New member - new owner

[Pete Boole]

Ok.....finally got the gearknob off.....it's, I think, an aftermarket one, judging by the fact it says 'momo' on it and was simply glued to the shaft rather than screwed onto it as I think they should be.

Can you even get OEM gearknobs any more or should I just go for it and choose something I like? Oh and does it have to be weighted or can I just go for a simple wooden one (which will be alot lighter than the heavy metal momo one I've just taken off there?

And is there an optimum height (the Lotus height) as it were?

I'll be needing a heavy gear knob eventually - do you have any photos of yours? How heavy is it - what is it made from?

Thanks

Pete

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

It's seriously heavy (comparatively). I'll take some photos and post them up (and I'll weigh it too). Only downside is that it's not a threaded insert, but just a plastic smooth one.

Perhaps the weight makes the gearchange more positive perhaps? I've got my eye on something that I'll reveal when I've bought it.....but it won't have the weight of the one I've taken off.

[Marten]

How do you remove the Lotus gearknob? Is it a twist-off or do you pull it?

Mine is threaded on and locked in place with a locknut. If you look underneath you can see the slots in the locknut for the bladed pinspanner

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

Peter!

Here you go;

It's just shy of 200g;



and looks like this;











Sadly you can't quite see into it to see that it's not a threaded insert sadly. As I say, it was just sort of stuck on.

It's cold to the touch (naturally) but I'm guessing will warm up as the car's transmission does.

It's lost it's emblem on top - it looks like a coin is stuck on top but it's not.

I've been trying to grab 20 mins here and there and my next task is to capture the radiator swap (from original, ruined lotus radiator, to shiny new MG TF radiator). It's not a straight swap but I'll take pictures and walk everyone through it.

Possibly next week, most probably over the next two.

And whisper it, I'll be buying a new waterpump too shortly and that'll mean I'm able to get the engine sorted and running and then it's just a list of fettling to finally get the car back on the road.

I've bought new lights and new pods (for a land rover technically, but lets not quibble - they look like they will look OEM once in the pods so that's good) for an all in price of £28 per side......but it's taken 6 or more months to quietly amass the two bits, at favourable prices ....but I guess when you've got time...and I'm going to buy osram nightbreakers on top (so another £12 or so per side perhaps).

Oh and trim the roof (full detail of that) and I'm going to go my own route on the underlay for the carpets too.

Oh and the stereo that I'm going to put in it - I've got the amps that my dad gave me out of his cosworth and saab 900 - not max powery in any way shape or form but they are right on the money date-wise, I've got a slightly newer (1992) high-end fascia unit and I've bought a small sub (10") in a small enclosure to try to fill out the sounds as apparently the interior isn't the quietest.

Plus all the bits I've got to do to the passenger door (going with a rear triumph dolomite door latch - will document that process too) and plenty of other things I'll take pictures of.

My wooden front crash pieces aren't too tragic. I might (stress the might) just sort them and protect them in situ......but everytime my friend hears that he winces....so I think I'm going to have to buy and thoroughly prep some marine ply so once they are done.....I don't have to go there again......



Onwards!

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

How do you get the steering wheel off? is there a method to prising out the horn button in the middle (without breaking it!)?

[Alan_M]

How do you get the steering wheel off? is there a method to prising out the horn button in the middle (without breaking it!)?

No special method. Should pop out easily. I can do mine just hooking my finger nails under the edge and lifting.

[ianhateswork]

My car came with one of those momo knobs, freezing cold and heavy.
To fit, unscrew the collar at the base of the knob and this will expose 3 pointed grub screws, adjust as necessary.
ian.

[Lozza74]

Hi,
Can I ask how you got on with your MG TF radiator swap?
Mine has just sprung a leak so im looking for ideas and like the thought of something as widely available as the MGF/TF radiator.

Thanks

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

Lozza

pls accept my apologies, wife is extremely ill at the moment (hospital for 4 days over xmas sadly). I rarely have time to come on to the forum at the moment (should be better from mid-feb on - the last chemo session is early feb).

On the radiator - not used it in anger yet. It does need some fettling (the locator tabs - off the excel radiator - 2 of them - need to fitted to the new radiator) but width, height depth all work. It's also a lot lighter (massively lighter)......but I'm not getting excited about that until I know it actually works. But if it does then that's a good thing.

I'll do a full pictures and story/trial and tribulation update once I've done it. But it wont be until I've sorted out the waterpump and got the engine going - everything is reliant on that (everything being further investment in time and money).

[Pete Boole]

A company called Coolex in Nottingham are going to make my radiators, and while I was there I had a look at their MG F/TF rads. They are nicely made and keenly priced in my opinion.

Pete

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

........And so it begins again............my wife is slowly recovering and, as far as is possible, life is returning to normal (although with an added 'carpe diem' urgency to it).

Which means I'm now about to start hammering the Lotus. I really want it MOT'd by May 3rd - I'm going to meet some friends on 4th May and I'd like to use it for that. Even if it means that, at that point, the interior isn't in the best of places.

