markgenesis Posted September 21, 2014 Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 Deliberately didn't put "Resto" in the title as i dont intend to do a full resto on this car (not yet anyway), more of a running rebuild re-commission working through jobs and problems while i use it regularly for work etc (as i love driving it) Looks good in the pics but paintwork is quite rough in places and microblistered on the wings, drivers door hinge is worn o this is a job on the list. Bought off E-bay mid June for £1200, had been sat for about six months (lack of use was the reason for sale), came with no history to speak of, short MOT and no TAX, got it MOT'd at the start of July, just needed Anti-Roll bar bushes, the Exhaust re-sealed and a bit of welding to the front of the chassis, started using it but had a load of shenanigans with reliability/breaking down i'll go into further into the thread, sorted now though. As i used it i noticed the Water pump was noisy and it was getting worse (play in the bearings), so car is currently stripped waiting on a replacement from SJSportscars While waiting for the pump i took the opertunity to replace the cam belt, the one on the car looked fine but with no history better to be safe, tensioner and bearing are fine. Also couldn't resist cleaning up some of the engine bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieCroker Posted September 21, 2014 Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 Looks awesome, all electrics working, what's the interior like? Nice size garage you have there, well gel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted September 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 As bought the car had a knackered battery so i bought a new one from Halfords which was slightly to big, figured the extra cranking power would be a good thing anyway so i mounted this in a tray in the centre of the boot and extended the cables. Shortly after that the standard SU fuel pump died, had a Facet pump in a Mini years ago and liked it so thought i'd "upgrade" to one of those and bought a new Silvertop, so it ran ok for a while, got it MOT'd and started using it, then it broke down, checked for fuel at the carbs that was ok, getting a spark but i noticed the coil was very hot, ended up replacing the whole ignition system, converting the car to Accuspark to do away with the points, new coil, Ballast, etc, it still broke down, eventually traced the fault to the new Facet pump being crap, bench tested it, it would run ok for five minutes then start to splutter, then stop flowing completely (while still running), bought an unbranded pump for £12 off E-bay and it works great. All that time and money wasted looking for faults elsewhere, overlooking the fuel pump as it was new and expensive (but unknown to me absolute crap) What do i think of Facet pumps now ? New cheap pump working great, may buy another to keep as a spare. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted September 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 Looks awesome, all electrics working, what's the interior like? Nice size garage you have there, well gel! Cheers Charlie, Electrics are fine except for the heater fan switch so going to get a new one of those, dont know about the rear wash wipe and HRW but i'm doing away with those anyway. Interior was rough, centre console was butchered for a CD player, managed to repair that, re-stuck the headlining, fitted Mazda MX5 leather seats to replace the fronts as they were totaly knackered, ripped out what was left of the rotted carpets so will need replacements eventually. I'm spoiled with the garage, had it ten years now, been great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted September 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 Another common job i had to do was the rear drive shafts, these had wear in all the U/J's, bought a new set and used the press in the work to fit them. There is play in the rear wheel bearings though, got those on order so will do those in the next few weeks. As bought the engine bay had the standard air box but missing the timing belt cover and rad shroud, i also found out this being a 504 should have been an auto with air-con and power steering, the power steering is long gone, it has a manual box in place of the auto and the air-con pump was missing so the car is far from original. This is the first engine i've had with twin sidedraught carbs so i couldn't resist these alloy trumpets. But they ended up burried inside these deep K&N filters The interior was a bit of a mess, front seatcovers burst. A lucky find in a local scrappy got these leather MX5 seats for £70 Fitting was straightforward, Lotus rails are 19mm apart, Mazda rails are 13mm so i mounted the Mazda seats to 2mm plate (after straightening the mounting points on the rails), then bolted the 2mm plate to the floor through the standard mounting holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunc Posted September 21, 2014 Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 Good progress Mark, Some tidy work going on here I think! Dunc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esprit s2 Posted September 22, 2014 Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 Very impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loose Cannon Posted September 22, 2014 Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 Those MX5 seats look like they were made to fit! A mate spent hundreds on XJS seats which look no better Quote In the garage no-one can hear you scream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted September 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 Cheers guys , pulled the