Newbie question

[Guido]

FYI - There’s someone on SELOC selling quite a few bits from a S2 Elise inc some hoses. Might be worth an email to see if they have heater hoses and any other bits you might need.  👍

 

[Andy wright]

More radiator work this afternoon. Brackets to mount fans to rad made. Freshly painted rad to housing brackets fitted with new bolts and washers, albeit loosely for the moment . Next job is to make up some fresh foam packing to fit between the radiator and its housing, as the original stuff is a bit , err crusty. Anyway, that is for another day . 

[Andy wright]

1 hour ago, Guido said:

FYI - There’s someone on SELOC selling quite a few bits from a S2 Elise inc some hoses. Might be worth an email to see if they have heater hoses and any other bits you might need.  👍

 

Cheers.I will check this out now. 

[Andy wright]

Finished fitting the radiator to its support and then replacing the foam with some new bits . All now re fitted to the crash box and the wiring loom more or less back in place. Next job is to paint and rebuild the callipers 

[Andy wright]

Today was a ‘ get the spitfire toe link brackets installed ‘ day and replace the door hinge plastic bushes. The up side is that the Spitfire toe links are a nice piece of kit . The not so good news is the system used to mount the brackets to the subframe. On the passenger side, the CAT badly obstructs any hole drilling in the subframe to fix the m6 rivnuts . The drivers side has better access . The brackets are nicely made but there is a snag. The rivnuts do not sit flush with the surface once installed. This means that the bracket is stood off from the subframe. Clearly it’s not going anywhere but I don’t think the arrangement is entirely satisfactory. Modification on the way and photos to follow. As for the door hinges, the top bush is. 5 minute job. The lower one is a bit more of a job . In other words, a bit of a pain. However, drivers door done and no more sloppy door hinges . 

[Conrad P]

36 minutes ago, Andy wright said:

Today was a ‘ get the spitfire toe link brackets installed ‘ day and replace the door hinge plastic bushes. The up side is that the Spitfire toe links are a nice piece of kit . The not so good news is the system used to mount the brackets to the subframe. On the passenger side, the CAT badly obstructs any hole drilling in the subframe to fix the m6 rivnuts . The drivers side has better access . The brackets are nicely made but there is a snag. The rivnuts do not sit flush with the surface once installed. This means that the bracket is stood off from the subframe. Clearly it’s not going anywhere but I don’t think the arrangement is entirely satisfactory. Modification on the way and photos to follow. As for the door hinges, the top bush is. 5 minute job. The lower one is a bit more of a job . In other words, a bit of a pain. However, drivers door done and no more sloppy door hinges . 

Hi Andy enjoying your thread btw👍. I've used Rivnuts at work for many many years.  Looks like you've used Flange head one's.  However don't be tempted to swap to  flush fitting/countersink one's as in my experience they  just haven't got the  strength & eventually fail.

[Andy wright]

2 hours ago, Conrad P said:

Hi Andy enjoying your thread btw👍. I've used Rivnuts at work for many many years.  Looks like you've used Flange head one's.  However don't be tempted to swap to  flush fitting/countersink one's as in my experience they  just haven't got the  strength & eventually fail.

Thanks for that information.I plan to make a thin spacer plate that fits between the bracket and the subframe but with holes cut out around the flange of each rivnut. I have tried using the countersunk ones in the past. As you say, not good at any real load bearing . 

[Andy wright]

Diffuser now fixed back together and in  a coat of black paint. Just the clear lacquer to add and some edge trim and another job gets ticked off the list . 

[Andy wright]

And a bit more progress, with front brake caliper rebuild ( thanks Eliseparts, their service kit is brilliant ) and the front fog/ spot / whatever they are lights cleaned, painted , rewired and fitted back in place with some new screws. 
As an aside, I have made a new friend in the Elise community , Dave Robson, who not only lives just ten minutes away from me but has recently bought and repaired a crash damaged S2 Rover Elise and, to put it bluntly.with 50 odd years of building and racing cars, definitely knows which end of a screwdriver to hold( read knows an awful lot and is very keen to share it . I have numerous photographs and some very , very slick suspension spreadsheet calculations to illustrate the point ) 

[Dave R]

Andy

Do you mean that turny thing with a flat blade at the end??  

Seriously............good to find a like-minded builder so close to me. Here are before & after shots of the Elise 111s plus one of the race car I built and recently sold (750 Formula)

Dave

Edited January 22 by Dave R

[Guido]

Someone from SELOC very kindly sent me the workshop manual (.pdf) for an Exige. I’ve had it printed and bound at an online printers and I’m ready to go when something needs fixing. For me, it’s nice to have step by step instructions and schematics when taking something apart. 

[Badger02]

50 minutes ago, Guido said:

Someone from SELOC very kindly sent me the workshop manual (.pdf) for an Exige. I’ve had it printed and bound at an online printers and I’m ready to go when something needs fixing. For me, it’s nice to have step by step instructions and schematics when taking something apart. 

Guy, I thought you didn't know one end of a spanner from another ?

[Guido]

13 hours ago, Badger02 said:

Guy, I thought you didn't know one end of a spanner from another ?

Quite the opposite. I’ll try most ‘simple’ things but I hate doing stuff blind. Step by step instructions are always a good confidence builder. YouTube is always helpful but a proper manual is perfect. 
 

The challenge with the Exige is getting access to stuff. I want to check my washer pump but access is from under the car so the front under tray has to come off!!

Edited January 23 by Guido

[Badger02]

11 hours ago, Guido said:

Quite the opposite. I’ll try most ‘simple’ things but I hate doing stuff blind. Step by step instructions are always a good confidence builder. YouTube is hallway helpful but a proper manual is perfect. 
 

The challenge with the Exige is getting access to stuff. I want to check my washer pump but access is from under the car so the front under tray has to come off!!

Great, know the same feeling only too well. If you get fed up with the dodgy access, feel free to drop your car (which i have an unhealthy level of jealousy about) of at mine for a couple of weeks

[Andy wright]

And in other news, suspension bits back from the powder coaters . Blasted, primed and coated . New ball joints installed. Ditto new bushes ( read spherical bearings ) . New wheel bearings bolted into the hubs. ( and yes it did take an age to clean out all the threaded tappings and the bush/ bearing housings . The coaters had been fairly careful but I did agree to do any residual cleaning up . ) . Progress now on hold whilst I replace the inter cooler on our ‘ everyday car’ which is outside in the rain in bits because the garage is , err, otherwise occupied .