Step by Silky Step

[378S2]

Oh - very nice!

Ron we are wired the same - I recently bought a set of roll up wheel ramps to service my Mazda because the dealer wanted $800 for a 'major service' involving an oil change and spark plugs - no thanks mate. They're really handy to raise the front end of the Lotus up and save my back.

How would that lift work with an S2 though? They don't have the rear jacking points.

May I suggest you all start exporting Elans to Australia? At that price you'd be in the money here...

Cheers
George

[Tuga2112]

May I suggest you all start exporting Elans to Australia? At that price you'd be in the money here...

you cant get an elan below 4k in this country anymore. (and i mean 4k would be something with a serious amount of work needed)

I jumped in the ownership wagon at the perfect point in time. my car is now insured for more than 5x what it cost me. but over 8 years, the amount of labor hours gone to it makes it a really bad investment

i dont think any australian person would be interested in a UK car today. the rust standards are completely different.

what you call a "nightmare to deal with", for me is "just surface"

[dapinky]

you cant get an elan below 4k in this country anymore. (and i mean 4k would be something with a serious amount of work needed)

C'mon Joao - you and I both know that there is always an odd bargain for less than that figure (but unless you happen upon one of those before anyone else does, you are correct in your ££££, and yes, It is hard to imagine that getting you one that needs nowt doing.

[378S2]

Hi Ron, any news on your SACHS K7004701? I've found one in stock and I'm about to buy it. Hoping you can save me from an expensive mistake if it doesn't fit.

Thanks
George

[RonR]

Hi Ron, any news on your SACHS K7004701?

Hi George,

The engine's still out of the car I'm afraid, but as I have the flywheel and clutch dismantled I'll do a trial fit tomorrow and let you know.

[par]

Hi Ron, any news on your SACHS K7004701? I've found one in stock and I'm about to buy it. Hoping you can save me from an expensive mistake if it doesn't fit.

Thanks
George

I have fitted the SACHS K7004701 to my 91 SE with no issues other than having to fit it twice due to a gearbox seal leak!

[RonR]

Hi George,
To confirm what Par said above, I've test fitted the Sachs clutch and cover, there were no problems:

There was a small difference between the original Isuzu and Sachs clutch plates on the flywheel side, but I don't think it matters:

Edit: Agreed on replacing those diff output seals while you're at it.

[378S2]

thank you Ron - I will get it ordered then.

[HJ2]

I'm still driving around with a SACHS as well, fits perfect

[RonR]

This week I have been mostly....

Identifying crankshaft bearings and measuring for wear - looks like the big ends have taken a hammering:

re-bushing and re-attaching the Longerons to the car:

and finding a crack in the rear engine mount bush:

[RonR]

Here's the new bush after it's appointment with some copper grease and a 12-ton press:

The voids in the old bush were just right for feeding a hacksaw blade through - I didn't fancy my chances of pressing the old one out without b*ggering up the ally housing.

[RonR]

I spent today (before the rains came) cleaning up some metalwork ready to be put back on the car.
I found these:

Turbo Coolant Pipe

Radiator Bypass Pipe

The rest of the bypass pipe looks OK, including the O-Ring join between pipe and aluminium housing, so hopefully repairable...

[Tuga2112]

The rest of the bypass pipe looks OK, including the O-Ring join between pipe and aluminium housing, so hopefully repairable...

just my 2cents... for whatever their worth...

it looks repairable but certainly not a easy weld.
potentially would be easier to hack out the whole 90 degree bend and weld new tubing instead.
i guess it depends how much a replacement would cost.

personally i would try to repair it just to prove it can be done out of stubborn-ess but honestly if the replacement part is less than 3 figures its probably always worth replacing instead. (unless your very comfortable with your welding skills)

[RonR]

It just so happens that the turbo pipe is the same diameter as the small corroded right-angle pipe, and it looks like the join is brazed rather than welded.
My brazing / soldering skills are far better than my welding, so I think it may be possible to use a piece of the old turbo pipe to replace the corroded one.
As Joao says, if it doesn't work out there's always Ebay...

[RonR]

So here's my attempt at repairing the small right-angle take-off on the Radiator Bypass pipe:
Sawed off old pipe, photo is before drilling out to 10mm. There's a brass joining piece between the large and small pipes and they're all brazed together.

Cutting the right-angle section of the old Turbo pipe and checking it's not too badly corroded (original pipe is to the right).

New pipe in place, I just need to file a shape into the end of the pipe to stop the hose slipping off, then venture into the back of the garage to try to find a brazing rod.

[Tuga2112]

looks pretty good from the pictures/

i never considered brazing, in fact i never looked into that skill previously

[RonR]

Meanwhile...

The block came back from the engineer after a light skim and hone.

De-rusted and painted ready for the rebuild:

[Tuga2112]

in think im going to stop watching this thread...

the extent of detail your putting on this car makes my efforts look sub-standard.
it also makes me go back and do more just to have the bragging rights of knowing the elan from the inside out better than you

[RonR]

But Joao, you wouldn't want to miss the mad rush to have it finished by CC would you?

I do refer to your Youtube videos when I come across something I haven't done yet, so your knowledge is helping me with my car
Having said that, one of the advantages of being retired is having the time to spend on hobbies, though lately it's been less time than I'd like!

[RonR]

Just a quick update on the repair to the radiator bypass pipe:

Despite looking pretty agricultural it holds water at atmospheric pressure, we'll soon see if it it holds when the engine's running though...