Lotus Elan Central

Creating this thread to track the return of Rosie to the road. To preface, I had been following BaT, eBay, Hemmings, and this site for months, looking for that special something, when unexpectedly over Christmas, Rosie appeared. Something in my hometown, for a low price? Must be too good to be true; well, yes and no. Like many Craigslist specials, she has a list of issues that made several of you shake your head and point me elsewhere, but those captivating curves and purr she still had suggested she has many more stories to tell. And I'm planning to be the one to get those stories out of her, all for your entertainment. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, but all will make you glad that I tried; for 'tis better to have loved and lost (money), than never to have spent at all.

Rosie's been stuck outside waiting around for 20 years, anxious to get on the road again. Here is what needs to happen before she can start stretching her legs:

Isolate the problem and fix her gas leak(s) at the fuel tank, when turned on. (Milk jug welded 3 cracks) -Done 4/25/20
Replace Fuel Filter - Done 3/1/20
Wheels, Brakes, Suspension
- Front: rebuilt calipers, new pads, and new rotors -Done 5/22/20
- Rear: new calipers, new pads, Left hub rebuilt -Done 5/23/20
Top up fluids
- Brake Fluid replaced -Done 5/22/20
- PAS added -Done 5/23/20
De-rust, protect, paint parts as needed
-goal: by March '20
-actual: end of May 20(LOTS of cleaning, de-rusting, repainting scope creep, and gas tank retries)

Then to get her registered in Texas as a classic, there are a few other safety check items:

LH Headlamp pod won't come up -bushings replaced 2/20
Horn; replace buttons and both horns -Done 1/26/20
Wiper blades -Done 10/21/2022
A + B + C service (fluids and filters ordered)
Replace the timing belt/waterpump (kit ordered)
Clean hydraulic lifters -Done 3/21
Replace head gasket -Done 5/21
Clean fuel injectors -Done 7/20
Replace Thermostat, gasket -Done 5/21
Replace oil cooler pipes -Done 3/22
Rebuild power steering rack seals -deferred
Repack driveshafts; Replace CV boots and seals (Rt & Lft) Rt only; Lft deferred 11/20
Front suspension, clean, protect (Rt & Lft) Rt only; Lft deferred 12/20
-goal: by April '20

Everything else they check for in Texas should be working well enough.
-actual: end of October 2022 (I think the takeaway here is that anyone attempting to revive a car that has sat for 20+ years should just plan on replacing all the seals from the get-go)

Next up, making her feel presentable:

Upgrade brakes to steel braided lines -Done June/11/22
Port the Wastegate -Done Jan/21
Rebuild rt rear hub/bearings; Clean/protect suspension.
Getting the trunk open and clean lock (what junk is locked in her trunk?) -Done 6/20/20
Fix the glove box latch -Done 7/20
Clean the interior (just with off the shelf stuff for now) -Done 8/20
-Carpets
-Consoles
-Seats
Open up the RH door to redo trim, clean the lock mechanisms, and reseat the glass (motors work on both doors, but butterfly clips needed!)
Open up LH door to redo trim and clean lock (probably good prevention to replace clips too)
Replacing the convertible top fabric (will need to make do with the current seals for now)
Get a new windshield (Isuzu Impulse, where are you? Probably let the expert$ put this in)
-goal: by September

Then, making her feel like a night on the town:

Make sure the A/C's blowing cold
Chase down the electric mirror short -Done 6/10/20
Paint touchup (Rattle cans, if I can bear it, to at least get a new layer of clearcoat on)
Get the leather reconditioned
Upgrade to heated seats
Upgrade to a trunk release
Fixing whatever else broke along the way
-goal: by 2021

Finally, making her feel like a gal half her age (because at this point it's only money, right?):

Performance Clutch
Performance Chip
Performance Tires
Performance Suspension
Stainless exhaust
New carpet and soundproofing
Full Respray
Decals and logos

And then if she still hasn't left me for a richer guy, instead of anniversary diamond earrings, I'll get her a pair of new convertible seals.
Thanks for following Rosie's journey. Let's hope it is a long one!
-TH

---
10/8/20 Progress key added to signature
No repair/restoration needed
Resto - not started
Resto - in progress
Resto - majority done
Restored to service

Sounds like a good plan with most items covered. You may also want to look at the following areas too:

Water hoses : replace with silicone type. These are available as a Fed kit.

