Clarky5150

A nice steady evening tonight removing the ancillaries, bracketry and intake and throttle bodies. The ultrasonic cleaner has been hard at it! Also started the shopping list. No fuel tanks on there...yet 🤞

Should read as a minimum, not minimum.

Its a 'refresh' so whatever it needs. Minimum of disassembly and inspection, new clutch, tanks checked and replaced where necessary. New hoses and lines where needed etc.

Managed to wind the nut off but the bolt had indeed welded itself into the mount. Put upward pressure on it with with a trolley Jack and plenty of lube and with some twist from above it eventually let go. 👍

First impressions are a hell of a lot of oil sludge around the block and a grotty engine bay. Great news so far is that first views, albeit still in situ suggests the near side fuel tank has been replaced at some point and looks in really good Nick. Fingers crossed for the off side 👍

She’s out out 👍

Just burst out laughing when I found the Allen headed bolt behind the pump pulley. Only Lotus could deem that the best option

Had a good few hours on the Esprit last night. The air con pump bolts are seized so after much swearing and cussing the fear of breaking off the collars was put to one side and we bit the bullet and undid the lines. Drivers side engine mount done. Passenger side, not so much. Massive breaker bar on the bolt succeeded in only breaking the 19mm spanner holding the nut underneath! doused to death in pen fluid and we go again tonight.has anyone got a trick for this bugger or is grunt the key? Also need to get the PAS pump removed then it’s up and away. I will be changing the fluids so would anyone suggest disconnecting the lines or go with the whole pas pump?

Hoping to get a few hours on the Esprit in the coming days. Engine hoist sorted so it just the drive shafts, oil lines and we are about there. As an aside ive just popped a new head unit in the S2 Elan. Blaupunkt have started reproducing some of their classic ranges but with modern internals. Suits the Elan to a T. They also do 80s styled ones too which might favour the Esprit look. This is my model. Its mechless so no CD drive but DAB and bluetooth streaming so perfect for what i need The Bremen is very nice too.

Always wanted a Medina S2 👍👍

Would love to give you an update on the Esprit but work is absolutely mental at the moment. On the plus side there may be more Loti joining the fleet soon...

On a plus note, both fronts stripped, cleaned, REBOLTED!!!, re-greased using silicone grease and bled. They now have far more bite and pull up straight and true. Would have taken it out for a good blast today but a morning of Esprit pottering followed by a similarly sedate Ducati potter around sunny Derbyshire scotched that plan. First World problems eh!

Oh and as I moved the flex pipe I saw a lovely slice in it where it had previously been clamped with something metal instead of a line clamp.

Slightly O/T but another cracking example of ‘Lotus Specialist’ work. My Elan had some work done by a well known to prep it for MOT pre sale including an overhaul of the front brakes. When I collected her last year the drivers front was seizing on but a few hot cold cycles sorted it. I noticed that she had started pulling to the left and assumed the slides had seized. First thing I noticed were the rear dust caps were missing so ordered a seal kit and cracked on. O/S had clearly not been looked at at all and the slides needed a good clean and correct (not Ceratec as they had used) silicone grease And back togrther, slightly confused as to why it would pull…. Then I saw the N/S Both 17mms holding the calliper parts together were hanging out. Why had they even taken them out as the callipers weren’t repainted 🤬

😂 It was my intention to try the standard back box after the rebuild as I’m not a massive fan of the overly loud Larini. I am however thinking of visiting a local exhaust builder to discuss replacing the tiny silencer with something a little larger however the straight through nature may defeat any potential gains. Perhaps once I have a Cat with some innards it might drop the DBs a little. The weight difference between the two systems is making me want to leave the standard zorst in the garage I must confess

Explains the anti social volume 😬

I recall reading somewhere that detaching the drive shafts is best done a different way to the workshop manual suggestion. Am I imagining this?

Another couple of hours in the sun this morning. Pretty much ready for the hoist now. Anyone know a good vet? I think my cat is poorly Near side quarter window doesn’t seem to be leaking so I am optimistically fooling myself into believing the tank will be in good order However I have other plans for the rest of the day which may include coffee and cake 😋

Surely you have run out of work to do on her now. Why don’t we do a swap and you can start the fun all over again. Always fancies the S4S 👍😂 Failing that I wouldn’t mind one of those camera mounts as compensation for messing me about on the car swap deal 😂😂

lots of photos taken along the way.

As Barry eluded to in an earlier post i might as well get the turbo reconditioned while its out. Is it worth upgrading or having mine converted to hybrid or just a refresh?

Nothing much planned today and a mechanic friend popped over for a coffee so we made a start ahead of schedule. Only a couple of hours but a good start. Spent a few hours re glassing the boot floor to reinstate the fixing holes, many of which had broken off over time. Got a little further in but didn't take a photo. That may be as far as we get for a few weeks as I'm stacked out but once the clocks go forward a few hours an evening should be possible. The plan is to extract the engine on the driveway as the roof height in the garage is somewhat prohibitive.

Aye. and the clutch has 25K on it so we will pop a new one in while we are at it. Alunox only if needed.

Now this will obviously go one of two ways. My Esprit was never meant to be a nut and bolter but anything that needs attention will get it so once the lid is off this could be anything from belts, tank recoating and general tidy up to, well, a BIG bill! I've already prepared by revisiting Ian and Barry's S4S threads so once my straight jacket and tramadol arrive ill be making a start. Wish me luck 🤪

With Spring upon us and nearing timing belt replacement I have decided that the 'any more than 3 jobs ' theory applies and so after a re-tax for February and some enjoyable blasts between the storms the S4 is now re-sorn'd and its engine out time. Ill have the Elan to fill the Sunny day gap. She is about done now....