1984 Turbo Esprit Restoration

[eeyoreish]

So here it is, the first post in what will be the restoration story of my recently acquired project 1984 Turbo Esprit 😀

The story of the car so far; its been off the road in storage since 2007 when the engine was removed for a rebuild and the gearbox gave up. The car is partially stripped with engine, 'box and fuel tanks out but everything else still pretty much intact. So I have a car and several boxes of bits, most of which I've now categorised into boxes of related items.

Here's what I'm the proud owner of:

 

Good points:

It's an '80s Turbo Esprit!

Everything, at least all the big bits seem to be there. Tailgate and seats are present though not in these pics

Fully rebuilt HC engine with all the right ancillaries (yes, I know it should have an LC but the HC was already fitted previously)

Spare ('good') gearbox

New clutch

Replacement good binnacle

SS Sports exhaust system

Several other additional parts included which I may or may not need

 

Known issues:

No windscreen

The chassis tube by the Turbo has been sleeved over, secured with bolts. Who knows if that's for additional strength/protection, because there was slight corrosion or the original tube is rotten. Only one way to find out...

The car has had a knock in the past (not recorded) low down at the front of the RH door/sill. It's been repaired and although the car looks fine externally it's not a great job. The door mounting post is still bent out of shape and the door itself has been 'fettled' to make it fit and gap up properly. In the front arch I can still see some unrepaired but covered over cracks and the lower suspension arm is bent. The A post is fine, as is the nose of the car and I can see where the 'newer' paint extends to so the damage must have been to the lower part of the car and localised around the back of the front wheelarch. Hopefully the chassis is fine and the lower arm has taken the brunt.

 

There's doubt it's a full resto job and deserves to be done right as this ones my dream Esprit and will be a forever keeper. Lots of decisions to make now and along the way and I'll be grateful for all the advice and tips on offer here! I already have an HC engine so I'm not too precious about keeping the car factory original with regard to colours etc but I absolutely will stay true to available Lotus paint and trim colours and to creating a car that looks 100% stock even if it has some stealth upgrades where it's wise to do so. 

Thus far in addition to the obvious work required I'm thinking to include:

Some form of brake upgrade (PNM?)

Subtle ICE upgrade but (like my Stevens) nothing that shows as non original

Retrofit aircon. Probably via an aftermarket system rather than trying to assemble all the Lotus bits

Colour change. At the moment I'm between Monaco White (with period correct black bumpers) or Pacific Blue, which existed on the last HC cars but perhaps not in 1984. If I go blue I could even be cheeky and badge it as a Turbo HC...

I've never been a fan of black interior so I'm thinking biscuit leather.

If I go down the white route then this is the car I have in my head (albeit with the original BBS wheels):

Whilst I'm still in the planning stage I'm open to all comments and suggestions on the right way to go. I'm also keen to capture and obvious or common upgrades/fixes I should be factoring in along the way.

At this stage I'm thinking body off to check and sort out the chassis and suspension more easily. Wise..?

Look forward to everyone's comments and suggestions!

[910Esprit]

What's your ETA?!  Looks like a good project.   What's the chassis number?   I was curious that it looks as though it has a factory glass roof, but earlier A pillar trims, I'd assumed that the 2 were mutually exclusive, or is it an aftermarket glass roof?   Do you have a  a good ex manifold & wastegate for that very nice looking engine?

[Dan E]

Neil just keep looking at that engine mate. @910Esprit it came with a brand new manifold which I tried to steal but Neil caught me 😂

[eeyoreish]

It's an original glass roof so perhaps it's on the crossover point of A pillars? 

Yes, I have a new manifold (and one with a crack in it) plus a Turbo and wastegate. Both of those will be getting a refurb before they are bolted to my piece of engine art!

@Dan E may have left me the manifold but I can't find my aircon anywhere... 😥

[Blackngolds3turbo]

What a great project! Hours of fun getting the work done and even more fun to drive when you’re finished!

It must have been close to ours on the production line being another 84! 

