Elite restoration begins!

[Pete Boole]

Sure you got shiney ones but saw these covers

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Twin-C ... SwzWFeUCMi

Yes I've seen those - they look like they've been well done. They'll still leak though!!

Pete

[Pete Boole]

Bit more progress today but this is not a job I want to do too often:



Once I realised I had to remove the hub to realign the holes for the damper locating bolt it wasn't too bad actually. Notice the Land Rover parts box - replacement master cylinder for the brakes - 20% of the cost of one from SJ!!

Spanner I made to hold the hub while tightening the hub nut:



Pete

[don.hasi]

Interesting detail with your pro tip spanner.

When I look at your tidy suspension the wish to take the magnificent alu hub on the coffee table or wall system grows every second... it doesn't just have 2 functions in the old chapman way it is also a thing of beauty.

[Pete Boole]

You're right Don - it's going to be terrible when it gets all dirty! I can see how some cars end up as trailer queens. Not sure SWMBO will allow such abstract wall art though

Pete

[shaunw]

I've got a feeling that you're going to get many people offering you good money to restore a car for them when they see the quality of this restoration Pete!

Shaun

[Pete Boole]

Thanks Shaun - but I'm retired!! . I'm really enjoying the restoration as well.

Pete

[Pete Boole]

Visco-elastic damping sheet applied. Excuse the Acrow prop in the way - it's part of the body lifting gear.



On top of this will be a thin layer of open cell acoustic foam which will be trapped between the body and chassis.

Pete

[DavidOliver]

Gearbox. In my Elite I broke a tooth on first gear when accelerating strongly.
Is it worth opening up your box for review as you are doing so much to the rest of the car?
An easy job by just separating the top covers. Check the synchros.

Dave the cog.

[Pete Boole]

I'm using a Getrag 'box so I'm hoping it will be OK! I did think about dismantling it to check it but decided against that - I'll fix it if it doesn't work

Pete

[Pete Boole]

I wanted to fit ventilated discs to the front of the car along with Mintex 1144 pads. I spent HOURS searching the internet for a readily available disc that I could modify slightly to fit. The main problem is that virtually all the discs I saw have a significant offset and the Elite has virtually none. The second problem is that most modern discs are a larger diameter but with shallower pads. Even the rotors supplied by the likes of Wilwood and Hi-Spec wont accept a deep pad in the diameter that you need. I finally found one in the AP Racing catalogue and as luck would have it because it's very popular you can get cheaper copies of the same rotor. It is the Group 4 "Forest" Escort rotor. It is actually a couple of millimetres bigger on the o/d, but that just gives a bit more metal for the heat to sink into.

So a couple of weeks ago I pulled the trigger and ordered a pair:




So I've spent all weekend in the shed!








So now I've got ventilated discs

The calipers are easy because the last of the E-types used ventilated discs so you can get caliper spacers.

I feel like I'm making a bit of progress again

Pete

[Lotus-e-Clan]

Flippin' heck Pete are you uprating the Elite engine to 250+ bhp? (hence vented discs) for use on track days etc?

The Excel's 180 BHP (and the Clan's 110 BHP) means one doesn't really need big brakes to scrub off speed before cornering because high cornering speeds are possible, and high straight line speeds are improbable.

[Pete Boole]

Building a 2.5 litre N/A engine. I hope to use the car for tours on the continent - a friend recently cycled up/down the Stelvio pass and said what a superb place it would be in the Elite. Hence the vented discs! I'm also awaiting the delivery of an Eaton supercharger!! . Not sure if the diff will take it!

Pete

[Lotus-e-Clan]

Building a 2.5 litre N/A engine. I hope to use the car for tours on the continent - a friend recently cycled up/down the Stelvio pass and said what a superb place it would be in the Elite. Hence the vented discs! I'm also awaiting the delivery of an Eaton supercharger!! . Not sure if the diff will take it!
Pete

Oh, OK I see now why you might want something in reserve.

Ps. I must admit I do fancy a 2.5 (when the time comes for a rebuild) ...so I wonder is there worthwhile savings on the £10K that LB want to build one .. or do the uprated, lightened reciprocating parts consume the majority of the quoted £10K?

[Hawaiis0]

... reciprocating parts consume the majority of the quoted £10K?

VAT on top

[Pete Boole]

You could probably save a couple of thousand by building it yourself.

Pete