Inspect then if needed repair or replace suspension wishbones/arms. They rust from the inside, so not always an obvious fault.

Just my initial observations: others might post one or two extra things to do.

Most of what you are planning to do has been done already and there will be threads on here covering it. If not just ask.

Good luck and keep going; patience will reward you.

Great!
My kind of project! And I think you have a good project car and a sensible approach - watch out for project creep.

Do lots of reading (the manual is quite good), assume that you can't get parts, and ask lots of questions here.

Read the section on windscreen replacement, before assuming that your local fitter is going to get a highly raked curved screen on flush.

On your last section "performance" suspension and clutch are debatable! And you'll be lucky to get new badges.

....and as many photos as you can possibly manage please - we love them!

Very best of luck. It’s great that another car is being saved.

Well, It's good to see that all the posts on your other thread saying "it looks like a lot of work" didn't put you off....

...fair enough, it IS a lot of work, but you have made the first bit easy by breaking it down into chunks of what needs doing in what order to get where you want.

I hope that you are able to keep to your timescale, but it is a lot to do in a year.... especially as you will find various 'offshoots' for your attention as you go along - project-creep always rears its head and makes for a much tighter schedule (but a nicer end result).

It wasn't mentioned, but you may also want to look at a new set of tyres (depending how long the current ones have been sitting in the Texan sunshine).

Some of your jobs are quick and easy, some a little more intense, but all are achieveable by a competent/confident home mechanic (or someone who is prepared to learn along the way).

Your location is a double-edged sword - there are less Elans in USA than UK, but many of the service items are far more common over there - as such. parts can be a bit of a mystery, so don't be afraid to ask! (For example, the engine/gearbox bits are pretty much Isuzu Impulse, but with a few exceptions - rear brakes are Olds Cutlass Supreme (but left and right hand swapped over!) - front brakes are from various other GM series cars of the age...... all easy enough to get bits for in USA.... The Lotus - specific parts are getting quite scarce everywhere now, but many have been remade, or adapted from something else.

Basically, have fun, and just ask if you want/need anything (parts/help/advice).

Awesome, thanks so much to everyone already! Progress pics as soon I make progress on something. If only I didn't have to work during the week

Clean Clean and Clean again.

Settling into the long weekend. Hoping for horn repair; headlight repair; trunk access
Horn repair
Got the little mini-switches in the mail and before I try to solder them into place, I cleaned up the airbag with the integrated horn presses. The surface condition was horrible and the vinyl/rubber had come away from the under structure at the edges, where the horn press was.

Removed the airbag by following the SIR manual: No current to bag as car battery had been out all week; flipped the little orange tab and then just used pliers to pull the connector apart.

Got the heat gun (ahem, hair dryer) and warmed the vinyl up

Was able to mash it back together mostly by hand. I don't know what the under structure is made of, but it would crumble if I put too much pressure on, like with pliers. So just tried to work it over the lip of the structure by hand. Went ahead and used a sharpie to color the edge around the vinyl so if any of the understructure is visible, it will be dark and not distractingly white.

Cleaned the thing multiple times, from using surface cleaner, to soap and water with a scrubber, to goo be gone. Kept getting better, but white residue kept showing in the cracks. Have some old toothbrush heads, so just went to town on it and it seemed to have worked. Will get a final shot once I put the horn switches in.

