So yesterday, the whole family (minus the dog!) went for a trip to Lotus Bits in Warwickshire. I'd spoken to the owner, Mike, on the phone earlier in the week and he suggested I come up at the weekend to have a look through their collection of S2 bonnets and anything else that might be of interest. So, having managed to remove the headlamp pods, we wrapped these up and took them with a view to discussing whether they could be repaired. We met Dave (seemingly, Mike's right hand man) and he looked after us very well, taking me through what to look out for on the car as well as taking the time to go through the myriad of parts they had to find a suitable replacement bonnet and 2 usable replacement headlamp pods. The bonnet we found was in very good condition but needs a bracket fitting, so I left that with them to do and then we will dry fit it along with the headlamp pods to make sure everything fits before respraying. The previous owner left me some of the original paint he used when the complete car was resprayed in Essex Blue, but this probably isn't usable and we'll have to try to source a colour match - may need a thorough Google search for PPG paint codes!
We were also able to sort out a couple of cosmetic issues. A shiny new badge (right) will make a nice finishing touch, and a zero cost grommet form a bucket of bits has perfectly fitted the electric aerial hole that was left when the previous owner decided to move it to the roof!
The other really useful part of the visit was being able to have a good look under an S3 that was on a ramp. Dave took me through the process of getting the steering rack out before making me familiar with some suspension bits. It was also useful to get some ideas on the best jacking and support points when I get round to lifting the car in the garage. He also showed me an engine on a stand and recommended that I take a close look at the cam belt by turning the engine over by hand and looking for any slip on the auto-tensioner pulley. The water pump pulley also needs close inspection along with the general condition of the belt.
It's great to have such a good resource nearby and I'm sure it won't be long before we make our next visit!
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