Revival of Lotus Elise S1 (1998)
Discussion
Drained the coolant, flushed and refiled the system before pressure bleeding it. Now I was ready to start the car. It was a nervous moment but I needn’t have worried, the engine fired right up and there were no leaks! I let the radiator warm up and re-bled the system.
The engine purred like a kitten without any worrying noises so it was time to put the wheels on and go for a quick drive (on a private road). Having never driven an Elise I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was faster than I anticipated and a bit more rattlie. However it was only a 3 minute drive and the inner wheel arches and underfloor plates were off (not the one under the fuel tank!). The gears were firm but precise which was a relief. And after scrubbing the rust off the discs the brakes work as they should. To say I was chuffed would be an understatement!
The engine purred like a kitten without any worrying noises so it was time to put the wheels on and go for a quick drive (on a private road). Having never driven an Elise I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was faster than I anticipated and a bit more rattlie. However it was only a 3 minute drive and the inner wheel arches and underfloor plates were off (not the one under the fuel tank!). The gears were firm but precise which was a relief. And after scrubbing the rust off the discs the brakes work as they should. To say I was chuffed would be an understatement!
Long time no update!
Lots to report including my first track day (more on that later).
There were lots of small jobs to sort that had been bugging me.
The rear mirror was loose so a new double sided pad was procured from ebay for £1.50 which sorted the wobbliness. I used goo gone and a plastic scraper to remove the old adhesive.
The old wing protectors were yellow and manky so a new set were ordered and applied. Heat gun/hair dyer and soft plastic scraper got the VERY old adhesive off.
A mild fairy liquid and water solution sprayed onto the back of the adhesive allowed me to position the new protectors.
The difference was stunning.
The exhaust was twisting my OCD. So after a quick go over with a wire brush this was the result:
In the above pics you can see the difference in the paint. This has to be the most satisfying car I have ever polished:
I didn't hold much hope for the paint and had planned for at least a front end respray. However after many hours the results spoke for themselves.
First about 6hrs with the clay bar. If you've never used this miracle putty you don't know what your missing. There was so much tar on the sills and rear end it took forever. You spray with the detailer and rub with the 'blue tack' like putty. Once its dirty fold and carry on. Once done the surface of the paint feels silky smooth.
Next was a vigorous hand polish, first taking out swirl makes and small scratches with course compound then a full polish with fine compound. And lastly a coat of Zymol carbon wax protection.
Lots to report including my first track day (more on that later).
There were lots of small jobs to sort that had been bugging me.
The rear mirror was loose so a new double sided pad was procured from ebay for £1.50 which sorted the wobbliness. I used goo gone and a plastic scraper to remove the old adhesive.
The old wing protectors were yellow and manky so a new set were ordered and applied. Heat gun/hair dyer and soft plastic scraper got the VERY old adhesive off.
A mild fairy liquid and water solution sprayed onto the back of the adhesive allowed me to position the new protectors.
The difference was stunning.
The exhaust was twisting my OCD. So after a quick go over with a wire brush this was the result:
In the above pics you can see the difference in the paint. This has to be the most satisfying car I have ever polished:
I didn't hold much hope for the paint and had planned for at least a front end respray. However after many hours the results spoke for themselves.
First about 6hrs with the clay bar. If you've never used this miracle putty you don't know what your missing. There was so much tar on the sills and rear end it took forever. You spray with the detailer and rub with the 'blue tack' like putty. Once its dirty fold and carry on. Once done the surface of the paint feels silky smooth.
Next was a vigorous hand polish, first taking out swirl makes and small scratches with course compound then a full polish with fine compound. And lastly a coat of Zymol carbon wax protection.
Edited by Smokin Donut on Saturday 6th January 12:37
It’s been a while since I updated this and a lot has happened.
She passed her first MOT in 4 years with only 2 advisories, split ball joint boots and low inner rear brake pads.
After a few days driving around, everything seemed to be running well with no leaks or worrying noises, so I booked my first track day with ‘Lotus on Track’ at Castle Combe. As a final check I signed up for the Pistonheads BMW Sunday service which was just over an hour from me. I figured it would be a good shake down drive. I didn’t think it fair to wake her up after 4 years and take her straight to the track!
Everything went well so the next day, I set off early for Castle Combe. I had done my research and had spare oil, a jack, tool kit and tyre pump. I really didn’t know what to expect and was pretty apprehensive. The car was completely untested and almost everything was original and standard. The tyres were pretty old but had been checked by my local tyre shop who also balanced the wheels and checked the toe angles (always good to know the wheels are pointing in the right direction!).
On arrival the Lotus on Track guys put me at ease and once everyone realised I was a track virgin they couldn’t have been more helpful, lots of advice……mostly to go steady and not to put the handbrake on when back in the pits.
