Interior Makeover

[Elanlover]

Nice work! I had to look twice then read before I figured out how you got your stock seats to look so good!

nice job, bro!

Let me know when the car's ready to come back to California

When you promise not to paint it green and put a big yellow stripe down the middle Of course, when that time comes, it'll speak Canadian eh - could be a problem for a new American owner huh?

[Elanlover]

OK, spring is upon us and its time to get to all those projects I said I'd do over the winter

Been working on three remote releases for the car: trunk, tonneau and gas. The tonneau is a pain (as Fed drivers will know) having to go to the other side of the car to access the release (the gas release would be the same for UK drivers). I've installed release with the solenoid tucked away next to the battery. I drilled a hole above the place where the current cable runs, ran another cable through and connected iut with wire clamps to the existing cable. Had a custom button made for the release from Autoloc which ligths red when the panel lights are on. Struggling with the trunk now as everything works but the trunk won't latch shut when I close it The gas flap will be a problem as there appears to be no place to attach a cable to.

[speed-demon]

We don't have any problems with our fuel release because it's next to the fuel cap which is also next to the pump you park next to. But opening the passenger door is a bit daft! Why Lotus didn't just fit a locking cap I'll never know... Sometimes I think the people that designed parts on our cars (digital clock springs to mind) were all high on exhaust fumes or something.

Your mods look good though. A boot release would be a great addition. When I had my alarm fitted I asked for a remote boot release but it's not possible as there is nothing to wire to in the first place or something along those lines (too technical for my understanding).

[Specky]

I guess the Gas flap release mechanism is the same as the UK....

It's a typical bowden cable that goes in to a swaged end, infact any bike brake cable would do the job.

you'd be able to mount the solenoid anywhere and operate it as you like.

TTFN

[Elanlover]

Yes, but the problem is trying to find a place to attach another cable. The trunk release was easy as you only need to attach the cable to the lever of the lock mechanism. The tonneau was harder since there's already a cable there. I was able to use cable clamps to clamp a new pull wire to the existing bare wire that runs inside the first lock mechanism (its unjacketed inside that catch bracket). So, when activated, the new cable just pulls the old cable. I was hoping to do the same with the filler flap release but there doesn't seem to be any bare cable anywhere. All I can see is the jacketed part of the cable running right into the body behind the filler flap.

I'll probably open the flap and release the single screw that holds the hook in place and see if I can get something attached in there somehow.

p.s. Specky, were you able to get a response on the clock as yet? Many thanks!

[Specky]

He's not got back, which is strange....

No out of office reply neither...

I'll chase next week

TTFN

[Elanlover]

Thank you kind sir. Now, back on topic.

Well, it was a bit tedious but I've managed to get a second pull cable into the filler release. For anyone who wants to know how (like you UK drivers who have to get out of the car and open the passenger door to fill up) here's how I did it.

I had to remove the black plastic filler flap latch which is held on by one screw and a retaining clip (spire nut). Be sure to get a hand on the spire nut or it will drop off when the screw is loose and probably be lost forever. Page 15, section LG of the Service manual has a handy diagram. The latch is opened when a cable with a swaged ball end that fits in a slot pulls back the plastic latch when the release hadle is pulled. There no room to simply slide another cable end in beside it so I carefully drilled a small hole next to where the existing cable end fits in the slot as well as one to exit the back of the latch piece next to where the existing cable exits. I then ran a bike cable through the two holes. The swaged ball end was too big on the bike cable so i just ground it down to ensure free movement.

I'll probably stick the solenoid near the tonneau one in the battery compartment.

[Specky]

I've heard that somewhere before......

Good skills fella...

What's next?

TTFN

[Elanlover]

Hopefully, the final revisions for the dash project which include an extra gauge, converting the slider fan speed control to a rotary dial like the other two, a new (smaller) AC switch, relocating the cig lighter to the oddments tray area and adding two small controls for the seat heating/cooling system. I also need to get the seats back in after mucking around with the fit some more.

[dapinky]

I've had a solenoid release on the boot for 3 years or so, and the fuel cap for 2 years......

The boot is fairly well documented, but i can't remember if i ever did the fuel cap write-up????????

It was a bit of a phaff, but i got there without using cables, and by drilling a hole between the boot (trunk!) and the filler neck. Then the solenoid could be mounted in such a way that it operated in the right direction to pull the lever which flips the latch, using a metal rod (bent to a bit of a strange shape to clear everything).

