91MR2

Chipped away a bit more on re-assembling the red car's interior, coming together very nicely, some shots below here. Also pulled most of the sportwagon interior and started taking stock of everything there. Hoping to have both interiors fully buttoned up by the month's end...so much cleaning along the way... Red Mi16:

Picked up the sportwagon today from the shop after having the new timing belt and waterpump, as well as new muffler/exhaust system. It was so pleasant driving it back that as soon as I got home with it I started tearing apart the interior. Mind you I'm not even done putting the red Mi16 back together. Excitement took over I guess... Going to get cracking on finishing the reinstall of the red car's interior this week, also dropped the rear bench seat off with my interior guy, as some threading split, easy repair... Exciting to keep going on these cars...

Gentlemen, happy new year... We were away for the holidays, but back now with more garage work ahead this week. My iso harness for the radio arrived, as did some interior trim parts, so I have everything needed to start putting the interior back together. Can't wait, stay tuned...

Gentlemen, Merry Christmas... We got out of town for the holiday ahead of one of the biggest snowstorms Buffalo has ever had. But before we left, I finally finished the center console. Probably 8-10 hours invested into this part alone, but well worth it, no more sticky black goo anywhere. All switches and control were also removed and cleaned with a toothbrush before re-assembly. This was the last part to complete before everything gets put back together, which I'll do after the new year upon our return. Don't mind the wet spots, it's just drying from all the cleaning...

That’s a great point, my only concern with doing that is that just simply pressing the soldering iron into the repaired plastic could also cause it to crack again. It’s an imperfect scenario, trying to fix old brittle plastic… Put in a few more hours today in the garage and I think I finally have all the black goo removed from all the interior parts. An incredible affair to get to this point, but now I can just start slowly putting everything back together again. Starting to really like this car a lot, and my three year old daughter has also claimed ownership of it now, so I guess it’s a keeper. And like I said in the other message, it may now end up getting professional bodywork at this point…

Bean, I imagine it can be painted, I'm not sure how good it would look since there is no way to really sand smooth the repaired area (without the risk of breaking it again), but if you're just looking for color continuity, it's worth a try I suppose. All my repaired areas are hidden, ie. under the dash/binnacle, etc., so painting the repaired area for me was not necessary (although I do always thoroughly clean the parts before re-install). It's definitely a great repair trick/process, and one that an owner of these cars really should be well versed in due to a lack of interior part availability. Again, I've said this before, owning these cars has really helped me along in developing my mechanical skills, since there is so much you're just forced to figure out on your own. I've learned to embrace the experience all the way, and it has made me really take a real interest/love for these cars...

Spent the last couple days finishing up all the interior plastics repair work. I probably have no less than 8 hours in the air vents in the binnacle alone, mostly just the center vent section though. It was amazing how many parts of that were cracked and with broken tabs. The nice thing though is that when you pull an interior pat, you tend to find all those broken tabs, which in my case I was able to, so was able to glue everything back in place and then do the process mentioned above to strengthen the repaired area. I started putting that center dash section and binnacle back together afterwards, and everything feels solid, which is great (I can't stand rattles). Spent the better part of today getting the black goo off the main center console area. What a job, this stuff is just the worst, but either way, it's just about done. Hoping to finish it tomorrow and then start the reassembly of the rest of the interior. This car is really coming together nicely. Starting to think I may even end up having the rear bodywork done professionally now. I need help...

Bean, happy to oblige... For starters, taking out/apart all the interior allows you to hopefully find all the broken pieces/tabs. What I then do is use crazy glue to glue everything back together, so the original shape/orientation is regained. Then I cut drywall mesh tape to the size of the repaired area and lay it over. The next and most interesting part is I then spread crazy glue again over all of the mesh tape evenly and the sprinkle baking soda over the top, which forms a chemical reaction by instantly hardening. Finally, brush what remains off with an old toothbrush, and that's it. Some photos below (worked on the center vent section today for probably 4 hours)...

I had the exact same thought as well afterwards. The thinner melted the plastic, but the gooey coating is still there...unreal...

Biggest snafu so far was not realizing the power of lacquer thinner. In the effort to remove the god awful black goo from so many of the interior parts (curse the bastard that came up with this soft touch crap in the 80's...), I decided to soak a few parts to help alleviate some of the elbow grease...well...I guess I let them soak too long... So if any of you guys have a spare switch cover for the center console near the handbrake, as well as the cover for the rear passenger switches on the back of the console, I'll gladly buy them from you. Fortunately I had a spare of the bar that goes under the gauges...

Ok, so a couple days into this, I've made some good progress. Typical findings so far in the interior removal, some broken plastic tabs, but I've learned a great way of repairing these things, and some missing hardware hear and there, which I have plenty of. Some photos below of some of it all coming apart...

