Lexus V8 with NOS in a Renault Espace - yeah lets do it !

[lexspace]

So I realise it’s been a while since I posted anything, that’s mainly because of work commitments but little bits have still been done and still slowly moving forward , I have been finishing off some hidden interior parts and have a lot of sound deadening and heat proofing material to add soon , I’m hoping to get things moving forward more on the interior in the next few weeks .
I have also been adding photos to an Instagram page for those interested in this cars progress , lexspace2012 on instagram for anyone interested in seeing them

[lexspace]

Lots of work has been completed recently, and a lot of it will never be seen , a lot of wiring has been tidied up and fixed in place and a lot of heat proofing and sound deadening has been added and I’ve started to reupholster some interior parts , these door trims for example have been re-covered with black Alcantara instead of the original worn out blue material



I’ve also updated the throttle pedal , by adding this pad onto it



Which I then shotblasted to give a better finish



And used the part marking “laser” (said in a dr evil voice) at work to make it look a little special



Once some carpet is added on all the surfaces , the pedal should stand out nicely



Merry Christmas everyone

[lexspace]

More work that will never been seen today

Before and after



There is also some heat proofing insulation to go below the rear seats as that is where the exhaust silencers sit ,
I tried a little experiment on how much heat comes through the floor from the exhaust after the engine had been running for around 10 minutes and it highlighted where more is needed over the tunnel and actually how good the sound deadening is too

Protected side


Unprotected side

[lexspace]

Just so people are aware , the Instagram page I started recently is only catching up with this thread , as on page 29 of this thread I posted the very same video which was from February 2014 when I very first drove it , as you can see the video was posted on YouTube and can still be viewed, I will continue to add to Instagram and on here and one day they will be at the same point and the world will be in harmony again , thanks again for all your support
Lexspace

lexspace said:

I have managed to get a few jobs done recently on the car , firstly i bought a new drivers seat , its nothing special , just from ebay , but its comfortable and looks good enough and is far better than the espace rear seat i used to mock the steering and pedals up with.
Fitting it was quite simple once i had worked out how to do it and positioning of it and thankfully the position when sat in it is very much how i wanted .
I have also relocated the battery to next to the drivers seat in the center of the car.

















As the weather was pretty good this morning i decided it was time for a first drive - a very short one , out of the garage to the end of the drive, turn around and back into the garage.
With the car now facing the other way i will be able to work on finishing the front end , fitting headlights , bumper , grill etc .


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWXdg_5Wwxs

It felt good to drive her for the first time, if a little unusual in the middle !

I have taken a few photos with my std Espace and my Lexspace back to back , they show how much lower it is now.








Once again there's plenty to do but today's another milestone

[lexspace]

Lots of interior work has been completed , basically the whole rear seats area has been upholstered and work is continuing on the front seat area along with finishing the boot area off .
Things really are getting exciting now

[lexspace]

Work continued on the bank holiday and I’ve got most of the boot re trimmed too along with a small mod to gain a little boot space back , just the parcel shelf left to re-cover


Before and after

[lexspace]

F1natic said:

Superb work, it must be very satisfying to be this close to the finishline. Great respect for your vision, perseverance and thoroughness.

Thank you , so it’s nearly Le Mans time but sadly won’t be finished in time for this year and I know I say this every year but DEFINITELY next year

[lexspace]

So a lot of the front of the interior is now complete and the front doors are back on , a small list of a few jobs left to do and things are looking serious


Before and After



With doors on

[lexspace]

Just small updates for those interested , with most of my time recently being taken up with work , MOT’s on other vehicles , way overdue cambelt changes , new brakes being required etc etc , the only jobs I’ve really got done are small ones and barely noticeable , I have however got the car out into sunlight and given it a clean and removal if a good layer of dust , here are just a few interior pics now it’s a little more finished

[lexspace]

Thanks for the encouraging words guys , I chose one of the hottest days ever to do some more work today , tiny barely noticeable jobs but they all count right lol

A bit more sound deadening on a few parts
A bit more heat insulation on a few parts
Door hinge mechanisms adjusted
Front spotlight wiring completed
Front towing strap completed ( hopefully never to be used)
Bumper undertray mounting completed
Tailgate gas struts replaced

[lexspace]

[lexspace]

Thanks for all the comments and likes on the Instagram page , Otherwise - Only really an update to say little jobs are still being sorted and a non starting problem was traced to a dodgy crank sensor that fell to bits upon removal , new one fitted and all good , photo simply because I like it

[lexspace]

catfood12 said:

Did the Nitrous go in, or did I miss that?

Yes the Nitrous went back in , the bottle fitted perfectly as planned between the rear seats

[lexspace]

vincegail said:

Lexspace, did you manage to get Le Mans campsite tickets? And are you bringing this gem?

I’d love to bring it to Le Mans 2023 , there’s a high probability I will be there , however I will be there working but it is still possible I could be in the car

[lexspace]

DodgyGeezer said:

seeing as we've got update requests for other vehicles - is there one for this... probably the most awesome/insane/brilliant ideas/threads on PH?

Edited by DodgyGeezer on Thursday 29th June 18:04

Haha , thanks for the compliment? I think ? If being called insane is a compliment lol , not really very much of an update as the car has had very little done to it recently as my time has been taken up with a V8 Westfield I am currently rebuilding, this project has taken up way too much of my time and unfortunately the Lexspace is a victim of it

[lexspace]

trails said:

Would be a very welcome addition to the 25th anniversary bash on 12th August too...are you going to be there lexspace?

I’ll be honest that I didn’t even realise there was a 25th anniversary event even happening , I really should make the effort to get the Lexspace there now I know it’s happening ……