1991 Midnight Blue Esprit - For Sale

[chrismsnt]

I've posted my Esprit on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4502909476

Information and pictures can be viewed here:

www.ruthieandchris.com/lotus.htm

Chris
'91 Midnight Blue

[cnh1990]

Sorry to hear that Chris.

Have followed your saga on the turbo list and it is indeed unfortunate.

[Dr.Hess]

That's a fair price, Chris, and what I figured it would be worth yesterday. If'n I were a lookin' fer a pro-ject, I would jump on it.

BTW, my manifold cracked in exactly the same place. And a couple others, too, but in that place as well. Just stuck it back on last night, but haven't finished.

Dr.Hess

[teigan]

great workmanship on the restoration progress. sorry to hear you have to cut your losses. if i were keen on the S-types, i'd buy it in a pinch. best wishes.

[chrismsnt]

Thanks everyone for your encouraging and supportive replies.

This is what I really find amazing about the Lotus community. I go and check my email last night only to find an email from one of the original owners!! This is the owner that had it from 7 - 30K miles! He saw it on EBay and offered up any information he could on my car to assist in the sale. Heck, he even said that he might buy his car back!

What a small world!

Chris
'91 Midnight Blue

[Dr.Hess]

Hey Chris,
Just curious, why do you/John think it needs a head gasket?

Dr.Hess

[chrismsnt]

Dr. Hess,

John estimated taking off the head to get to the root of the cracked exhaust manifold. He felt that the exhaust values may have gotten gunked up and holding the heat in the aluminum part of the engine. Aluminum heats up and expands quicker than cast iron; thus the crack. It's anyone's game until it's ripped apart.

Chris

[Dr.Hess]

Ahh, OK. John and I had this discussion this week offline. I did the math on coefficients of expansion of aluminum versus stainless and iron/steel and made some assumptions. I don't think the cylinder head is getting over 150C over the entire head. Remember there is water flowing through it. Probably doesn't get over 130C, but I have no solid data to back that. At 150C, the cylinder head grows about 0.050" over the length of the manifold. If the manifold gets to 1000F, it will grow 0.033" across the flanges. The difference being 17 thousands. I think, in my non-professional opinion, that the initial fit-up of the manifold v. the head has more to do with it the cracking. Also, a longtime MGB mechanic I met at the British Iron club last night said that all English exhaust manifolds crack because of the iron they were using. High content of something or other, I forget what he specified. Phospherous?

Dr.Hess

[chrismsnt]

Dr. Hess,

"Phospherous?" is the question you posed to me? Hell, you lost me at "I did the math on coefficients"...

He he he

Chris
'91 Midnight Blue
There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those that understand binary and those that don't.

[Squelch]

Just to calify... Dr. Hess and I were discussing cracked manifolds and the causes...

We were not discussing Chris's car..

However Chris's car does happen to have a cracked manifold, as Chris has mentioned.

[chrismsnt]

No worries, John. No worries.

Chris
'91 Midnight Blue-less

[medic327]

Hi,
Did it sell? I didn't see it listed on ebay today. Just curious.

[chrismsnt]

As posted on the Turboesprit board:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/turboesprit/message/93362

Well everyone... the auction is closed and the car is sold.

I wanted to introduce the new owner to this group. His name is Tim and resides in MN. This will be his second Esprit; the first being an '88 with 30,000 miles on it.

I've told him of the Lotus nuts up there, although I didn't know of everyone up there. Please feel free to drop him a line and introduce yourselves. His email address is [e-mail] .

As for me... I'll be around.

Chris


>> Edited by chrismsnt on Wednesday 17th November 01:25