S2 crying for help!

[LOTUSMAN33 1,298]

Nice one Daren, she will look great I am sure! Keep up the great work.

What plan do you have for the interior?

Dave

[darenwsmith 13]

Dave I was going to go black leather for the interior I think I have defiantly gone over ambitious on the paint work, have you got yourself another Lotus yet?

 I have now stripped the engine and it was a good job I did the mesh strainer on the oil pick in the sump was completely blocked solid with old hardened oil partials and big lumps of gasket sealant, the main bearings/crank are showing bad signs of oil issues small gouges in the surfaces, crank has a few bad marks also. Surprisingly the pistons and liners are in very good condition doesn't look like they have done many miles at all.

I am going to rebuild the engine up to 2.2ltr with a pair of 104/107 cams which should give the engine a new lease of life!

if you have any interesting ideas for the interior I would be happy to hear?

cheers

Daren

[silverfrost 1,387]

Black interior will suit this car down to the ground and look the biz.   Good idea on the engine mods also 

[LOTUSMAN33 1,298]

Daren, I am with Dan on this your colour choices are spot on and will look superb.

My first turbo I bought over 20 years ago suffered from oil starvation, when stripped the sealant used to rebuild it months before me buying blocked the oil ways and pump suction filter. The engine was a right mess and cost a fortune to put right.

Sounds like your engine plans will make this a very special S2, keep us all posted on any progress ???????

I am currently looking for a Turbo dry sump car so watch this space! ?

Dave ?

[darenwsmith 13]

Dave Looking forward to see what you get your hands on some of the cars are starting to fetch good money!

Keep me posted! Daren

Any you guys help me I am looking for a material matting for the bulk head and engine bay for a heat sheild / sound deadening also what the best matting for the outside of the chassis tunnel for sound deadening? Cheers

[DaveyT 244]

I'm a bit late to the party, but before I bought mine, I viewed a midnight blue TE, which Paul Matty knew and advised against, and then a Roman Bronze S2 ( Midlands area, late 1992).

admittedly it was in a garage, and the light wasn't great, but with its original black interior, the whole thing felt really calaustrophobic and a bit depressing.

Think you've made the right choice with orange ???

Good Luck with the rest of the rebuild. When I finally get mine finished I may take a run up the A15 from Lincoln and have a butchers.

Dave

[Freemason 97]

4 minutes ago, DaveyT said:

 

admittedly it was in a garage, and the light wasn't great, but with its original black interior, the whole thing felt really calaustrophobic and a bit depressing.

 

So for an S2 what other options are there for a leather interior other than the traditional black? I'm facing the same dilemma. Was thinking black, but am concerned it might suck all the light and atmosphere out of the cabin.

[darenwsmith 13]

Hi Dave I thought just the same after I had the test panels sprayed i  roman bronze as much as I like originallity the brown really wasn't for me and with quite a lot of Esprit S2 getting full restortated I thought I would be a bit different just hoping when all the satin black body parts are on it will tone the car down!

I will let you know once it's finished and come up would like a second opinion  from another owner Cheers daren

[DaveyT 244]

4 hours ago, Freemason said:

for an S2 what other options are there for a leather interior other than the traditional black?

I'm afraid I'm generally with the Non-original thinkers...it's my car, and I want to Drive something I Love...( my interior is now blue over cream leather, rather than gold teddy bear velour - every time I got in it before,  I'd get choked by clouds of disintegrating fluff ?

Go for something you'll be comfortable with, unless you want a concours driver/investment opportunity, in which case, stick to fully original.

having said that, there are limits to the changes I've been prepare to make, as I love the basic design etc. I guess I see it as an opportunity to spec the car as I would have done had I been its first owner.

[nic996 19]

I'm on the do what you want with it side as well. I wanted orange but I didn't have the balls. Hats off to you. 
Personally I don't think a car needs to be original to retain value. When buildings of hitorical value are repaired and or modernised, the changes are often not hidden. It gives the building character and adds to the history. History that can be seen. I applaud that. In years to come if your car gets painted again, perhaps a new owner will reveal the previous layers and see the history of the car. I had that with my car and enjoyed revealling the history. There are still small areas where the original colour is evident behind trim and in the engine bay. I left them deliberately for a future owner to discover. (I'm hopeful it will be around long enough to need restoration again).

