Returning Engine Bay To Original

[berni29]

Hi

How original do you want to go? I have friend with a later car than yours, and he goes as far as colour matching and recreating the stickers for things like the air horn compressor. The washer bottle bracket alone was quite a story.

Personally I think an approximation is fine, and further than I would personally go, but originality is not my thing at all.

Berni

[111Robin]

Hi Berni,
Definitely not as far as that, I'm not looking to enter concours competition, I just want it to be an awful lot better than it currently is. I've been to minute detail with my Cooper, never again.

[Bigbaldybloke]

I understand where you are coming from, the electric headlamp pod activation is practical and almost completely out of sight unless you peer into the nose cone. Alternator or Dynamo is another choice when doing the retiring, or there is the alternator disguised as a Dynamo. Certainly with the electrical loads of a plus 2 an alternator is a practical mod, but it’s not original on early cars but it’s retro fitment is described in the manual. Practical mods like additional fuses and relays for things like headlamps are in my opinion worthwhile and can be fitted discretely. The engine paint colour is detailed somewhere on this site if you search for it. My car should have a black crinkle paint finish on the cam cover, but i talked to my local powder coating company and they came up with a finish that was a very good match. Electronic ignition is another talking point, the old points based system worked ok, but changing it to a modern pointless system has no visible effect, only you will know it’s there unless you get one of us lotus know-it-all’s peering under your bonnet.

Enjoy getting right for you and then enjoy driving it like it’s meant to!

[billwill]

Nowt wrong with the blue crimp connectors, provided you put them on right.

After crimping the bit that holds the wire. then also crimp the back end of the blue tube so that it fits tight around the insulation of the wire. It then supports the wire I stops it waggling relative to the connector which would eventually lead to copper metal fatigue and breakage.

The result of crimping the back end is probably stronger & more reliable than soldered round connectors (the originals) as the tube you use to connect two of those are prone to rusting and disconnect/connect involves pulling on the wire instead of the connector.

[111Robin]

Nowt wrong with the blue crimp connectors, provided you put them on right.

After crimping the bit that holds the wire. then also crimp the back end of the blue tube so that it fits tight around the insulation of the wire. It then supports the wire I stops it waggling relative to the connector which would eventually lead to copper metal fatigue and breakage.

The result of crimping the back end is probably stronger & more reliable than soldered round connectors (the originals) as the tube you use to connect two of those are prone to rusting and disconnect/connect involves pulling on the wire instead of the connector.

Apart from looking terrible especially on an old car. It's just a pet hate I never said they didn't work. I will never use these unless it's a quick fix and will be replaced when time allows. To me they just scream "bodge" even if they do work. Just my opinion, it tells a story of how the car has been maintained. Don't start me on "chocolate blocks"

[mbell]

Apart from looking terrible especially on an old car.

I use them mostly due to there availability and long term expectation I'll replace them when I re-wire the car. I tend to add a bit of hot glue to help them stay put and cover them in shrink wrap to try hide them.

[111Robin]

Apart from looking terrible especially on an old car.

I use them mostly due to there availability and long term expectation I'll replace them when I re-wire the car. I tend to add a bit of hot glue to help them stay put and cover them in shrink wrap to try hide them.

That's a good tip with the heat shrink.

[Bigbaldybloke]

Don’t forget you can get glue lined heat shrink that really seals any joint.

[Lotusian]

May 1968, everything “original”, apart from red braided clutch line and support for bonnet release cable.

[111Robin]

Very nice, thank you

[Bigbaldybloke]

That engine bay looks really nice.
Can’t be many engine compartments looking that original and nice as that in existence now as we are all inveterate “improvers”!

[111Robin]

I like the routing of the HT leads around the back of the block, whether or not as the factory did it, far neater.

[Lotusian]

Thanks for the kind words about my engine bay.
The factory did route the HT leads as shown, so that they would pass underneath the radio suppression plate that might have been fitted.
Here’s another photo from the other side.
Ian

[Bigbaldybloke]

Apart from the cleanliness, and originality, the only difference in layout from my 1967 Plus 2 is the location of the VIN plate, mine is on the LHS of the rear bulkhead near the washer bottle and bonnet latch. I’m only the second owner and have had it 44 years so don’t think it’s been moved but haven’t seen any others with the plate fixed similar to mine.

[billwill]

I like the routing of the HT leads around the back of the block, whether or not as the factory did it, far neater.

That was definitely done if you had the Radio-Noise suppression kit, which included an aluminum plate covering the spark plug trough, so the leads went around the back and in under the 'bridge'.