pbharcourt 253 1 Vehicles Report post Posted March 24, 2018 9 hours ago, Steve V8 said: Easy start works well but isn't the cheapest, Lynx deodorant is readily available, much cheaper, and works a treat, try it. Smells nice too.... Does it make the girls come running as well! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted March 24, 2018 I've just check... I have Lynx Africa or lynx peace... Decisions decisions Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted March 28, 2018 An update.... IT RUNS! The problem was the spark plugs which again came with the car. New spark plugs got it back firing through the carbs and an adjustment to the timing stopped this and got a reasonably smooth tick over. The exhaust was very leaky but the compound I put on the joints sealed them when it got warm. The next step was to break out the timing gun... This was provided by my dad but was probably older than the car and looked feindishly difficult to work out the revs with some moving prisms doing the dirty work. Given the price of new ones I have binned this antique and have a new one on order. With no working rev counter yet, I need to set the idle speed with the timing light. So as it stands at the moment there is a bit of rough running, this is either carbs or timing and should be easily resolved. I have a colour tune ready to go when my timing light turns up. I have been trying to upload a video to YouTube to post here but not have had much luck so far but watch this space... Obviously I think this is a huge milestone reached and now just leaves the doors to go on the wiring to be redone Wing mirrors sorted Carpets and boot trim Passenger's side cill cover to paint and fit Aerial to source and fit 4 wheel alignment and MOT The wiring will take the time with a second flow lock valve to be located in the boot, rear hatch solonoid, Mazda headlight relays, solid state voltage regulator, new fuse box with blade fuses, boot aux power, usb connection in the cabin, better interior lights, and many more relays to provide safe power to the fans, electric windows, 150w headlights etc while rooting as much of the wiring through the inner wings to keep the engine bay tidy and bulkhead connectors rather than grommets for neatness! While I'm at it I can fit headlight delay relays warning buzzers etc etc. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 1, 2018 from this... to this - in a little over 4 years! I don't think I will ever make my millions from my youtube videos... I have put my wife into a coma now she has watched it! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soldave 244 Report post Posted April 1, 2018 Bit of popping but that's some awesome work there. Well done! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oilmagnet477 638 2 Vehicles Report post Posted April 1, 2018 Well done - Happy Easter. You must be well chuffed! Can you do a thread about how you posted a youtube video please Quote Is the price for that bit in Yen or £? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trunnion 74 143 Report post Posted April 2, 2018 Congratulations Mike! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 2, 2018 (edited) 16 hours ago, oilmagnet477 said: Well done - Happy Easter. You must be well chuffed! Can you do a thread about how you posted a youtube video please On youtube for the video you would like to post, press share, then copy link. Simply paste the link into your post here! Getting the video on YouTube in the first place was more of a challenge. 16 hours ago, oilmagnet477 said: I am chuffed to bits. To have a running engine is a huge phycological step for me. The light at the end of the tunnel just got a lot brighter... Edited April 2, 2018 by mikeeech 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 3, 2018 On 4/1/2018 at 16:05, soldave said: Bit of popping but that's some awesome work there. Well done! Got the popping sort out with the help of a timing gun and colour tune... The timing gun had an advance/retard function so by process of elimination I have a spec 3 distributor that requires a 16deg advance at idle. I was surprised there was such a difference between them since they are firing the same engine. The rough running was idle mixture on two cylinders being so low as to not fire them! It sounds a lot better now. I won't be setting up the other mixture settings until I know the fans run or have a reliable temperature reading on the gauge. The passenger side cill cover is now painted and ready for fitting so I guess I have to get the doors on now! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soldave 244 Report post Posted April 3, 2018 12 minutes ago, mikeeech said: Got the popping sort out with the help of a timing gun and colour tune... The timing gun had an advance/retard function so by process of elimination I have a spec 3 distributor that requires a 16deg advance at idle. I was surprised there was such a difference between them since they are firing the same engine. The rough running was idle mixture on two cylinders being so low as to not fire them! It sounds a lot better now. Would you mind posting up a video of the idle? Won't be exciting at all to most but just want to see how mine compares Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 3, 2018 Being in the garage might make it a bit louder or I may still have a blowing exhaust! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soldave 244 Report post Posted April 3, 2018 3 hours ago, mikeeech said: Being in the garage might make it a bit louder or I may still have a blowing exhaust! Thanks for posting. Sounds good! Here's one for you, as I see you've got the cooling plate in there in front of the engine. Are you thinking you'll have to remove that to get a timing light in there to check ignition timing? My plate will only come out with the top hose off, but with the plate in there it looks like the only access I have to the marks on the timing belt might be from below. