1991 'Galileo' (Lotus Carlton) - 2006 to 2019

So I attempted to crack on again with the LC

Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards

It currently looks like this - with no eligable car for Billing VBOA I spent Sat ripping it to bits





Complete front end refurbishment was long overdue - however I was very surprised to find the strut top washers intact and the oil cooler leak I thought I had is actually the hard link pipe that has thined out and is weeping.....

I haven't touched it since 2010 (tax ran out in early 2008 when it had a broken clutch/bell housing) other to move it in and out of storage but nothing motivates me more than a deadline so I'd better crack on with it and for once aside from killing my back on the first day it's playing nice!!!!

Obviously Billing wasn't the target but RRG2013 was......... In advance for all readers I failed so the next couple of pages cover where I worked every spare hour I had and went with pretty much zero sleep for 5 weeks in the run up to RRG - highs and lows lots of them

I didn't post on here as I genuinely thought I could meet the deadline and I wanted it to be a surprise at RRG

These threads normally go the same way - had a few bits shot blasted and powder coated



They are pretty dust as they were done a day early (unheard off) and left in paint shop while they did some silver wheels!!!

Springs (SB & PC)
Shocks (SB and Hot zinc galvanised spray as the seals don't like the oven involved in PC process)
Subframe - I already had one ready done (5yrs ago) but I did the one I removed (anyone need a powdercoated LC sub frame?)
Roll Bar (SB & PC)
Suspension top hat and plate (SB and PC)
Roll Bar rubber mounts (SB & PC)
Engine mount stop (SB & PC)
Lifting Eye (SB and PC)

All picked up today - 5 day turnaround

So this week while I've been waiting I've been treating surface rust and waxoiling chassis legs as well as using shultz and stone chip spay before finally covering it all in chassis black













Brakes are fighting me a bit as it seems the pistons are reluctant to leave home - one caliper done after a lot of effort but the other is proving to put up a damn good fight

Tommorrow must remember to take some pics of it all before I start putting it back together

Then I can turn it round and start ripping apart the rear end.......

Oh and because they were black and last time I used them I tried to reverse up and over them (dark and curse word eyesight) I decided a brighter colour would be a good idea



The merc nearly made it too :lol:

Car other way round (rather than other way up - which on reflection would make life easier)

Father Ted in the air

BTB Stainless Exhaust off

Prop disconnected - have the bruises to prove it

Drive shaft bolt losening in progress (I'll leave them attached to the diff no point disturbing both ends) while I still have a working hand brake (been there, done that, sent the post card etc)

Oh curse word I spy with my little eye something begining with H..........












Clue - There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza - A hole in my bucket indeed

Sweep is open to guess where it is!!!! No repeat guesses so if someone has suggested it you can't say the same suggestion.....

No prizes but a virtual beer for who gets it right :lol:

As a Opel man through and through (cut me open and I'm like a stick of rock with a blitz logo all the way down) I can say with some confidence that if I'd owned a cosworth it would have long left my drive not sold but stolen - it seems that Carltons are not as well known

This one wasn't part of the offical build/production run.

The pre prod prototypes all got scrapped but someone made a complete car out of them many years ago

It would but it's already gone - however it's gone to another ABS member so He'll have a spare one shortly if not already.....

24V Diplomat - great plan

So I need to remove the stub axles - A friend in the ABS did a "how too" but also gave me some advice and linked me up to it

"You don't want to be replacing the bearings unless you really, really, absolutely, really have too !
I have my tooling back now which may help you, should you decide to punish yourself."

Guide (of sorts) here www.lotuscarlton.co.uk/rbearings.htm

They actually came out easily without a fight - the bearings however needed the assistance of a 50T press at work

BMW boot filled with parts from back end to go to powder coaters

2 x trailing arms
1 x Sub frame
2 x Tie bars
2 x Stone shields
2 x Donut Mount brakest

Loads of little bits etc etc

All delivered and hopefully collect Friday

Yes the bloody bearings have been removed and the bushes - thank you to my work eng shops 50T press

So time to concentrate on the rust............ holes.............

Rear bumper removed - what a cow of a job - 10 mins on a GSI - 40 mins on an LC with some of the fixings already detatched

Petrol tank dropped - why on earth would I remove that - Well I don't like welding above it.......

My worst fear was that it would look worse than Malcolm Campbells "Bluebird" the one they dragged out of the lake after a billion years..... Over to you Sean :lol:

Pics soon......... honest - I working to a deadline but it has to be right first time so pics are last thing on my mind

Oh and I will do a before and after picture of the new metal work required when I work out exactly what the missing metal should look like!!!

Herald of free enterprise LC



Looked fine till the kit was removed

More later..............

surely that last photo isn't of your car? It just amazes me how quickly cars rust out here in the UK! That same car in Australia or NZ would practically be rust free still.