New member - new owner

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Oi_Oi_Savaloy
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Oi_Oi_Savaloy »

Has anyone managed to use Landrover headlight supports, or change to land rover headlights? I'm looking at Bearmach (there are other shops of course) and it just feels like there's a solution there. Then I'd put led's in and hey presto.

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Hawaiis0
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Hawaiis0 »

I used the 7 in half bowls.
Hawaiis0 wrote:
Thu Dec 25, 2014 21:32
First Christmas Pressie
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Second Pressie
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Drill out old retaining rivets

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Off

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The half bowl is too large for the aperture so off with its head

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Using each of the lower holes of the 2 old right hand fixing points (rh as you look at piccy) - Drill 3 new holes. 2 large ones at 12 and 9 o'clock position to recess the level setting screw bosses and a smaller new one through the plate for a rivet on the left side.

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Rivet and build. Voila! If you screw the adjusters in enough, the old bezel can be held in place too between the lens carrier and bowl ring

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Nothing is fool proof. Fools are clever!

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Hawaiis0
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Hawaiis0 »

Dont cut the half bowl off if you do it. enlarge the pod hole. You lose rigidity otherwise. Lesson learnt :oops: :roll: :D
Nothing is fool proof. Fools are clever!

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Alan_M
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Alan_M »

Oi_Oi_Savaloy wrote:
Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:56
Then I'd put led's in and hey presto.
Don’t forget, depending on date of registration this could be an MOT failure now - https://classicandsportscar.com/news/le ... gal-or-not

Oi_Oi_Savaloy
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Oi_Oi_Savaloy »

Hawaiis and Alan M - thanks for your input......the cut off for LED's is currently 1986 (can't remember the date) and as mine is an '87.......so it'll be 7inch bowls with nightbreakers or whatever the equivalent bulb is at the moment.

What about fog lamps - are people changing them to driving lamps? And is there an alternative to those too?

And finally - how do you get at the barge boards (the bits of rotten wood inside the front clam that supposedly stop detritus from getting into the light pod area?)

There must be a how to or something - but couldn't find it in the technical sub forums.....mind you I have a habit of 'not reading the question' so probably skipped over it.

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MetBlue
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by MetBlue »

The barge boards are also a significant part of the frontal crash performance.
I've never replaced one yet, but I believe it is generally done from within the head lamp pod.
There are numerous posts, some including dimensions of the board shape you need to prepare. I think some of the restorations on TLF definitely cover it, but seem to recall Neil posted some detail.
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.

Oi_Oi_Savaloy
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Oi_Oi_Savaloy »

Thanks Metblue - I'll have another look. I was thinking of adding a thin plastic splash guard to the side exposed to the road spray but it's definitely something I'm going to tackle. Even if it's sealing the existing boards and using something else to protect them.

Oi_Oi_Savaloy
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Oi_Oi_Savaloy »

I've also just added a post in the memorabilia section about some of the paraphernalia I've got that came as part of the history of the car. Original press releases from the 1986 International Motorshow, announcing the SA etc and other original brochures too.

Just letting people know.

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Excel SA
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Excel SA »

I'm pretty sure the crash panels need to be replaced from the enter of the car - don't think you'll get them in through the light pods. Removal of the bumper and radiator ducting will be required at least.

Have a look here https://majcd213.blogspot.com/2016/05/r ... anels.html

I'm sure there are a few other posts around on the subject as well.

Neil.

Oi_Oi_Savaloy
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Oi_Oi_Savaloy »

More added to the history & memorabilia section.

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Alan_M
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Alan_M »

Excel SA wrote:
Fri Apr 08, 2022 09:19
I'm pretty sure the crash panels need to be replaced from the enter of the car - don't think you'll get them in through the light pods. Removal of the bumper and radiator ducting will be required at least.

Have a look here https://majcd213.blogspot.com/2016/05/r ... anels.html

I'm sure there are a few other posts around on the subject as well.

Neil.
Yes, you will need to remove radiator and support panel to get to them from underneath. You can make your own - if doing make sure it’s a marine quality board, or I bought mine from Lotus its. Not fitted yet, but old ones removed.

Oi_Oi_Savaloy
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Oi_Oi_Savaloy »

And there's more! Managed to grab a total of about 90 mins today on and off, in between other jobs/stuff.

Last night a friend and I managed to get one of the recalcitrant headlight motors working again. We both made the mistake of taking the wrong bit off (cue us scrabbling around for two v small springs and then both us trying.....for ages to get everything lined up and back in afterwards). Especially frustrating when we realised that it's actually the 3 contacts in the round element (pictures below) that actually make all the difference. Hey ho.. All sorted.

So now that we'd fixed one we could hear the other not doing so well but we ran out of time (and no pics taken as we needed every finger and thumb at one point trying to the bits back together.

