Weighing a Lotus bit by bit // SOUP Classic Motoring E.38 Sports Chassis Lightweight
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ย. 2018
- How heavy could a '70's Esprit really be right? It might take a while but weighing the Lotus one component at a time has begun, starting with the chassis.
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Damn, these videos are criminally under-viewed. You deserve a million more!
youp been binge watching them now and like everyone of them :D
Cheers! Turn on notifications and share if you think of someone who'l like them :)
My heart was in my mouth watching you manhandling the chassis up in the air so close to the body!
Never even occurred to me 😅But I suppose the beam in the ceiling was like a stop so once the chassis was upright it couldn't have fallen.
Another great video. What I like is that it’s not slick and everything doesn’t always go to plan but, instead, you show us how you worked around the problems when things didn’t go exactly to plan just like we, the viewers, would have to in the same situation.
These are our cars and I just want to show what ca be achieved. It's never good enough though ;) I just spent a few days ripping the footwells out of the Range Rover to do them again because now that I'm making my way back to the front of the car on the final push... some stuff just isn't good enough.
Four become one, it's all about scale.
Awesome work as always dude.
yeah when the brain kicks in ;)
Love rocking out to the guitar intro.
🤘🏼😖
George, Brillant as always, Thanks for the shout out! It does‘nt seem possible that a chassis that large can weigh only 50gk or so.
Your rebuild plan & steps will need to be very well laid out as you add each item. Cheers Dave
Yeah crazy isn't it, I was thinking an adult male Rottweiler could be 50-60kg, then you think of a car chassis that weighs the lower end of that. Yep SOUP has become as difficult to produce admin and planning wise as it is in actual production. Will be very cautious about the actual chassis work, want to get it right ;)
George, I was thinking about getting to the inside of the chassis plates to sandblast them! I would take out the plates your going to replace anyway but leave some gussets in between to keep the strength until it‘s sandblasted then replace the whole section. I am sure the bottom of the box sections will be full of rust flakes. Cheers Dave
Thought about doing that, it's one of the things I'm going to talk to the blaster about just before sending out. The inside is in really nice condition far as I can see though and unless I'm wrong the only real surface rust is around the big hole where the interior was exposed. I've made a long rustproofing lance for an air line though, built it for the Range Rover sills. Not sure physics are on my side, haven't tested it yet but it'll be fun either way.
I wish there were more people watching your videos. They are superb. The reason for your holes made in the chassis is that it was made with an air chisel but the reason for that is that the car had a fuel leak. If you cut it open with a grinder, the project would go up in flames.
Was actually a coolant leak, you'll see later on. Good call though, and thanks.
Yes, as mentioned previously, the early Esprit chassis's are made from thin metal and need to be treated carefully. Saw a galvanised one recently and the rear face of the front cross-section was buckled beyond belief. Light and agile are the Esprits forte.
Yeah not interested in galv, or basically anything in the underpinnings that isn't largely standard. I want to feel the car as it would have been. If later I fancy changing things a little then that's fun for another day ;)
Excellent series, I managed to get thru every video while being layed up after surgery. I try and preach the same thing to friends about even 30mins a day on your hot rod will slowly get it done. I like that you’ve taken the Espirit down as far as you’ve done and look forward to the watching the rebuild and weight reduction of it.
Keep up the good work and try not to get burned out.
Hey mate, hope you're feeling better! Yep, slowly slowly wins the race, but I suppose we're all different and some just don't work that way. The Esprit will be tough to get weight out of, but I'll do my best. Take care, and thanks.
Big fan of zinc rich epoxy primer, especially on the inside of the frame, then any flavor of topcoat. Weld through primer on the flanges. Then when it's all closed up you can spray inside with an omni-directional wand. then zinc rich epoxy primer on the outside, seam sealer and topcoat. Zinc act as a sacrificial annode and prevents the base metals from rusting.
Great intel. I'll be painting the inside by hand before I close it all up and yeah, a wand there after. Not sure about seam sealing but I'll be carefully considering what I want to do closer to the time. It's not going to be a garage queen but it won't be a wet use car when it can be helped.
