JonSE 124 Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 Thanks Paul, much appreciated!! It’s great to see this in action and useful to see how the existing pods were cut off of the S1 body to add a later spoiler. It really illustrates the process of possibly reversing this and is a huge help to me. Looking at the above has made me think that 95% of the change I need to make (although relatively minor) is adding material to my body and then 5% blending the existing body lines back in to meet this additional mass. It’s a relatively small area and I’d like to get it right, I may well flip the shell and explore replicating the exact S1 profile in shaped softwood to make a specific mould for the bits I need for the S2. My shell below and shameless pic of another friends car that illustrates the curve I need to create, the S2 shell seems less slab sided in this picture. I’m sure Lotus as well as removing the pods for the S2 shell made the sides more slabby as well, I need to figure this out. Sorry for the hijack! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drdoom 445 Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 Beware of chemical paint strippers that are unkind to GRP, though I suppose you're well aware of that. Is there some chance this car is one of the many early ones that were finished in coloured gelcoat? My mate's S1, # 0437H IIRC, is so finished. I had reasonable success in bulk stripping the paint of S2 0100S by way of a professional using blast media. They were known to have worked on GRP with success, otherwise I may not have gone that way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drdoom 445 Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 Beware of chemical paint strippers that are unkind to GRP, though I suppose you're well aware of that. Is there some chance this car is one of the many early ones that were finished in coloured gelcoat? My mate's S1, # 0237H, is so finished. I had reasonable success in bulk stripping the paint of S2 0100S by way of a professional using blast media. They were known to have worked on GRP with success, otherwise I may not have gone that way. Edit: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 545 Posted March 9 Author Report Share Posted March 9 21 hours ago, drdoom said: Beware of chemical paint strippers that are unkind to GRP, though I suppose you're well aware of that. Is there some chance this car is one of the many early ones that were finished in coloured gelcoat? My mate's S1, # 0237H, is so finished. I had reasonable success in bulk stripping the paint of S2 0100S by way of a professional using blast media. They were known to have worked on GRP with success, otherwise I may not have gone that way. Yes I'm aware that paint strippers can attack gelcoat so I don't plan on using them and will have to do it the long way Not looking forward to that job! Yes, the mongrel is a red gelcoat car although there's no way I could ever return it to a gelcoat finish as it has a number of star cracks some of which are pretty big. That and the fact that somebody has hacked the front of it and fitted a sunroof, so it will have to be painted. 1 Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 545 Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 (edited) Well, I have solved my problem of not having a spare Wolfrace wheel by buying another set of wheels. Yes, it was a bit of a drastic solution but it made the problem go away... I have already found a good home for the 4 I already had as I don't possess the 'hoarding gene' and saw no reason to hang on to them. That and the fact that I didn't really want £2,300 tied up in a bunch of wheels. Given the choice I would rather invest it in the stock market than try to corner the world market in Wolfrace wheels hahaha I still need to sort out the heater and plenum and find an S1 fuel sender. Edited March 16 by Paul Coleman 1 Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 545 Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 This is my rear hatch glass that I bought off eBay last summer. The mongrel came with a louvred panel from a Turbo and no glass. SJ sell a replacement glass but it's about £500 and is laminated instead of toughened so my £75 BuyItNow eBay item was a bit of a bargain... 2 Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
LOTUSMAN33 1,522 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 Paul that’s nearly in the wardrobe, what have we said about hoarding 😁 1 Quote Do or do not, there is no try! Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 545 Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 2 minutes ago, LOTUSMAN33 said: Paul that’s nearly in the wardrobe, what have we said about hoarding 😁 That's the spare room that nobody ever goes in. However, my wife knew it was in there straight away - it's like she has some kind of sixth sense? 1 Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