For the rest of the horn, I also need to chase down a short, I think. Though the horn switches are mostly shot, while the battery was in, I could get what felt like a connection, and I would hear a click in the relay behind the dash. Switched out the relay with the AC one next to it and could get the same clicking. So I'm thinking there is a short between relay and actual horns. Will open up the wheel well tomorrow and check it out.
Headlight
And of course I need to remove the other wheel well, to get to my broken headlight motor. Got the bushings in the mail, so will aim for that too.
Trunk
And as I am learning, in order to get to one part, you need to take three other parts off first. I'd like to get access to remove the piston so that I can take off the wishbone, but my truck lock won't open. I have the right key though, since it works on the door locks (so I don't think a locksmith would help). I hit the lock with WD-40 and it sat for days but still no luck. I cleaned the softtop bay thinking that I might get access by removing the hinges from that side and lifting the lid off, but it looks like the nuts are captive by some tack welds, so I'm not trying that. Depending on how momentum goes on my other jobs, I might just drill out the lock tomorrow.

Time to recharge

Great progress and always good to get things fixed rather than modified.

Try pressing down or sideway on the trunk lid to take the load off the lock arm turning the key should not require any effort.

TorqueHorse wrote:I might just drill out the lock tomorrow.

You might just regret that! And It might not unlock your trunk.

Simon_P wrote:Do lots of reading (the manual is quite good), assume that you can't get parts, and ask lots of questions here.

see "Help I've locked my keys in the boot/trunk" I'm sure someone will have the instructions saved which they might share with you privately. Besides where will you get a new lock with matching key?

Keep up the progress!

Simon_P wrote:Great progress and always good to get things fixed rather than modified.

Try pressing down or sideway on the trunk lid to take the load off the lock arm turning the key should not require any effort.

TorqueHorse wrote:I might just drill out the lock tomorrow.

You might just regret that! And It might not unlock your trunk.

Simon_P wrote:Do lots of reading (the manual is quite good), assume that you can't get parts, and ask lots of questions here.

see "Help I've locked my keys in the boot/trunk" I'm sure someone will have the instructions saved which they might share with you privately. Besides where will you get a new lock with matching key?

Keep up the progress!

The US / FED Trunk lid and latch system is different from the UK version so the method that works on the other cars won't work.

It is very possible that the lock has been changed so the door keys are not correct for the trunk. A Locksmith would be a good option before you screw up the lock.

I have several USED, good condition airbags I have scrounged from wrecks. None has the plastic material missing that your pictures are showing.

An airbag can "go off" with just static caused by excessive cleaning and could be fatal.

I have a LOT of good, used parts from the scrounged wrecks as well as a LOT of NEW parts from Lotus. I can also provide pictures of parts if you need comparisons.

Use the manuals found at the link in my signature to identify the correct way to fix the car.

Horn update - tooting like a champ
Learned my timelines are waaayyy off Having fun learning along the way.

Got the wheel well off and found a little mouse paradise. Will share the mouse nest in the air duct photos later. Chased a bunch of other false leads in the glovebox assuming it was wiring instead of just testing the leads at the horn in the first place. Duh - horns were both shot, in addition to the switches (But wires and relays between are fine).


Wrestled with getting the old horns off, finally found an extender worked best. While I was there, I discovered lots of items that need attention: Front suspension ARB joint; AC compressor looks shot with oil buildup around it; and the oil cooler hoses have a bit of oily residue around the ferrules. I'll wait until I get the engine running again and some pressure on them to see if more comes out. Fun!


Got creative with the placement of the replacement horns (which didn't fit in the old spot) by bending a bracket piece that came with them. Placed the wheel well up to check and it just fits.


Cleaned up the area as best I could with a surface wipe.


Ended up that the micro switches I got friction fit just right into the existing switch housing and the throw of the signal arm, is just about the same as the play in the old plunger button. I just clipped the wires that were there and soldered 'em to the micro switches after drilling out a new access hole in the sides of the housing. If I ever want to go and refurb the original plunger type buttons in the housing it should still work, just need to resolder the leads. Had to solder a bit more into the ground wire for it all to fit without tension on the airbag.


