84 TE obvious questions ?

[marcvv]

I've owned my 84 TE for 2 weeks now and I have some questions that may be obvious to you all but not to me (yet), nor could I find them with the search function on the forum; maybe someone can help me out.

Towing: there's now tow hook; I figured one would at least be needed to tow the car onto a tow-truck after a breakdown ? Can the construction under the transmission be used to tow the car backwards on a tow truck or trailer ?

Horn: there's only a very faint sound ? All I can find under the bonnet is some piezo-like buzzer, not bigger than one in my alarm-clock; is this standard or a PO-modification ? Also the 'horn' does not work from the center-push-lotus-badge in the wheel; is this normal ?

Pedals: the PO installed Sparco aluminum pedals (horror); I've removed them but the original pedals are butchered with large holes; is there a nice narrow pedal-set for lotuscars available or do I need to 'repair' the original ones ? Do the original ones have some sort of rubber covering or are they 'bare' ?

Radio
I've removed the old radio, but I get the impression that the din-size of modern radios has chaged; is there a clever way to convert to this new size ?

I want to replace the leather 'coverings' (don't know the correct word) for the handbrake and the gear-lever; how do I remove these ? Can these be bought (black leather) or do I go to a specialist ?

Thanks in advance,

Marc

[techspy]

Welcome Marc. My first Esprit was an 83 Turbo, so it was basically the same as yours. The only question of yours I can comment on at the moment is about the stereo. It is a standard DIN size radio. Fortunatly Lotus obtained aftermarket radios for their cars so basically any aftermarket din radio will work. You can even install one of the double din radios if you wish, with some modifications of course.

John
94 S4
http://24.25.100.254/

[dr.hess]

Mine is an 89, but the horns should be the same. They are the same as my Europa was. Anyway, center steering wheel is not the horn button, it is on the end of hte turn signal. Has been at least since Europa days, probably before that. The horns are air horns. A small comperssor that you can get an exact duplicate for about $15 or so (with horns and hose) from JC Whitney or some auto parts stores. Pressing the horn button should give you a "whir" noise under the hood which is the compressor. Sometimes the horns themselves get gunked up and can be cleaned with WD-40 and compressed air.

Dr.Hess

[PAUL C]

Marc,
Yes,it can only be towed onto a truck from the back, using the chassis tube under the box.
Take care:there is a brake line (i think) clipped along this section on mine,so ensure tow guy does not knacker it with the chain/strap etc.
Also,when dragged onto truck backwards,the front spoiler will be very close (or in contact) to the ground. A lot of trucks do not have a flat enough bed to be able to pull an esprit up (without damage),is wise to check first on the type of truck they are sending out.

PAUL C