To that end however I've got a list of things to do (and expenditure);


recondition waterpump (£150 - pnm engineering).
make new crash structure boards for the front (nil £ - already have plenty of marine ply).
new tyres - going with 205 50 15's......unless some 215 50 15's pop their heads up at not mentally deranged money. 4 tyres - looking at camskill (£60 a tyre or just over for toyo's so £260 all in perhaps)
new carpets and underlay - (nil £ - have it already and going to make them at home)
new headlining (veltrim i think - circa £40 to £50 quid - I really want to try and lift the current interior, that has suffered, prior to my ownership and needs properly sorting out)
new seats - (RX8's - £150 or so) - although I've refurbed the existing seats........I'd like to try and lift the interior into the 90's.....if not beyond!
Fit new fuel pump
Fit new lights (bought land rover innards - £35 all in for each side)
Fit new radiator (£80 or £90 - can't remember now - for an MGTF) - needs tabs that locate and hold the radiator, transferring over to the new radiator from the old.
Sort out passenger door frame. not looking forward to this or the cost..........
fit new passenger side latch into main door frame - it's frustrating - i only need the front leg of the frame, the rest of it is fine but hey ho. No choice.
Buy and fit rear driver's side seatbelt metal (under the car). £35 i think, passenger side is in fine fettle.
repair rear exhaust hole
buy and fit exhaust header brass nuts for missing ones (£3? ish - not expensive).
Repair front splitter (the fibreglass kit as £12 from memory)
refettle all interior (and boot) carpets - re-stick down loose trim etc etc (nil - already have the glue/clamps etc etc)
New front door speakers - not mucking about with these - going for a straight swap (in size).........or might look at it in greater detail when I get there. £30 for the speakers I imagine.
The dash needs re-trimming too. the leather is in dire need of sorting out.......but the dash has got to come off to sort. and for me this is a worrying job. It feels complicated (but 7 nuts?) and putting it all back also gives me sleepless nights.....but I've also got to test the interior fans/blower etc etc. the material on the flap behind the glover box has turned to dust too. I don't know how much this is going to cost. With the kids into horse lessons (where they go and look after the horses too, I've got a lot of leather conditioner, moisturiser - for want of a better word). Ideally I'd like to try and fix the existing dash than recover.
Also need to properly check everything in the passenger side footwell (where I found a dead rat..........but I can't get my head in there to really have a good look). the relays and wiring etc etc etc.
Also under-bonnet sound deadening needs sorting (£50?). Worry about that later mind......

So there's £800-£850 to spend.

Oh. And I want a special gearknob too - one that I think will lift the interior, or certainly add something. It's not garish or anything.......

Onwards!

More progress as I go.

My youngest wants to do tiktoks (she's 11) so apparently I'm getting my own channel..............

[Hawaiis0]

I bought an old door frame for £50 that's 75% good, on standby as emergency material.

happy to sell on if you need it.

[Lozza74]

Its great to hear that life is returning to normal and enthusiasm is coming back.
Your list of jobs is remarkably similar to the list I have been working through over the last few years. If you have not found it yet Ive been posting a restoration thread on the other side https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/t ... continued/ (only there as picture hosting was simpler).

I also wrote a guide to modifying and fitting RX8 seats which is on this forum - I think in the interior section. its pretty simple to do.

When it comes to your blower fans, dont make the mistake I made and assume that because they stopped squeaking when tested out of the car they were OK. I now face removing the dashboard again to fix the fans properly. I think your car is an early (non-SE) model like mine. If so the fans were from Manta B / Cavalier mk1. There are a few facebook groups for those cars and ive just managed to buy 2 spare fan motors that both need the bearings replaced. Ive also been buying a fair few different bearings to figure out what the best replacement option is.

I plan on writing up a guide to restoring the fan motors - if you get to that point and Ive not written it up then give me a prompt.
I may also be persuaded to part with my 2 spare motors (probably fixed by then) in exchange for squeaking ones.

Good luck, and I hope you get on the road soon.
Richard

[Pete Boole]

Wish my list was that short!! . Sounds like you're going to make good progress Have you got any photos of your current seats?

Great to hear that your wife is recovering well!

Pete

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

Lozza - mine's an SE, 1987 so I'm guessing the fans are from something else? (if anyone knows, please do share!)

Pete - I'll take some tomorrow - I've repaired the bases (and documented on here) but.....they don't have the wow factor. I'm going to keep them in storage and buy rx8's.

Thanks for the heads up on the 'how to' on the seats aswell.

Are there any other seats (not interested in jag seats) that might fit? Vauxhall corsa ones perhaps? Fiesta ST's - something that fit a thin interior like the Excel.

I realise I should do this work ...........but if it's already been done........why bother!

Tomorrow is 'try and make progress on something day'.......which basically means I'm going to have a look at the crash panels and then use the knackered interior carpet bases as templates and cut out and start on them.

and then it's work out how the lights interact with the bowls, that fit into the pop-up bodies. I've already ensured that both light-motors work and fixed the air temperature thing.

Let's see how we go.

I've like to fettle the fibreglass lip too, but it might be too cold for that (to do a proper job of it).