I genuinely expected a hose to pop, the head gasket to blow, a tyre to explode and the brakes to catch fire! However I needn’t have worried, the instructor was very professional and soon I was up to speed and having an amazing time. Surprisingly the car had very forgiving neutral handling which I discovered when entering ‘tower corner’ a little too fast, resulting in a HUGE drift all the way to the curb. The instructor looked petrified before commenting that the suspension was setup very well. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it probably hadn’t been touched since the car left the factory 20 years ago!
Unfortunately no track action pics. The car ran faultlessly and with no ‘offs’ so I was pretty happy, the only negative was my right foot was killing me from pushing the brake pedal so hard. New brake pads and discs needed (or I just need to grunt up!).
Apparently it’s common for people to crash on the way home from track days due to the mental drain of driving on track all day, I can attest to this as I struggled to stay focused on my way home.
She passed her first MOT in 4 years with only 2 advisories, split ball joint boots and low inner rear brake pads.
After a few days driving around, everything seemed to be running well with no leaks or worrying noises, so I booked my first track day with ‘Lotus on Track’ at Castle Combe. As a final check I signed up for the Pistonheads BMW Sunday service which was just over an hour from me. I figured it would be a good shake down drive. I didn’t think it fair to wake her up after 4 years and take her straight to the track!
Everything went well so the next day, I set off early for Castle Combe. I had done my research and had spare oil, a jack, tool kit and tyre pump. I really didn’t know what to expect and was pretty apprehensive. The car was completely untested and almost everything was original and standard. The tyres were pretty old but had been checked by my local tyre shop who also balanced the wheels and checked the toe angles (always good to know the wheels are pointing in the right direction!).
On arrival the Lotus on Track guys put me at ease and once everyone realised I was a track virgin they couldn’t have been more helpful, lots of advice……mostly to go steady and not to put the handbrake on when back in the pits.
I genuinely expected a hose to pop, the head gasket to blow, a tyre to explode and the brakes to catch fire! However I needn’t have worried, the instructor was very professional and soon I was up to speed and having an amazing time. Surprisingly the car had very forgiving neutral handling which I discovered when entering ‘tower corner’ a little too fast, resulting in a HUGE drift all the way to the curb. The instructor looked petrified before commenting that the suspension was setup very well. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it probably hadn’t been touched since the car left the factory 20 years ago!
Unfortunately no track action pics. The car ran faultlessly and with no ‘offs’ so I was pretty happy, the only negative was my right foot was killing me from pushing the brake pedal so hard. New brake pads and discs needed (or I just need to grunt up!).
Apparently it’s common for people to crash on the way home from track days due to the mental drain of driving on track all day, I can attest to this as I struggled to stay focused on my way home.
The Elise looks stunning, well done.
One thing that I did to our's when we had it (also R reg), was to replace the clutch line. Not sure if your's will need it but when built many had a red plastic clutch line that runs from the master cylinder thru the left sill to the slave cylinder in the rear. When hot the plastic goes soft and the pipe expands when you push on the lever, and you lose the effectiveness of the clutch resulting in not being able to engage gears. Normally occurs on hot summer days as the line runs thru the sill along with the coolant pipes. Replace with a stainless braided if it has not been done before as it will raise it's head.
Great car, still miss ours.
One thing that I did to our's when we had it (also R reg), was to replace the clutch line. Not sure if your's will need it but when built many had a red plastic clutch line that runs from the master cylinder thru the left sill to the slave cylinder in the rear. When hot the plastic goes soft and the pipe expands when you push on the lever, and you lose the effectiveness of the clutch resulting in not being able to engage gears. Normally occurs on hot summer days as the line runs thru the sill along with the coolant pipes. Replace with a stainless braided if it has not been done before as it will raise it's head.
Great car, still miss ours.
doogalman said:
The Elise looks stunning, well done.
One thing that I did to our's when we had it (also R reg), was to replace the clutch line. Not sure if your's will need it but when built many had a red plastic clutch line that runs from the master cylinder thru the left sill to the slave cylinder in the rear. When hot the plastic goes soft and the pipe expands when you push on the lever, and you lose the effectiveness of the clutch resulting in not being able to engage gears. Normally occurs on hot summer days as the line runs thru the sill along with the coolant pipes. Replace with a stainless braided if it has not been done before as it will raise it's head.
Great car, still miss ours.
Thanks for the advise, it does have the red clutch hose and it is on the list to be changed.One thing that I did to our's when we had it (also R reg), was to replace the clutch line. Not sure if your's will need it but when built many had a red plastic clutch line that runs from the master cylinder thru the left sill to the slave cylinder in the rear. When hot the plastic goes soft and the pipe expands when you push on the lever, and you lose the effectiveness of the clutch resulting in not being able to engage gears. Normally occurs on hot summer days as the line runs thru the sill along with the coolant pipes. Replace with a stainless braided if it has not been done before as it will raise it's head.
Great car, still miss ours.
It appears that as winter closes in, the thing to do if you own a S1 Elise is to take it apart. So not wanting to be left out, I set to work. No point messing about so front wheel arch liners out, front under tray removed and off with the front clam.
