The Elan M100 "Doer Upper"
Discussion
Got the pld girls brought home to expedite the preparations for the MOT. Having it 65 miles away from home is not conducive to completing the work quickly.
This does mean that the list of "oh and just a little thing" is growing....exponentially.
To thank me for bringing her home she gave me a little wink (aka one of the headlight lift motor mechanisms is fubar).
It looks like Missy has had a new screen at some point, so the rear view mirror & mounting plinth are AWOL. The Lotus parts are no longer available, and when available used parts are expensive.
So thinking of one from an MGF as the mounting plinths are also readily available.
Mirror - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-MGF-MG-TF ... SwENdfFZKo
Plinth - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-MG-MGF-M ... Switxb7b9U
This does mean that the list of "oh and just a little thing" is growing....exponentially.
To thank me for bringing her home she gave me a little wink (aka one of the headlight lift motor mechanisms is fubar).
It looks like Missy has had a new screen at some point, so the rear view mirror & mounting plinth are AWOL. The Lotus parts are no longer available, and when available used parts are expensive.
So thinking of one from an MGF as the mounting plinths are also readily available.
Mirror - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-MGF-MG-TF ... SwENdfFZKo
Plinth - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-MG-MGF-M ... Switxb7b9U
A good 5hrs spent on Missy today. Achieved more today than all other work put together.
The original seats were pretty ropey, saggy & tired.
The dash fascia was not attached properly & the gear & handbrake gaiters were tatty & non on the window switches stayed in there respective holes.
So out with the old seats, strip down the dash & refit properly. This required many various mounting brackets to be re bonded. Strip the centre console & refit the new leather gaiters, then refit the centre console. Finally drop the Mercedes SLK seats into place to measure up for adaptor plates.
Finally the B pillars have (or should have) a spring loaded plastic clip over them, so when the rood is folded the mechanism is covered.
Thankfully a guy in Dibai makes reproduction ones that are rather good. So fitted new ones.
It looks like we may have had some squatters too as I kept finding somebody's food store, in a cubby inside the cabin & also in a headlight pod.
The original seats were pretty ropey, saggy & tired.
The dash fascia was not attached properly & the gear & handbrake gaiters were tatty & non on the window switches stayed in there respective holes.
So out with the old seats, strip down the dash & refit properly. This required many various mounting brackets to be re bonded. Strip the centre console & refit the new leather gaiters, then refit the centre console. Finally drop the Mercedes SLK seats into place to measure up for adaptor plates.
Finally the B pillars have (or should have) a spring loaded plastic clip over them, so when the rood is folded the mechanism is covered.
Thankfully a guy in Dibai makes reproduction ones that are rather good. So fitted new ones.
It looks like we may have had some squatters too as I kept finding somebody's food store, in a cubby inside the cabin & also in a headlight pod.
I'm pretty stoked at the moment.
The SLK seat adaptors do the trick perfectly. I need the bolts I have ordered to arrive so I can fit the correct length ones, but everything lines up well & the seats mount about 5mm off the floor, so nice & low.
Once I have checked the fit with the correct bolts I'll paint the adaptors satin Black.
I'd really like some Lotus Evija seats from work, but the chances are slim.
The SLK seat adaptors do the trick perfectly. I need the bolts I have ordered to arrive so I can fit the correct length ones, but everything lines up well & the seats mount about 5mm off the floor, so nice & low.
Once I have checked the fit with the correct bolts I'll paint the adaptors satin Black.
I'd really like some Lotus Evija seats from work, but the chances are slim.
CallMeLegend said:
Exciting collection from Laser It today....
[url=https://ibb.co/XCHMSp2]
[/url
Should held with pinning the SLK seats in properly.
Some excellent work going on here OP! [url=https://ibb.co/XCHMSp2]
[/urlShould held with pinning the SLK seats in properly.
A couple of questions if I may?
How do the new seats compare in terms of leg room for the driver? I only just fit as it is, so if they reduce legroom it would be a problem.
Secondly (with fingers crossed that the answer to the first question is the one I'm after!), where did you get the adapter plates from? Are they your own design, or off the peg? If the former, could I be very cheeky and ask for the file?
Edited to add - I bet it feels pretty rapid with 240 bhp! 200 feels pretty brisk to me, given its under a ton!!
Due to some slight heavy handedness by one of the previous owners the upper steering column cowl was in quite a bad way.
Time to tack it back together with some super glue & then back up the repair with DP460 structural adhesive, with some Tamiya model kit plastic sprue in it to ass some strength.
I suspect it had been butchered to take away the necessity to remove the steering to remove the cowl.
Time to tack it back together with some super glue & then back up the repair with DP460 structural adhesive, with some Tamiya model kit plastic sprue in it to ass some strength.
I suspect it had been butchered to take away the necessity to remove the steering to remove the cowl.
mrtwisty said:
CallMeLegend said:
Exciting collection from Laser It today....
[url=https://ibb.co/XCHMSp2][/url
Should held with pinning the SLK seats in properly.
Some excellent work going on here OP! [url=https://ibb.co/XCHMSp2]
[/urlShould held with pinning the SLK seats in properly.
A couple of questions if I may?
How do the new seats compare in terms of leg room for the driver? I only just fit as it is, so if they reduce legroom it would be a problem.
Secondly (with fingers crossed that the answer to the first question is the one I'm after!), where did you get the adapter plates from? Are they your own design, or off the peg? If the former, could I be very cheeky and ask for the file?