Things are are getting real now.. can't say I'm a fan of the powder coating. FYI..I got my mx5 chassis components powder coated roughly 2 years ago and already they have surfaced rusted.. keep the episodes coming. I'm loving it
Won't be powder coating it, saying that was one of those things that fell off in the edit. There's a time and place for powder coating, just not on a '78 Esprit ;)
Great work, well done mate!
Great job George!!
efxaristo man!
Nice to see a regular update. Great episode again.
Trying to earn a day off Rob ;) Cheers pal
Another great episode. Good to see those bolts cooperate! (I'm reminded of a comic panel I saw with 2 guys. One holding a gun to the others head & saying, "Be reasonable. Do it my way.")
When you went to 2 scales, I was thinking one in the middle under each end would have been easier, but your way you can see both at once and it works. Always remember the Law of Practicality: If it works, it's right!
But why, oh why, do people put a jack under a flat part of the chassis & damage it like that!? All you need is a block of wood to spread the load a bit & you prevent that damage in the first place. It also stops the metal on metal damaging the paint & letting corrosion start on the, now, bare metal.
It's a bit of a guessing game with cheapo jobs like this so I was glad to get it onto a single scales.That wasn't even accurate I'm sure but then the type of scales that would, would be a big investment.
im a new sub , and gotta say i love this lotus build / rebuild thing , i never knew chassis like this where a thing , and the way you edit / process this is fucking great
🤘🏼love it, thanks man
Another great vid. Stop motion brings it to life.
"there are dogs that weight more than this chassis" LOL!
Considering the age/mileage, the cracks could be a lot worse.
Yeah and not even particularly big dogs. d'ya like daags? he cracks are just another cool learning point, it's going to be a lot of fun to tackle the challenge of trying to make it perfect.
Brilliant video , one of the best I’ve seen, unlike most videos I didn’t want it to end .
Thnk you :)
Fascinating! Looking forward to more updates soon :)
Nice one George. It's getting real now! Cheers for another great episode.
Appreciate it Dan, it's def getting interesting. and probably very expensive ;)
Excellent video as always - and can I say that your videos inspired me to fix a couple of rust spots on the body of my (very unexciting) 2004 Sonata. I'm very pleased with the outcome. Wouldn't have bothered at all without watching your videos - very inspiring.
Doesn't matter what it is, it's the same sense of satisfaction when you sort something on your car. Deadly mate, thanks and good job!
Very enjoyable episode, I like the mood and tempo of your vids.
Thanks a mill pal, much appreciated. Just had a look at your Lancia build, have you stopped?
Yeah, I paused to work on some other projects. But I am getting the inspiration to make another video in the next few days.
Fair play, stick with it :)
"THAT'S GOOSED" - made me laugh, haven't heard that phrase for years!
You know what I was really thinking :)
@@soupclassicmotoring I couldn't possibly imagine hahaha
Loving you're content and the way it's put out having spent 60 hours on my Range Rover using basic tools but a decent welder I paid £700 10 years ago using Argo shield gas. I can say with your kit you have done amazing the thing I would say to anyone spend your money on top kit makes it so much easier all the best great channel
Appreciate it mate thanks a mill. All about buying the best you can afford, it always pays off, or least saves you from false economies. Congrats on the RR work, it was worth it I bet.
Another great episode 👍🏻
Thanks Peter :)
Lovely job.
Cheers Norman :)
Respect man,... I watching how you made your vids. I am impressed with the time and dedication not to mention the skill you put in.
Cheers :)
Fascinating stuff - you, sir, are to be admired :-)
Will you tell that girl over there that I like her
Excellent work so far. The welded repairs of the ''access points'' on the chassis should be satisfying as they all appear to be quite handy to cut out and remake, Simple flat squares of the same gauge sheet metal should suffice. Good call on the more frequent and shorter episodes aswell.
Almost flat, I could say more but it'd be a spoiler ;) Thanks a mill Tom.
