Rosie's return to glory

[TorqueHorse]

Joy of Joys!

She passed inspection and is all registered up now; Milestone accomplished! I (and by extension you all) have brought her back from last running on the road in 1997 to a brand new life in 2022

I know we often talk about feeling like Christmas morning, but yeah I was up all night both nervous about inspection, yet even more excited to get back in and drive more. It really has been a long time since it felt this amazing to play with a new toy. And aside from a quick tour from FunElan when I was connecting through LA earlier this year, I really only had everyone's word on how amazing the car is; going on almost 3 years and never really driven one! Well boy, does it deliver

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, to everyone who has helped me get this far. 100% I could not have done it without LEC's help (past and present). And special shoutouts to Dapinky, Simon_p, Brit-Car-Nut, Saltire, HJ2, esprit888, Rambo, RonR, 378S2, and FunElan. You've been patient, an endless font of knowledge, and my cheerleaders when the going got tough and I blew my deadlines (again and again (April 2020, where are you?)).

A million aesthetic and waterproofing jobs to start now that its an official rolling restoration...but first, believe it or not, I just need how to learn how to drive stick Good thing the best way to learn is practice. Time for more vrooom!

[chrism]

...that's GREAT news...

[378S2]

Matt that is fantastic news and well done. Please post a video of Rosie in action!

[Rambo]

Well done TH

I admire you patience, mechanical skills, fortitude and excellent write ups. One day I will read your project thread again. In one go this time and not over 3 years

Now get that foot to the floor

[TorqueHorse]

Thanks again folks! OK here is a video from yesterday's "run".

[HJ2]

Wow, congratulations!
Perseverance to the max!
Hope it pays off to the max. Thanks for sharing your excitement in the vid

[dapinky]

congratulations on getting to this stage (I can't say 'getting it finished' because there is always something needed to be done).

Get out there, learn the car, gearshift, and how it all works, the grin will never leave your face.

Remember, i isn't how fast you go, it's how smiley the journey is!

You have achieved great things by taking on a car which you had little knowledge of, in a country where parts are hard to find (experienced local specialists = non-existent), and still getting it all done.

[TorqueHorse]

Thanks guys! Really, I couldn't have done it without you and this site
And sorry I haven't been able to continue to express my gratitude for a while, but I've been taking your advice and hitting the road.
Not only does she pick-up the kids (well one at a time at least), tuck away a week's worth of groceries with ease, she also loves to just hit the road.

This weekend I was (FINALLY) able to join up with the local Lotus group on their monthly drive. She exceeded my expectations and did great (while also helping to illuminate the next set of things to fix, but that's another story) even with the added pressure of having one of the attendees as a passenger last minute.
A lovely drive through some of the foothills of the Texas hill country and then over to tour of a high end restoration shop. Amazing inspiration for what to do next.

Thanks to Jeff Harlan of @limecreekroad for the action shots






That's me ahead keeping up with the group (in the twisties at least )


Is this spot taken?

[Rambo]

.

[Rambo]

She's looking good TH, particularly those low down shots

[TorqueHorse]

Thanks Rambo!

Sanity check
Ok now that I've been running it a bit, I'd like to get a sanity check on some things. Are these things normal?

1. When cruising on the freeway doing about 70mph (~120 kph), the rpms are about 3.25k
   
2. And when the ambient temp outside is ~70 degrees F (~21 C) and cruising, the temp gauge never seems to get much above the 1/4 mark (but If I let it idle in the drive it will eventually get up to the 3/4 mark and then the fans will kick in and drop it down again).
   
3. And at about what temp on the temp gauge should I expect the electric water pump to kick-in after turning off the car?

thx in advance

[FunElan]

Thanks Rambo!

Sanity check
Ok now that I've been running it a bit, I'd like to get a sanity check on some things. Are these things normal?

1. When cruising on the freeway doing about 70mph (~120 kph), the rpms are about 3.25k
   
2. And when the ambient temp outside is ~70 degrees F (~21 C) and cruising, the temp gauge never seems to get much above the 1/4 mark (but If I let it idle in the drive it will eventually get up to the 3/4 mark and then the fans will kick in and drop it down again).
   
