1969 Plus 2 rebuild

[AndyWhite]

Cheers Rohan , does seem like the obvious solution

[TBG]

Rohan has nailed it. Save you a lot of time, aggro and expense in the long run. I have a 4cv setup to avoid splines and so on. Works brilliantly. D

[AndyWhite]

CV jointed setup ordered. Thanks guys.

Did not enjoy paying for them much though. Still it had to be done.
On the plus side I had the arch cover off to attach a boot pull cable and the sills are PERFECT and BRAND NEW! well I say brand new, so I mean 20 years old but painted sealed and never been on the road. So at least I dont have to tackle that issue

[AndyWhite]

This weekend saw the installation of CV shafts.
Apart from the fact that the instructions said " the studs are premanently loctited in and should not be removed" and I undid 5 of the 6 by hand everything went fine, once I had loctited them in myself. Quick test and clonk has gone. Goods news .

Servo still playing up so I am removing it and replacing it with Mintex 1144 pads. They should do the job. Whilst it is getting deleted I will also send the rad off for a recore to 3 core from 2 , and make up a nice alloy plate to guide air into it as opposed to under it.
That took up Saturday, Sunday I played with the GT6.

[JJ66]

Hi Andy,

This is a great story and I'm thoroughly enjoying reading it. Going through similar learning curves myself but starting at a more complete point thank goodness. My doughnuts won't last much longer so I may be checking out the CV joint options. Mine also needs sill strengtheners and I'm going to go for the Spyder ones. they look pretty good.

Hope you get more successes, seems like you're at a turning point and things are coming together. Keep up the good work!!

Best Wishes, Jonathan

[AndyWhite]

Well the servo is no more! Alas this meant that I had to remove the radiator again in order to dig the servo from its home. I thought about tidying up the brake lines, but that can be a job for another day. I want to get it driving properly without all these niggles first and enjoy it after 2 years , so I have decided to do quick work arounds. This work around involved a brake T piece liberated from a stash of Mk2 Spitfire bits and then screwed the two males from the servo into that. The remaining T got a bleed nipple whacked in it and I left the brake line runs all the way down to the front and back!

This appears to have been successful in a quick test and the pedal feels ok, even with emergency stand on the brakes braking. Once I have some decent (ie not cardboard) Mintex 1144 or even 1155 pads we should be in business
I now need to decide whether to get the radiator cored or test it again with a deflector in place and no servo blocking it. Option one means the radiator is already out and can be run up the road, but involves yet MORE money. Option 2 is cheaper clearly unless it still runs hot in which case it needs to come out a third time and still costs the money

In other news….. the speedo drive is leaking, and not just a tad either. So that needs to come out so I can make sure it has all the seals in it. I have a suspicion it may be missing the circular gasket style one. Time will tell on that front. I don’t like the exhaust note much , it’s a 1.75 inch full stainless job from SJ , I think I could probably graft a GT6 2 inch one on it, and that will give it a bit more of a pleasant sound ( for pleasant read loud) . However that means bodging reducers/expanders into a perfectly reasonable (read 100 miles old) exhaust. Maybe I should just live with it. Or I could try and make one out of old Spitfire bits.

Is there a section to waffle about non Lotus cars? I’m not sure but anyhow. Project hillclimb the GT6 is also ticking over. I am currently building the roll cage, I need to find a seat that will fit in it (you think there’s no room in a plus 2 you are sorely mistaken) which will take a 6 point harness. The Kill switches are all in , the webers are tuned, and the ignition is mapped. I also need to box in the fuel tank then its ready to go.

I already know the Lotus would make a better hillclimber, it does everything better than the GT6 bar noise. But the Lotus is not getting butchered into a hillclimber, well not yet, it is going to be a fast road toy. The GT6 will be fulfilling hillclimbing duties if I ever finish it, and the stag can be for Sunday runs. The MK2 Spitfire, well……I have plans involving a Zetec…… but that may be a few years .