Giugiaro Esprit S1 Full Restoration

[Fridge 977]

1.    You Only Live Once

Way back in 2011 I spotted a Lotus Esprit S1 on the US Bring A Trailer website and was interested in its newly restored condition, and surprised by the cacophony of a ‘Jock Bond’ interior which I’d never seen before. A further quick search on the web brought up another chap in the US who had restored his gleaming S1 to a fine level of finish. I was impressed.

However, since I’d not long completed the restoration of my S unbeam Alpine Series II and my business was just about recovering from the effects of the recession I was not in the mood to buy and dive into another restoration. It was just a car that I’d long admired since a July evening in 1977 when my parents took me to see The Spy Who Loved Me at the Scarborough Odeon. I then spent the rest of those holidays traipsing around every toy shop in North Yorkshire in my quest to find the Corgi Toy of James Bond’s amazing car to match my all singing all dancing Aston Martin DB5. I later bought one from my local toy shop after the school holidays had finished and the shops restocked.

Oddly enough, my parents and I had holidayed in London the previous autumn and we attended the Earls Court MotorFair whilst there. I remember queuing up for the Lotus stand, only to be turned away by the salesman guarding entry as being too young. Little did I know then that the stand’s popularity was down to the launch of Lotus’ new car, the Esprit. I returned to my awaiting parents who bought me a hog roast sandwich as a way of reconciliation.

Apart from seeing the Esprit Turbos on the Lotus Stand at the NEC Motor Show in 1982 and picking up some brochures that was the last I saw of the Giugiaro cars, as none seemed to exist on Teesside during the 1970s and 80s.

Cut back to 2011, and me digging out those very same brochures from my parents loft now that I’d recently moved back up t’north, and the brochures piqued my interest in the car. The Corgi Toy having also returned with me after languishing in a book case for the 25 years whilst I was living in the West Midlands.

Moving further forwards to early 2016 a Facebook group caught my attention which seemed to be devoted to all things Lotus Esprit which I ‘liked’ and was immediately drawn in to the various posts and resulting discussions. One was about an orange Esprit S1 which seemed to attract a large number of comments. I joined in and discussed the beautiful design and the lines that form the rear quarter, and those beautifully sexy fuel filler caps flanked by THAT font. So 1970s yet so modern. See, design is my thing. I work in the creative industries running a video production company and fonts and angles are my thang.

The Sunbeam which I bought in 1988 with my first wages was designed in the late 1950’s by a single person, and passed virtually to the production phase without hardly a modification request from Lord Rootes. The Esprit I recognised as also having the very same credentials. And I could tell. The Esprit S1 was no car designed by a committee. Just a chap with a pencil and paper, a creative vision, and the engineering support of a rather unique and exotic car firm.

I quickly got to know a fellow Esprit admirer in Simon Thomson who lives just outside of Glasgow and who had just begun to restore an S1. I was impressed and over the next 2 months I began to ponder ownership. However, I realised that S1s weren’t exactly common, and messaged a pal and fellow Bond fan who lives in LA to look out for an example. Since I had no Lotus knowledge or connections, and was not from the car industry I figured that I had more chance of finding a Federal one and importing it than finding a RHD version. Otherwise I’d soon be priced out of the market. I had access to a single garage, which although it didn’t have electricity it was wide enough to accommodate an Audi A4 with enough space at the front.

In June my pal in LA messaged me of a white S1 for sale in Minnesota for US$20,000. It was in good condition too. However that morning I was due to set off south on a 400 mile drive to Sussex via LotusBits just off the M6 near Rugby and a garage in Canterbury. Both of which had Esprit S3s for sale. Though I really wanted an S1, or failing that an S2, preferring their simpler lines and smaller bumpers.

Whilst on my drive I received an email saying that an S2 that had been for sale months earlier had sold, and found the S3 at LotusBits was too expensive. I wasn’t persuaded by Mike’s comment that it would probably go by the weekend, and I still had the Canterbury car to see. I made Kent just before teatime and the metallic blue/green S3 was a nice example though battered for its very low 36,000 miles on the clock, having spent a long time in the sun. I left with this in mind and headed off to overnight at pal’s in Sussex. On my return back to the North East via London to pick up some high end video camera equipment I called a car transportation outfit that Simon had used previously and I got a price for trailering a car up.