Great stuff as always. I really enjoyed the weighing the chassis sequence! I've never had a car where light weight was a "feature"! Latest from my cars - Vitesse brake problem is the master cylinder so either I replace the seals and see how that goes or send it off for a rebuild which takes three weeks. And a rear wheel cylinder is leaking too. Sigh. I'm away for a week so I'll get on to it when I'm back home. Keep it going George - you're a legend.
What I love is that lightweight is a major consideration for all manufacturers now. Lotus were there 70 years ago. 70! Thanks a mill Mark, what about fit a new master and forget, but keep the old one for a rebuild when the other one wear after many beautiful miles ;)
George, it has to be said, for someone declaring zero skill sets, you are a bit of a genius!!!
The videos are of excellent, informative quality, and of the standard that makes us try to force the next one from you as soon as possible!
The technical aspect of your restorations are simply brilliant and I have subscribed for the first time on TH-cam, which even surprised me!
I have a genuine business proposition for you and would like to get in touch, can you reach out?
All the very best to you.
This is coming along quite nicely. It will be one of the best Esprits in Ireland once it is finished.
Thanks dude, aiming high. Have some cool things for it in the pipeline
Well dome, very informative and helpful, please keep up the good work I for one am picking up some good tips. Thank you.
Best I could hope for is if an episode would help, motivate or inspire someone! thanks a mill for the thought Dave.
Thank you.
Ha love it Tom. Thank YOU!
Hooray I LOVE the Guigaro Esprit! I’d LOVE to find one stateside in British Racing Greean! Great vid series!
Find any one you can, they didn't come in BRG anyway so you'd be looking a long time ;)
I live in the states and have a series 2 in british racing green LOL I have been watching this channel , love it and its been giving me hope while i have my transmission and motor out redoing mine
Brilliant. When you get an opportunity - show us how you are cleaning the paint and crud off the chassis, what tools etc please
just discovered this. great video. love the stop motion animation. Jaguar Dave is a great dude and he's a no bull shit guy. looking forward to this restoration. thanks
Cheers Bob, echo that about Dave. Thanks for watching.
watching ep 7 as i'm writing this
🤘🏼
Maybe the heaviest 'component' on this car is the driver, George?? Colin Chapman would be advising that you lose weight, so no more Guinness until the end of the restoration/rebuild/rebirth. Wonder how much weight was removed during the clean up process for inspection? Looking forward to the next episode already...
I did have before and after weights in mind mal but I seriously doubt our cheapo scales are good enough to register the difference. Suppose I could have weighed the dustpan. They do get heavy! Missed a trick there. Oh and don't worry, I've been looking after myself ;)
Ha, George was looking at your plastic ration box in your last video and was wondering if you had a 'supermodel' stashed somewhere on that mezzanine floor (you do, it's the Esprit..) and had borrowed it from her....Good that your welder search may be coming to fruition and ironic that just changing the nozzle on the old one could have such a difference...That's a lesson for us all...do you think it was badly worn or were/are you using 6mm wire with a 8mm nozzle?? Anyhoo, great video once again...been in my garage today, having a 'tidy up' and been gainfully employed making a bar to hang the advent calendar off of...a washing line pole has made the ultimate sacrifice but let's not mention that until 'wash day'...B-)
@@malcolmyoung7866 Gotta eat healthy dude, and didn't I mention last episode that I've been looking after my own weight ;) The new tip is .8mm! So unless you know where to get 1.6mm wire for a MIG [cause I reckon the whole in the old tip is at least twice the size of the new one] I'd be fairly sure it's badly worn.
Haha, fair play, George...Must have been making a sandwich when you mentioned looking after yourself, weight wise in your previous video...take care Bro'....
@@malcolmyoung7866 No worries, I knew sooner or later someone would poke me with that one, glad it was you ;)
I know I'm the umpteenth person to say this G, but I truly can't believe you're not at least in the six figures for subscribers. One of the best channels and production values regardless of subject. But when it's also about cars and oily bits and hammers and spanners, and with the oul Ray Harryhausen thrown in? Well... 👍🏻😀
Funny enough, or not. A few months back I followed a white Esprit for a few miles on twisty roads in Wicklow. I _think_ it was an Irish reg car, but like the eejit I am didn't get the year or county reg. Too busy concentrating on not breaking the speed limit(Guard..😉). Early car too, or at least minus the later 80's bodykit stuff. One thing I noticed was how it wasn't jiggling about on the uneven roads. That'd be the Lotus long travel suspension I suppose? He really was a master of suspension.