Today was different. We took the bonnet off (two man job) then he left and I then took out the headlight and then the actual motor itself. And then i unscrewed the two pertinent screws, pushed the three contact tabs up (carefully) and then put it all back together again. I also took a picture of the part number as an aide memoire too.

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Whilst cleaning out underneath the headlight pod and motor;

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(note the barge board is much worse condition this side of the car - possibly because it sees more puddles etc being closest to the pavement/crown of the roads ensures more water sits on this side of the car). I also noticed that a wire had snapped (looks like a clean break.)

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I stripped both ends thinking that this would be a 2 min job only to be confronted with 3 v v small wires within.....so not a 2 min job at all then.

Can anyone tell me what it does please?

It looks like it disappears towards the fog lamp (through a grommet) so I thought it was that.....but the fog light works ....so it's nothing to do with the light. Help! :)

I also changed various lightbulbs....noting the deterioration of the mirror finishes behind. I've got some spares of these from some trailer lights I changed - wondering if the lotus ones can be bought separately? I can see they unscrew but are replacements available or just go down my trailer reflector route?

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And finally, whilst inspecting the pod I'd taken out I noticed that someone has autographed it - I'm assuming by someone at Lotus from 1986/87.

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Do we know a Doug?

More to follow tomorrow - I'm going to see If I can take a run at the drivers seat and get that sorted. Failing that I'm going to start carefully taking the sound deadening off the inside of the bonnet. It's in a horrible condition and I also need to get out the windscreen washer piping - it's perished/gone brittle in places and all of it needs sorting.

Might even save a bit of weight - but also interested to hear thoughts on that too. What have people used to replace it with?

Onwards!
Last edited by Oi_Oi_Savaloy on Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:24, edited 1 time in total.

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Excel SA
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Excel SA »

The broken wire is probably the Ice Detection sensor - other end of the wire runs into the passenger footwell and connects to the module in there.

Neil.

KevW
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by KevW »

Oi_Oi_Savaloy wrote:
Fri Apr 08, 2022 08:30
Hawaiis and Alan M - thanks for your input......the cut off for LED's is currently 1986 (can't remember the date) and as mine is an '87.......so it'll be 7inch bowls with nightbreakers or whatever the equivalent bulb is at the moment.

What about fog lamps - are people changing them to driving lamps? And is there an alternative to those too? .
I found the standard Hella front fog lamps are actually useless as fog lamps so I changed the bulbs over to SMD leds and now use them as a sort of manually switched DRL. MOT was passed last week without comment from the tester
Kev W no.282

Oi_Oi_Savaloy
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Re: New member - new owner

Post by Oi_Oi_Savaloy »

Managed to get some time this afternoon to finish the drivers seat off. It's not turned out as neat as I'd hoped but it's definitely worked - the seat is back to an equivalence with the passenger seat's firmness/suppleness.

It's debatable whether I needed the horse mat thing but I really don't want to revisit this so went with it (I think it spreads the load better than just the 4 straps on their own.)

I realise some of the straps are not uniform (bits are sticking out) but the clasps moved the straps as I tightened them and sadly, I wasn't born with 6 arms so just had to go with it.

I then popped the adjusting frame back on to the seat and it's now ready to go back in the car. I'm buying new bolts and nuts (and wide washers) at 8.8 to replace the well worn ones that came off the car. the bolts seem ok but the nuts aren't and you know what? I'm changing the whole lot.

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I've missed some rusty elements on the adjustable frame so I'm going to take it off, sand those bits down, bilt hamber and then metal paint them, before they go back into the car. But I've left as is now simply because there's less chance of the adjusting frame being moved inadvertently if it's left on it's own.

And finally; that snapped wire in the headlight recess. It isn't 3 wires as I'd said in a previous post, it's two (red and blue) with some very fine filament strands (like a weave almost) that I mistook as a 3rd wire. Anyhoo....I joined (temporarily) red to red and bleu to bleu and hey presto....it works! So next job is to join them properly/more robustly and shrink wrap for protection before moving on to other jobs.

Temporary bodge so see if things were alive....:

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Following a suggestion on retro rides (I'm copying this thread to that board) I have named the car 'doug' after the fella that signed the light pod. I refer to her as a girl (the car, not doug the fibreglass bloke) but nevertheless....Doug it is!

I'm rapidly running out of excuses not to tackle the carbs. Need to make a clean and brightly lit space first however.

In other news I've taken the sound deadening off the inside of the bonnet and uncovered yet more brittle/cracked windscreen washer hose. All that will get replaced.

What have people done to replace the thick sound deadening - I fancy putting something back a little less thick (and maybe a tad lighter too?)

'Til next time mes amis.

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