The Lotus position...
Discussion
OK, I was stuck for a thread title! 
Cast your mind back, remember I was wittering on a while ago about refurbishing the rear calipers on my S3? No? Oh well, never mind.
Then, I was ranting about track rod ends, and how they must have been cast by Beelzebub himself, from purest Unobtanium? Well, I still haven't resolved that one, other than I bribed the stores guy at my local motor factors to sell me just the rubber boots off two old TREs that were lying, lost and unloved, at the back of a shelf... so that's that issue fixed for now. Steve down at SJ Sportscars insists that they are Lotus specials, but I still have reservations so am continuing the hunt... watch this space!
So, what else? Well, I've had the entire front suspension and steering off for overhaul. The rack is basically sound, boots are OK (that's a relief! ) and has had an oil change and a coat of paint.
Some parts are being replaced due to wear (one trunnion and a top balljoint), some because they were questionable (lower link bushes) and some for the hell of it (wheel bearings). New braided flexis of course.
All the metalwork including springs and dampers have been sandblasted and painted - what a difference! You'd never know some of these bits are 20 years old.
It appears that the brake discs may not be that old (in mileage terms); other than a coat of rust and brake dust, they don't seem to have lost any thickness and aren't scored at all.
I fitted one new lower link bush last week, but managed to crush the second one when my large socket slipped
Ordered another but it has yet to appear
. I've also turned up a 'special tool' on the lathe to make sure that the next one goes in straight.
The antiroll bar is getting new polyurethane bushes. Some of these parts are so cheap it beats me why people don't change them more often.
On to the interior: you may recall I modified some Austin Maestro seat runners to suit the Esprit seats. At the same time I had all the centre console trim out, and whilst doing some engine work I snapped the oil pressure gauge feed pipe (runs along the centre console). I bought a copper replacement and had to make some extra fittings on the lathe, but until I got around to fitting it I couldn't put the interior back together. Well I finally ran the oil pipe in on Friday night, so today I put the centre console trims in and refitted the seats.
Then the fun started. I fired the engine up to check the gauge for leaks. There were none, but the union nut was only hand tight, the gauge hanging out of the dash. You can see it coming... as soon as I turned my back the bloody union leaked oil... onto the driver's seat! Doh. The Dralon bit, of course, so it could soak in. Double-doh.
I dribbled washing-up liquid over it and then got the Vax (wet & dry vacuum to you foreigners) on it. Amazingly, the oil vanished. So while I was at it I thought I may as well clean the rest of the upholstery and carpets. What a difference! It smells like a summer meadow in there now, rather than a dank, rancid old car. And the cack that comes out in the water has to be seen to be believed.
Someone in this car's former life had decided to cover the centre console armrest AND the top of the dashboard with a rather nasty shagpile carpet
I ripped the piece off the armrest and found underneath... the original Dralon. Unmarked. Spotless. So what the hell was the point of THAT, then??
In for a penny, as they say, I ripped the length off the dash as well - the strip below the windscreen, with the vents in it. Actually, I didn't realise there WERE any vents in it, because Mr. Carpet-Fitter hadn't seen fit to cut any bloody holes in his cast-off bedroom carpet. God's teeth.
The left-hand demist vent was partly broken off its mountings, so I extracted it to effect a repair, and once under the dash I realised I could reach the washer jet (broken, sprays water everywhere!) and pulled that out as well. Now, I think I may have just discovered the one part of an S3 that SJ don't sell... It's a rather tall item, not at all like standard washer jets, so... what's it off? I've tried Hellfrauds and the usual classic spares suppliers that I use, but it's not listed. Probably off a Transit van, or a Borgward... or a Moskvich... Plymouth Fury...
Ian
Cast your mind back, remember I was wittering on a while ago about refurbishing the rear calipers on my S3? No? Oh well, never mind.
Then, I was ranting about track rod ends, and how they must have been cast by Beelzebub himself, from purest Unobtanium? Well, I still haven't resolved that one, other than I bribed the stores guy at my local motor factors to sell me just the rubber boots off two old TREs that were lying, lost and unloved, at the back of a shelf...
so that's that issue fixed for now. Steve down at SJ Sportscars insists that they are Lotus specials, but I still have reservations so am continuing the hunt... watch this space! So, what else? Well, I've had the entire front suspension and steering off for overhaul. The rack is basically sound, boots are OK (that's a relief!
) and has had an oil change and a coat of paint. Some parts are being replaced due to wear (one trunnion and a top balljoint), some because they were questionable (lower link bushes) and some for the hell of it (wheel bearings). New braided flexis of course.
All the metalwork including springs and dampers have been sandblasted and painted - what a difference! You'd never know some of these bits are 20 years old.
It appears that the brake discs may not be that old (in mileage terms); other than a coat of rust and brake dust, they don't seem to have lost any thickness and aren't scored at all.
I fitted one new lower link bush last week, but managed to crush the second one when my large socket slipped
Ordered another but it has yet to appear
. I've also turned up a 'special tool' on the lathe to make sure that the next one goes in straight. The antiroll bar is getting new polyurethane bushes. Some of these parts are so cheap it beats me why people don't change them more often.
On to the interior: you may recall I modified some Austin Maestro seat runners to suit the Esprit seats. At the same time I had all the centre console trim out, and whilst doing some engine work I snapped the oil pressure gauge feed pipe (runs along the centre console). I bought a copper replacement and had to make some extra fittings on the lathe, but until I got around to fitting it I couldn't put the interior back together. Well I finally ran the oil pipe in on Friday night, so today I put the centre console trims in and refitted the seats.
