Lotus Elite - Restoration / Recommission

zagatoes30

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20,758
OK, a few on you wanted me to keep you updated on the Elite so I have started this thread

The plan is very simple but is certain to encounter obstacles on the way but high level here goes

Step 1 - Get the engine to run.

The car was taken off the road due to failed water pump which has been removed, also all the ancillary belts were removed at the same time. Rather than get this job finished the previous owner decided to get the carbs rebuilt, being Italian he took them home and had them fully rebuilt and they are now ready for refitting. So first job order fuel pump, all belts including timing belt and tensioner and get them all refitted, refit the carbs, replace any worn fuel lines and probably fit a new fuel pump. Hopefully once complete we can get the engine running. The car is currently with a local mechanic here who I am going to ask to carry out this work.

Step 2 - Refit all the parts to the car

Whilst he car was awaiting the above mechanical work the interior was stripped out and all seats / door cards etc. were sent to Italy to be retrimmed. The rear bumper was removed as was some to the trim and other bits, so there is a box of parts to be refitted. I plan to get the car back here and then refit all these parts to see what is missing but also to hopefully be able to check everything that does or doesn't work so I can add to my to do list.

Step 3 - Mechanical Recommission / Restore

From the To Do list identified in Step 2 strip recommission or restore all the mechanical / safety bits required to pass an NCT (Irish MOT). The big question here is the recommission / restore, there will be parts that will need to be taken apart some of which will need to be replaced because they are broken or worn but do I replace anything that is likely to wear in the future as they are apart? I am thinking things like bushes, bearings, seals which may be fine now but as they are all nearly 45 years old are likely to be near end of life and will probably fail sometime in the future. Logically it makes sense if they're out to replace but this will impact budget which will in turn impact timeline.

Step 4 - Road legal & Drive

As per other recommissions I have done in the past, and reading other threads here, the only time you know everything works is when you use it. So once Step 3 has been completed to the point of getting aforementioned NCT the plan is to use it, It won't be pretty but driving it will show up other issues. It will also be a natural break of spending time in the garage learning swear words I didn't know I knew. Anything that come up during this stage will need to be rectified

Step 5 - Cosmetics

The fun bit, getting it looking like I want it too. It will certainly need a paint and a full cosmetic refurb. The interior I have but carpets, head linings trim parts will all need to be checked, cleaned and replaced and also those personal touches. No it won't be getting air-ride or a V8 but there are always bits that make it your own.

Seems simple 5 steps, a fair bit of hard work, an equal amount of spare cash and a few tantrums along the way - what could possibly go wrong
 
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mjheathcote

Centenary Club
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9,033
Maybe not a priority straight away, but change the side draught carbs to fuel injection throttle bodies.
Even when brand new my Dad's Excel was troublesome with keeping the dellorto 45's I tune and running right.
 

Andy4200

Member
Messages
143
Or you could do the cheaper, halfway house and fit 3d mapped ignition.
I fitted it to my Excel and it improved starting, torque and general drivability. Also it takes the distributor out of the equation, which being directly under the carbs, is a good safety improvement.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
Maybe not a priority straight away, but change the side draught carbs to fuel injection throttle bodies.
Even when brand new my Dad's Excel was troublesome with keeping the dellorto 45's I tune and running right.

Strange I have Dell'autos on my Giulietta and they normal hold tune really well much better than any Webers I have had, only 40's but I wouldn't have expected 45's to be any worse. I guess we will find out but throttle bodies sound cool
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
Or you could do the cheaper, halfway house and fit 3d mapped ignition.
I fitted it to my Excel and it improved starting, torque and general drivability. Also it takes the distributor out of the equation, which being directly under the carbs, is a good safety improvement.

It is a silly place for a distributor nearly all owners complain about access under the air box
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,113
Great Stuff Andy and now she is with your local mechanic we need plenty of photos to go along with the story.
I really like the wheels on your car they look so Cool.
I'm a lover of carburetors personally but I'm off that generation that played with side draughts.
Good Luck.
 

zagatoes30

Member
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20,758
Andy, I look forward to seeing her to this standard. OK I believe it’s the later Eclat but apart from a great tapper to rear hatch it isn’t that much different. View attachment 96870View attachment 96871

I can only hope, the dark blue certainly suits both Eclat and Elite and if I decide to change colour it is top of the list but as I am learning there are lots of differences between the Elite and Eclat, even between different Elites Lotus were very happy to change things as they went and dipping into to other manufacturers parts bin was normal practise
 
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zagatoes30

Member
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20,758
So bits started arriving today, the redone interior is stunning includes seats, dooryards and carpets that alone is worth more than I paid. Also included a spreadsheet of all the jobs the previous owner had done along with before and after photos and costs I guess I will need to continue with this log.
 

Ewan

Member
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6,757
Have you seen the Elite coming up at the next Historics auction? Looks good in yellow!
 

philw696

Member
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25,113
I can't be the only one and I know it's none of my business but I'm getting you have a nice little bargain there Andy.
So glad your sharing the experience with us all.
Nearly as exotic as my Renault 16 TX.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
So yesterday all the paperwork and money side of the project was completed, the car is legally mine.

As the weather is looking sh1t today I will start to sort and catalog the parts that have been removed by the previous owner, I can see a spreadsheet coming identifying each part and it's condition repair, replace, refit. Also need to make some space in the garage to store both parts and car when it arrives. This is on top of getting the main garage rebuild moving as this will become a necessity as the SZ is due back end of March early April.
 
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zagatoes30

Member
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20,758
Also the ex Ronnie Petersen Elite sold in auction for just over £20k but apparently it needed some work - mechanically looked to be in fairly ok condition although it would have needed a full service + cam belt change + a bunch of hose replacements as they all looked original and well past their sell by date! It has had a very poor respray which would have needed completely redoing + the entire fascia wasn’t attached, so presumably the car would be undriveable as very doubtful any of the instruments or switches would have functioned. Also a number of external trim pieces missing + the stench of petrol indicated a new tank would be needed. It did have a pretty impressive history file though.

Lotus Elite - Ronnie Petersen

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