Hopefully sometime in the not too distant future there will be a picture on here of this all looking shiny and new?!?
Then the bonnet came off and I set to work locating and removing the 8 bolts that hold the front clam on. I was pretty nervous as the fittings the bolts screw into are bonded to the underside of the fiberglass and normally spin necessitating angle grinder surgery. Thankfully all came out except for one, located under the RHS door hinge:
The bolt is behind the mud flap.
Luckily the clam is slotted around these lower bolts and I was able to ease the clam out and very carefully remove it. This is a pretty nerve wracking experience the first time you do it, but all went well and the clam is now safely stored in the roof.
The rotating bolt was cut off and the fitting and stud pushed into the side pod. I must remember to remove the coin tray on the sill and retrieve this or it will drive me nuts banging around.
After reading some threads about using rivnuts in fiberglass the opinions were mixed, but the fiberglass is thick in this location and should be ok. So I ordered some grooved, large head aluminium rivnuts and went for it. One piece of good advice is to use a flat bar between the rivnut and the tightening nut, this removes the risk of the rivnut rotating as you tighten it down.
Happy days! The proud head won’t be an issue as there's a shim between the clam and the sill.
Hopefully sometime in the not too distant future there will be a picture on here of this all looking shiny and new?!?
Then the bonnet came off and I set to work locating and removing the 8 bolts that hold the front clam on. I was pretty nervous as the fittings the bolts screw into are bonded to the underside of the fiberglass and normally spin necessitating angle grinder surgery. Thankfully all came out except for one, located under the RHS door hinge:
The bolt is behind the mud flap.
Luckily the clam is slotted around these lower bolts and I was able to ease the clam out and very carefully remove it. This is a pretty nerve wracking experience the first time you do it, but all went well and the clam is now safely stored in the roof.
The rotating bolt was cut off and the fitting and stud pushed into the side pod. I must remember to remove the coin tray on the sill and retrieve this or it will drive me nuts banging around.
After reading some threads about using rivnuts in fiberglass the opinions were mixed, but the fiberglass is thick in this location and should be ok. So I ordered some grooved, large head aluminium rivnuts and went for it. One piece of good advice is to use a flat bar between the rivnut and the tightening nut, this removes the risk of the rivnut rotating as you tighten it down.
Happy days! The proud head won’t be an issue as there's a shim between the clam and the sill.
Paul S4 said:
Has it got the rare ceramic brake discs ?
No unfortunately it was built one month too late ☹️. I can see why lotus did it as the iron discs are seriously heavy! They were an aluminium alloy, light and lasted about 3 times longer than steel. But cost too much to produce so were discontinued.Just a thought....but I would change the roof colour & seats for black, but that's just a personal choice.
Keep the updates coming.
I had a 1970 Elan S4SE DHC for over 10 years and did a lot of work on it over that time. A pal let me drive his successive Lotus cars: an Elise S1, and S2 and then an Exige S1(?)
The change from climbing out of my Elan and into the Elise S1 was incredible ! It was similar in some ways; the non assisted brakes ( as mine did not have the servo fitted ), and the precise handling, but the Elise was so much more responsive in all ways. However, my Elan gearchange was much more precise as it was directly into the gearbox !
The Exige was the most responsive car I have ever driven, when the VVC comes in it is like a rocket ! That car was one of the few cars I have lusted after !
I admire your approach to this project and it will be interesting to see how it proceeds.
Keep the updates coming.
I had a 1970 Elan S4SE DHC for over 10 years and did a lot of work on it over that time. A pal let me drive his successive Lotus cars: an Elise S1, and S2 and then an Exige S1(?)
The change from climbing out of my Elan and into the Elise S1 was incredible ! It was similar in some ways; the non assisted brakes ( as mine did not have the servo fitted ), and the precise handling, but the Elise was so much more responsive in all ways. However, my Elan gearchange was much more precise as it was directly into the gearbox !
The Exige was the most responsive car I have ever driven, when the VVC comes in it is like a rocket ! That car was one of the few cars I have lusted after !
I admire your approach to this project and it will be interesting to see how it proceeds.
I’m following a well-trodden path with the rebuild I’m planning, there is loads of advice and build treads on other sites, which is why I posted this in Readers’ Cars as I thought it might be of interest to non-Lotus geeks. It really was a ground breaking car when released in 1996.
With the clam off you can see the clever packaging Lotus employed. The ‘crash box’ which incorporates the radiator was in good condition with no damage. I have new stainless steel nuts, bolts and clips for all fittings.
I have ordered a new spotlight and stainless tow post.
I was lucky not to break the old tow post when pulling the car onto the trailer!
With the clam off you can see the clever packaging Lotus employed. The ‘crash box’ which incorporates the radiator was in good condition with no damage. I have new stainless steel nuts, bolts and clips for all fittings.
I have ordered a new spotlight and stainless tow post.
I was lucky not to break the old tow post when pulling the car onto the trailer!
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