Norfolk mustard S4

[Barrykearley]

36 minutes ago, Chillidoggy said:

, although I ended up machining them in poly-acetyl, tapered the throat, and fixed them from underneath, with some nice flexy hose. Sparky fitted them too, and they do work well. I think the originals are still on the NLA list.

Got any spare ones  ???

[Chillidoggy]

No, sorry mate. I only ever made the two kits. In any case they're not original, so the purists would have a fit!

Whoops, sorry, thread hijack.

[Clarky5150]

Hijack away Ian. Yours is a far more elegant solution to mine which slightly resembles Ross Halfords codpiece. If you ever make any more I would take a pair off your hands.

[Clarky5150]

Outside now trying to rectify my heating woes.... in freezing conditions. I must be mad. I have the unusual problem that the t piece was missing under the steering wheel replaced by a single pipe to the fresh air flap plunger which had a nail stuck in the other side to make a vacuum.

Special thanks to Dartford tuning and Diagnostic Services for this mod!

Not sure on the name and shame rules here but I do wonder why we protect garages when trip advisor and the like help avoid bad service.

This company also did a cam belt swap which broke after 2yrs and 1500 miles causing very expensive repair.

Ive attached a copy of the receipt to show just how much the p.o was ripped off.... £50 to remove and replace seats. A 10 minute job ffs and they broke 3 studs off without replacement. £50 to replace the expansion tank caps!!!!!

Bibs, I will remove the garage name if need be but I do feel we should show poor service and good in equal measure.

 

[Barrykearley]

I can show you some equally shocking bullish£t receipts.

id like to know which particular clown in amongst those receipts dropped the engine damaging the exhaust cam pulley... when they did the cam belt - didn’t bother to replace the aux belts, did a totally shit job of fitting the manifold, threaded two studs and snapped and left an engine mount bolt.

receipts are for thousands and thousand - the work is utter shit

[Barrykearley]

And don't mention my rear upright - where the utter bellends only did the bushes on one side as they smashed the hub and quietly put it back together leaving it broken

[Chillidoggy]

1 hour ago, Clarky5150 said:

Outside now trying to rectify my heating woes.... in freezing conditions. I must be mad. I have the unusual problem that the t piece was missing under the steering wheel replaced by a single pipe to the fresh air flap plunger which had a nail stuck in the other side to make a vacuum.

Special thanks to Dartford tuning and Diagnostic Services for this mod!

Not sure on the name and shame rules here but I do wonder why we protect garages when trip advisor and the like help avoid bad service.

This company also did a cam belt swap which broke after 2yrs and 1500 miles causing very expensive repair.

Ive attached a copy of the receipt to show just how much the p.o was ripped off.... £50 to remove and replace seats. A 10 minute job ffs and they broke 3 studs off without replacement. £50 to replace the expansion tank caps!!!!!

Bibs, I will remove the garage name if need be but I do feel we should show poor service and good in equal measure.

 

 

As it happens, I've done every one of those jobs on that list, and there's no way on God's green earth it took a rank amateur like me that long. And as for parts, a condenser for £741? Good grief, I paid £100 for a pair of them not long ago.

 

But you're not alone in the garage rip-off department - I have a bill in my service history portfolio from 2001 from a Lotus garage for fitting a 'refurbished' clutch and new flywheel for a whopping £2,764.

[Barrykearley]

They billed out that clutch at the time it took you and sparky on the gin to get a box out ??

[Chillidoggy]

11 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

They billed out that clutch at the time it took you and sparky on the gin to get a box out ??

 

 

Ah, yes, I’ve found the bill now:-

 

Margate Exotics

Clutch replacement invoice

Clutch                           £352.63

Gin.                                £52.73

Tonic                             £12.64

Limes                            £4.62

Ice                                  £5.00

Labour                         £1,752.95

Total.                            £2,175.95

[Sparky]

Not sure you factored in my gin ration there.

That drain solution may become available in the near future...

[Clarky5150]

WE HAVE HEAT!!! Some of the pipes were missing and some elbows crudely blanked off with bolts pushed in. The system actually works quite well which has suprised me as most vac systems I have used before are slow and creaky.