After fitting a couple times and rejiggering the orientation of the switches and solder bits, and building back the loose mess of the steering column shroud and recentering the wheel (the guy who sold it must have been monkeying around on this all for some reason) I got it all back in place (as best I can with the sun warped/aged pieces). There is still a gap at the top of the horns, but it looks relatively neat, and most importantly, the horns work when you press the horn area. First complete fix done, many more to go

I'm getting antsy to be able to turn the motor over again to diagnose more problems. I'm thinking I should just go for fixing the fuel tank next. I could do more little things like rebuild the brake calipers to build up my confidence, but really the whole front suspension, drive shafts, and power steering are going to need to get broken down and then rebuilt, so I could just do that then too. The fuel tank is the one that scares me and is exciting because it requires getting into that rear wishbone and learning all that. And if I can't fix it myself, its one of the critical path items that would really affect how I spend the budget for the restoration, so I'd like to get that behind me sooner so I can plan better for the other big tickets.
If I were to do the fuel tank, I've read the threads about how to get the car high, remove the wishbone (not just loosen), pry the tank out, and weld it. What I don't know is how to disconnect the lines without the little Lotus tool; if there are any tips/tricks? Also, seems like there are lots of little o-rings in this area made from special composition. I'm not seeing anything on SJ for sale related to that. Any tips on replacements if an o-ring needs attention too?

My current sequencing plan:
Fix fuel tank (unlocks being able to even turn the engine over in my driveway)
In the process it should also identify rear suspension areas in need of attention later
Drive (< 5 miles) to diagnose more around fluid leaks and brake/front suspension suspects
In the process get more confidence/clarity about A/C compressor, alternator, turbo, radiator, oil cooler?
Breakdown and rebuild front suspension, drive shafts, power steering, wheel bearings, and brakes
While that crap is off, do the fluids, filters and belt services
Replace whatever is really busted that I found during the drive test? Hose upgrade, if there is still budget for this phase.
Put humpdy-dumpty back together again
Should be almost drivable at this point and my other fixes should be isolated after that?

Also, anyone have a torque wrench they really like? I'm thinking the 100 ft/lb ~130nm range would be a good starting place, or is that too much for day to day on the car?
Thanks!

Hi,

I see nothing wrong with your plan of attack on this car - there is no 'right' way to do it, but a few 'wrong' ones..... yours is a good approach in that you have a plan (which will last until you get the first bolt undone, and then spot something else to fix "while you're there")......

For the 'special Lotus tool' for undoing the fuel tank connections, all you need to realise is that the only requirement is to release a locking tab internally to the fitting - a bit like (in fact, exactly like) re-usable plastic push-fit home plumbing fixings.... I assume you have those in USA??? (not everywhere does!)

The difference being that on a plumbing fitting, you can see the ring you need to push to release the fitting, but on the fuel tank ones, you can't.....

..... all you actually have to do is push a couple of suitable 'pins' into the 2 holes in the face of the fitting to release the collar and pop the fitting off the solid pipe.....

.... a couple of tiny 'jewellery screwdrivers' will do the job, as will a couple of pop-rivets, or anything else which fits the holes....... you can even build a special tool if you want to, but there is no need.

As far a torque wrenches go, I am spoilt in that I have about half a dozen in the garage (plus one in the boot of each car) - mainly in the 'up to 180Nm' half-inch-drive range.... these will allow anything from 'quite lose' bolts at 20Nm all the way past wheel bolts (85Nm) and up to engine bolts, suspension bolts etc. The only things is won't reach are the driveshaft nuts and the engine bottom pulley nut (and these are so seldom needed that you are better off getting someone to check them for you after 'guessing' the correct tightness). I also have a 3/8" drive unit with a range of 10-80Nm which is my 'go to' unit for most things on most vehicles.

Thanks for the sounding board advice. And haha, I've never seen those plumbing fittings, but they look cool and would have saved me a lot of headache in my life but I get the picture, thanks! Torque wrench advice is helpful too; just means I need even more toys. And thanks Brit-car-nut for the parts offer, I'm sure I'll be hitting you up as I get in more substantial jobs

Gas Tank update - leak 1 discovered
Started cracking into getting access to the gas tank. The tip about the jeweler's screwdrivers worked great. I had some tiny picks and the feed and return hoses came off no problem. Have those plugged now, waiting until I can get the straps off below.
I put some more gas in the tank and discovered at least one leak. You can see some bad epoxy(?) repair as a white blob spot under the strap, top of the photo. Was able to just pick that junk off by hand while gas oozed out from underneath.