JonSE 124 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 Mines currently under the bed! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post TAR 419 Posted March 16 Popular Post Report Share Posted March 16 1 hour ago, JonSE said: Mines currently under the bed! Maybe you should think about letting her out soon. 🙂 3 Quote It's getting there...... Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 545 Posted March 29 Author Report Share Posted March 29 (edited) I have been busy making a mess with fibreglass. The mongrel was missing the front and rear valance panels but luckily I have moulds for both of those panels that I made for my white car about 10 years ago when you couldn't buy them from SJ as you can now. So rather than buy them I have started making them. I have learnt my lesson making fibreglass parts and that is to not make them full thickness but rather to make them as thin as you can because they come out of the mould a lot more easily that way. Then once you've got them out you can strengthen them up as much as you want. Here is the rear valance panel destined for the mongrel's arse... And here is the front spoiler with the correct mouth opening for a relatively early car which has the two part radiator housing/front spoiler... I will now thicken them both up with more layers of matting and then cut off all the excess. You can see this rear valance is the early type as the aperture for the exhaust tailpipe has a sharp angle to it, I'll get my Anorak... Then the other day this arrived in the post from the land of original pod wing mirrors and centre ashtrays... I have splashed the cash and ordered a pair of sills from SJ as the mongrel had Turbo sills and I don't have a mould to make those! They're on an 8 week lead time which is fine for me as this is going to be a long job. I'm going to concentrate on the bodywork to start with and get it to the stage where I've repaired all the damage and bodges and might even put it into primer. At that point I will have to make the decision of whether I finish the restoration or pass it on to somebody else to finish. Most people who are not familiar with the Esprit would be happy tackling the oily bits but would potentially be put off by the bodywork, particularly when it's had bits hacked off it. I'm not sure yet whether I want a big bundle of cash tied up in it as I'm retiring in the summer and whilst it gives me something to do it's easy to sink a pile of cash into these things only to have it sat there used once in a blue moon, first world problems eh? Total so far £17,420.00 Edited March 29 by Paul Coleman 1 1 Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
Lotusfab 3,312 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 How on earth do you find these bits? Can you get me a wing mirror please? 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fridge 1,026 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 Post-retirement SJ supplier opportunity awaits.... Send your CV to Happy Daze Steve, at .... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lotusfab 3,312 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 Your cost controls are excellent, so far! I am still pouring cash into my Turbo and I thought it was finished! Its very time consuming and costly to keep two Lotus cars on the road! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 545 Posted March 29 Author Report Share Posted March 29 28 minutes ago, Lotusfab said: Your cost controls are excellent, so far! I am still pouring cash into my Turbo and I thought it was finished! Its very time consuming and costly to keep two Lotus cars on the road! My white car is a never ending quest to improve things. I have been trying to put it back to how it left the factory and I think it's one of the most complete cars out there and I'm not sure what more I can realistically do to it. With that JPS fetching nearly £60k at the weekend I'm sorely tempted to put it into one of their upcoming auctions but as always there are a few jobs that need doing first. This was it at the weekend in its natural habitat i.e. up on axle stands hahaha With the mongrel waiting patiently in the next garage... 1 Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
Fridge 1,026 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 It has more holes in the back than the Ant Hill Mob's car. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 545 Posted March 29 Author Report Share Posted March 29 3 minutes ago, Fridge said: It has more holes in the back than the Ant Hill Mob's car. Added lightness Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
Fridge 1,026 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 I didn't think UK S1s had air conditioning? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 545 Posted March 30 Author Report Share Posted March 30 14 hours ago, Fridge said: I didn't think UK S1s had air conditioning? I think you're right, what makes you think this one has/had? Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
Fridge 1,026 Posted March 30 Report Share Posted March 30 Air holes. Unless they're to let the water out. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
red vtec 203 Posted March 31 Report Share Posted March 31 On 16/03/2021 at 19:36, JonSE said: Mines currently under the bed! your wife? 1 Quote Amateurs built the Ark Professionals built the Titanic "I haven't ridden in cars pulled by cows before" "Bullocks, Mr.Belcher" "No, I haven't, honestly" Link to post Share on other sites
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