On arrival home I called the seller in Minnesota to find that his S1 was under offer. Exhausted from my 2 days of driving, I had to call him back to say that if the buyer pulled out and his deposit didn’t materialise that to give my second refusal. The EU Referendum has just happened a few days before and we briefly discussed the potential exchange rate fluctuations which no doubt would occur over the coming weeks.

Little did I know that within a little over 6 weeks I would commit myself and available funds, and be following a trailer with a UK Esprit S1 up the A1 in the dead of night and 3 long years of restoration ahead of me.

[Fridge 977]

2.   Die Another Day

Over the August Bank Holiday in 2016 I drove south again. This time to the Lotus Fest at Brands Hatch, where I’d arranged to meet with Simon Thomson to swap some parts and hopefully see some early Esprits. The line up of S1s was modest. Just 3, but beauties they were. All restored to a high finish and I drove the 300 miles home in torrential rain with a big grin on my face. As the wreck of a car I had in my spare garage could, with a lot of effort and perseverance, resemble an actual production car like these 3.

Owners Jonathon Hackford @JNW3, Fabian @Lotusfab, and Jon Roberts @jonroberts all offered me and Simon advice and encouragement with our impending restorations. I took lots of photos of the most minor things imaginable, as I knew that it would be the details that would confound me over the years to come, as examples of the most obvious areas are freely available on the web or in books. Jonathon offered me my first opportunity to sit in a complete S1, and I was as happy as a pig in sh*t.

My S1 had long since seen better days, but had largely been well looked after. However all of the mechanical components would require replacement. With every area of the car requiring attention. It would however, allow me to rebuild the car to the level of finish that I wanted to.

On my return I started to test repairing small areas of the Marcasite interior, which had faded to a rather nice emerald green. It was my intention to see if this could be retained, as I knew Marcasite was no longer available and replacement options few and far between.

Reading advice on various forums, including on here I also tried dying it back to gunmetal black using Dylon Suede Dye, but to be honest it doesn’t work very well, and leaves a crispy finish. Certainly if you’re looking for a finish to match a full-on restoration as I intended for this car a better solution was required. I was obvious that I going to have to tackle this another way.

During a break from work projects, and in a period of stable late summer weather my pal and I, using Bill Galbriath’s @bgalbraithinstructions set about stripping the car with the intention of lifting the body shell off and setting it down onto a dolly. We methodically bagged and tagged all parts, nuts and bolts. Collecting any loose items and marking where they were found accordingly. For this restoration was going to take quite a bit of time, in restrictive space, so everything had to be marked and stored carefully. All used and redundant parts were put into a couple of boxes in case I needed to refer to them, or even resurrect some if I were to find that new items were not suitable or available. The whole process was supported by regular photograph taking on the mobile phone, and at more defined stages, on the company’s professional Nikon DSLR.

My friend and I built a frame with 4 large castor wheels so that we could move the body shell across uneven ground and out of the way whilst the chassis and running gear could be dismantled and eventually rebuilt, until the paint shop was ready to take the body shell and begin work on it. I bought some scrap square section lengths of steel and some wheels from Screwfix on a 3+1 offer at the total cost of about £130. The body shell would be on them for 6 or more months so I deemed the cost and practicality worth it.

We stripped the body shell enough in a single day, and friends came around that evening to help lift the body shell off and onto the dolly. We fixed it using bolts through the seat fixings sufficiently so that it could be moved around and transported on a trailer without it falling off. The paint shop would then be able to move the wide body around their workshop with ease and also gain access to underneath without too much trouble.

With the body shell separated from the chassis, work had begun in earnest, and the car which had probably spent about 6 or more years being inactive, was on finally on track to being reborn. We removed the sills, fuel tanks and lines, which had perished. All of the dash and electrical loom was removed. Together with the rear lights. The foam on the underside of the central tunnel was rotten and removed with a scraper.

The shell was stored with the windscreen still in place to provide the nylon covering some support through the winter and spring. The rear bumper, sills and bonnet were placed in the rear and the whole thing covered and secured with clothes line. The rear hatch, still with its glass was stored carefully in the garage.

On the 4^th day, we began to tackle the chassis, engine, gearbox and running gear. First doing a second confirmatory compression test using a test battery. Compression was good as expected. Stripping it all down into parts was straightforward. Gradually lowering the chassis down as the rear suspension was disassembled so that the engine and gearbox could be separated and pulled free before then lifting the rear of the chassis up and over it. Placing the engine on a trolley so that I could move it easily around the restricted space.