I seem to recall reading somewhere, somewhen, that when Lotus were in dire financial straits in the early 80's and got into bed with Toyota, the one car Colin wanted to keep for himself/the company was the Esprit.
As I heard Matt Farah say recently; "Yotube doesn't reward quality". Lest that sounds conceited of me he was talking about how the majority of an audience on YT won't differentiate between high production values and low ones if the subject matter is regular and compelling. Love the Ray Harryhausen ref. big compliment. Being half Greek I loved the movies as a kid 🤘🏼Interesting that you spotted an early Esprit in Wicklow, wonder who that was? Yeah the suspension must be fantastic, I can't wait to try it [never driven one, and won't]. They actually have that in common with the Range Rover, they're both soft sprung and almost revolutionary for it. You're right about Chapman protecting the Esprit, he said no to DeLorean I believe more than once initially because he felt the DMC12 would kill the Esprit. I quietly suspect that the DeLorean's underdevelopment is not just because the time frame for that development was so small. It's visibly Esprit influenced in it's chassis and gear. Real pick me up comment fella, thanks a mill 🍻
man i wont lie... this frame scares me , it seems to shanty put together
There were never any issues with [unabused] chassis failing on early Esprits. The engineering is good, don't sweat ;)
i'd be very tempted to remove the oil canning in the side of the backbone (11:26) with a touch of heat. and for all those touting aluminium remember that for any given weight, it has half the strength of steel. ergo..
Going to see how the oil canning reacts to some gentle persuasion when the time comes for sure. Re Alu - you make the very point I tried to in the episode, I doubt you could recreate the same shape in another material without a lot of trussing/gusseting/reinforcement.
I know that powder coating is popular, bot it is heavy and it traps in moisture the moment there is an opening for moisture. Use tractor paint, hammerite or similar.
More progress, well done. Never saw metal moving with heat like you showed here before. Must be light gauge steel. I wonder how much the rust and dirt weigh on the chassis. Look forward to the next video.
Haven't measured it yet but I'm guessing it's 1.25/1.5mm, 2mm max. Thanks a mill Terry
No stone left unturned...good stuff...👏👏
All over it ;) thanks man
You probably know by now that the welding tips have different size holes depending on the size of the wire you are using. Im just catching up on your videos which are very enjoyable.
Regards
oh the joy of double sheet metal
oh no! Where'd you have the misfortune of running into it?
Several 70's and 80's Citroëns. Love the design and technoligy but the don't last with swedish winter roads.
@@error079 Yeah Citroen have always been really interesting. Was just looking at this pic of a fully galvanised DS shell yesterday. goo.gl/images/EfzAoH
If i were doing this, i’d make a jig from some 4x2 box section, add crossmembers, level it off and make some attachment points to main suspension pickup points, so you can accurately measure distortion and have a reference for later repairs. i would jig it, cut the beam open and replace large sections with fresh steel from patterns. Just letting in repairs would be a shame having gone this far.
A jig is probably a good idea and may well happen. Thing is to make a chassis square with a jig you need to be able to make a square jig. Not necessarily a cake walk with limited resources, but I'm working hard to up the resources. Whatever happens it'll be carefully measured and done to the best standard I can provide. Thanks Phil
SOUP Classic Motoring a jig needn’t be that difficult, literally two long lengths of rectangular box section with a nut and bolt at each corner to level, with bearers across. Don’t weld it together bolt the sections together. You can then clamp or tack your chassis to it and just use long levels, plumblines and cheap lasers to take a basic reading of squareness before and during repairs.
I'm now mulling jig build, thanks a mill pal. Will do a little reading to. I can't get the chassis out for at least ten days so there's time yet if I can get everything organised.
Looking good. Curious to see how it looks after blasting.
