Some progress on the project car :)
Discussion
Remember that '83 S3 I bought a month ago? Well what with work, weather and a sexually-demanding.... er, where was I? 
Oh yes.
I figured that before I rolled it down to see Big John with his MOT stick (that's an annual roadworthiness test for you non-UK types
) I should attend to one or two issues.
So I've fitted some new horns.
And repaired some dodgy wiring to the horn relay... and stripped the column switch for the dip/main beams, indicators, horn and cleaned the contacts.
Ditto the wiper switch.
New indicator flasher fitted.
Nearside headlamp pod adjusted to be a better fit.
Removed and stripped the rear brake calipers: the r/h handbrake was seized. Not any more it's not Now I'm going to clean them up and paint them, and rebuild with new seals. The pistons are immaculate, which is a surprise given that the l/h caliper had no dust seal; and the pads are almost new (in wear terms).
I've rewired the coolant temp sender and the fuel shutoff valve several feet back into the harness due to corrosion. In the process I discovered that the fan thermoswitch is leaking, which I'd rather find out now than 50 miles from home on a motorway.
In fact, the list of things to do gets longer the more I look (though I knew that would happen!). For example I decided to reposition the exhaust silencer mounting clamps (two bands round the silencer and a bracket on the gearbox): in doing so I realised that the whole system has been so badly fitted it is an eyesore, so one fine day I'll....
Cars, don't you love them
Ian
Oh yes.
I figured that before I rolled it down to see Big John with his MOT stick (that's an annual roadworthiness test for you non-UK types
) I should attend to one or two issues. So I've fitted some new horns.
And repaired some dodgy wiring to the horn relay... and stripped the column switch for the dip/main beams, indicators, horn and cleaned the contacts.
Ditto the wiper switch.
New indicator flasher fitted.
Nearside headlamp pod adjusted to be a better fit.
Removed and stripped the rear brake calipers: the r/h handbrake was seized. Not any more it's not
Now I'm going to clean them up and paint them, and rebuild with new seals. The pistons are immaculate, which is a surprise given that the l/h caliper had no dust seal; and the pads are almost new (in wear terms). I've rewired the coolant temp sender and the fuel shutoff valve several feet back into the harness due to corrosion. In the process I discovered that the fan thermoswitch is leaking, which I'd rather find out now than 50 miles from home on a motorway.
In fact, the list of things to do gets longer the more I look (though I knew that would happen!). For example I decided to reposition the exhaust silencer mounting clamps (two bands round the silencer and a bracket on the gearbox): in doing so I realised that the whole system has been so badly fitted it is an eyesore, so one fine day I'll....
Cars, don't you love them
Ian
Well, that was an... 'entertaining' evening....
Liberal application of abrasives and a die grinder to the rusty piles in the above pic, resulted in this:-
For a better look (Fotango permitting)...
The eagle-eyed will notice some discolouration on the bore: looks like moisture in the brake fluid caused some local corrosion. Not serious (it's not the piston bore, just the handbrake ratchet housing) and will polish out.
Mint piston; ratchet assembly.
Now I need a bloody good shower and a large brandy...
Next: some paint!
Ian
Liberal application of abrasives and a die grinder to the rusty piles in the above pic, resulted in this:-
For a better look (Fotango permitting)...
The eagle-eyed will notice some discolouration on the bore: looks like moisture in the brake fluid caused some local corrosion. Not serious (it's not the piston bore, just the handbrake ratchet housing) and will polish out.
Mint piston; ratchet assembly.
Now I need a bloody good shower and a large brandy...
Next: some paint!
Ian
Calvin: cheers for that: I am fortunate enough to have a 30 x 9 foot garage/ workshop with 'rather more' than the usual home car repair facilities...
Rob: they aren't new parts, honest... read on...
Kylie: the real reason for getting bits shiny is so that you can paint them again However, it helps to get rid of the crap and then you can see what state things are really in. Now last night I missed a crack in the lug that braces the handbrake cable, which you couldn't see at all for the rust and brake dust etc. Once I had a good look in daylight it was obvious.
At this point I have to admit to being a techno-twit and accidentally delecting the entire contents of my digital camera, that I was using to record tonight's 'operation', so all that remains are the two pics below showing the finished article.
I started off by grinding out the crack and welding it up. Of course the molten metal slumped into the cable orifice, so I had to attack it with the die grinder. I started with the baby one (similar to a Dremel tool - though not one of those, the world's most overpriced electric motor
) but it was a bit slow so I reached for the daddy of die grinders and proceeded to open the hole back out. Two things happened: first I got showered in hot sparks that are actually minute needles of steel shave off by the tungsten carbide cutter. They get caught in your clothes and prickle like nobody's business. If they get in your hair (they did!) it's a shade uncomfortable (the British art of understatement!). In your ears is best described as 'no fun'. 
