Nlc - Lister Bell Stratos Build Thread

Dr H · June 16, 2020

On 21/05/2020 at 11:10, Kevin said:

On the road this year Leigh?

Who knows Kevin!

Dr H · June 16, 2020

Did a bit more....

Roof scoop. Tried 2 different types of mesh. As supplied:

or one with smaller gaps

Preferred the As supplied as it matches the rest of the car, but didn't like the fact you could 'see' inside it and the roof colour showing through.

So black vinyl fitted to roof.

Finished the heater controls

Think it looks pretty good. Also has an internal LED light connected to the sidelight feed so the graphics have a dim back light at night

Once fitted there was a bit of fore/aft movement on that part of the dash so I made a bracket that attaches an aluminium piece attached to the chassis. Now solid as a rock.

I mentioned I'd resurrected an idea I'd have before but dismissed. Cables for the rear clam catches are so 1970s. Electric release is much more modern.

Bracket

Fit the catch

Renault Megane central locking actuator. Much smaller than the ones I've used on my doors. The reason I'd discounted fitting actuators to the rear was the size of them, they wouldn't really fit. But much research turned up these. To be honest I'd put these in the doors now if I was doing them, much neater.

Actuator fitted and attached to catch

Fitted to car:

Need to wire it all up in the car but have tested them and work well

View on YouTube website

Bought this button to use as the release:

But this one does......thanks to Dan ( https://divinehandcraft.co.uk/pages/the-lotus-store) for doing me the stickers for this. 😁

New ITB arms made:

Test fitted an all good. So rest are now being made up. Once fitted and setup Daniel (Calibrated Performance) will connect to the car over the web from Oz and make the necessary adjustments.

Still a way to go but getting closer....

Nick S1 · June 16, 2020

Loving the rear clam release Leigh, on mine they needed constant adjustment due to the cables stretching.

Keep up the good work, I’ll have to pop round for a look at some point.

mambosasa · July 2, 2020

Amazing work.

Thats some bedtime reading for sure.

The Cakes · July 2, 2020

🙌🏻🙌🏻

Dr H · July 3, 2020

17 hours ago, mambosasa said:

Amazing work.

Thats some bedtime reading for sure.

Would probably help you if you had insomnia Bis! 😁

How are you? Keeping well I hope?

Dr H · July 24, 2020

A bit more progress. Finally got the new ITB arms etc fitted.

Put the air horns on (without the airbox) to balance them

Ran the engine and got it all nicely balanced.

Came to tighten up the lock nuts on the rods between each lever and one of the threads in the aluminium bearing holders is buggered and it just pulls out.......

2 steps forward and one step back.

Mind you the car started after sitting for months and didn't shit itself

DeanB · July 25, 2020

I saw a LB at Donington the other week Leigh. It was really nice.

Dr H · July 25, 2020

Nice! Looks like mine.....but that one's finished......

Any idea who it belonged to?

Dr H · August 22, 2020

Quick update.

ITB linkage now all sorted and everything seems to work OK. Balanced the ITBs again.

Interior bits are finally ready! Pick them up on Tuesday, the I pre-fit, make the mods need to make and send them back for trimming.

Then it's just the engine to sort. I've managed to book some time with Daniel (Calibrated Performance) to sort out the ITBs and finalise the PID control. He'll be connecting to the car over the web from Oz and sorting it remotely. Booked for 3rd Sept.

Then I am really on the home run! However IVA test's are currently very limited. 6 classes of vehicles with priority given to class 1 down to 6. Guess were kit cars are

Some progress on the dash. Fitted for hopefully the final time. Had a right nightmare with he connections on the dials, as I changed the connectors to try and make them neater, even though I won't see them. I also decided to modify the dash itself to fill in a large gap above the steering column shroud.

Can sort of see the piece I had to insert here

All sorted, new vinyl wrap added which is a bit lighter than the last covering. Looks like this from the driver's seat

I've got a clear view of the speedo, rev counter, oil pressure gauge and water temp gauge which are the important ones! The other aren't obscured as much as it seems in this pic and they are volts, oil temp and fuel.

Look quite cool when the lights are on

Also re-painted the steering column shroud with the SEMs stuff recommend on SELOC for refurbing interior plastics. Really is top notch stuff. Really doesn't look 40 years old anymore!

stockhome · August 23, 2020

Looking good Leigh

The Cakes · August 24, 2020

Gauges look great 👌🏻

Dr H · August 26, 2020

New door cards. Slightly different from the previous ones as they are for use with glass windows, the others were for plastic windows. I need to somehow work out how to drill holes in the right place to match the holes in the doors from the previous door cards!

Never one to miss the opp for an 'upgrade' I also collected......

New centre tunnel and trigger hand brake. Rather than being the same height from the gear stick back it raises up a lot.

Acts as an armrest and I have plans to put some sort of 'cubby hole' in there and a cover of some sort.

Once I've made the mods it will go for trim with the door cards and......

My new foot well divider! Same as the old one but now with a footrest cut out. Previous one was aluminum like the centre tunnel but this is GRP. Nice stainless footrest too. Works really well as before there was hardly any space between the divider and the clutch pedal.

Something to do over the weekend!