Took the opportunity whilst the seat was out to tidy up my rear speaker install. Timed removal and refit of seat at 4 minutes flat. Shame on you DT&DS. 

[Chillidoggy]

3 hours ago, Sparky said:

Not sure you factored in my gin ration there.

That drain solution may become available in the near future...

 

No, that was just the Margate Exotics bill. The Watford Exotics subcontractor’s portion of it wasn’t shown. Think of it as paying the surgeon and anaesthetist separately.

Does the drain solution statement hint at you getting a move on with making some?

[Sparky]

Ah, that explains it.  Good to stay off the radar.

Yes, I may shortly go into production on a few items!

[Clarky5150]

Hopefully another ‘niggle’ sorted tonight. Although the first job I did was the fuel vent hoses I had a strange issue of coming back to the car after it had been parked say at the shops and having fuel smell in the car. Nothing while I was driving. 

Got back after a lovely and cosy ride in my newly heated cockpit and did some sniffing. A definite odour emanating from the off side hatch Louvre. Nothing on near side. Suspected it was the carbon canister so upon removal of the boot floor found a split in the flex connector between the ridged pipe with the one way valve and the canister. Unfortunately the Ginger wine ? I used to steel me against the cold whilst working prevented a test run but the school run tomorrow will reveal all.

[Bibs]

We have our own 'Trip Advisor' for Lotus dealers and specialists, click on 'reviews' at the top of the page and you can post what you like on there. 

[skiing]

Sparky, should you begin production of the drain things, I would be very interested. Of course, you would need to fit them too...

[Clarky5150]

Had some time off this week to do some jobs on the car.... spent most of it fitting a bathroom. Go figure. 

Did get an hour while the tilers were doing their thing. Made a start on the body/chassis mount 

 

Out with the  amazing £450 Lakeside engineering repair ?

Lower plate cut and shaped

[Clarky5150]

Light deteriorating so sorry about the photo quality. Top plate offered up ready for shaping. Both bits ♻️ from u/s items

 

Some bending, fettling, sikaflx and fibreglassing and we will be ready for the anti vibration mount.

Plates will be riveted together with a fglass filling to make a strong and permenant repair.

 

[Clarky5150]

Still getting a whiff’o fuel from the engine bay. I’m hoping I have disturbed a breather pipe while sorting the HVAC. Will investigate at some point. 

I do have RC injectors and noted when they were fitted that the specialist was concerned about their sealing and suggested they may leak. Anyone had similar experiences??

[Clarky5150]

Body to chassis mounts in rear both now repaired using steel plate sandwiching the glass fibre. Tiger sealed riveted and bolted. Well over engineered and reminds me of a girl I once new. She ain’t pretty but she sure is strong!

rear end now raised a good 20mm and no longer looking tip toed. Suspension feels far more compliant too but might be just placebo...... on the subject of sussies.

New toys from SJ arrived today. Early Christmas pressie from the long suffering Mrs C. Spangly new coil overs.

Next job I guess.

 

[Clarky5150]

Woohoo. Good good news! Got around to fitting the Protechs yesterday. Good bad news. Front still looks very tip toey. Maybe keeping the standard springs not a good idea. Bad bad news. Reintalled my iPad and lost the photos from the fitting so no pics to show alas ?

[Barrykearley]

That must have been an utter bastard fitting them front springs on new shockers.

i was stunned how hard it was to get them on with the right tools - still needed a ratchet strap round the machine in addition to the safety chains

[Clarky5150]

Just a pair of sealey spring compressors, small ones.  Did em nice and gently with the air gun. Think I might end up changing them out for the pro tech aftermarket ones. Will they fit on the larger adjustment rings does anyone know please?

[Barrykearley]

The standard Lotus front shocks fully extended are significantly smaller than the front springs - and I mean massively smaller. If you fitted them easily then that makes me think the shockers are too long extended

[Chillidoggy]

19 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

The standard Lotus front shocks fully extended are significantly smaller than the front springs - and I mean massively smaller. If you fitted them easily then that makes me think the shockers are too long extended

Did you take any photos during this dodgy procedure, Barry?