Edited to add - I bet it feels pretty rapid with 240 bhp! 200 feels pretty brisk to me, given its under a ton!!
The plates are my own design & I have a total of 5 car sets made up. I found with the minimum order value being quite high I could get 5 sets made for no more than 2 sets. That way if anyone else wanted any I could sell some on for way less than it would cost if they were to try to order one set for themselves, if you get what I mean.
PM me & we'll talk......
Edited by CallMeLegend on Friday 28th August 16:05
CallMeLegend said:
The seat will still go all the way back.
The plates are my own design & I have a total of 5 car sets made up. I found with the minimum order value being quite high I could get 5 sets made for no more than 2 sets. That way if anyone else wanted any I could sell some on for way less than it would cost if they were to try to order one set for themselves, if you get what I mean.
PM me & we'll talk......
Excellent. YHM.The plates are my own design & I have a total of 5 car sets made up. I found with the minimum order value being quite high I could get 5 sets made for no more than 2 sets. That way if anyone else wanted any I could sell some on for way less than it would cost if they were to try to order one set for themselves, if you get what I mean.
PM me & we'll talk......
Edited by CallMeLegend on Friday 28th August 16:05
Turned my attention back to finishing the door cards today, was putting off the carpeting as I knew I'd make a hash of it.
Thankfully I have somebody supervising to keep me on the straight & narrow.
Any way, I'm gluing the carpet on now rather than after the door card is on. the fasteners that are normally hidden by the carpet will be exposed, fitted using CSK fairing washers & CSK bolts.
Thankfully I have somebody supervising to keep me on the straight & narrow.
Any way, I'm gluing the carpet on now rather than after the door card is on. the fasteners that are normally hidden by the carpet will be exposed, fitted using CSK fairing washers & CSK bolts.
We spent much of the day once I'd got the SLK seats finally fitted (photo later as forgot to take any) looking at the sorry state of the paint work with it's many runs & severe Orange peel.
We'd resigned ourselves to the fact it needs a full respray so thought " what could possibly go wrong" & set to with various grades of wet & dry, a rotary polisher with various grades of foam pad, different Menzerna compounds to see if there was anything that could be saved at all.
The apprentice at work, my daughter
After a few hours it became obvious that Missy can actually be made semi presentable without having a full respray just yet. We concentrated on the panels above the waistline....
Boot before, rough finish & lots of inclusions in the lacquer.
Boot after, need to remove the spoiler to finish off properly.
Spoiler before, looked dry & rough.
Spoiler after
RH rear wing before
RH rear wing after
The RH door had a nasty reaction where the previous owner had tried to lacquer with cellulose over 2 pack, came up OK.
LHS before
LHS after
We'd resigned ourselves to the fact it needs a full respray so thought " what could possibly go wrong" & set to with various grades of wet & dry, a rotary polisher with various grades of foam pad, different Menzerna compounds to see if there was anything that could be saved at all.
The apprentice at work, my daughter
After a few hours it became obvious that Missy can actually be made semi presentable without having a full respray just yet. We concentrated on the panels above the waistline....
Boot before, rough finish & lots of inclusions in the lacquer.
Boot after, need to remove the spoiler to finish off properly.
Spoiler before, looked dry & rough.
Spoiler after
RH rear wing before
RH rear wing after
The RH door had a nasty reaction where the previous owner had tried to lacquer with cellulose over 2 pack, came up OK.
LHS before
LHS after
This afternoon was the chance to actually finish on whole panel.
So off came the spoiler to enable the whole boot lid to be sanded & I set too with the wet & dry again, up to 3000grit, followed by ever finer grade of Menzerna compounds.
There are still a couple of very minor sanding marks I need to sort bit given the starting point I'm really happy.
So off came the spoiler to enable the whole boot lid to be sanded & I set too with the wet & dry again, up to 3000grit, followed by ever finer grade of Menzerna compounds.
There are still a couple of very minor sanding marks I need to sort bit given the starting point I'm really happy.
More wet flatting & machine polishing.... :lol: All of this is just marking time whilst I wait for the prat that will hopefully enable me to repair the roof frame where there is a stripped fastener.
An initial hit with 2000 grit to remove the highest areas of paint.
Then onto 3000 grit, you can still see plenty of low spots, so more to go yet.
Onto the 4000 grit to finish off, the mearest hint of some low spots, but time to knock wet sanding on the head as I have no idea how much top coat is left.
1st stage polish. Menzera PF2300 on a firm Meguiars pad. The final stage with Final Finish can wait until the whole LHS has had the 1st stage polish.
Here's an indication (haha) of the condition paint on the LH panel, taken whilst the door was being sanded & polished, resulting in possibly my best result so far.
An initial hit with 2000 grit to remove the highest areas of paint.
Then onto 3000 grit, you can still see plenty of low spots, so more to go yet.
Onto the 4000 grit to finish off, the mearest hint of some low spots, but time to knock wet sanding on the head as I have no idea how much top coat is left.
1st stage polish. Menzera PF2300 on a firm Meguiars pad. The final stage with Final Finish can wait until the whole LHS has had the 1st stage polish.
Here's an indication (haha) of the condition paint on the LH panel, taken whilst the door was being sanded & polished, resulting in possibly my best result so far.
Edited by CallMeLegend on Tuesday 1st September 18:43
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