You and me both, it prob won't be pretty but not terrible. It's all in the eye of the beholder I suppose ;)
Nice work George dont get the chassis powder coated after ya blast it bud, rustbullet & black paint!
No powder coat Sid, just the powder coat and media blast guys go hand in hand. Think the lads will give it a proper paint job in the booth which would be a result. It'll prob come back bare and I'll hit it with etch before work starts.
no etch use rustbullet automotive only George i cant rate it high enough its brilliant but the guy supplying it here is repackaging it & it goes off pretty quick when the tin is opened, so maby best get it from the UK, you can top coat it with whatever ya want!
Might go original on this one dude, the booth/oven can produce a very durable paint job. Not a wet weather car anyway ;)
spray the rustbullet on the paint/body shop man probably never heard of it will rust if you don't use it!
@@TheThebigredfella Had forgot you can spray Rustbullet, def one to consider. Thanks man.
Each to their own but I'm not a fan of powder coating. If it gets chipped water can get under it and rot it from the inside. I also don't like the fact that stuff ends up bigger due to the thickness of the powder. I painted my chassis using chassis black enamel and umpteen years on it's still fine but if I need to I can always touch it up with a brush. No coating lasts forever and powder coating is a pain to get off.
Not powder coating it mate, meant to say that. Going original paint on it, albeit probably a better job. I saw some runs in the original paint ;)
I hear you about water under the powdercoat/paint. The JK Wrangler has anodised cast aluminium hinges, bolted onto the steel doors, then the assembly gets painted. Any minor defect in the anodising or final painting, & you start getting electrolytic corrosion that blisters the paint on the hinges. 3 out of 4 door pairs were blistered /peeling. The 4th just hadn't got that far yet.
@@gunnarlandin3258 A friend of mine had his S2 chassis galvanized and it distorted it. He put it on a jig before and after then used scaffolding poles to swing on it to bend it all back again.
@@gunnarlandin3258 No chance, just not right for this model. This is not a resto mod, not yet anyway ;)
@@hTyKn1 Not my cup of tea at all, although when the welder comes through and I think I could manage to make it square, I'll put a jig together.
I thought it had been done with an axe, pounding the back with a hammer. The same way my Dad used to cut up a 44-gallon drum to make a barbecue. But more to the point - where are the new videos about this car???
Just getting back on it Chris. Did you catch episode 49?
Very simply...Inspiring...out to the garage I go!
Yes, get gone, be gone!
The tent in the back, what's it for?
Mate you can usually adjust the scales with a little screw on the bottom.
Can and did, thanks
Yeah, front beam damage due to jacking, is very common on Esprit’s; I know, mine suffered the same.
It’s just a suggestion, but I always considered this part of the chassis to be un-engineered, and adding stronger jacking points would have been a good idea by Lotus.
If you’re going to all the trouble of replacing this panel, why not add some internal bracing and plating to strength the jacking points, so this damage never happens again?
I know, I know, you’re trying to save weight, and adding strengthening steel will go against that, but as any Lotus owner will testify to, you’ll be jacking this car up as much as driving it.
Hey, you could even make the internal bracing “Art-Deco” if it makes you feel better lol.
Anyway, another great episode, although I’m still not quite watching these in order, (just watched Ep 25, so catching up quickly).
I’ve also subscribed to Dave Jaguar 66; little TH-cam channels like ours have to stick together. Although mine is so small yours is a giant compared to mine, which I wager is the smallest on TH-cam.
Anyway, looking forward to Ep 39, and more Esprit chassis content, thumbs up!
Not a chance mate, the car is supposed to be jacked under the lower arms, that's how I'll be doing it, or with stiff wood under the whole beam if I'm at home. Keep at it, it takes time, a lot of time.
@@soupclassicmotoring Oh yes, that’s the correct way to jack up the car…but good intentions and all that; wink, wink. Lol. ;) :D
This is great but I would definitely replace that chassis with extruded aluminum. It would transform the torsional and lateral stiffness and weigh about the same.
Thanks mate, but money doesn't grow on trees 😄This one's a largely standard rebuild anyway, maybe a few tweaks to the interior but I want to feel what a '78 Esprit was like in it's pure form. Maybe I won't like it and then mods could be the way!
