and then painting. The parts will oxidise and won't last even though meticulously clean. So paint is the only long lasting solution. 

Have started to remove the body waistline trim and drill all rivets out. I want to get the seat belt mounts back in today and the sills rebonded and riveted. 

I want to get the chasis finished, wheels on and body on before winter so I can get the car back into storage before the weather sets in!

[Lotusfab]

Oh dear, what have I done!

I hate spraying over bolts sp out they come!

[Lotusfab]

[Lotusfab]

Matts handbrake mount bolted in with stainless bolts. Both seatbelt mounts refitted. Was going to rivet and glue the sills back on but the stainless rivets are too strong for my rivet gun. Will have to buy some ally ones. Difficult to get the nuts on the handbrake mount bolts with the sill still on. I did it, but sore fingers and arms! Need to clean up the body a bit before it goes for spraying. Just the windscreen to remove and the heater console to come out. Then will have to bolt wheels on so I can get it onto a trailer from my garden stand. Coming on now!

[jonroberts]

Hi Fabian - apologies if you've seen this already but I came across this YouTube video :  

 

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Jon, I have seen that before. I believe it was made by Uk Sportscars. 

[Lotusfab]

It's proving difficult to match the paint colour. These cars were originally a base coat with Laquer. Matts cap has faded slightly with age and the lacquer has gone milky which is affecting the paint scan. Matt has kindly allowed us to polish the laquer slightly in order to improve the match. Thompson Body repair have sprayed test sheets. The Lotus paint code is more metallic looking than the original. We have a close colour swatch match with a Chrysler paint code that is far closer to the original than the Lotus colour. There's more work to do with the colour match, but I hope  the end result will be a car that is as close to the original as possible.

[Lotusfab]

Has anyone got a turbo that has its original paint? I'm interested in the black areas. My car has been resprayed and I note the black areas are differentbtomthe S1. On my car there is not painted black line to the waistline trim? Is this correct?

[Andyww]

Thats correct, no black line there.

[TAR]

I have a line. My car appears to have had some paint so not sure if its original.

[Lotusfab]

Please can someone put pics on, thanks!

 

 

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Tim. Any one with a dry sump

with original paint? Andy has your car ben reprayed?'

Work has stopped temporarily today ????, forced out to Cranleigh horse show, keep the wife happy! 

 

 

But dont worry, ill

be back with. Vengance tomorrow, armed witha decent rivet gun that can use stainless rivets!

[Andyww]

Actually I was going from memory from before it was repainted. Which just shows how crap my memory is as I checked a pic from the work being done and there were lines!

Sorry for the misinformation!

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Andy, thats a pain will have to paint the lines in!

[Andyww]

Actually they got several areas of the satin black wrong on my car. Its worth checking the area under the square vents on the bonnet and on the cant rails behind the window frames and on the B pillar. All of these are wrong on mine.

[LOTUSMAN33]

Here is mine Fabian which is still in original paint albeit needing a spray now;

Dave  

[stephenwhyte]

Hi Fabian here are a few of both sides of mine - still in original paint. If you need more photos let me know and I can take some more today. 

[ChrisJ]

Early wet sump - original paint: edit to add, although not quite as early as Stephen's - or as clean