Viewing: New Toy

**fingers** · 20-09-2008, 07:56 PM

As promised here a a couple of piccies of the Lotus with a few details. Its a 1976 Lotus Eclat S1.

She has been standing since 1994 due to a broken front suspension mount and has gained a few other nigglies due to lack of use. All the tyres are shot, the indicators have stopped working (sticky relay), the drivers window has come unbonded from its runner, the battery's had it, the fuel lines have collapsed and blocked, the vacum that pulls the headlamps down has a leak (thats why it has lazy eyes), the roof lining has sagged and there was something else but I have forgotten what that is??? Hopefully I will be pulling the front apart to see what has broken so I can start working on getting her back on the road.

**steve09** · 20-09-2008, 08:07 PM

nice

that will keep you busy on the weekends fixing it up to good nick.

**gendox** · 20-09-2008, 08:10 PM

i dont like it but i dont like any cars like that just my taste but can wait to see what you do to it i love restoring cars

**pgarner** · 20-09-2008, 08:24 PM

Looking alright seeing its no been used for so long. At least it seems to be simple stuff for you to fix up.
would have thought the lights would have run of a motor rather than a vac

**lutonmatt** · 21-09-2008, 03:37 PM

nice but i whoud have the charger

**fingers** · 21-09-2008, 04:12 PM

Been out playing today and not much works! Good old british build quality. Apart from the engine and passenger door mirror nothing else works at all. The drivers front lower trunion is shot (thats why the suspension has collapsed on that side) but apart from those two and the fuel line I cant find much wrong with it.

**steve09** · 21-09-2008, 06:18 PM

the breaks? do they work. might be a bit......interesting if you sort out the suspention and the rest then take it out for a test ride and it doesnt stop .

give it more 'character' if things just stop working

**fingers** · 21-09-2008, 07:21 PM

apart from a siezed handbrake cable the brakes seem to be working fine, the discs only have very light surface rust on them.

***HDi fun*** · 21-09-2008, 08:23 PM

A few firm applications will shift the rust in no time. Discs can get coated with surface rust in a couple of days if the car's left parked.

***old-git*** · 21-09-2008, 08:23 PM

Well, at least there appears to be no rust on the bodywork.

A series 1 Lotus? Oh, dear.

I suggest that you sign up to some Lotus forums, as you are going to need all the help you can get. Lotuselan.net is pretty good. If you get stuck, you can always ask me. I may not be able to help, but at least we can cry together

**steve09** · 21-09-2008, 09:10 PM

whats wrong with a series one lotus???

they a handful to keep running nowadays?
Im guessing that there is going to be some big ongoing fight to keep it on the road from what you said OG

**fingers** · 21-09-2008, 09:21 PM

The early Lotus's were alway a bugger to keep on the road, lets just say they have reliability issues. I will do the same with this as I do with everything, when it goes wrong, find the weak point and improve it. This one's starting with a new fuse box moved to a location where it wont fill up with water every time it rains.

Thanks for the tip old-git, I had already signed up to a owners forum before I took delivery of the car.

**timmy** · 21-09-2008, 09:36 PM

she got to be a bond car /yes

***old-git*** · 21-09-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmy

she got to be a bond car /yes

Almost, the Bond car was an Esprit.

***HDi fun*** · 21-09-2008, 11:28 PM

Yay, the days when 200bhp made for a fast car. Lightweight and designed for a purpose.

**enViSioN** · 22-09-2008, 03:53 AM

Man when you totally restore it, it will be awesome

***waynne*** · 22-09-2008, 09:59 AM

Looking like a good project Fingers. I wish you sucess. The Bond Lotus went underwater and they didn't have trouble with water in the fuse box!

**fingers** · 23-09-2008, 09:50 PM

lol, thats because 'Q' Branch had modified it.

New fuse box turned up today so I will have a play with that at the week end, see if I can get something to work. Have taken a couple of the wheels to work to polish them up, when I have finished one I will post a photo.

**fingers** · 28-09-2008, 07:14 PM

Quick update. Most of the electrics now work. Have discovered the fuel line isn't blocked, just disconnected. Now reconnected. I found some3 very iffy wiring under the bonnet, we're talking twist the wires together and tape them up. Have redone half the wiring under the bonnet now, all fresh wire there in a nice and tidy loom now.
Here's a quick photo before I started, I'll take another when I have finished.

**fingers** · 30-09-2008, 07:49 PM

Finished one of my Wheels today, it took 5 lunch hours to do but the result is superb.
From this

to this

**steve09** · 30-09-2008, 09:40 PM

mmmmm nice an shiney, looking good fingers, now all ya gotta do it get the other three to the same standard.

dont anymore of the electrics yet? and does the vacuum for the headlights work yet?

**lutonmatt** · 30-09-2008, 10:18 PM

that looks very good i do like the look them

***waynne*** · 01-10-2008, 08:44 AM

That is as good as new. Nice job. What did you use?

**fingers** · 01-10-2008, 11:15 PM

I took the surface of the wheels using a Nylon wheel (bit like a wire wheel but wont score the alloy) and then I used polishing rubbers. They are not unlike eraser rubbers but they are gritted. spent an hour or so using that and then I used some G3 cutting compound (usually used for mopping paint) with a buffer attachment on my dremel for a couple of hours. Then spent a good hour using the G3 by hand to remove any tooling marks left by the buffer. Cleaned the wheel with thinners and laquered it. Very time consuming but well worth it. If I remember to take my camera into work I ill get some photo's taken while I do the next one.

**DETHTATS** · 02-10-2008, 07:21 AM

good luck with the car and the rims look great but I have to agree with lutonmatt-give me the charger any day! Nothing says rebellion like the General Lee!!!