@@soupclassicmotoring i don't think extruded (?) aluminium esprit chassis grow on trees either...
Did you know you can zero those old scales? There’s a knob by the “heel”.
the waves are just because its thin flat sheet thats been welded , it is virtually impossible to keep flat sheet flat, even if its just riveted let alone welded -just look at the side of a fridge
Nicely put Philip, sensed it was normal but even had I known I wouldn't have articulated it as nicely. The fridge example is great.
Would there be any benefits to completing some of the welds to add rigidity? Great work btw.
Oh now there's a question, I'm guessing no. But then the reason they aren't continuous could be weight related, who knows. I'll have to find someone knowing to ask about that. Nice thought Fred.
@@soupclassicmotoring I am simply amazed at the weight and design of the frame. Incredible engineering, I can see why you and many others fell in love with the design. My only other questions are, how much "twist" does it allow? And does the fiberglass shell actually does contribute to the rigidity of the entire vehicle?
@@fredpinczuk7352 Alone the chassis isn't particularly stiff, the shell is definitely part of the structural equation. The later cars have stiffer chassis, but then they have a lot more power and more weight too. In another comment a former Lotus man told me the company line to the authorised service dealers was to replace a chassis with any damage. I read something to the same effect in the workshop manual just today too. I'm not replacing it until I have to.
Even on the cheapest of scales I've seen (and owned), there has always been an adjustment knob or wheel to keep the weight true. Do your cheap scales lack those?
No mate, I zeroed them all with the fine adjustment before hand. More than once! But you know with these cheap analogue scales they don't always go back to zero. Sometimes they need a few taps, or in bad cases even to be readjusted after every use. In the episode they weren't necessarily out, they just might not have settled. Regardless I wouldn't trust the numbers from any domestic scales full stop. I've seen culinary scales and digital scales show signs of inaccuracy just the same. It's only for rough idea I'm doing this.
That's just to set the zero. It doesn't help if the scale isn't accurate through it's range, though. (But then, I'm coming from a background where I tested & calibrated instruments throughout their whole range on a regular schedule, and gauges usually had a calibration chart stuck next to them, so you could record accurate readings.)
Sounds interesting, what were you doing? It'd be great to have a calibrated and known accurate scales but that's not on the cards. It's just for blind interest anyway so rough figures are interesting in themselves
@@soupclassicmotoring I used to test, repair & calibrate avionics instruments, & equipment at QANTAS. All the test equipment had to be regularly checked & calibrated against standards. The equipment used for standards were also regularly checked. It all goes up the chain to the official defined standard measurements. And everything had to be documented. I also did some time in the section that calibrated all the test rigs & equipment used by various departments for testing before jobs were signed off as airworthy. (Commonly referred to as 'Sign your life away.')
The test equipment typically had a chart next to any gauge, that showed the actual reading next to what the gauge indicated, as the response can often 'bow'. So you can set the top & bottom accurately, but it might read high or low in the middle.
'Sign your life away' - yeah I'd say you could work up some heavy stress if you let it under your skin. Really interesting Mykl, Ive been thinking about finding a torque wrench calibrator to do an interview with, I'd love to chat to someone like that.
another great episode, just out of curiosity, what welder are you using?
It's a Aldi/Lidl €99 special. Well it's the original machine the Aldi/Lidl was rebranded from. Thanks a mill mate
@@soupclassicmotoring ah really? I actually keep on eye on lidl flyers for that very reason but only have seen MMA inverters, didn't know they had MIG also. I guess I'll keep looking, anyways thanks for the answer, keep up the good work :)
@@marvinschrader4234 Yep, they don't come in that often, in fact they've just been through in Ireland. It's gasless though, you know that right? It could probably be adapted for gas but outside of some holes in the gun itself it doesn't seem set up to easily take a gas feed.
@@soupclassicmotoring aw shame, didn't know it was gasless, I guess I'll keep an eye on the used market or maybe buy a cheap einhell or something, thank you
Are you getting it soda blasted? Can you give the name of where you get it sand blasted
No worries mate, it hasn't gone out yet, hoping to nail it down asap and will relay details ;)
I have heard good stuff about dry ice blasting but have no experience with it.
