Bodge Ups

[Barney]

Reading the "Rusty Chassis" thread has reminded me about a bodge up I found shortly after buying the car.

In 1980 or so, I'd had the car for a couple of months when driving along at about 50 mph I had cause to drop a gear & floor the throttle (as you do! I think a TR6 was involved at the time). I was rewarded by a thump on the bonnet and increased noise from the engine bay.

On opening the bonnet I found that #1 cylinder spark plug was out of the head, dangling on its lead. Around the plug was a threaded sleeve with a hexagon head that looked vaguely familiar.

The AA was called as I didn't have (couldn't afford?) any tools. The attending mechanic was able to identify the source of this mystery sleeve. It was the metal gland nut for a metal surface mount industrial light switch - the type that screws into the surface box and terminates/secures the tubular conduit pipe. The inside of this gland had been tapped to accept the spark plug and the head drilled and tapped to allow the gland nut to be screwed into the head.

The temporary remedy was to reinsert the gland nut into the head with some stud locktite followed by the plug. There was apparently enough thread remaining in the head so that all was sound. As time passed the urge to go faster overcame the mechanics advice to take it easy but the plug never came out again and I ran with it for about 18 months in the same condition (until the welded front turret failed it's MOT).

I have long ago swapped engines (and chassis) but still remember that day well!

Anybody care to share their favourite bodge-up discoveries?

Cheers
BARNEY

[types26/36]

It was the metal gland nut for a metal surface mount industrial light switch - the type that screws into the surface box and terminates/secures the tubular conduit pipe. The inside of this gland had been tapped to accept the spark plug and the head drilled and tapped to allow the gland nut to be screwed into the head.

Bodge!...Colin would be proud...."Vorsprung durch Technic"

[miked]

Barney,

I bought a nice PLUS 2 S130 from a dealer (A good one). No names. The car came to them from a well known guy with lots of Lotus history.

The car had undergone a restoration over several years. I found the front discs were thin and as a consequence they had warped giving brake pusling and noise on slowing up. I decided to fit new discs. Upon putting a spanner on the caliper bolts I found 3 out of the 4 not tight. I then found that they were not the right length and only had a very few threads entered. I was startled how they had not ripped out. Changed them for the right length ones. Only ever found this with the car. Still blows my mind as to why an experienced guy with good standards had done this.

Potential for a serious accident and a flying caliper around the wheel!


Mike

[robcall]

I had a chassis made from the good ends of two wrecked chassis!
This was over 25 years ago-I think the join line was at the front forks.
Seemed to drive all right but changed it out for a Spyder as soon as I could.

[elancoupe]

Like most of you, my car was advertised by the DPO as being in showroom condition.

When the bottom end of the motor was disassembled, the crank had .030 under main bearings and .050 under rod bearings. It also had 3 relatively new 125e rods, and 1 rod which had been ground and polished, weighing considerably less than the other 3. Number 2 combustion chamber had to be extensively rewelded. as something had struck it rather hard at some point in the past.

I suppose that the large quantity of oil pouring down the guides distracted me from the undoubted engine imbalance. No wonder the chassis was cracked at the motor mount areas.

I could go on for a while.....

[Frank Howard]

I had a chassis made from the good ends of two wrecked chassis! This was over 25 years ago-I think the join line was at the front forks.

I once looked at a +2 where the chassis was joined horizontally. A local couple purchased the car new in Europe, drove around on holiday, had it shipped to the States, and used it as a daily driver including who knows how many Minnesota winters. The bottom half of the chassis completely rusted away. The owner removed the chassis and rather then replacing it, he cut off the rusty bottom half, fabricated a new bottom half, and welded the two halves together. He died shortly after completing the restoration and his widow took pride in showing me the photos of what he had done. I didn't have the heart to tell her what I thought of her husband's restoration technique.

[alexblack13]

Hi All,
I have a bodge story you might like....

A load of moons ago I was driving my +2 in my local town when I spotted a guy footering under the bonnet of a nice looking red +2. I did a 180 and went back for a natter with the bloke. Turned out I knew him. He was busy fitting headlamp vac pods, explaining he just bought the car and the headlamps did not lift !! Ahem !!.... Anyway. I had a look round the engine bay and could not believe what I saw. Both (rusty) suspension turrets had folded into the engine compartment bringing with them the bodywork / bobbins etc and had been 'strengthened' by the PO who sold the bloke the car using dexion type angle iron which was fixed to the bobbin/chassis mounting bolts and down onto the chassis x member / vac' tank with self tapping screws various. Decisions decisions....Do I tell the guy or not? What if he has an accident in it?? It was lethal so I decided I had better tell him which I duly did. He sold the car that same week. He also did not let on to the buyer, who turned up at my home one evening (again I knew the guy, Ollie was his name.) to proudly show off the new car. Same car = same story. He was horrified and also decided to sell it on. This time though Ollie tells the buyer to look me up for help and advice. I had told Ollie that selling the car as is was a big no no and could get someone killed but did he listen? Er.. NO. By the way Ollie was a bit of a dealer and owned an accessory shop in the town so he should have known better. I told him it needed a chassis and to be honest with any potential buyers. Aye right!! So, unsuspecting owner No 3 phones me asking about club Lotus and could he come round for a chat / look at my cars etc. Bottom line was I wised him up and he promptly took Ollie to court and claimed a chassis change off him. Ollie threatened to kill me for telling him!!! What a position to be put it don't you think? Was I right to tell him? I think so.

Sorry to rattle on but it was the worst bodge I had seen for a while

Alex B.

[steveww]

The DPO of my S4 had a nasty habit of forcing metric bolts/nuts in to / on to any UNF/UNC thread rather than source the correct one.

I have replaced so many and re-coiled so many threads I am on first name terms with the guys at NAMRICK (My nut and bolt supplier).