As for interior again, as was said already, you should do it as you would have specced it. There were plenty of companies offering bespoke services back in the day so it doesn't matter what Lotus offered at the time.
Personally I'd have a black leather with whatever colour Tartan inserts. A nod to the original S1 and it seems to be fashionable again. My nationality does bias me of course ;-)

[ChrisJ 1,432]

On ‎25‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 15:37, DaveyT said:

rather than gold teddy bear velour

sacrilege  

[darenwsmith 13]

Thanks Nic I needed some encoragement after a few of the comments on here about the colour I am building the car to use and drive i am not a pureist nor is it a show car. I wanted to go away from the bronze  and be different from the crowd right or wrong. But up to now everybody that has seen the car up to now has said nice colour, bright but looks really good and suits the lines and curves of the car.

I did think about lighter colour perferated leather or tartan only on the door inserts just to break up the black I will get a few samples to see what it looks like.

[Steve V8 1,306]

Love the colour Darren, I'm sure it's gonna look fantastic when finished. 

I Just a few ideas to throw at you. I'm not sure on the idea of gold wheels with met orange, could clash. I would go silver wheels and matching sills, a' la Lamborghini Miura. Just a thought.

As for the interior trim,  have you seen the quilted black leather as used in the final edition V8's, maybe piped in orange, black floor mats also bound in orange. And plastic and wood veneers can also be brought up to date these days with hydro dipping, there's a gorgeous gold threaded carbon fibre, or just a basic brushed alloy look.

Steve 

[Loose Cannon 582]

IMHO the tan suede look interior of the S2 with smooth leather seats has never been bettered. It was only the quality of the materials which let the original down, if you did it again with modern gear you wouldn't be covered in mouse fluff;

The tan would tone nicely with the orange.

Alternatively the black with tartan sounds dandy too. Perhaps yellow tartan with yellow stitching like the recent special edition Elise??;

I also think gold wheels with orange would look ace, I have often thought about doing this with my car as a homage to the Miura, which I think was the first car to make this look popular;

[Matt-watts 105]

If I had your car (love the colour) I would trim it in a quality black leather with a satin sheen not glossy. I would choose a leather with hardly any grain to it (like Lotus used). I would maintain the original stitching style and in black and pattern and keep with the original aluminum trims on the doors dash and center section. I would have a mid grey headlining to stop it feeling to dark inside. This is how I did my S1 10 years ago, it still looks great now.

Matt

[darenwsmith 13]

Thanks guys for your comments and pictures some good ideas the Miura looks the dogs, I have a set of speed lines and also a set of split rims that Dave kindly made look the part polished rims and centre face with gold inner webs so I will see how both sets look against the car.

I've got samples of leather, tartan and other trim materials coming but I am a bit off this yet I have the engine to finish and chassis to finish building over next few weeks and move house !

[johnpwalsh 1,316]

Dan, for me the main thing is the car is saved and going to be good for many years to come. I love the Bronze, but hey it's your car, your choice so good on you.

[silverfrost 1,387]

Darren, The Tarten idea put forward Loose Cannon would look stunning and as said pay homage to lotus at the same time, not sure how much it would cost but those little orange lines will certainally brighten/break up an all black interior for the better imo, very retro indeed.   Regarding the wheel colour,hopefully some of the members on here would be kind enough to photoshop different wheel colours/sills etc  ?    

I would love to see what and esprit s2 with gold sills and wheels would look like on an orange body.  

[darenwsmith 13]

Nearly 2 years have gone by had to put the Esprit on hold due to work & family commitments, I have found some time to start the engine build over last few weeks now all the parts are back from balancing. I have had the crank, pistons, rods and flywheel balanced by Vibration Free Ltd great job and great service highly recommended.

I have vapour blasted the block and crank cradle, doweled, line bored the engine block is now on the engine stand with new liners and the 2.2ltr crank polished. Rods, pistons and oil pump housing are next on the list for this week!

[TAR 386]

Glad to see you've now got some progress. I know how easy time passes when life gets in the way.

Looking forward to some more updates.  

[silverfrost 1,387]

Really smart ,  vapour blasting makes a hell of a difference     Glad to see progress is moving on even with a long time break