That way, the cable is retained exactly as original, so it can still be opened when the solenoid packs up, or we have a flat battery ( but why put fuel in a car with a flat battery????)

The first one i did took most of a day to sort out how to do it, the second one was completed in just over an hour, with an electric release (one car off a Saab, one off a Range Rover), which is hidden under the lid of the storage compartment in the armrest.

Makes it a hell of a lot easier at the petrol (gas!) station, especially when it's raining and the passenger moans when you have to open their door

[Elanlover]

I'm looking into replacing the torsion spring bars that run across the back wall of the trunk/boot with some gas springs/struts. There could be many reasons why someone would want to do this and mine is that i want to look at mounting a larger subwoofer on that wall pointing out into the tonneau and into the cabin. So, I need to eliminate the torsion springs in order to do this. Also, since integrating the 3rd brake light into the rear spoiler, the trunk lid has become heavier and tends to slam down more than I'd like it to.

I've been in contact with a couple of suppliers and am seeking their help. I'm hoping to do this without any modifications of the body (no drilling, hacking, etc.) by using the existing trunk and tonneau cover hinge mounting points for the struts as per the picture below. I'll update as it (hopefully) progresses.

[Doug]

is that a pass-thru hole from the boot to the main cabin I see in that pic??

[theelanman]

is that a pass-thru hole from the boot to the main cabin I see in that pic??

...
dunno but it looks like a bloody big amp

[Elanlover]

is that a pass-thru hole from the boot to the main cabin I see in that pic??

Where? You mean where the carpet is pulled back a bit between the amp (and yes its a big amp) and the hinge? If so then no - just a shadow. There's no pass though there. An interesting idea though for added storage room when the roof is up!

[Elanlover]

Ok, part 1 has been completed. I've installed mounting brackets for the gas struts as per the picture below. Pretty simple procedure really. The brackets had to be modified slightly by enlarging the holes to accept the existing hinge bolts. I had to pick up 2 longer (25mm) M6 bolts so I could mount the bracket that attached to the tonneau cover hinge plate. The balls on the brackets line up almost perfectly with these brackets (lucky guess from me ). The extended length of the required strut will be about 6 inches and 3 when compressed. Might be hard to find a strut to accomplish this but we'll see. Need to figure out the appropriate force requirements for the struts too.

[Sy V]

O... Need to figure out the appropriate force requirements for the struts too.

Yeah!
We don't want to endanger the local wildlife, do we?

[Elanlover]

Well, so much for a strut to fit those mounting points Can't get a strut with the required dimensions so I've just ordered a new (different) mounting bracket for the tonneau hinge plate location to push the ball further down in order to give the approximately 3 inch stroke needed but with a strut that will be about 9 inches fully extended. Round 2 will probably commence next week sometime.

Seen that commercial Sy but haven't considered installing the proximity triggered auto release mechanism yet

[Enright]

Seen that commercial Sy but haven't considered installing the proximity triggered auto release mechanism yet

If you like that one, then look out for the similar one (unless you're a cat lover).

[Elanlover]

Ok, after a long sabatical from working on the car we're on it again. Continuing on fromthis thread I've decided to replace the torsion spring that holds the trunk/boot lid up with some gas struts. So, in the last episode, our fearless hero (me) decided that he needed to order in a different mounting bracket for the bottom mount of the strut, temporarily install it and check for strut measurements. Which I did.

There's two challenges here. The first is making sure that the mounts are in a position where the strut won't be touching or rubbing against the bodywork (specifically the rear area of the trunk/boot opening) and finding a strut that has the right length when compressed and fully extended. The latter was the harder part but I think I've managed to find one. So, I'll be ordering them tomorrow but as they are described as a custom size it will take 2 - 3 weeks for them to ship. The price for the brackets was pretty cheap - about $2 ech and four are needed. The price for the struts are $95 each and two are needed. Now, if this works (and I believe it will) and there's interest in a group buy the price drops dramatically at higher volumes. For example, at 26+ (13 pairs) the price per strut drops to $55 each. Also, this is for a higher rated strut. I don't know how many of you are in your trunk every day but I'm certainly not. If you are opening and closing the trunk a couple of times a day then I suspect the lighter duty strut would suffice. The appropriate sized strut in this line could be as low as $30 each but I'll know more when I speak to them this Monday.

[Elanlover]

I'm going to merge this thread into my "Interior Makeover" thread in the Major Projects section.