Having a high compression upgrade is a great start, and it sounds like you’ve got most of the parts to get it done. If you need any advice with it, drop me a message! 

We look forward to seeing progress!

[eeyoreish]

And my pal @Kevin Wheeler also has an '84 TE. Between us we might have half the year's production run 😁

Thanks, I'll definitely be up for some tips and advice when I get into it. As I didn't take it apart I'll probably be begging for some photos of obscure parts of similar cars!

[910Esprit]

Thought mine was about the last pre-glass roof car, which has trunnions and the later A Pillars.  Is yours on trunnions?

[eeyoreish]

No idea! I have non vented front discs if that helps.

[NR2k]

👋

3/4 through a full nut and bolt resto on our 84 turbo. Glad we had the body off and sorted the chassis, even though it had very little rust. If the car is a keeper its worth doing imho. Simon has spent the weekend fettling the electrics, still more to do there! Ours is 1705.

Good luck with your project.

Ps always happy to help out with pics. Ours was in one bit before we started which does help.

[eeyoreish]

Just checked, mine is number 1688

[Smithy111]

<-- Another 84 TE here! Mines August number 1727

[910Esprit]

3 behind on the production line! , mine is 84 1730.... 

[eeyoreish]

So am I on trunnions? 🤔

[Steve V8]

Wow Neil, what a fantastic project to sink yourself into, that engine is just filthy in engine porn terms, deserves pride of place in the lounge until it's ready to go back to work. 

Looking forward to following your progress, and definitely blue cheeky HC.  Good luck

[910Esprit]

You are....   I don't have any issues with them, but they are high maintenance.

[ChrisJ]

It'll be a fantastic car once you've finished with it. As it's a keeper make it the car you want. Brakes definitely need upgrading as the standard ones are crap - and have always been terrible.

One thing I'd look at is doing something different with the interior. I would not have a full leather, but maybe go 1/2 leather with alcantara inserts.

[910Esprit]

1 minute ago, ChrisJ said:

Brakes definitely need upgrading as the standard ones are crap - and have always been terrible. 

No, really they don't have to be...  They are well balanced & progressive -  I can't be the only owner who is entirely happy with them and the car still gets driven pretty hard....   If required, it can break adhesion at the legal limit and higher- as I found out last weekend when encountering a mobile speed unit  

[ChrisJ]

On the road they are fine, but they last about 5 laps of Goodwood and similar for Hethel. This goes back to the late 1980s.

[eeyoreish]

28 minutes ago, Steve V8 said:

Looking forward to following your progress, and definitely blue cheeky HC.  Good luck

Hmmm...

Brakes I'm keen to do as my Stevens ones aren't great and there I'm on vented discs! Something to investigate anyway...

The current black seats have non leather centre panels so maybe I'll consider something similar. Less slidy.

 

[eeyoreish]

This is what I have my eye on from PNM

[Barrykearley]

Now that looks a fantastic project - I’m not one bit envious as I’m a broken man now.

never again.

 

Pop me a pm if you want to flog her on 🤪

[eeyoreish]

@Barrykearley I'm inspired by watching Wheeler Dealer re-runs and reading about your exploits in equal measure and I'll no doubt be similarly broken (physically and financially) by the time I'm even half way into this.

I'm determined to see this through though and do as much as humanly possible myself so don't wait by the phone...

[Barrykearley]

I think I’d be tempted to whip the body off of that and do a full on nut and bolt rebuild.

Im having a break though and am catagorically not interested in any such projects.....

[Smithy111]

3 hours ago, 910Esprit said:

You are....   I don't have any issues with them, but they are high maintenance.

Just done a front suspension rebuild (over on the suspension topic page) my trunnions both had play as someone had previously  filled them with grease (should be ep80 or gearbox oil roughly)

[910Esprit]

I've got a dedicated 'grease' gun filled with EP90 and give them a few pumps every 6 weeks or so, to keep them in fresh oil.   Also in the 6 cylinder Triumph models the nylon bush is pretty much treated as a service part, although these seem to last much longer on a lighter Esprit.