Hello

[TurboFource]

I am using an iPad and it will let me pic the size and medium seems to work well

[Cheguava]

Car was delivered today, so took some photos and have resized them on an aged T400 so hopefully all ok for size etc.  As you can see, there is much to do, pretty much everywhere. Car didn't come with keys, which whilst not urgent, is something I need to sort. Can anyone explain the fuel caps to me - is that some kind of key in the top of them or some kind of vent, meaning they should just twist off?

I'll pass the details onto the Lotus archivist, as I don't think it's on there. This is going to be a challenge!

[S2Zetec54]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the photos….looks great, lots of potential

What’s your strategy? Body off?

Fuel caps,have a required key I’m not familiar with ….my s2 ones have a conventional key and are quite stiff….those two prongs that seem to be required don't feel like they will be strong enough maybe you could gently use long nose pliers to turn it if the nose was fine enough. Check first but I would imagine they are quite easy to replace. Lefty Lucy righty tightly to turn the key for my S2 and then it lifts out …so only the key turns and then lift….next time I see mine I'll photograph them

All the best

[Cheguava]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the photos….looks great, lots of potential

What’s your strategy? Body off?

Fuel caps,have a required key I’m not familiar with ….my s2 ones have a conventional key and are quite stiff….those two prongs that seem to be required don't feel like they will be strong enough maybe you could gently use long nose pliers to turn it if the nose was fine enough. Check first but I would imagine they are quite easy to replace. Lefty Lucy righty tightly to turn the key for my S2 and then it lifts out …so only the key turns and then lift….next time I see mine I'll photograph them

All the best

Thanks - yup, going for body off restoration, which should make the mechanical side easier for me to get at.  Hopefully getting keys for the doors and ignition might be ok if I can get numbers from the lock barrels.

[BDA]

Thanks for the pictures! She looks like a good platform for a nice car, Cheguava! Let us know how it goes!

[berni29]

Hi

Looks great, wishing you the best of luck!

Do the uk cars not have fuel caps like this?

All the best

Berni

[SilverBeast]

The Specials have the flip top, with an optional locking version, maybe the early Twin Cams had the normal twist off and these are a locking version?

[EuropaTC]

Hi

Looks great, wishing you the best of luck!

Do the uk cars not have fuel caps like this?

All the best

Berni

Hi Berni,

AFAIK that was an option on the later cars, probably because it was standard on the 2 seat Elan around then. From a Norton Commando motorcycle and also on the diesel tanks of some lorries apparently - that's Chapman and the cheap parts-bin specials again !

My TC has round filler caps with a moveable cover over the lock, similar size to the one on Jeff's car but with a normal key lock. I suspect they aren't original because they're not listed in the parts book so were probably fitted by the first owner of my car.  I think the standard option was  a plain, non-locking round cap on the cars but I don't recognise those two marks on Jeff's photo.

Brian

[4129R]

The Specials have the flip top, with an optional locking version, maybe the early Twin Cams had the normal twist off and these are a locking version?

Agreed. My 1 TC has simple twist off cap with no lock. My 6 TCS all have the push down lock. 

[4129R]

  Hopefully getting keys for the doors and ignition might be ok if I can get numbers from the lock barrels.

Andy Graham at Lotus Records may be able to help you with the key codes is you send him the 7109181032P VIN number.

[Cheguava]

Thanks for the helpful suggestions. Further digging suggests that the petrol locks might be similar to those used in the 1960s/70s for digger ignition keys and also their diesel tanks. Found one for sale for a couple of quid so will have a try with that when it arrives. For the door keys, and maybe the ignition, looks like there is a UK firm that cuts them to the number, although I need to find out the key brand and type as well as number.
https://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=6023.msg65168#msg65168

So that was two steps hopefully in a forward direction. However, the post about Federal tail lights made me realise that my UK car has Federal light clusters  so one step back.

Off for a few days at the end of the week, and will pick up again with the car on my return.

[EuropaTC]

So that was two steps hopefully in a forward direction. However, the post about Federal tail lights made me realise that my UK car has Federal light clusters  so one step back.

I can vaguely remember at one point when parts supply was poor from Lotus and fading fast, the Federal light lenses were being sold as a cheaper alternative to the UK spec ones. So a previous owner may have decided to refresh the car with those. Or, just as likely, Lotus ran out of UK spec lenses and shoved in what they had on the shelf when the car was made !

Brian

[Cheguava]

Didn't know that about US lenses being sold here - hopefully meeting up with the previous but one owner tomorrow who had the car from 1980 to 2004  he lives 5 miles down the road from me! Hopefully may shed a bit of light on some of the features.

Speaking of which, the key for the fuel tanks is either the wrong one or the lock is gummed/rusted up. Worth a go for a couple of quid.  On a happier note, the demister vents which looked very unhappy due to exposure sans windscreen for years cleaned up with the help of a stripping disc and then got a few coats of wrinkle finish paint, which when baked for half an hour at 200F in the oven, gave a similar finish to those being sold now by suppliers, and hopefully look vaguely original?

Sadly my oven is just too tight to fit the cam cover, but the gas bbq should do the job when I get that far...
 

[dakazman]

  Hey Some S2’s have the same cap . I agree they look much better.
Dakazman