Contrary to legend, the steel chassis was in very good condition. Matching the car, which although extremely tatty had been looked after by a liberal coat of white rust proofing paint.

Within 9 man days the car had been stripped down to its constituent parts. Leaving only the hubs, wishbones, engine, gearbox and doors left as complete assemblies to dismantle at a later date.

[silverfrost 1,390]

Fantastic write up and some great pics too

[giorgetto 38]

What Dan said.

Can't wait for the next instalment David. Its like binge watching box sets

[JNW3 449]

Glad to have been of help in a very tiny way David!😁👍🏻

[Fridge 977]

1 minute ago, JNW3 said:

Glad to have been of help in a very tiny way David!😁👍🏻

Sat in your car was a boyhood dream come true, and looking at the photos from the Lotus Fest offered a great deal of inspiration along my long journey.

[bgalbraith 12]

 

What I find amazing is that you were able to do all of that great work in a SHOEBOX. I have a 28' x 28' garage, and run out of room some times.

[Fridge 977]

You always fill the space you occupy Bill @bgalbraith I had, and still have to be tidy, and methodical.

I had no other option unfortunately.

Challenging at times, and once the painted body shell was back on I could only really work on it outside on the driveway. Especially when the doors went back on. Which meant rain free days only.

[Jeanvm 105]

Very good what you're doing. And yes, it's true: You Only Live Once.

Enjoy 👍

[Fridge 977]

3.   A View to a Prill

In my younger days of ski mountaineering expeditions, I once became worried about an impending venture across the South Patagonian Ice Cap in Chile/Argentina, to climb a remote, frozen volcano. However one of my pals eased my anxiousness by saying that it had been climbed at least once before, by the Himalayan explorer Eric Shipton back in the 1960s, so it can be done.

In that way, when tackling something unknown I always think back to those days in the late 1990s. The web has a lot of information about restoring many aspects of these cars, and by October 2016 my pal Simon @madrocket was about 6 months ahead of me in restoring his own Esprit S1.

We’d speak on the phone regularly, and would message each other almost daily. I had been envious of Simon’s progress and also a little daunted at his photographs of his body shell work. However with the thought that he had gone through these stages only a few weeks before with a similar level of knowledge gave me confidence. It helped us both feel our way through our crazy adventures together. This next stage was to move the project forwards on a number of fronts, and this required planning and co-ordination.

Simon told me that the front lower suspension wishbone was in the past a recall item and may need modification. For some reason a previous owner hadn’t had the modification to reinforce the bush and it would be duly dispatched to SJ Sportscars for work once it had been media blasted along with all the other items.

Meanwhile the rear suspension and hubs were carefully split, made ready and added to the items to be media blasted. The alloy hub carriers were obviously instrumental to the effectiveness of this F1 inspired rear suspension set up, and using a vice and a series of bolt arrangements the bar was slowly extracted from the alloy ‘legs’ of each hub.

I’d learned from the few previous restorations that it is always best to retain original parts and fittings were possible, as newer replacement items, possibly now manufactured offshore may not necessarily last or fit. Even though this was going to be a full nut and bolt restoration, I wanted to retain as much of the original car as possible. So I was keen to clean up and refinish as many of the original mechanical parts and trim.

The radiator, heater matrix cores and oil cooler were to be pressure tested, after upgrading the radiator and heater core with the aim of improving the S1’s poor engine cooling. I had considered replacing the radiator with an alloy version, but I’d previously had great success with replacing the original radiator with triple cores, and although I didn’t intend to ‘spoil the ship for a ‘ha’peth of tar’, the cheaper option was the route I’d take. If at a later date, once the car was up and running, I found that the uprated cooling I had planned wasn’t sufficient then I would then swap out the radiator for an alloy version.

One of the last items to be dismantled at this stage were the doors, and to remove the engine cam covers which were to have their black crackle finish replaced. It was also the first opportunity to inspect the cams for wear. With everything looking fine and dandy I covered them up carefully.

As part of my research before taking on an Esprit I had sought advice and quotations about body shell repairs, painting and re-trimming. Together with media blasting and finishing options. I’d used powder coating previously to mixed results, but certain items would need to be finished in this way. Before the car could begin to be assembled I’d need to clean up the large proportion of parts I managed to accrue. This attention to detail included some of the most inaccessible and hidden items, such as the heater box.

