Bollox Moments...

[Guy Mayers]

1. Never leave anything resting on the top chassis rail even with the back clip off. (If you leave it there and close the clip you'll craze the gelcoat.) I left a cutting wheel there at the weekend that I am using to carefully slot the new struts. I managed to knock it off and heard clink as it dropped but not on the floor. An hour and a half later I'd stripped down the side of the engine to expose the cam belt and find it. Guess where it dropped? Yup, it had bounced off the side of the engine and ended up stuck in the bottom of the vented disc. Took an hour to put it all back together again. Half a day gone.

2. Put the nearside rear wheel back on tonight, well struggled in a confined space. Got it located on one stud but couldn't locate the rest so bent down to have a look through the bolt holes to see which way to rotate it. Yup, fell off the stud, clouted the old ear, bashed the other one on the garage wall. Stop laughing, it's hurty!

3. Finally got the wheel onto the studs, time to tighten up the brand new shiny nuts and see if the handbrake holds it! Yup, studs are too long (or the nuts too short). Off to eBay to source some longer ones next (or just plain nuts but I don't like leaving threads exposed)

4. Learn your lessons from the masters! Never ever leave anything on the top chassis rail!! Tonight it was a 10mm socket.... Clink! Not on the floor. Bright light, not in the disk, fortunately I spotted it underneath the offiside fuel tank after 5 minutes.

Time to give up for the night......

Guy

[Cadami]

Well Master, you don't practice what you preach!! That was one of the earlier notes made on my 1st visit to yours ;-)
I use open nuts on my wheels after a similar experience..

[The Slug]

I wish I had read this before I lost my 8mm bolt...... on the top chassis rail..... ting... off the rail search the floor nothing.......
Good look inside...... nothing......forget about it for the night.....

3 weeks later panic about may have fitting cam belt wrong..... strip engine...8mm bolt sitting smiling in the cam wheels, now how the heck did it find its way in there.....

Mel.... thanks for scaring the hell out of me with the cam belt.........

[Guy Mayers]

NO! Just like the original it was built to be serviced on rally stages and as such, everything is easily accessible. Unless it's under the dash...

Guy

[tipo158]

Lotus is a joy to work on, especially the Esprit.
I had to lie on the engine for the water pump for 2 days. I still get chest cramps just thinking about it.
Lotus Rules
1 If you can see the nut with a light ................well done.
2 If you can get a spanner on the nut you don't have the room to turn it
3 If you can turn it, you can go 1 flat at a time.
4 If you drop anything you will never hit the ground!!
Hint blow out the engine with compressed air from above and below to get the part.
5 If the part hits the sumpguard you cannot get to it without considerable cursing.
6 If it hits the floor it will fall on the exact centreline of the car and you cant reach it without getting a broom to knock it out
The part will dissappear under the workbench and be hidden.
Moral????
Don't buy a lotus.
Don't work on a Lotus
Pay a demented mechanic for the work at twice the rate for a normal car.
If you have to work on a Lotus, remove the body because God assembled the car on a bench, body off.
I still love Lotus. I am not mad, I was tested, but the Jury is still out!

Is the Stratos as bad as a Lotus to work on?

I have both, a Lotus Esprit and a Stratos (Litton/CAE/NapierSport). I love the comments about working on the Esprit, all very true. So far my experience has been that the Stratos is FAR EASIER to work on than the Esprit.