There's not point doing any more work on this Esprit chassis unless it still fits under the body of the car. Here's hoping months of work didn't cause new problems. Check out my website for more info www.georgekarellas.com
Well, nobody can accuse you of cutting corners. You have an incredible commitment to this car. The first time you drive it down a twisty road will be one of those "YEEESSSSS!" moments that only happen once or twice in a lifetime.
Jesus. What a rollercoaster! From the joy of seeing the pat on the back, and actually getting emotional about everything lining up, to the anxiety of watching the front suspension being dismantled this is one of the best car nerd shows ever.
Lotus designers in 1975: "won't that area of the suspension become a water trap and could corrode?" Designer No2 : "Don't worry, no one will see it for about 34 years, you never know it might employ some one."
@@subwooferbone Lotus barely made money. Not to dismiss as car not being good or iconic. Today's car makers are about profit margins and increasingly safety standards.
You're suffering with this as only a perfectionist can suffer. From the looks of that box end you need a new one. Its rusted to heck. Just bite the bullet, grind it off and build a new one. Then maybe bed-liner it and everything that'll have water floating in it or figure out a way for it to shed water. You're doing a great job. My little daughter, now 11 months old, still loves listening to you voice over your build, even with the odd cuss here and there. We just won't mention this to her mom, eh?
Always remember, it's just sheet steel which was made in a glorified shed. All reconstructable & a millimeter here or there won't make any difference, nothing fabricated is ever on nominal, certainly not at production rate anyway.
You've done very brave and very good work as always. I'm extremely impressed with your dedication to quality over quantity, which shines through in your production quality and fabrication methodology.
Oh my.. those last clips where you opened the hornets nest. That was SO much worse than it looked when you first explained what the problem was.... Aye... take a break and regroup! Rushing this job could very well make it take 10 times longer than if you keep your wits about you and remind yourself why patience is considered a virtue! :P
I felt like as you are keep saying in most of the videos... Because I didn't watched the videos from the playlist, they were randomised so few episodes from beginning and few from thr end. I take it all again from the beginning. I have to tell you, Soup, you are the best entertainer when it comes to restoration. Jobs done well, and on budget. 6 days in the row and I've arrived on this one. Still few to go but the journey was astonishing. I can relate so many episodes on my life. I have a w203 C220 Cdi, and when I brought the car was in a shameful condition. Day in and out, i keept working on it. The interior is deteriorated and the body its slowly being eaten by rot. I don't have a space or a garage to sort the probs, and definitely not the budget to keep going to the mechanic. So what I did until now, was simply in the parking lot. Im at a stop now, but when I ll get some money, I can't wait to get under it and do some more work. Brakes, suspension, filters, new oil and coolant, and so on. You sir deserve all the respect. You made me want to keep this "classic" and keep working on it no metter what. It has 320k kms on dash. I still used it as a daily. Thanks for ur videos. U became my favourite mechanic. I used to eatch wheeler dealers, and car sos but those are tv series. and the work it's not so well specified. So again Soup Classic Motors, keep doing what you're doing and be safe and healthy. When I'll return to UK I really wish to pay u a visit. Untill then, All the Best!
No wonder they handle and go so well. One man can comfortably lift the entire chassis solo and three or four guys can just walk around with the whole body. Great video as always. Your patience astounds me. Massive thumbs up 👍
If there's a person who'll get that through, it's you George. Stay motivated and well surrounded as you seem to be. And take my digital pat in the back for all your awesome work.
Getting jiggy with it! I applaud you for your 'Channel' approach to details. The choice of preservation rather than replacing complete sections (if possible at all) shows dedication to the story as being as important as the end goal. Cheers Mate 🇩🇰
To be honest the Range Rover was in so much worse condition in terms of rust. You having saved that one makes the Lotus suspension rust look like piece of cake. Massive respect.
One product for rust! This is exactly what it says it is!!! M I R I C L E P A I N T ! ! ! It’s a encapsulating paint! And after removal of heavy, prep it and 2 coats of the stuff later! You have a repair that will N E V E R rust again!!! Bold statement! Yes it is! BUT it’s a fact I’m glad I found!! Good luck! Love your approach and editing! Keep going!!!
Your approaches to a repair of a detailed/involved section of the chassis like this are so thoughtful and considered. VERY satisfying to watch. I'm channelling it as I work on my ground-up Alfa 105 restoration!
i love all the creativity and style you put into the video production, never usual to see it on car restoration videos. it's awesome and something genuinely unique.
Hello!! I'm very happy 🥰 in my nappy too, watching this, much. The good thing about inaccessible rust spots and having to fix them is it'll make this programme run longer.
As always Excellent editing and Dedication to eliminate any visible damaged areas where Rust has caused delamination a Finger sander would be immensly helpfull in areas like this
The logical question following the restoration of the Lotus is; what's the next step? Building your own design from scratch? You have the proper attention to detail, the required knowledge of mechanical design as well as the eye for esthetics. I hope the answer to that second question would be; YES.... ! Looking forward to your design...! Have faith!
Great result on the test fit of the body! All your care and attention has paid off! Loving the elevated care and attention that nasty front section repair is getting with that hand fabbed multi jig setup! Quality stuff, superbly delivered!
The fact that I'm here and commenting before Mr. Ronald Finger is astounding. If you don't know who that is, search for Finger Prints now, he's just as good as our mad host here, and is almost finished on a similar project
Finding rust 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 was a bit of a kick in the nuts Paul but there's another way to look at it: good job you spotted it before you put the chassis back on.😁
Tough deal George! Good on you for getting it right though, and going through the pain. Just imagine the satisfaction when it's done, knowing it's bang on correct. Your OCD is a virtue! Oh, and welcome return of the intro tune - it's a corker !
The quality of the production of these videos is in my opinion remarkably high, especially the excellent stop-motion sequences. Well done sir and thankyou...
But I’m a say all my favorite cars it’s always been a dream car of mine and the way you are restoring it it’s above and beyond with the factory did great job
I wish there were the bucks to send the body to Chip Foose so that his artists could take it to total perfection and send it back to you. I’d love to do it myself but appear to have achieved a vintage designation precluding doing this wonderful work. Carry on lad’s. And be quick about it! Larry in Arizona.
Rather you than me! Oh wait 😭 ! Might have to farm out this part of my restoration, fancy doing another? 😬 Great video as always, gives people a realistic view of what to expect taking on a project like this and feels like camaraderie for those already stuck in, thanks!
Was wondering when you were going to tackle those front suspension issues, George. Gotta love the ‘jig’ making hoping you can resolve the rust without too many more issues. Finally on a tenuous ‘suspension’ link your hoovering at the end had me thinking about Freddie Mercury and that certain video of him hoovering up... in his (probably) very own ‘suspenders’. Sorry about that.. as punishment I now have that song on ‘loop/auto replay’ fir the rest of the day... Keep at it and ‘Good Luck’ to yoursel’...😎
Your attention to detail is second to non, 14:56 to 15:10 really highlighted the problem most people would have just slapped a bit of paint over, looking forward to the next instalment.