radiator out last night, figured that if i'm replacing the water pump i'd be better going through the whole system, rad looked fine so will just back flush it, check all the hoses and fit new hose clips. Fans were working fine but found one of the blades loose so will need to tighten that. Another reason for pulling the rad was to remove the air-con rad which sits in front of it, this is part of removing the remains of the air-con system as the pump and other parts are missing anyway. Will upload more pics during the week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted September 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Here's the rust i had to deal with on the front of the chassis, the rest of the chassis seems sound Looks like it has been caused by water gathered under the steering rack, other side is solid protected no doubt by the oil leaking out the lower cam cover gasket. Repair was straightforward anyway. Removed the remains of the Air-Con last night, surprising amount of weight in this lot alone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOTUSPOINT Posted September 27, 2014 Report Share Posted September 27, 2014 (edited) Removed the remains of the Air-Con last night, surprising amount of weight in this lot alone. I was wondering already why you had two cooling fans fitted and I couldn't see any aircon parts... Edited September 27, 2014 by LOTUSPOINT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted October 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Still waiting on the water pump from SJSportscars, turns out mine was in too bad a state to use as an exchange and they had to send it away to be rebuilt hence the delay. The shaft had been welded and there was a chunk of metal missing from the impeller. Should get the new pump next week though and get the car back on the road. Dying to drive it again, only been a few weeks but feels like months. I've actually been car less for the last few weeks too, the cylinder head has gone on my daily driver Land Rover Discovery, also the MOT and Tax are due so looks like the Lotus will be my only driving car for a while. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldave Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 Loving the colour of this car. And I like the trumpets - shame they have to be covered with the filters. What are your thoughts on those filters compared to the stock setup, which brings air from just behind the radiator? Do you think the K&N filters that you have will impede the engine a little, with them only having hot engine air to pull in through the carbs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don.Hasi Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 "behind the radiator"? In my understanding the tube ends just before the engine in the middle of the crank- and camshafts behind the thin wall which divides the radiator from the engine. But in my car the the tube was missing... That said, i have now a tube remounted like that and could not notice a total different engine behaviour. But I hope it will suit the engine and she loves her driver even more and I think, I feel, I might feel... she revs a bit better and higher up. But without a Dyno we wont know it for real. I have read many stories about the k&n´s. With no doubt every maintenance job will be easier with the k&n´s fitted. They look also very well. Perhaps I will change them also in the future... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted October 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2014 With no doubt every maintenance job will be easier with the k&n´s fitted. They look also very well. Perhaps I will change them also in the future... This is the main reasons i went for them, so much easier to remove than the air box, even easier to get to things with them in place. Got them for a bargain £50 S/H but unused off E-bay. The alloy trumpets were also £50. Always loved the look of big twin side draughts and big K&N's, was advised against them on another forum though as apparently the standard air box acts as a fire trap if the carbs spit back ? No problems so far though. Power gain is probably negligible, maybe 5-10 bhp at the top end ? Anyway, got my water pump during the week so car is now back together and running great, pressed into daily driver duties, used for work Thursday and Friday, caught in heavy traffic Thursday, caught in a biblical rain storm last night, no problems what so ever, who said old Lotus's are unreliable ?, this is turning into one of the best cars i've owned : ) Will post some more pics later ; ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted October 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2014 Got my recond water pump back on Tuesday, been working silly hours this week though 10 am - 11 pm so spent a couple of hours on it Wednesday morning and got it back together, bonnet on, anti-freeze in and fired up on Thursday morning and test drove to work. Drove great with no issues at all. Had the rad and fans out while waiting on the water pump, flushed the rad, made up new rad top brackets as these were missing (the only thing stopping the rad flopping about was the top hose ), could have gave the fan shrouds a coat of paint but decided to leave them as i'll probably be upgrading them eventually (fans are an odd pair anyway) Also checked all the hoses, fitted new hose clips and tidied up the wiring and hoses. So it's been used regularly for the last couple of days, coping absolutely fine, even during biblical rain driving home last night and a shopping trip to Morrisons this morning, running and sounding great (had to tweak the carbs though), next jobs to tackle are the drivers door