Started to get at loosening the wishbone. Happy that I got the brakeline off today (without breaking anything) and most of the joints loosened up. Had to hang up the ratchet set after that though, because I spent most of yesterday getting the wheel off to gain access (and busting my 3/8" ratchet in the process - can't wait for the new torque wrench). Now I've gotten 3/4 wheels off the car. Not looking forward to the last one, whenever that is.

Also had to refit my car cover so it actually fits. Hopefully 3rd time's the charm (lots of stapling, sewing, and resewing). Was 80/26 here today, yet talk of snow later this week. At least rain for sure, so I better be prepared. Maybe I'll get a few more joints undone over the week, but I doubt it.

Hi Torquehorse, in case you don’t know, there should be double nuts on the bolts holding the fuel tank straps on.

Thanks! Ironically, I'm sure I'll be cursing something like that this weekend "Nuts, nuts, and double nuts!"
And...it did snow tonight. Typical Texas. I did get both of the headlight motors off before the weather turned though. That left hand side was a bear, but at least I started there so I was crying tears of joy with how easy the right side was in comparison. Hoping to have a couple small jobs running in parallel like this when the weather turns, or I don't have dedicated swaths of time on the weekend to work on big stuff.

Fuel tank out - 3 cracks discovered so far
Was able to get the wishbone out, and I can't imagine doing the job with it in the way. I had the car jacked up to 16" of clearance to the underside of the car at the jack point. As it was, I left the anti-roll bar and the suspension strut in place. It would have been fine, except that the tank has so many cracks/leaks that as I was tilting the tank to get out, gas kept spilling out. I guess its obvious, but less stuff in the way, and less spatial manipulation you need to do with the tank to get it out. The lock nut wasn't a problem to get off and then I could just socket wrench the bolt from above. The tank had a little bit of friction to get out, but it seemed to be just the filler hose neck getting hung up on the pass-through hole in the body. In the photo, you can see I had a stool under the tank to support it after the straps were out of the way (and you only need to undo the top bolts of the straps; they pivot out of the way on the bottom anchors). Once the filler neck was clear of the hole, the tank came right down.

One big pain was the balance pipes. Even with the spring clips off, the hoses would not come off the tank nipples. I was worried that I'd torque the nipple off as I pulled the hoses, if I slipped or did it in the wrong direction. The stool helped here too, because the tank was able to be a few inches down to give me room to actually get my hand in there to work the hoses off from above. I ended up using my little picks to get under the lip of the hose and 'push' the lip of the hose off while I pulled it with the other hand.

It did the trick, but then with all that jostling, the breather pipe came off of one of those speed fit connections in the process. I don't know if I would have had great access to that, but that seemed like it would have been way easier to just do that instead of the two balance pipes.

By this point it was dark, so hopefully photos of the tank cracks and fuel pump assembly tomorrow. Cracks found (so far) at the filler neck, crack at the top on the other side, and a crack at the bottom that we've seen before.

San Andreas sized cracks - Whose fault is it? I dunno, but it's a full plate of work. Ba dump dump.
I get how the filler neck crack can happen, and I could imagine something kicked up from the road putting a crack in the bottom, but how in the heck did the other crack happen? And after going through old posts on the site, it looks like this is a common failure location.
Neck

Bottom

Common spot on the side?

I could hear the pump working when the battery was attached, and the car did start when I bought it, so I'm assuming it is ok. Couple questions though:
Does anyone know if the fuel level float sends info back to the gauge when the key is in ACC or ON position, without starting the car first? I'll plug it in to check before I put the tank back, but would be nice to know if I'd just run into a false negative.
And any ideas to replace/substitute the missing foam squares (I only found three of them and I think there should be 7)? I'd prefer to not have to do this again soon due to not having the tank properly supported. Weld, I better get back to work now...

There was a Fuel Tank recall and the instructions explain that there are 7 foam rubber pads.