Spanners and Sponges

Anything goes in here.....
User avatar
simon
Site Admin
Posts: 4970
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:36 pm
Location: Carnoustie
Contact:

Post by simon » Sat Apr 15, 2006 10:43 pm

Rag_It wrote:Some great pics of DDTB looking like a spare part - Caption competition?!!

Dave :wink:
There's a caption for them all :lol:

User avatar
simon
Site Admin
Posts: 4970
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:36 pm
Location: Carnoustie
Contact:

Post by simon » Sat Apr 15, 2006 11:55 pm

Still going at 11:55, well done Lawrence :thumbsup

User avatar
alicrozier
Posts: 4390
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:58 pm
Location: Aberdeen

Post by alicrozier » Sun Apr 16, 2006 8:45 am

Aye, well done folks! Maybe a late start today? :lol:

Here is a wee video walkaround from Saturday:
http://media.putfile.com/Spanner-Sesh-2006-Sat


Cheers,
Ali
Last edited by alicrozier on Sun Apr 16, 2006 11:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
All characters appearing in this post are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Any references to laptimes, speed or driving on the public highway are purely for dramatic effect.

User avatar
robin
Jedi Master
Posts: 10546
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:39 pm

Ouch.

Post by robin » Sun Apr 16, 2006 9:55 am

I hope Neil's hed hurts worse than my arms, back, legs, ...

Not used to physical labour on quite that scale - 15 hours solid messing about with exhausts:

(1) Took my exhaust box, cat, downpipe and manifold out (the manifold is broken and the box was to give to ScottD).
(2) Took Dave's exhaust downpipe off - in the process sheered two studs in the manifold so the team spent the rest of the day with loads of drilling and torching to remove those studs :-( Finally put it back together at about 7pm!
(3) Repeat exercise with Steven's car, except we didn't break anything this time :-)

Have a good day those that are going today ...

Cheers,
Robin

User avatar
minkypotglory
Posts: 1118
Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:49 pm
Location: east lothian
Contact:

Post by minkypotglory » Sun Apr 16, 2006 11:02 am

It does :drink :rage :blackeye :thumbsup

Neilp

User avatar
Stephen
Posts: 1441
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 8:43 pm
Location: Brocketsbrae Nr Lesmahagow

Post by Stephen » Sun Apr 16, 2006 11:09 am

Big thanks to Robin and Lawrence for helping me with the car yesterday untill too late last night.
Thanks also for DDTB for brining his car which allowed us to establish the maximum that could go wrong while undertaking the same job!!!!!

Robin,
I'll try to find out where we can get more of the big bore SS easy fit exhausts.
technical details are here
http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/ex ... rences.htm

User avatar
campbell
Posts: 17344
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:42 pm
Location: West Lothian
Contact:

Post by campbell » Sun Apr 16, 2006 10:25 pm

What an event, 2 days and counting - upwards of 10 Lotuses + interlopers in the car lot at any one time, just about ran out of cakes and donuts at one point!

Others can comment upon the event overall, I'll just post some details for those unlucky S1 owners who ever have to replace the outer seals on the side window to door shell joint. Firstly make sure your part supplier gives you the appropriate right- or left-handed seal, I ordered both from MMC a long time ago (over a year) and never checked them when I picked them up...turned out both were right-handed. And we'd pulled the left-hand seal off already...grrr.

These seals have a metal strip running through them to keep them formed, this corrodes and deforms the rubber - which is why I knew mine needed changed. Once the old seal is off, and you clean off all the old sealant goo and sticky tape from the door surface and the inner flange the seal mates to (Isopropanol cleaner and brake cleaner will do most of the work for you), put the new seal in place without adhesives first, to form it to the profile of the door.

Then I'm afraid you need to take the inner waist seal out (easy - pops out, pops back in) but more importantly, the glass. Follow the workshop manual to the letter...it makes light of the stages involved, they are actually tricky and cut hands & fingers are mostly guaranteed...but it makes access to the various clips a lot easier. Lawrence had a great trick for easing the door catch rod off the inner handle - and back on again - but basically it's just lots of twisting and fiddling. This is the only way to ensure viable access to the 3 M6 bolts which hold the glass to the winder runner, the frontmost looks really inaccessible but is OK once the inner latch handle assembly is out of the way.

I used a thin foam double-sided tape to secure the lower mating surface of the seal inside the door, and a bead of "tiger-seal" applied to the underneath of the upper edge seal (the bit that sits on top of the external door surface) in advance of fitting to the car. Window is maybe 1-2mm lower at the front edge due to refitting, I guess, but I think that can be adjusted so will tackle that when I do the pax side...maybe!!

Not sure if the Elise FAQ is still being updated, but if so...I'll happily provide a more detailed account of this if required.

Anyway, I had a blast, if a bit frustrating at times, and thanks as ever to Uncle Lawrence but also to Iain Watt for general moral support today :-) Robin for asking if I was OK a couple of times and bringing an exhaust bracket I haven't yet got round to installing, and everyone else for just keeping out of my way...!!