The heater box once dismantled was quite fragile and had to be handled with care so that it didn't flex out of shape, which would make reassembly more difficult. Also, with the case metal being thin, the media used would need to be carefully administered.

A date was arranged with Eddie at Motorcool in Thornaby-on-Tees for me to drop off the chassis and boxes of parts to be media blasted, together with the radiator and heater cores. An extensive list was maintained so that collected items could be simply ticked-off so that nothing would be mislaid. Each arranged for media blasting only, crackle finish and satin black powder coating. It had been over 6 months since I’d talked to Eddie about handing them this work, but that was to be the way with this extensive rebuild, but time wasn’t an issue for me, only thoroughness.

Similarly I’d decided with John the painter that we would rust proof the chassis and suspension items before painting in black satin UPOL ‘Raptor’ 2-pack, which was very strong and resilient to knocks. It’s used to paint truck beds in the US and in plain satin mode resembled the original factory finish. Having had problems with powder coating cars underpinnings previously, even when dry stored for a decade, I felt that painting was more in keeping with Lotus Cars’ original finish and that it could also be reapplied in future without splitting items and going back to first principals and their component parts.

Other items, such as the window frames, heater box, under dashboard brace bar, bonnet release handle and pedal box would be powder coated in satin black. In fact better than original.

With the chassis and all of the parts dropped off I was now able to concentrate on the other assemblies and set their overhaul in motion.

 

 

[Fridge 977]

4.   A View to a Prill

About 10 days after dropping off the parts for media blasting I got a call to come and pick them up.

Checking and ticking each item off from my list to make sure that they were done to my satisfaction and that they were all present and correct. It’s amazing how good the finished items had come out. Especially the window frames, pedal box items and other powder coated items which were now all finished in uniform satin black. The new heater matrix triple-core radiator looked like they were far more efficient. For the first time in a couple months since buying the car I held in my hands the beginnings of a new car being formed.

They were all carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and stored in boxes at the back of the garage until it the time came to fit them. With media blasted items intended for zinc plating were carefully stored so as not to oxidise, as they’d be more of these to add to the batch in the coming months.

Suspension parts and drive shafts items had been blasted to a clean finish and were dropped off at the paint shop along with the chassis. They were to be given an immediate coat of rust proofing and the painted in satin black 'Raptor' 2-pack.

My knowledge of the inner workings of gearboxes is slim, so I arranged to drop it off to Paul at Lagonda Garage in Billingham. Paul is a transmission specialist of some renown. Often seen rebuilding dragsters and the like and the Citroen transaxel was not going to faze him. All I needed to do was wait patiently for his adjudication on its condition, then source any parts for it that he needed.

As the way with many outsourced jobs, I let these specialists take their time and get back to me when they were ready. That way I am certain no job is rushed and that a thorough, unpressured examination and overhaul can be completed. I gave Paul instructions that I did not intend to require the completed transmission before the summer as I had plenty of other items to keep me busy throughout the long winter and into the spring.

It wasn’t long before I received the call from the paint shop to come and collect the chassis and other parts with their brand new coating of black satin ‘Raptor’. They’d blown out all of the shot left inside the chassis and given it a generous coating of smooth paint over the usual roof proofing, and we carefully placed it on a wooden palette on my neighbours flat bed truck and headed off home.

By this time we were in late November and the winter chill air was a daily. Working in the single concrete sectioned garage without electricity or any heating was going to be a challenge. And I wanted to press on with further rust proofing the chassis box sections as much as possible. I set-up one of my 1KW film production lamps and borrowed an industrial gas heater so as to provide some heat and light, allowing me to work into the evening, and provide some heat to allow the wax treatment sufficient warmth to run into all of the necessary crevices in the chassis. Choosing Tetroseal to provide that extra layer of waxy protection.

With little knowledge of the Esprit’s parts bin underpinnings I made use of the Lotus Esprit Parts List and was able to type in their reference numbers into the efficient SJ Sportscars online ordering system. This took a while, and from a relatively modest £1,200 or so this quickly grew to over £6,500 by the end of the session. However over the duration of the whole restoration the cost of individual parts was to easily double.

On dismantling the heater box I’d found that one of the levers had sheared at some point in the Esprit’s lifetime, but fortunately Matt Oxley had these parts remade, and Matt duly dispatched one to me pronto.