Dr H · September 4, 2020

Another 3 hrs in the garage tweaking the ECU, not on a RR this time but connected to OZ over the Interweb - where my mapping guy is currently living and can't travel! The new linkages on the ITBs were all sorted before hand and I'd balance them to make sure they were all matched and opening / closing properly.

Daniel did his stuff. We altered the linkages and adjusted the amount the ITBs were open at idle as they were drawing too much air and the ignition was retarding loads to try and get idle / lambda target. He then he went about re-writing and testing the PID control for the throttle. Car now starts with much less cranking and sits at a nice idle. Coming off throttle from higher revs needed some more tweaking but he got that sorted and it settles down really nicely back to idle again. Twin lambdas working well but are needing to trim a few % to keep things on track. This could be a very slight imbalance in the throttles but it's the same each bank so maybe not.

Need to now do a few cold starts over the next few days and report back on any issues. If all OK then another session needed to deal with fast idle and making sure settings are all OK.

So all good, well almost all good.....

There is still an issue with the throttle linkages and opening. At about 90% (maybe a bit less) they seem to hit a stiff spot and this is throwing the DBW control out. This means we've had to use the physical stop to stop the throttle getting to this spot. No idea what's causing it but stripping everything down would mean we'd have to reset everything again! So for now we've left it to stop just short of full throttle. Will have to sort it out at a later date on an RR. Never try to develop your own ITB setup, it costs loads and is a PITA!

Dr H · December 7, 2020

Just realised I'd not updated for ages. Partly because the lockdown, cold weather and being busy with work has meant not much progress.

Trim pieces now gone for trim, that's everything now except trimming the boot with carpet.

Still refining the map for IVA via email with Daniel in Australia. Doing lots of starts showed up a bit of a weakness in the electrics I think. After the car got hot re-starting was very laboured. Was possibly heat soak on the starter having sat getting hot whilst stationary and engine running, or maybe a dodgy earth on the starter, or maybe a dodgy starter as it was a refurb unit

Anyway, as is my wont chucking money at it seemed a great idea, so I spunked a big amount of cash on a LiFePO4 battery like this:

I was going to buy one off a fellow Selocer but the terminals were the other way round and wouldn't work with my car.

Weighs bugger all and cranks much faster than my Odyssey PC680.

And because, well just because I spunked a further very large amount of cash on a new starter motor. Lighter than OE, used less current and the 'axial' nature there's a bigger gap to the exhaust manifold which will help reduce heat soak.

Also bought some Cerakote and plan on redoing the engine cam covers in a nice 'burnt bronze' colour.

Also think my rear tyres are too narrow, they are only 275s which isn't wide enough for a Stratos! So I've ordered a set of 315/35/17s. Which I've had to get sent from the States R888Rs.

Like these:

It's a popular size in the US used for Mustangs, Vipers etc.

Although you can now get a Nankang AR-1 in the UK in a 315/35/17 but it's a bit too track oriented not that the R88R isn't . Wish they did the NS2-R in the same size but they don't.

Kumho do an ECSTA V70A in the same size but you can't get it in the UK. Called the importers and they say they've never been asked for it so no demand to warrant bringing it over.

Exhaust off to Zircotec in the next week or so.

Now need a few bits for the window mechanisms, fit the glass and that'll be it! But I don't expect that to happen until next year now......

Manifolds Zicoteced

Still waiting for the interior bit to come back from trim.

Also needed the pieces to pivot the windows on. LB sent me one 3D files that a selocer assisted in converting to STL, and the other as a simple drawing, which a selocer modelled up for me. Thanks for those guys for the help

Sent them off to be 3D printed in glass-filled nylon. Really though stuff!! Arrived today.

But I can't fit the windows properly until I get the door trims on - which I'm still waiting for...

Due to being a complete knob I fitted a fixing for the centre tunnel and managed to drill through into a cavity that holds the AC hoses...... They need replacing as I'm 99% certain I drilled though the pipe. So I decided to use the Earl's E Z Clip system as recommended on here. Much smaller diameter hoses that should clear the cock up of the fixing protruding into the hose cavity on the chassis.

Sourced all the bits but couldn't find the fittings to connect to the AC compressor. Most Sanden compressors have the hose fittings / centres ate a set distance. Pretty much all of them do, except to seems the AC compressor used on the Alfa V6 . All sorts of plates and take offs available but not for this one.....

So I had to come up with a plan.

Saw the old fitting up

Take the new fittings and cut the nuts off

This meant the new fittings could be welded onto the old connector. However there were bits of braze in the old connector and that all had to be removed before they could be welded.

Local fab place did it for me and collected it today

]

Still waiting for a couple of sittings that are out of stock from the front end of the car but can get on with refitting the soon.

Sent some interior bits to be ceramic coated (smooth cerakote type finish). Handbrake lever, interior door pulls and the CNC head of the new starter motor (this is the pic I used to get a quote, hence the rulers).

Also having the exhaust heat shield re-done in gold and a head shield I had made for the oil filter done in the same.

And......having the cam covers changed from black wrinkle powder coat to a burnt bronze ceramic. Should be summat like this:

Got the doors out of their storage (under an Aston car cover in my office) and checked them over. Guess what, more fucking paint damage!!!! I give up....