Good job I had the goggles on
Anyway, the second problem was that the cutting tool snagged, and half the cable lug sheared off the caliper casting. So then I had to start again, and build up almost the entire lug with weld, shaping it as I went with the grinders. You can see the join between the new weld and the original metal in the second picture.
Once I'd done this, I had a close look at the other caliper and realised that there was a similar crack developing on that one! Perhaps a known weak point, or am I just unlucky? Anyway I ran some weld around the general area and dressed it off.
I've cleaned up all the bits, fitted new seals and rebuilt the calipers. Tomorrow: PAINT
Ian
Rob: they aren't new parts, honest... read on...
Kylie: the real reason for getting bits shiny is so that you can paint them again
However, it helps to get rid of the crap and then you can see what state things are really in. Now last night I missed a crack in the lug that braces the handbrake cable, which you couldn't see at all for the rust and brake dust etc. Once I had a good look in daylight it was obvious. At this point I have to admit to being a techno-twit and accidentally delecting the entire contents of my digital camera, that I was using to record tonight's 'operation', so all that remains are the two pics below showing the finished article.
I started off by grinding out the crack and welding it up. Of course the molten metal slumped into the cable orifice, so I had to attack it with the die grinder. I started with the baby one (similar to a Dremel tool - though not one of those, the world's most overpriced electric motor
) but it was a bit slow so I reached for the daddy of die grinders and proceeded to open the hole back out. Two things happened: first I got showered in hot sparks that are actually minute needles of steel shave off by the tungsten carbide cutter. They get caught in your clothes and prickle like nobody's business. If they get in your hair (they did!) it's a shade uncomfortable (the British art of understatement!). In your ears is best described as 'no fun'. Good job I had the goggles on Anyway, the second problem was that the cutting tool snagged, and half the cable lug sheared off the caliper casting. So then I had to start again, and build up almost the entire lug with weld, shaping it as I went with the grinders. You can see the join between the new weld and the original metal in the second picture.
Once I'd done this, I had a close look at the other caliper and realised that there was a similar crack developing on that one! Perhaps a known weak point, or am I just unlucky? Anyway I ran some weld around the general area and dressed it off.
I've cleaned up all the bits, fitted new seals and rebuilt the calipers. Tomorrow: PAINT
Ian
Hey Ian
Here is my ugly website on my '83 Turbo restoration. The pics are out of order with the pre-restoration pics at the end which makes it look like the finished product. Before restoration the car looked good from 10feet away but there were alot of problems. A true project car.
www.erc.msstate.edu/~lwasson/Lotus/
Some friends will teach me how to cleanup the website so I can organize the pics and add text.
Good luck on your project,
louis
'83 Turbo
Here is my ugly website on my '83 Turbo restoration. The pics are out of order with the pre-restoration pics at the end which makes it look like the finished product. Before restoration the car looked good from 10feet away but there were alot of problems. A true project car.
www.erc.msstate.edu/~lwasson/Lotus/
Some friends will teach me how to cleanup the website so I can organize the pics and add text.
Good luck on your project,
louis
'83 Turbo
Good effort Louis
I wasn't planning on going quite that far... not yet anyway!
I feel like I'm losing my original plot a little: the Esprit was supposed to be a cheap toy, leaving my real efforts for the TVR. However the TVR hasn't seen the light of day since I got the Lotus!
Actually, that's not entirely true: I just finished adapting a larger airflow meter to the TVRs injection system (machined various parts to suit) and fired it up on Sunday. But I can't get it out of the garage because the Esprit is blocking the doorway, with no seats or brakes and half the electrics hanging out!
Right, I'm off to paint some brake calipers...
Ian
I wasn't planning on going quite that far... not yet anyway!
I feel like I'm losing my original plot a little: the Esprit was supposed to be a cheap toy, leaving my real efforts for the TVR. However the TVR hasn't seen the light of day since I got the Lotus!
Actually, that's not entirely true: I just finished adapting a larger airflow meter to the TVRs injection system (machined various parts to suit) and fired it up on Sunday. But I can't get it out of the garage because the Esprit is blocking the doorway, with no seats or brakes and half the electrics hanging out!
Right, I'm off to paint some brake calipers...
Ian
Satin black, I'm afraid! The whole car is blacker than a black thing that's fallen down a coalmine on a dark night, so black seemed fitting. Besides, these are the inboard calipers so you can't see them through the wheels anyway...
I've got shiny new braided lines to go on as well; just need to make the short rigid link pipes up next...
Ian
I've got shiny new braided lines to go on as well; just need to make the short rigid link pipes up next...
Ian
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