Campbell

User avatar
robin
Jedi Master
Posts: 10546
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:39 pm

Post by robin » Sun Apr 16, 2006 10:30 pm

campbell wrote: Not sure if the Elise FAQ is still being updated, but if so...I'll happily provide a more detailed account of this if required.

Anyway, I had a blast, if a bit frustrating at times, and thanks as ever to Uncle Lawrence but also to Iain Watt for general moral support today :-) Robin for asking if I was OK a couple of times and bringing an exhaust bracket I haven't yet got round to installing, and everyone else for just keeping out of my way...!!

Campbell
Forward the description to Fd and he will put it into the FAQ.

Thanks for the donuts and my lunch - I reckon I needed the calories (I drank two whole tins of coke that day also!).

Cheers

Robin

User avatar
Scottd
Posts: 964
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:26 am
Location: Dundee

Post by Scottd » Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:02 am

Yea thanks guys! That's some garage Lawrence! :shock: I'm def going back to the next Spanners and Sponges day, even if it's just to watch! I have sooo much to learn :cry:

scott

User avatar
alicrozier
Posts: 4390
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:58 pm
Location: Aberdeen

Post by alicrozier » Mon Apr 17, 2006 11:56 am

I had a great day on Sat.! I could have done the work at home but the extra tools, assistance and brain power always useful and much more fun at S&S. :)

I fitted rear brake pads, Pagid RS4-2. Lawrences piston windback tool was excellent, much easier than point nose pliers and no risk of seal damage.

I also fitted the inertia reel seatbelts (in addition to the harnesses). Seats came out no problem with the roof in place. Thanks to Mandy who suggested drivers seat out of the pax door and pax out of the drivers. I thought it was blokes that were supposed to be better at spatial geometry... :)
Reels fitted okay without removing the rear panel - just moved out of the way a little.
Seats back in and it seems I even fixed some of the squeeks and rattles from the rear panel and speakers.
I then popped on a pair of Stu's rear towing eyes, look bling in a race chic stylee. :) They are the lowest part of the car (just protrude lower than the diffuser) so I think they should be titanium for the sparks... ;)

Cheers,
Ali

User avatar
Shug
Posts: 13835
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:28 pm
Location: Deepest, Darkest Ayrshire

Post by Shug » Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:11 pm

Popped over with David (mate who's helping with the rebuild) to press out some wheel bearings and have a general chat. He was mucho impressed with the SE vibe - being used to rally paddocks where the last thing anybody does is help out for nothing....

Cheers to Obi Wan for the use of the press - even if David was scared to break it with my bloody rear wheel bearings. They were defineately in tight enough!

Some updates to do on my car rebuild thread now - just waiting for Emerald and she's ready to go!

Good to natter with a few folks too - I left just as it was looking close to Robin having a sense of humour failure with DDtB's downpipe bolts!
2010 Honda VFR1200F
1990 Honda VFR400 NC30
2000 Honda VTR1000 SP1
2000 Kawasaki ZX-7R

User avatar
Lawrence
Jedi Master
Posts: 1017
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2005 2:30 pm
Location: remembering Dijon
Contact:

Post by Lawrence » Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:01 pm

Big thanks to everyone that turned up, hope you found it useful :)

I remember
Robin
Campbell
Lisa and Family
Marshall
Iain F
Mandy
Iain W
Ed
Derek
Mac
Lawrence
Shug
David (Autotester)
Dave DDTB
Rox
Ali
Neil TADTS
Neil P
Mags
ScottD
Scott’s lady
StephenC
Jon Neale
Brod
Charlie Pank

Thanks very much for all the help, it's the people that make it happen and the driving, that ensure the cars need the adjusting ;)

Oh! and a very big thanks to Uncle Bernard for making it necessary :)

User avatar
Lawrence
Jedi Master
Posts: 1017
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2005 2:30 pm
Location: remembering Dijon
Contact:

Post by Lawrence » Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:52 pm

and of course Gordon who it seemed was good enough to escort Neil here with his colour co-ordinated van :)

That really was a picture :)

User avatar
Rich H
Posts: 9314
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:11 pm
Location: Preston

Post by Rich H » Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:56 pm

Sorry I missed out! Looks like quite a weekend!

When is the next one?

Rich
1994 Lotus Esprit S4 - Work in progress
1980 Porsche 924 Turbo - Funky Interior Spec
2004 Smart Roadster Coupe - Hers

User avatar
mac
Posts: 6880
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2005 4:36 pm

Post by mac » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:04 pm

Skyenet wrote:Some Photos from day one

http://web.mac.com/skyeweb/iWeb/Site/Sp ... onges.html

Iain,

Any chance of a hi-res 918 to my e-mail address.

macATmacspowerDOTcoDOTuk
S2 Elise (cobalt blue with stripes) - toy spec
Caterham 7 - hillclimb spec
Yamaha Thundercat - 2 wheeled toy spec

Post Reply