With the project now firmly moving forwards I set about trying to seek a couple of rare clear window glasses that were only fitted to Esprit S1s, whilst I waited for SJ Sportscars to delivery some early Christmas presents.

[Fridge 977]

5.   From Russia With Gloves

The first of many large orders of parts from SJ Sportscars arrived promptly, and I diligently checked them over, as some would not be used for many months hence. Unfortunately they had bagged the large quantity of fasteners together rather than individually which proved difficult to identify them. With the car totally disassembled and money spent on many parts, media blasting and finishing I was now truly at the start of the rebuild stage.

With the initial parts delivery and all the suspension components now cleaned up and painted I was now in a position to set about pressing the new bushes into the various parts.

Checking the chassis, the industrial gas heater blowing in the hot air through the side door of the garage had allowed the Tetroseal to seep into all of the corners of the box sections, and had set to a decent consistency to allow for the assembly work to be begin in earnest.

This coincided with a trip up north o’ the border between Christmas and New Year to check out Simon’s @madrocket progress, and help him fit his engine and gearbox into his chassis. This was also a great opportunity to see his car in all its finery. He had finished his body shell too, which meant I could see the two halves of the project come together. He’d just purchased a new press, so whilst there his experience gained on his own car a few months previously helped enormously with fitting the rear hub bearings that can be a bit awks.

I completed my visit to Simon’s by helping him and his pal Chris lift the body shell onto the chassis, and it provided some welcome confidence for me to tackle that stage of my own project when the time arrived.

Back home, I lay out all of the parts, and dry fitted them as a way of a rehearsal and final checks.

With the arrival of the new parts I was able to build the drive shafts up with their UJs. Having chosen the high quality versions, since the early Esprits lack of top link means that the drive shafts take a lot of the strain and can ruin UJs easily. They were fully greased before setting aside for later fitting.

Since the car had come with a stainless steel exhaust manifold which had not been fitted, I noticed that the rear chassis cross-brace on exhaust side had either had a repair due to heat damage or had been pre-bent to accommodate the straight through exhaust manifold. Not being certain I had purchased SJ Sportscars modified brace instead. However, like quite a few of their modified parts they do not come with any fitting notes, which caused some consternation. I quick call to Steve and he said that it had to be fitted back to front, and with the rear chassis bracket also reversed. Although a tight fit, it was installed without further problem. Setting it further outwards than the original item, which was later to accommodate the exhaust manifold without issue.

The only problem I had at this stage was fitting one of the anti-roll bar bushes. Damaging one in the process and having to order another one in the next parts order. This actually set me back quite a lot of time, and this stage seemed to languish for a while due to waiting for the parts and also the winter weather to improve. There wasn’t enough room with the side door of the garage closed to run the gas heater, as it was too close to the chassis. Working in the garage meant that the only realistic heat I could get was from the 1KW film production lamp I was using to illuminate it.

However, with a full rebuild there is always plenty to be getting on with, and I set about assembling the heater box. Since it is small and clean enough to work on indoors, and it’s also one of the first things that needs to be fitted to the car once the body shell is attached to the chassis.

The new rubber for the seals and the foam for the baffles had arrived and it took a few evenings to assemble the heater box around the new matrix with the correct rivets.

The completed item looked like new. In fact, being powder coated rather than simply painted black, it was actually better than new. Especially with the replacement control lever now fitted.

I had also done some research online and found a supplier of original clear glass and this arrived well packed within a few days of payment. A brand new nearside drop glass and rear quarterlight.

With only a few more items still to obtain I carefully stored the glass and heater box for future installation. With the winter weather slowly improving my thoughts once again returned to assembling the chassis and running gear.  With the car totally dismantled into its constituent parts and sub-assemblies, and with a lot of money spent on new parts, media blasting and finishing I was now well and truly at the deep end. I certainly felt the pressure and weight of my investment, which had yet to turn the corner and gradually become a car once more.

[Fridge 977]

6.   Four Gears Only (plus overdrive)

Three months after dropping off the gearbox and transaxel Paul from Lagonda Garage called to say that his had been dismantled and apart from some wear on the output and pinion bearings it was in very good order. Just showing signs of sitting for a long period.

Searching on the web I found some of the replacement parts, including output bearing seals and new gaskets, and purchased genuine Lotus bearings.

