Lotus Elan, range rover, TR7, Streetka, mx5, minor,

Done a bit more on the lotus it's pretty much ready for some primer, I'll take some photo's tomorrow, can't go much further until the fitting for the drain on my water trap arrives though.

This arrived today




8 early rover V8 injectors, tried them on 1.5v battery and only 2 click, hopefully the full 12v and a meaty resistor will get a few more moving, at £25 if only 2 work it's still worth it.

Then there is this.







That is the power resistor these old injectors need, a cheap chinese variable frequency and pulse width generator and some mosfets to build an injector  driver (the generator only puts out 30ma).  With a high pressure fuel pump a pressure regulator, some fuel line , a few resistors and diodes, a measuring jug and T piece I already have I intend to build an injector test rig.

the previous photos were after 45 mins or so of my lunch hour, one advantage of working from home, after work I tidied it up a bit.






From the wheelarch back the panel is perfect, over the arch it has been sanded back to the gel coat but also seems fine, just behind the sidelight there are 3 areas which have been filled but seem sound and have never given any problems, I will probably cut this area back to the gel coat and tissue over the whole area, Before I can go much further I need to get the bumper light and sill trim off though, hopefully tomorrow.

The blue paint is the original and seems fine, the blisters were in a layer of what looks like spray filler on top of it, fortunately most of this just scrapes off with all the layers above. Its had several re-sprays, firstly in a maroon colour (it was the 70s) then in the early 80s the carnival red another coat just before I bought it 25 years ago, an insurance repair just after I bought it when the bonnet lid came off and a finally another repair when I had to do the same area properly after loads of cracks appeared. really the wings front panel and both doors need all the paint stripping off and re-doing, the doors have had a few small pimples for years. From the doors back it is fine because the outer skin and boot lid were replaced 15 years ago when it was rear ended by a landcruiser and the bonnet was replaced after it came off.

For now I think I will just do this wing and blend it in around the headlamp pod, I can do the other wing and front panel when they start to go or when I retire and have more time (4 years), If this all comes out OK I might have ago at the lh door after xmas though as the inner and outer shell are also parting in one place.

Found a slight problem with the injectors, they are the wrong ones!

They are 37% improved flow ones from an xj6 that were used for tuned rv8 engines with a bigger afm and tweaked ecm back in the day!


Unfortunately the last thing I need is the ability for it to use even more fuel!

They will be fine for building my test rig and providing 4 or 5 work I will be able to re-coup my £25, may even make a couple of £.

Went round my dad's workshop today to do some lathe work, fortunately as it turns out we go into tier 4 this evening.

Firstly turned up an adaptor to fit a sd1 pulley to a buick water pump (about £100 cheaper than the sd1 one).



Still need to drill and tap the bolt holes.

Also skimmed the outside of the mx5 clutch so it is the same diameter as the minor flywheel for the gearbox conversion.



The assembly  was suprisingly well balanced as well with no perceptable vibration.

For the others, the street ka developed a missfire (dodgy eurocarparts plug leads again.) and afer 3 years the £12 chinese radio packed up draining the battery as well, but otherwise is being used every day.  For the minor Andrew is using it virtualy every day and it seems to be thriving on it, over xmas we will raise the front a bit though, the bump stops are taking a bit of a pounding.

Pulled thd water pump off the TR and used the pulley to drill holes in the adaptor, tapped the tresds and it's now all ready to go back on.






I also rubbed the primer down on the boot and rear quarter of the Lotus so it's now ready for the topcoat, still need to do the front wing.  On moving it out of the garage I noticed the other wing is blistering as well Idealy, I would strip both front wings and the front panel but other events have meant I won't have much time for a while so it will just get tidied up as it is.
In the week before xmas my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, because she is stroppy and refused to be fobbed off by the GP it has been diagnosed very early, it is very small and also a slow growing type so the outlook is extremely good but it does mean the next 2 or 3 months will be an operation then radio therapy and me acting as driver and doing pretty much everything around the house.

Thanks, the biopsy results look promising, plan is to remove it 2nd week of January, before that we've got to sheild for 14 days, might even spend more time in the workshop if we drive each other mad!

News today, the wifes opperation has been cancelled until the covid situation in essex improves, that means no isolating yet. Today I fitted the buick water pump to the TR, only problem was a couple of lugs that were thicker on the sd1 one because the pas pump mounted off the bolts, eventually I will get a shorter bolt and trim the stud off but for now I have spaced it with some nuts.




As you can see the pulleys seem to line up well, took it for a short drive, all seems well might brave picking the wife up from work in it tomorrow.

Also need to see if I can book an appointment to get the range rover mot'd asap before the wife gets a new date for the opp and we are sheilding 2 weeks ahead.

Yep I was pretty pleased, My machining often looks sh!t but it it usually seems to do the job!

Spent this morning removing the exhaust the previous owner  fitted to thd street ka.

It was this welded to the standard front end.





Interesting features like the rubber welded in place.



Anyway junked the whole lot and fitted a new standard system which fitted suprisingly well.



Only problem was they had cut the bumper to fit it.




If anything it seemed quicker afterwards!

Also fitted the Bosch plug leads (3 of the 4 ecp ones fell to pieces on removal)