Then the fun started. I fired the engine up to check the gauge for leaks. There were none, but the union nut was only hand tight, the gauge hanging out of the dash. You can see it coming... as soon as I turned my back the bloody union leaked oil... onto the driver's seat! Doh. The Dralon bit, of course, so it could soak in. Double-doh.
I dribbled washing-up liquid over it and then got the Vax (wet & dry vacuum to you foreigners) on it. Amazingly, the oil vanished. So while I was at it I thought I may as well clean the rest of the upholstery and carpets. What a difference! It smells like a summer meadow in there now, rather than a dank, rancid old car. And the cack that comes out in the water has to be seen to be believed.
Someone in this car's former life had decided to cover the centre console armrest AND the top of the dashboard with a rather nasty shagpile carpet
I ripped the piece off the armrest and found underneath... the original Dralon. Unmarked. Spotless. So what the hell was the point of THAT, then??
In for a penny, as they say, I ripped the length off the dash as well - the strip below the windscreen, with the vents in it. Actually, I didn't realise there WERE any vents in it, because Mr. Carpet-Fitter hadn't seen fit to cut any bloody holes in his cast-off bedroom carpet. God's teeth.
The left-hand demist vent was partly broken off its mountings, so I extracted it to effect a repair, and once under the dash I realised I could reach the washer jet (broken, sprays water everywhere!) and pulled that out as well. Now, I think I may have just discovered the one part of an S3 that SJ don't sell...
It's a rather tall item, not at all like standard washer jets, so... what's it off? I've tried Hellfrauds and the usual classic spares suppliers that I use, but it's not listed. Probably off a Transit van, or a Borgward... or a Moskvich... Plymouth Fury... Ian
Ian,
I'm following your tale with great interest. Makes me want to get another Esprit again.
Anyway, don't know whether you saw my last reply to your 'S3 Steering' thread, but Lotus have a habit of taking standard items and then modifying them to their requirements in some way. This is a cheap way of getting what they want without paying a fortune for it. Hence the unavailability of TREs anywhere else, and maybe even the washers. Can you not make something more readily available fit? (For the washers that is)
Cheers,
Paul.
PS. You think you've got problems, the bottom ball joints off an Griffith/Chimaera are from a bloody Lada of all things, and are totally unobtainable. Some TVR owners are waiting for an expensive modified lower wishbone to appear from the factory.
>> Edited by B16 RFF on Monday 10th May 19:07
>> Edited by B16 RFF on Monday 10th May 20:22
I'm following your tale with great interest. Makes me want to get another Esprit again.
Anyway, don't know whether you saw my last reply to your 'S3 Steering' thread, but Lotus have a habit of taking standard items and then modifying them to their requirements in some way. This is a cheap way of getting what they want without paying a fortune for it. Hence the unavailability of TREs anywhere else, and maybe even the washers. Can you not make something more readily available fit? (For the washers that is)
Cheers,
Paul.
PS. You think you've got problems, the bottom ball joints off an Griffith/Chimaera are from a bloody Lada of all things, and are totally unobtainable. Some TVR owners are waiting for an expensive modified lower wishbone to appear from the factory.
>> Edited by B16 RFF on Monday 10th May 19:07
>> Edited by B16 RFF on Monday 10th May 20:22
B16 RFF said:
Ian,
I'm following your tale with great interest. Makes me want to get another Esprit again.
Anyway, don't know whether you saw my last reply to your 'S3 Steering' thread, but Lotus have a habit of taking standard items and then modifying them to their requirements in some way. This is a cheap way of getting what they want without paying a fortune for it. Hence the unavailability of TREs anywhere else, and maybe even the washers. Can you not make something more readily available fit? (For the washers that is)
Cheers,
Paul.
PS. You think you've got problems, the bottom ball joints off an Griffith/Chimaera are from a bloody Lada of all things, and are totally unobtainable. Some TVR owners are waiting for an expensive modified lower wishbone to appear from the factory.
>> Edited by B16 RFF on Monday 10th May 19:07
>> Edited by B16 RFF on Monday 10th May 20:22
Yeah, sorry Paul, I rather orphaned that thread a bit
I did read what you said; tends to agree with what Steve at SJ (amongst others) has told me. What puzzles me about the TREs is that they used a standard Escort-sized thread, but the tapered pin from a much larger car (Granada etc.) Why? Given that the Esprit is hardly a lardy car, does it need such a huge lump of metal? Kind of goes against the Lotus ethos of light weight.... Tonight I have been mostly wrestling with the second lower link bush: even with my 'special tool' I still had grief getting it in. Quick coat of paint and maybe tomorrow night I can start putting it all back together
The washer jet I guess I could lash up for now: as a rather tongue-in-cheek move I happen to have some LED jets that my daughter got me as a joke: suppose I could have a laugh...
Next stop: MOT
Ian
Jeez and there was me moaning and b*tching about the few jobs I have on my S4, anyway re SJ Sportscar afriad those guys are right. You will find the parts look like they are from other cars but nooooooo, suffice to say from my tasks what started as hey I will change the clutch hydraulic's turned into a nightmare. Take the clutch master cylinder looks like one fitted to old Landies, Mini etc etc but nope, none of your usual motor factors list them. Fortunately the guys at PNM Engineering did the business, in the end renewed the lot, new slave, master and new stainless hydraulic hose. Tonights mission is to finish it off so I can go and play the weekend so fingers crossed for nice weather. Other tasks ongoing are new front springs, new EBC pads, ram air, dump valve, decat, sports exhaust and new bushes but will save that for the winter.
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