Amazing new Heater Control Panels under way!

[kylie]

Hi guys I have a good friend in my Lotus club here in Auckland N.Z that is making Esprit Heater control panels. These are to fit early S3's through to 91 SE's. I think he's possibly doing an S4 as well. I have seen his work and mine will be ready for fitting next week. I shall post up a pic soon.

As some people know, its incredibly hard to replicate the original ones due to making the panels show the illuminations through the shapes, not to mention the expensive costs for printing and time spent copying the original graphics and getting everything bang on! Barry has done this with perfection. He has used a much stronger polycarbonate material of the same thickness and texture which is much stronger and flexible than the printed perspex of the Lotus part. The panels have been put through an automated ink screen process and the images and colours are amazing. The green is a perfect match and the red is a fraction brighter than the dull Lotus colour. I am writing this on behalf of him as he's a bit of a technophobe on the internet, but he's good on email though. Anyway I am sure he would love some feedback.

These panels are obsolete now with Lotus, so if your restoring or giving your car a much needed birthday, check these out www.esprit4sale.co.uk/Sale/shop.html For further details you can also email Barry Wilkes at: [e-mail]
They are $140.00NZD + $10.00 Postage and packaging.

Cheers Kylie

[deecee]

I'm not trying to put you down, but I thought you should know...similar Panels are already available thru JAE in California.

I don't claim to be an Experts or an Afficionado, but I can't tell the difference between the Panel that I bought from them and the Original.

What I wish is that someone would come out with a Milled Knob Set for the Panel, similar to what is available for the Elise.

[lotire]

Ahhh these appear at last I looked for this for years in the end I resorted to making one.........
Ingredients
I perspex photo/ menu holder 2mm (the kind you find that holds menu in cheap diners)
Syringe with needle and chloroform, (after you cut the menu holded down to size sandwich the graphics sheet between the two sides and glue round the edge with the cloroform tiped needle.
The graphic I can mail if you require. It not exactly the same but It is to scale and fits perfectly.
A drill can remember the size of the bits obviously for the holes
For the extra touch....... silver knobs from Maplin Collet type.
If you are patient you will get good results
CD

[cnh1990]

deecee said:

What I wish is that someone would come out with a Milled Knob Set for the Panel, similar to what is available for the Elise.

Knobs....... try ALCOKNOBS

www.aboveboardelectronics.com/thomasandbetts/Augat_Alcoswitch/augatalcomain.html

[kylie]

deecee said:

I'm not trying to put you down, but I thought you should know...similar Panels are already available thru JAE in California.

Your not, like I said I am just helping out a friend. In terms of quality I wouldn't be representing him on here if I didn't think they were perfect

[kylie]

lotire said:

Ingredients I perspex photo/ menu holder 2mm (the kind you find that holds menu in cheap diners) CD

Thats what Lotus had their original part made out of "Perspex" Not the best for wearing over time IMO. I have seen quite a few panels in esprits that have cracks and chips off the corners. Seems this is what happens to perspex if mishandled or put under small loads not mention heat. The idea of using polycarbonate is that you can flex it right round and it wont break, pretty tough and ideal improvement part.

Got to say I am reasonably handy at making small crafty things but these are in a league of their own!

>> Edited by kylie on Thursday 12th January 17:40

[lotire]

Kylie Believe me
I would have bought one if they were available, I didn't know JAE had them. I even bidded on one Second hand up to Euro's 90 on ebay

[sanj]

kylie said:

The panels have been put through an automated ink screen process and the images and colours are amazing. The green is a perfect match and the red is a fraction brighter than the dull Lotus colour. I am writing this on behalf of him as he's a bit of a technophobe on the internet, but he's good on email though. Anyway I am sure he would love some feedback.

Hi Kylie,

Can your friend make them withouth the transparent green colouring? My dash illumination is all blue, but the heater panel, being green plastic, won't coordinate.

[teigan]

i think the original part was ugly. the graphics left much to be desired as well. i've purchased a dark burl wood onto which i'll mill the graphics with a CNC router. the multicolor thing wasn't attractive to me, so what shows through will be blue or amber. copper in place of wood could look nice too. i'll post photos when done.

[kylie]

sanj said:

kylie said: The panels have been put through an automated ink screen process and the images and colours are amazing. The green is a perfect match and the red is a fraction brighter than the dull Lotus colour. I am writing this on behalf of him as he's a bit of a technophobe on the internet, but he's good on email though. Anyway I am sure he would love some feedback. Hi Kylie, Can your friend make them withouth the transparent green colouring? My dash illumination is all blue, but the heater panel, being green plastic, won't coordinate.

Hi there I dont see why not. If you could email him direct he will let you know. His name is Barry Wilkes email: [e-mail] Tell him Kylie sent you

[teigan]

i finally got around to photographing the climate control panel i made from mappa burl wood.

i CNC mill them, so the process is fully automated. that thing in the middle; replacing the ugly turboesprit logo, is a 2-color LED panel which will display temperature readings or whatever else strikes the fancy.

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/bc/41d699f0_
http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/bc/41d699f0_

[teigan]

seems the link doesn't work. try http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/i_teiga and view individually. sorry.

[kylie]

Said the pics have expired....?

[teigan]

seems yahoo; my DSL provider changed their policies on briefcase storage to force people into using their print selling sideline. sorry for the mixup. take 3: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/i_teiga

[teigan]

take 4: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/i_teiga

yahoo is requiring me to use the yahoo.com email address too to get the right link. hope that works. i have 500MB of free storage i never use because of their idiotic policies.

[flowers]

Teigan,

That burl facia plate is sweet !!

[teigan]

thanks. i'll have more photos once it's in the car. best of all, it matches the stock wooden shift knob. i've got to remake that part too though, because it has an ugly dark knot on the side. i've seen about a dozen S3s since i bought mine, and they all have a similar defect. wonder why.

[WayneB]

Very terrific, yet wonderfully brilliant and ingenious work T*eg*n!!!!
Much more better than the unaceptable shoddy piece of crap the total incompetant fools at Lotus originally installed in your unfortunate car.
Is Jimmy putting them in his cars too?

[ErnestM]

Let's get back to discussing just the heater control panels, please.

ErnestM

[lotusespritworld]

If this is the panel in question:

www.esprit4sale.co.uk/Sale/pages/products/Heater_Panel_PART.html

Are they still available as the email address is bouncing. LEW has been contacted by a potential customer who can't get through.

Anyone know anything?