hinge, rear wheel bearings and new steering U/J's, still needs a fresh set of tyres too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldave Posted October 18, 2014 Report Share Posted October 18, 2014 Was the carb tweaking needed because of the different filters? Really liking the look of those K&Ns; my only worry is that firetrap thing incase of backfires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixi4uk Posted October 18, 2014 Report Share Posted October 18, 2014 Very nice progress I wish I could say the same for mine. I seem to be two steps forward and four back. I like the MX5 seat conversion they really look as though they were made for the car, particularly helped by full workshop facilities used for the mounting. Very neat. Keep it up a great read and inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted October 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Was the carb tweaking needed because of the different filters? Really liking the look of those K&Ns; my only worry is that firetrap thing incase of backfires. Nothing to do with the Filters Dave, car was idle for three weeks, when i started it idle was a bit slow and rough, tweaked the balance screw on the linkage and all was good again Would'nt worry about the Flame trap issue, just a comment made on Pistonheads, i think you'd need to be really unlucky for that to happen, besides the standard airbox is fibreglass which is pretty flamable, the K&N's are really common on Talbot Sunbeam Lotus's, never heard of one of those going up in flames. Cheers Adrian, the seats were a very lucky find. "Full Workshop Facilities", Ha, i wish, an angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disc, marker pen and a ruller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldave Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Nothing to do with the Filters Dave, car was idle for three weeks, when i started it idle was a bit slow and rough, tweaked the balance screw on the linkage and all was good again Would'nt worry about the Flame trap issue, just a comment made on Pistonheads, i think you'd need to be really unlucky for that to happen, besides the standard airbox is fibreglass which is pretty flamable, the K&N's are really common on Talbot Sunbeam Lotus's, never heard of one of those going up in flames. Cool. So just to check my comprehension, you're still running the velocity stacks/air trumpets, but just running them inside the K&Ns? As you can probably tell, I'm considering the same route but like to read up before I invest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted October 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Cool. So just to check my comprehension, you're still running the velocity stacks/air trumpets, but just running them inside the K&Ns? As you can probably tell, I'm considering the same route but like to read up before I invest. Yep, back plates for the K&N's went on then the stacks, had to trim the stacks to fit around the bolts for the K&N's though, also those filters i have had to be altered to fit, i dont think they were intended for twin carbs (two single carb filters ?) as they are a bit big but work ok. Will try and pull the filters off and post a pic of the set up tomorrow night as it's chucking it down outside just now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldave Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Thanks for that. I think if I go along those lines I'll just go for the filters and maybe not the velocity attacks in there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixi4uk Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Nothing to do with the Filters Dave, car was idle for three weeks, when i started it idle was a bit slow and rough, tweaked the balance screw on the linkage and all was good again Would'nt worry about the Flame trap issue, just a comment made on Pistonheads, i think you'd need to be really unlucky for that to happen, besides the standard airbox is fibreglass which is pretty flamable, the K&N's are really common on Talbot Sunbeam Lotus's, never heard of one of those going up in flames. Cheers Adrian, the seats were a very lucky find. "Full Workshop Facilities", Ha, i wish, an angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disc, marker pen and a ruller The adapter looks very professional to be fair. I am impressed. Now where are the MX5's when I want one for the seats and headlamp lifters at a cheap price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixi4uk Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Thanks for that. I think if I go along those lines I'll just go for the filters and maybe not the velocity attacks in there too. Do I take it the standard trumpets do not fit inside the K&N filter? or did you not have any fitted in the first place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgenesis Posted October 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 Here's some pics for reference guys. As you can see in the centre i had to trim the back and front plates of the filters so that they would overlap, just trimmed the return lip. Stacks inside the filters showing how they had to be trimmed. Stacks measure 60mm, filters are 115mm deep. The filters could of course be used on their own, i just fitted the stacks inside as i already had them, and after paying £50 i was damn well using them, power gain is probably negligible/not even noticeable but at the same time nice to know they are there. Filter back plates and stacks. Celebrated my new found roadworthyness by fitting the period GB sticker i bought a while ago 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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