My Esprit S1 import finally arrives!

[williamtherebel]

I have decided to get rid of the 'crash pad' that runs along the dash on the passenger side. Its not present on the UK S1's and so presume it was some sort of USA safety requirement. Its pretty heavy and substantial, so yet more 'adding lightness"!

Ill need to redo the glove box and make it bigger. However that's no hardship seeing as at some time in the distant past someone has used an old carboard box! 

[Fridge]

Yes, some (all?) of those Federal safety additions are of dubious effectiveness and look horrid.

[omegaman]

How does the Crash pad come off? I had a quick look at mine but couldn't see any fixings. 

[drdoom]

The pad has 3 studs, IIRC, which receive nuts from below the scuttle section of body, also 1 small bolt (capscrew?). Sorry, can't recall how accessible these are with the usual fittings in place at the moment but will take a look shortly when back on it in the workshop.

[omegaman]

2 hours ago, drdoom said:

The pad has 3 studs, IIRC, which receive nuts from below the scuttle section of body, also 1 small bolt (capscrew?). Sorry, can't recall how accessible these are with the usual fittings in place at the moment but will take a look shortly when back on it in the workshop.

Great thanks! I have my windscreen removed along with the interior (minus the dash)

[williamtherebel]

Mine just has the 3 stud and nuts. Access from below the scuttle as @omegaman has indicated. Because of the indentation on the dash, I am going to  recover the whole dash, and as I said before, remanufacture the glove box and make a new glove box lid.

[drdoom]

Getting on better today so have the proposed photo attached. As with that of @williamtherebel mine was attached via the 3 studs, the tapped hole thought to be for a capscrew  seems redundant. There are 3 pieces of electrical tape pointing to where the studs are located on the underside, just clear of the forward face of the steel scuttle beam.

Cheers

[omegaman]

Excellent, Thanks to both of you for posting photos .

[williamtherebel]

I hadn't realised how long it was since I posted anything about the progress of my interior. So since Feb, I have managed to source a small batch of original blue Alcantara. Its not a perfect match due to sunning and age of my original and there is not enough of it to recover everything. However it is as near a match as Im going to get apart from redoing the whole interior which I cannot really afford at the moment. Seeing as some the original material was different anyway Im happy with what Ive got. I have roped in my Partner Marie, who worked in interior design to recover the dash under the crash pad, centre console, gear stick cover, glove box etc etc

 

[williamtherebel]

Decided to hide a couple of USB sockets in the new glove box seeing as I was enlarging it.

[Lotusfab]

Looking great well done.

[Fridge]

It's not originally Alcantara, but Marcasite, however have you sourced original synthetic velvet? Amazing if so.

Either way it looks like a great match.

[williamtherebel]

1 hour ago, Fridge said:

It's not originally Alcantara, but Marcasite, however have you sourced original synthetic velvet? Amazing if so.

Either way it looks like a great match.

Thanks David. It is Alcantara. (says so on the back!) It is a nice match. Just slightly off compared to the sunned original. But as I said Im very happy with it. Just a pity there wasn't more of it! Really pleased with how the interior looks now without the crash pad and the big hole for the aftermarket heater blower. 

[williamtherebel]

Also started to renovate the instrument cluster. Especially the three holes that were drilled into the right hand side where a PO has fitted a S2 brake warning light and 2 non operational switches. I am also going to get rid of the 'lettraset' style small signs for ones with the correct font.

[Fridge]

New replacement panels of very good quality are available from SJ Sportscars, but it's always good to reuse original parts whenever possible.

Can't wait to see the finished product.

Work on mine has stopped unfortunately as I have limited access. There is still things to do on it.

[williamtherebel]

Stripped all the paint off to reveal quite a few 'dings' and pin holes in the metal. So gave all the panels a couple of coats of primer filler.

[williamtherebel]

Then a couple of coats of normal primer and a couple of coats of satin black, Im happy with the result.

Now, I just need to get some pin stripes and then fix the proper labels in place. (First photo is the before - in case you were wondering!)

[omegaman]

Nice job !! How did you remove the rheostat knob ? I can see what looks like a screw with no slot in it , is that meant to push in so that the knob will pull off ? 

[williamtherebel]

Its not clear in the picture, but the rheostat knob is still in place! It was a pain trying to rub down / paint the panel with it in situ. However It seemed as if a PO had glued the knob in place and I was concerned I would break it if I forced it too much to get it off. Couldn't get it off from the inside either.

[williamtherebel]

Many thanks to @Doris the dog for locating and sending me a demister vent that Ive been looking for. A bit rusty but certainly usable. A quick clean, file, rub down, rustproofed and a couple of coats of primer and satin black and its good as new. (almost!) Im hoping I can return the favour with some trim he need for his Elite. ---- The power of the Forum in action!! 

[omegaman]

For reference , I soaked mine in WD40 and then hit a small screwdriver against the pin on the shaft. You’ll see a small hole in the side of the knob , once the pin is free, you can push it in and pull the knob off . 

[williamtherebel]

Thanks for the info. I suppose I should have asked on here first before I started!

[williamtherebel]

Pinstripe finally arrived, so got to work on finishing the instrument cluster using the tiny signs especially made by Dan at Divine Handcraft. Pretty happy with the result. 

[Lotusfab]

Looks great, well done!

Edited May 12, 2020 by Bibs

[williamtherebel]

A few people have asked if I'm selling the wheels that came with the car when I purchased it. So ive finally got round to listing them on eBay, to give everybody a chance. Not a good time to sell I know, but it saves them hanging around the garage. Its not my garage and at some point Im going to have to move out. I will be gutted because its been brilliant for restoring the Esprit. I am also going to be selling the project Eclat at some point so watch this space!