During this time I also had the hubs painted and painted, the gearbox casings were cleaned and the fixings zinc plated,.

These included the ones from around the rest of the car. Such as the pedal box internal pivot bars, headlamp retaining plates, door striker plates, water bottle holder and bonnet release arms.

The gearbox casings along with the new parts were then handed back to Paul for assembly.

Whilst I waited for the gearbox to be returned I inspected the fuel tanks. Having considered replacing them with new alloy versions, my experience of fitting newly made parts had proved problematic and I decided to send them to the Hartlepool Radiator Company for assessment and potential relining.

I got a call later that day from their office with a great price and the news that they were in good condition inside and would be ready the following week.

Meanwhile I had sent my carbs to Jo Chan @Final Edition for refurbishment. Jo had done a few sets on his Esprit Turbos, having just completed his beautiful Copper Fire version weeks earlier.

Jo said that he was willing to overhaul my carbs if I sent them down to him. They were duly dispatched and once checked and dismantled he sent off the casings for vapour blasting and ordered all the new parts from Eurocarb. Keeping me informed of his progress by numerous photos.

After another 10 days I collected the overhauled gearbox and fitted the brake discs and carriers. I was quickly accruing more completed parts and the garage was looking like a Lotus Cars northern supply outpost.

With the improving weather I was able to resume work on the chassis assembly. Fitting new through chassis cooling pipes, vacuum pipe, and the heater pipe.

The gear linkage was built using new bushes and SJ Sportscars provided a genuine Lotus Cars cross-gate cable with their modified rear connection.

Having restored with all new parts Jo duly returned the refurbished carbs, which looked stunning in their newness and installed on the inlet manifold.

The front hubs were fitted with new bearings and the front suspension was assembled.

Although my aim was to restore this car to factory finish, I had a few specific upgrades planned to improve on some fundamental shortcomings and also protect my investment. These included uprating the cooling system, with triple Spal fans cooling the triple-core radiator, and also to upgrade the front braking system as I’d read that the G Esprits didn’t particularly have very effective brakes. In fact the originals I removed were no different than fitted to my 1961 sportscar.

I had earlier sourced 4-pot calipers and vented disk brakes which required modification to enable them to fit within the 14” Wolfrace wheels.

Having driven classic cars for over 30 years I had seen an increase in near misses and instances of bad driving by owners of faster and more nimble and safer modern cars. I had no doubt that even the S1 would be nippy enough in modern traffic, but I wanted to make sure that my pride and joy stood a fair chance of stopping should the need arise.

[Final Edition 195]

Great write up David, congrats on the restoration. You've done an amazing job getting it back together.

I'll be in the UK over Christmas, I'll try to meet for a look. Beautiful!

[Fridge 977]

Great @Final Edition it would be worth meeting up, as the car is working really well. I've covered just over 600 miles since July and I've solved all of the teething troubles during this shakedown period.

Pity your Sport 300 won't be on the road.

[Fridge 977]

6.   Man With the Golden Greasegun 

After another trip up to Scotland to see Simon and the progress he had made on his S1 I returned with the task of getting the Esprit’s body shell to the paint shop. The tailgate glass had been removed and carefully stored in a makeshift hardwood slim case for safekeeping. As well as removing the replacement ‘Sundym’ green tinted aftermarket windscreen which was not going to be going back on the car.

The large caster wheels on the custom made dolly made light work of pushing the body shell on and off the trailer. I’d planned for it to be away for 6-8 weeks, but in the end it would be 12 weeks, and this allowed John to easily move it around his workshop at the various stages without it getting in the way of his other work.

There was plenty enough time for me to work on the engine, finish the chassis and get the lower half ready for installing the upper half. The car hadn’t run for some time, but the couple of compression tests that had been done looked promising. There was also evidence of recent work to the upper half, and the oil didn’t show anything worrying. With no signs of leaks from the various seals and joints.

I was conscious that I didn’t want the restoration to flounder due to a lack of funds mid-way as I’ve seen and heard of unfinished projects sitting for very long periods, which can become a problem down the line. I didn’t want to put myself in the position of having to sell a half built restoration if things took a turn for the worst down the line for any reason. Odd, but this was my main concern at this point, but I was now neck deep into this restoration. For me I was going to overhaul the engine and see how it went. I also wanted to drive an S1 as it felt in the 1970’s and wasn’t interested in increasing its performance to that extent.