3. And at about what temp on the temp gauge should I expect the electric water pump to kick-in after turning off the car?

thx in advance

1. Yes.
2. this is correct. It can be jarring watching it climb. I kind of hate it and understand why my BMW has a dummy gauge now.
3. the water pump is on the same circuit as the fan, so just before 3/4 mark. It's supposed to be 97C

[Grosbard]

1. Yes.
2. this is correct. It can be jarring watching it climb. I kind of hate it and understand why my BMW has a dummy gauge now.
3. the water pump is on the same circuit as the fan, so just before 3/4 mark. It's supposed to be 97C

Is #3 true? I thought there are 2 separate thermostats = one for the water pump and one for the fan.

[378S2]

Thanks Rambo!

Sanity check
Ok now that I've been running it a bit, I'd like to get a sanity check on some things. Are these things normal?

1. When cruising on the freeway doing about 70mph (~120 kph), the rpms are about 3.25k
   
2. And when the ambient temp outside is ~70 degrees F (~21 C) and cruising, the temp gauge never seems to get much above the 1/4 mark (but If I let it idle in the drive it will eventually get up to the 3/4 mark and then the fans will kick in and drop it down again).
   
3. And at about what temp on the temp gauge should I expect the electric water pump to kick-in after turning off the car?

thx in advance

The fans and the electrical cooling pump are off the same 'cooling fan switch' and are selected by 'engine on' or 'engine off'. If you short the wire on the temp switch, which is on the thermostat housing, with the engine on / off you'll see them do their thing. My car has been fitted with a lower temp switch, so I only get a hair above the 1/4 line before they trigger which suits me just fine.

[TorqueHorse]

Awesome, thanks folks!
Time for me to read the owner's manual again about all the best practices for temp management.

[Rambo]

Re. 2. - you could always insert a different thermostat so the fans kick in quicker. My NMY has a Rod. Dickmann (sp. ???) thermostat.

Alternatively, put in a manual toggle switch which you can operate if stuck in heavy traffic.

[TorqueHorse]

Alternatively, put in a manual toggle switch which you can operate if stuck in heavy traffic.

Yes, sounds good, I'll add it to the list, thanks!

[TorqueHorse]

1000 miles, 1000 smiles

Well, Its been over 1k miles since I put then engine back in. Lots of fun and still learning how to get even more enjoyment from the car every time I get in. My biggest worry at the moment is getting carried away and getting a ticket (which I would never live down with a 16-year-old in the house too).

There are a couple of other things that aren't "just right" yet though, which I'll have to keep working on (in addition to the existing list of other major restoration stuff).

She's eating a bit of oil.
I haven't worked out the exact amount, but I have had to add oil at a regular clip. I tried changing the PCV valve, but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. I'm guessing that the shop did more than just "hone" out the cylinders, or I did something wrong at "break-in" like too high RPM, or wrong oil, to cause some blow-by. The compression tests when cold were great, but I need to try again while hot and also do some leak-down tests too.

There is probably a vacuum leak in there somewhere.
Its hard to start from cold (even with waiting for the pump to run) and I have to just give it some gas to catch. There is also a slight hint of hesitation when I start to accelerate from 1st. And I max out at just under .5 on the boost. I just changed out the solenoid tonight, but still no difference. And since I just rebuilt the turbo and the wastegate worked fine then, I'm going to put that low on the probability list of being stuck.

Even with all that and the sorry state the paint, windows, windshield, and top are in...it is still a blast to turn that key for the day's next adventure.


here is a behind the scenes shot of the recent holiday club drive where the Elan shone again in its ability to "do it all"

[FunElan]

That was a QUICK 1000 miles! Impressive!!

Now that you're at 1k on the engine, change your break in oil out. Which oil is in there? Any smoke out the back, and no leaks that you've seen?

A simple smoke test into the PCV hose should expose any vacuum leaks, but if it's hard to start when cold, I'd be looking at fuel pressure or something like that? Did you happen to change out all of the fuel line from the tank to the bay?

[FunElan]

and to add - a leak down would be a really good test of the rings. I'm guessing pistons/rings were serviced in the rebuild, but if not, oil could be blowing by?

My father's BMW has a ring problem. We had the motor rebuilt just before a big event (Monterey car week), so the first 800 miles of breaking the new motor in were almost all highway. The rings didn't seat properly, so now, whenever he takes off from a traffic light, a big puff of blue smoke happens. When we finish his Elan, we'll tackle that motor.