RESTORATION LOTUS PLUS 2 ZETEC CONVERSION
New Project!
Stripping down the body & chassis
The body comes off and then it's time to unbolt everything, ready for paint repairs and chassis rebuild. David Lillywhite explains
PART TWO
THINGS YOU should do before you die; forget bungee jumping, mountain climbing or even white-water rafting, the one thing you really must do is strip down a car to it's component parts. It's one of the most satisfying tasks you can achieve in a relatively short space of time (rebuilding it is more satisfying but also rather more time- consuming).
So that's what we're doing here. In the last issue we got to the point where the body was ready to come off the chassis; this time we're actually lifting the body and then stripping all the bits away.
You don't have to go as far as we've gone. It depends on the state of the donor car and how comprehensive your conversion is going to be. We've stripped everything out of the interior because virtually everything is going to be thoroughly overhauled, or at least cleaned well. But the advantage of this approach is that you get rid of some of the less pleasant characteristics of a well-used Elan. It's going to stink of fuel, for one, because the fuel tank breathers are a stupid design and all the old soundproofing will have absorbed the fumes over the years. Spyder fits a redesigned breather and throws every last bit of felt into the bin, to eliminate the stench.
Then there's the heater, which is hidden behind the dashboard. The matrix will usually be ok but it's worth checking while the car's in bits, It will almost certainly be clogged with dust, especially if the car's already been resprayed or repaired at some time. That point about dust is crucial, too, because glassfibre repairs generate a particularly nasty dust, which you don't really want lodged in your dashboard vents or anywhere else-another good reason for a full stripdown.
But on the chassis side, it's a little different. You can get away with simply removing the steering rack extension pieces, the speedo drive and a couple of brake line splitters, and leaving the rest for a handy (hopefully rich) buyer to cart away for all those sought-after Lotus parts. It all depends on how many of the Spyder parts you'll be using. In theory you could get away with fitting the old suspension and brakes to a new chassis but, frankley, you'd be mad to. Spyder uses stronger wishbones and new uprights to take modern disc brakes all round. At the rear, an extra wishbone is added to improve suspension location. As for the steering rack, Spyder has given up trying to source decent reconditioned Herald racks (as used on the original) and gone for the nearest modern equivalent, from Rover. So you could forget all that but what would be the point of spending big money on a new chassis and a powerful engine, only to spoil it with suspension, brakes and steering that weren't up to the job?
It took one man at Spyder just one day to prepare the body for separation from the chassis and then strip the body down, ready to be sent for it's repaint. Now that's satisfying work, and an average DIYer could achieve it in a full-on weekend.
Next issue, we'll show you how quickly the new chassis can be built up with suspension and brakes. Once you've seen that, you'll forget all your plans to indulge in adventure sports or any other 'once-in-a-lifetime' experiences.
PRACTICAL CLASSICS MARCH 2003