A new timing belt along with an automatic tensioner from SJ Sportscars was fitted, greatly helped by Bill Galbraith’s @bgalbraith online video. I’m not sure if a manual tensioner from Gary Kemp would have been best, which uses a high quality metal bearing and doesn’t require the earth strap? I have recently bought a Burroughs Gauge in case I ever decided to fit one at the next timing belt service.

The water pump had been on back order for over 8 months and was now holding me up. SJ Sportscars then said that it was no longer available, and PNM said it would take a few weeks to supply a reconditioned one. Fortunately Gary Kemp had a very good exchange unit which I collected whilst filming in the Bridlington area. Thus making sure it was exactly the same item. The only thing I had to do in this area was re-tap one of the water pump bolts. I fitted a cap screw instead to aid future removal, as the bolt head can foul the cam pulley.

The camshafts and followers looked in very good condition, and the cam covers were fitted following information on these forums as to the amount of fixative to use. A new clutch and clutch cover was installed, and the all important washer was added to the gearbox shaft and the two units were bolted together.

The engine and gearbox was now ready to be lifted into the chassis. This went as well as its removal 7 months earlier. Being straightforward without being hindered by the body shell.

With the water pump now fitted I could plumb in the water system. Something I’d had to work out as mine was in bits when I purchased the car. I had to draw it out on a piece of paper to work out where stuff went, and what was missing, if anything.

Fitting the single piece stainless steel manifold whilst still a bare chassis was easy, and I also added heat shielding to the chassis frame and cross-brace whilst access was good. The nearside engine mounting also got its own metal heat shield, as well as being wrapped in the heat shielding material also. I wasn’t going to take chances of it melting!

It was also a good opportunity to test fit the rest of the exhaust system to see how it would all go together before the body shell made things more awkward. 

During a warm sunny afternoon I took some time to clean up the gear knob. Which a previous owner had painted red. It looked like a snooker ball, and I thought it was actually plastic. Though the metal gate diagram in the top was a give-away. Once gently sanded down the wood underneath the paint came up great. After a few coats of varnish it was good as new. I was able to then sell the NOS item I’d purchased a few months earlier and swell my restoration coffers with some much needed cash.

Meanwhile a new gearshift and lever had arrived with my next parts order, as I had found that mine was too slack due to a previous owner repair.

Jo Chan had completed the overhaul of the carbs and dispatched them a few weeks earlier. They looked great, and they now took pride of place on the engine. A new 65Amp alternator was also fitted so that enough juice was generated to power the additional high power electric fans I had planned for the cooling system. The starter motor had been refurbished by a great little workshop in Middlesbrough for a very reasonable sum, and this was added along with the oil cooler.

The air box I’d restored with new latches from Pertex in Redditch during late spring was also fitted. It retained its original insulation which was a nice touch.

The lower air box I’d cleaned up and fitted with a new stainless steel mesh inlet cover to match the original was also test fitted. It had originally been a rather sorry item, but copious scrubbing with engine degreaser had brought it up looking like new. Oddly it's these two ancillary items I'm most proud of.

The last things added to the chassis were the steering rack, which had been given a spruce-up, as it appeared to have been a relatively new item by a previous owner, and the anti-roll bar.

After 7 or more months of continuous work over the autumn and winter the garage was now due for a sort out, to allow me to create a little more space for the next stage of the restoration.

The chassis was now fully complete and rolling. With many of the heavier and cumbersome parts that I had boxed now fitted. The much needed space was very welcome, as the next major stage was going to need a lot more room.

[v8GTmac1 59]

It's great to see a Lotus being rebuilt in it's place of birth. Seems to be a lot more confidence in DIY with these cars over in the UK 😎 while the rest of us rely on what we read on the net 😄. Love your motivation and the fact you are doing this in a tight space sais a lot.And you are right, we always find the space to finish what we invision.

Edited November 3, 2019 by v8GTmac1

[Fridge 977]

Yes @v8GTmac1, it may be a bit easier to restore British cars in the UK. Though I've struggled through 3 winters in a garage without heating, and now still fine tuning things into the 4th.

[Fridge 977]

8.   Leave and Let Dry

Whilst I had been busy with the engine, gearbox and finishing off the chassis, John had been rubbing down and repairing the body shell. Thankfully little really needed doing as it was in really good shape and my hunch was correct that the car somewhere in its past life been very well cared for. Very little cracking was present and was only paint deep. Possibly in the cheap and cheerful repaint as a tidy up in the past 15 or 20 years or so.

