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Congratulations Jonathan. What a cool find. TonyK is in the Cleveland area and is one of the greatest authorities on S1’s. You can probably PM home through this forum JAE and RD Enterprises are both good. I think of JAE a bit more for upgrades and RD Enterprises more for OE parts. But both carry some of both and are quality folks. SJ is a good source as well. I’m in Richmond, VA. Reach out if I can answer any questions. Jim

My S1 has aftermarket fiberglass bumpers that the previous owner painted body color. At the suggestion of someone on this forum (I think), I painted them with black Plasti-dip spray paint. Now they look like rubber and it has been quite durable. It is also fairly easily reversible. Good luck with your project. Jim

Hi Simon, I don’t see a reply. Did you get this sorted? I put the new cross-gate cable kit from SJ in my car. Adjustment at the back is pretty simple: Loosen the lock nut and rotate the rod. The adjustment is pretty sensitive - within 1/2 to 1 turn. if I recall, however, usually, the adjustment is between 5th and Reverse. I have my console off and first is not all the way against the left side. if you look up SJ502 GEARCHANGE MODIFICATION on the SJ website, they include a description of how to adjust things. i hope that helps Jim

Allen, Options include RD Enterprises in PA and JAE Parts in California. Also Dave Bean in California. SJ Sportscars in the UK has a nice online catalog. Shipping is often quick when parts are in stock but the lockdown slowed them down for a while. Good luck, Jim

Hi Tony, Have you set the timing on another car? if so… There are some marks on the flywheel that can be seen through an opening in the top of the transmission bell housing. You can jack up on rear wheel, the the car in gear and turn the engine to TDC so you can see the marks. I highlighted mine with a silver Sharpie marker to make them more visible. There are marks on the crank pulley in the front but I don’t think you could see them with a timing light while the engine is running. I don’t remember the proper timing. Maybe 8-10 deg Before TDC at idle. If you have never measured ignition timing, you will obviously need a timing light. To change the timing, you need to loosen the distributor and rotate it. This can be a headache if you don’t remove the air filter housing. I have also found that the Esprit distributor is prone to “popping out” and coming off the drive gear which necessitates resetting everything. I don’t know if I have told you too much or too little. Jim

Thanks guys, I had the radiator for my TR8 rebuilt at a local radiator shop. I have sent them an email and if that doesn’t work, I will stop by and talk to them. If I can get my interior back together soon, I will drive the Esprit this winter and work on the ac next summer when it is too hot to drive without the ac. I have added some relays for the windows, new speakers in the doors, and a Panasonic cockpit radio. I rebuilt the steering rack, the shifter rods and cable, and the choke cable. I also ran some large welding wire from the battery to the front and a new terminal block in the front. I just need to put all the trim back and I can get it rolling again.

I have been thinking about adding AC to my Esprit S1. I’m thinking about upgrading the alternator and using an electric compressor so I don’t have to stuff something into the engine compartment. I’m trying to figure out the best option for the condenser. SJ lists one for an S2 (A079P4073F) and I have asked for dimensions and if it might fit in an S1, but I have not heard back. I suspect I could have something built to order but I have not yet found someone to do it. I don’t think there is room for a universal condenser (usually about 12”’x12”) in front. Does anyone have any good ideas for a condenser for a 1977 Esprit S1? thanks. Jim

I got some at RD Enterprises in the US

Glad you were able to sell them. Best regards, Jim

Hi Wayne, Do we know if these would fit an S1? Am I correct that this is a complete carpet set? Thx, Jim

The kit does come with instructions. They were good but not perfect. You definitely want to read everything carefully and think ahead. Steve at Lotus Marques was also very responsive. The bushing and the bearings are very high quality. I had to make some shims to preload it (per the instructions) I used a mix of oil and grease. I read that suggestion somewhere (probably on here unless it was in the instructions).

For my S1, I purchased a steering rack rebuild kit from Lotus Marques in Australia. I did not love the rivets they included for locking down the end caps so I used split pins. The kit includes a nice brass bushing and a new tapered bearing. I found the inside of the bushing was a little bit snug on the shaft so I sanded it just a little bit to open it up. https://lotusmarques.com/parts/news/1292-lotus-esprit-s1-s3-steering-rack-overhaul-kit Good luck!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this old thread. I was not able to get an open end wrench (sorry - spanner) to move more than once. After that, it wouldn’t fit again and move. And even a 1/4” drive socket would not work. I found a very short, closed 10 mm spanner in the the drawer. Probably what my dad used to call an ignition wrench. The sides were so narrow that I could get it on and move the bolt about 1/12 of a turn. Once the bolt was out about 3-4 mm, the pulley was in the way of removing the spanner to make the next turn. So I got out a small single handle (close quarters) hacksaw and cut the head off the bolt (actually, I cut until i could use a screwdriver like a chisel and busted off the head). Finally, I used a crowbar to push on the water pump and bend the remaining bolt so I could get the water pump off. Even getting the pump out of the engine bay was a bit of a trick! I will replace it with a cap head screw Jim

Interesting. Thanks Paul. I did not know that. Jim

SJs has some. A079G6002F - WHEEL CENTRE and BADGE