I hate to say it, I would almost want to rebuild that backbone leaving the entire bottom open. Weld in some longerons and then a one piece heavier guage plate on the bottom. Even as new, that looks like a flexing bastard and not in a good way.
As was Chapman's way, it's got just enough to make it sing, and I rather it like that, instead of what I think it should be.
So when you've had this blasted and done all the necessary repairs, it's getting galved, right?
It's not a Land Rover mate, not a garage queen either but I have no interest in daily driving it. Regardless the whole idea here is to get weight out of it, not add it ;)
Am i the only one thinking that a new tubular frame chassis would be a cool upgrade?
I know the purists will lynch me for even thinking about it, but i was just thinking that it would be a cool upgrade and easy to keep the rust out of + it will be more rigid.
Or would that add weight compared to the plated chassis?
There is a fella out there on fb doing that I think, Not sure you'd get make it much lighter unless it was alu or titanium, but you'd def make it stiffer
Came across this video during my research for my S2 project. I can't say I have seen a better breakdown of disassembly. Ironically I also have a Range Rover, so this channel is actually perfect for me. I came across this website: rdent.com/manuals/esprit/ for a good listing of all the Esprit parts with good diagrams, when it's time to start putting yours back together. I look forward to your upcoming videos, keep driving on!
Great minds think alike mate, you could do a lot worse than an Esprit/LR combo! What number is your S2?
Mine is 78040768H. Its been in storage since I bought the car back in 2011, but your videos have certainly got me enthusiastic about getting to work on it for sure. I remember you mentioning a couple times in your videos about yours is missing some original parts that you are wanting to locate. I plan on upgrading some parts on mine in the suspension areas and in the interior. Please let me know what you or any of your followers are looking for, perhaps I can help.
I know what it's like, I had to sit on my car for two years even though I was itching to start the resto. I'm not up on the federal car numbers.They must have been producing them before the domestic ones because mine is 78080458G so the 59th domestic off the line, but not built until August. What mods are you planning? The main things I need are an original steering wheel with adapter/boss and a Lotus radio cassette unit, oh and if you are replacing original carpets even photos with a few measurements of the black rubber tread patches in the footwells would be amazing.
Well the radio I have, from what I can tell, was the original unit for the states bound cars. It's the Blaupunkt w/cassette. Do you have any photos of the original steering wheel you are looking for? All of the searching I have done online shows there were a couple options based on year of manufacture. I want to convert the car to electric drive and turn it in to a wet submarine. I will try to get some measurements as soon as I can get back to where the car is being stored.
Thought some of you might like this regarding Esprit, if you have not already seen it th-cam.com/video/PC7zPH4zcZ8/w-d-xo.html later cars for sure...
Can't believe the chassis is so light, who needs aluminium.
I was shuffling it about by myself for days before it dawned on me. It's amazing isn't it. Just goes to prove the body is part of the stiffness equation here.
Could you make it lighter you ask?
Answer, fuck yes, carbon fibre is about 1/4 the weight for equivalent stiffness.
This guy is absolutely maniac. He is going to replace rippled metal. Mmm, okay... but wtf why does he remove dirt from metal he is going to replace and degreases it like he is going to paint this piece? Looks like he isn't restoring a car, he's just masking a piece of art with a documented history.
Good practice says prep the workpiece so that you can see what you have and work cleanly.
What sort of idiot designer puts fluid carrying tubes through the chassis but doesn't make access ports in it for inspection and maintenance?
And I thought italians built unmaintenable cars.
Also, the single central box section design is inherently weak and prone to twisting and bending, that said the idiot that cut into it could hardly have picked a worse place to do it.
Actually, full-box is very versatile, particularly in terms of connecting shit to it at the ends. It's not like we are talking about (totally shite) C-channel designs (such as the Americans are famous for). A tube would of course have been better, a lot better. However, large dimension skinny full-box is strong and economically practical. Plus, we are talking about Garagista.