When I next got to see the car it had a primer coat on it to check the evenness of the body shell surface. A process that had been repeated until the panels were correct.

Although I had stripped the body shell of all items, a couple still remained and I was able to remove the rain gutters in the lamp pod recesses as these needed to be repainted black if a thorough job was to be done. I also carefully masked the VIN plate, to retain something of the original car for posterity whenever this is restored again by a future owner.

A few weeks later it was in its first coat of filler primer and undergoing flatting off.

Whilst waiting for the body shell to be painted in its top coat I refurbished the many other items which required attention or re-assembly. The pedal box went together very well using the zinc plated pivot bars, and like the heater box looked better than new with its powder coating finish. Something I thought would stand up well to wear and tear. New rubbers completed this item.

After a lot of thought I had also decided that I would replace the loom with a new one, even though either option would be problematic in their own way. However the original loom was shot to pieces, having been cut and modified over the years.

The lamp pod motors were overhauled and cleaned up before giving them a coat of new paint.

The plenum and heater blower was assembled  after testing, using new closed cell foam which will outlast the original. Oddly for a 1970’s car the heater box doesn’t have an on/off valve. I felt that given the warm nature of the cabin that as much heat as possible would need to be stopped from escaping the heater matrix chamber. So the baffles were carefully covered in thin closed cell foam, and baffles painstakingly recreated using new rubber strips clipped in place. Over the whole restoration I really did find that modern materials have moved on since the 1970’s, both in plastics, foam and glues. There is so much more variety and higher quality now. I used high quality closed cell foam to replace all of the foam used in the car. Hopefully the ventilation and heating aspect has been improved without detracting from the originality of the car in both its look and operation.

The electric door winding mechanisms were also dismantled and given a fresh lubrication of grease and tested.

The master brake cylinder which looked like a relatively recent replacement was cleaned up with the hope that it still worked. I also cleaned up and repainted the binnacle air duct.

I found sterilising fluid was great for cleaning the inside of the washer bottle, which came up like new. The motor was tested and this worked also, which was a bonus.

Making use of the improving weather I also begun looking at repairing some of the interior items with a David’s Isopon fibreglass kit bought for £10. I bought 2 of these kits over the whole rebuild, and I quickly become a dab hand a repairing the fibreglass items, adding it to my rapidly expanding skillset. The centre console switchgear panel was broke on the choke lever. Not sure what it originally looked like, Richard Gasgoine @RichardJGC provided some photos of his panel which I used as a guide.

The other interior items such as the steering wheel cowls and binnacle were stripped and sanded down. Repaired, and filled for any pin holes ready for painting.

These items were set aside for recovering at a later date whilst work progressed on the body shell to allow me to get it back and fitted to the chassis whilst we still had a couple of months of fine weather left. As work would slow once the body shell was fitted, restricting the room available in the single garage. Too make reasonable progress I had to complete some of the mainstay of the fitting out as much as possible, as few items remained that could be undertaken off the car.

 

[williamtherebel 439]

What thickness of the closed cell foam did you use on the heater?

[Fridge 977]

Hello @williamtherebel the closed cell foam I used throughout the restoration was from a sheet I ordered from eBay. Its dimensions were:

20mm (thick) x 1m x 1.5m water resistant

However, the foam used around the heater matrix was just soft foam, to replicate the original. I already had this from some packaging. See photos.

Hope this helps.

[williamtherebel 439]

It does!  However, can you confirm its 20mm thick? Looking at your photo it looks a lot thinner. Just want to make sure. Many thanks. 👍

[Fridge 977]

As the heater box has been assembled and installed for over 2 years I can no longer measure the thickness of the foam used, but you should be able to calculate the depth as a proportion of the matrix by using this photo. The foam surrounding the matrix is soft to enable the heater box case to be assembled around it without hindrence. You can see by comparing these two photos how much the foam had been compressed over the years.

[Fridge 977]

If however you mean the closed cell foam fitted to the underside of the plenum rain water shield (part number A079U4269K) then this would be 2cm, as that is the thickness of the sheet I bought. I just used the original foam as a template.

In the photo I had yet to rivet the top of the rain water shield to the plenum.

[williamtherebel 439]

Thanks for the clarification.