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 3, 2018 The timing marks are visible with the deflector in place. The timing light I brought has an advance and retard setting which when set at the angle you need keeps the timing marks at tdc which makes it easier to see and I guess more accurate. It also had an rpm readout which was useful I. That you could put the pick up on any of the ht leads to determine if there was a spark! I was not able to find out what the timing marks read although there are 4 graduations... I think they were 8, 16, 24 and 32 deg. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soldave 244 Report post Posted April 3, 2018 Gotcha. Yours might be in a slightly different position to mine then as I don't think I have line of sight to my timing markings from topside with the panel in plate. Thanks for confirming. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 7, 2018 Hanging the doors is a pain! The driver's side has been on and off more times than a brides nighty today! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oilmagnet477 638 2 Vehicles Report post Posted April 8, 2018 Dumb question alert! The 4 vacuum gauges on your carbs - what do they actually tell you? Are they going to be there permanently or just as you are setting things up? Thanks - loving the progress Quote Is the price for that bit in Yen or £? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 8, 2018 The holes were in the inlet manifold since a PO had hooked the light vacuum system to the manifold with a big bar across the top. You can see this in the before video of the engine running. I might block them off in time but they tell you that the cylinder is on an inlet stroke. The first video of the engine running shows that number 3 cylinder wasn't reaching the same kind of vacuum as the others and suggested that the carbs were out of balance. I found this with a colour tune and now they are much better. Playing around with them a bit more when I had the engine running showed that with the throttle bodies open as I reved the engine caused most of the vacuum in the manifold to be lost, I guess as more air was being drawn through the carbs the vacuum in the manifold wasn't sufficient to register on the gauge. To be honest they were £2 each from eBay and the holes were there. I shall let you know if they are useful in time! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 8, 2018 (edited) This post is in two halves since I didn't want to confuse the photos... Hanging my door again today and everything came off since, overnight, I figured that the hinge pin shims needed adjusting to alter the height at the front of the door. This worked really well and got the door to fit ok but I needed some shims behind the lower hinge bracket to move the door out at the bottom and close the gap with the windscreen at the top. All this got me to this at the front And this at the back There is actually a gap at the back so I would say that it was a perfect fit but the front was too noticeable. The problem is how you loosen the hinge bolts move the door forward and then tighten them again without opening the door to spoil the alignment...! Edited April 8, 2018 by mikeeech Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 8, 2018 I managed to get lucky in that, I slackened off all then bolts closed the door and shimmed it with a cut up plastic milk container, I the. Had to tighten the bolts from the inside only to hold the position. Luckily one bolt tightened enough to hold the door whilst the other 3 were no help at all. I could open the door and tighten up the remaining 3 bolts and that got me to this. The front doesn't look a great deal different But more of a reasonable gap at the back. This is as far forward as the door will go as, when it opens, it only just missed the paint in the hollow on the a post. 1 full day on this to get to this but I can at least put the door latch mechanism on now, get the window frame in and the door seal! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAR 345 Report post Posted April 8, 2018 Is the door skin pushed fully forward on the beam? That shut is too tight at the back. Not sure you'll get much front-aft movement at the hinge end. EDIT: posted before I saw youe second set of pictures. Looks better in the 2nd post. Quote It's getting there...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 8, 2018 (edited) I'm not really happy with the front gap. It could do with moving forward a mm or so more but I would have to remove paint in the A post area. It's as good as it will get I think. Edited April 8, 2018 by mikeeech Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 17, 2018 A bit of an update. A trip to Lotusbits yesterday got my passenger side door beam bushes reamed to fit the new hinge pin so by the weekend the passenger's side door will be on. Whilst I was at Lotusbits Mike showed me at least 4 electric windows mirrors which, although expensive will sort my wing mirror problem so while the wifes away I will take another trip there tomorrow to get one since I had no idea if I already had a passenger side or driver side. Other than a few other bits a bobs (Speedo cable drive attachment, check valve for brake servo, power steering fluid leak, cam belt tension adjustment to name but 4) the next biggest job is the wiring which I may well start next week but that's a whole other topic... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 18, 2018 (edited) Such a pretty car... got my wing mirror today but don't tell the wife! No major hurdles for the mot now. Edited April 18, 2018 by mikeeech 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oilmagnet477 638 2 Vehicles Report post Posted April 18, 2018 And as if by magic................... From this: To this: How easy was that? Top work Mike - she looks amazing I have NO Elite envy WHATSOEVER!! I now have a dilemma.....my wife informs me that when mine is finished she can use it to go to work Looks like my restoration could drag on for a while yet! 1 1 Quote Is the price for that bit in Yen or £? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeeech 301 Report post Posted April 18, 2018 My wife says she is not going to get in it since it will break down and she doesn't want people looking at her... Isn't that what lotus ownership is all about 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