Interior removal started today on the red car. Most of it went to plan, except my power driver seat has gotten a bit tired and the seat will only go forward and backward to a certain point. Regrettably I can't really get to the seat bolts, so not sure how I'm going to remove it yet. Fortunately though I was able to get the center console out (thanks to some very crafty tools), so at least I'll be able to clean everything well, even with the driver's seat in... Biggest frustration, and what will likely be the most time consuming portion of this job is the disgusting black goo on all the interior plastics. No way around this, it's going to be a lot of elbow grease and time to get this all cleaned up. Went through it with my white '91, but it is way worse on this car for some reason. Oh well, here goes...

Hey guys, hope you're all well, some interesting updates... I'm hoping to get my daily driver back from the coyote incident soon, which means the red Mi16 will be relieved of it's temporary daily driver duties. It will be getting a wash tomorrow and then going in the garage for an interior removal/repair/clean, and then will start doing preparations for some body/paint work. The tan SW will be going into the shop next week for a timing belt and some exhaust work, and then back to the garage for the same interior treatment as the red car. Going to be bringing it to my professional paint guy in the spring to have the rear hatch painted and then polish. Regrettably the deal for the Esprit I was ready to buy completely fell apart. The seller wasn't who I thought, and when it came down to the paperwork side of everything, things just got strange and never recovered, so I walked away. Sad, but you have to know when it's not going to work out, just move on... The silver lining is that it means these 2 Peugeots are going to get a LOT of my attention this winter, and honestly I'm excited for that. The cars deserve it, and I'm looking forward to seeing how nice these cars can turn out. Updates to follow...

Gentlemen, little update here. As I’ve been daily driving the red Mi16, I’ve pretty much decided that I’m going to keep it. Going to try and connect with someone local that might be interested in helping me do a little bit of bodywork, as I want to repaint both rear quarters, the rest of the car looks really decent. After that it will get the typical pull out interior and clean everything treatment, fresh fluids and a timing belt, and that’s as far as I’m going with this one. It’s a great little daily driver, runs excellent, rides great, can’t ask for much more out of it unless I wanted to do a full mechanical restoration like I did on the white car, but that’s just not going to happen… The only caveat here would be if someone in this community really wanted one of these, I could probably be convinced to let it go, but I don’t see that happening, especially with all of us being so physically distanced. But if anyone was interested… …I'm looking to buy another Lotus Esprit, and space once again will be at a premium…

I think you’re right, over the last few days I’ve both enjoyed it and been frustrated by it, but most of the frustration comes from the fact that it’s in a state of deferred maintenance, I know if I give it the treatment that I gave my white one, it will be just as nice, just have to make that commitment. It won’t be anytime soon, but if I end up keeping the car, it will certainly happen at some point. I just know how much more it can be than what it is right now, maybe one day it will happen…

That’s pretty funny I must say… Bean, the good likelihood is that the car isn’t going anywhere, if I was really serious I would’ve made a for sale ad, and usually once I go down that road there’s no turning back. I’m just at a point where I really do have too many cars, and if I pick up this other Esprit, not to mention the Emira which will be arriving in the spring, I really should consider letting something go. That doesn’t necessarily mean common sense will prevail, but it’s just a passing thought for now. If someone in this community really wanted it, I would certainly let it go, but I could always just put a cover on it in one of my backyards and try some bodywork on it for myself without feeling like I’m messing anything up…

Gentlemen, due to a very unfortunate decision by a coyote, my daily driver is now down for a couple weeks, so the red Mi16 has now been thrust into daily driver action until a new lower bumper arrives... I'm reminded of a few things driving an old relic as a DD once again. I love how analog and involved old cars once were. It's a very engaging drive, and never boring. Definitely a product of it's time, and a most interesting one to boot... At the same time, for the exact opposite reasons, I love my Corolla. It's reliable, mundane, and makes you think of nothing as you drive. While that may sound bad, it's great for mindless errands and for toting a sometimes demanding 3 year old in the back around. Not to mention, I have my fun cars for when I want that driver engagement... Which brings me to this - I truly don't need 2 Mi16's. I would consider selling the red '92 if there is anyone out there that might be interested. I'll spare the small details for now, but most importantly it runs and drives, quite well actually, but has some cosmetic challenges in the rear from a long ago collision. A great 10 footer car for sure... I don't particularly want to go through another rolling restoration on another Mi16 - I've already committed to that on the '90 Sportwagen, and might be picking up another Lotus Esprit needing similar treatment (might need to see a therapist soon)... My love for these cars however puts be in a constant dilemma, as I want to save them all. Easiest way to avoid that is to maybe sell it on to someone else who has their own goals and aspirations for one of these. Otherwise, I might be forced to restore this once too, once time allows... If anyone is interested, let me know and we can chat...

Hi Bean, regrettably it was delayed (again) until March/April...

Also, many of you probably remember the motivational poster from the 80's with the 5 car garage (Ferrari, Porsche, etc.). I tried my own hand today at my interpretation...

Boy, I forgot how much effort cleaning/washing/winterizing all these old relics takes. Gave the white Mi16 and the wagon a final wash today (red Mi16 is at another garage, with my Civic Si). That's the last pair of cars that needed a washing. Will start the interiors over the next few days...

Excellent point, and agreed...

Hey guys, hope you all had a nice summer, been a while since an update... The white '91 Mi16 continues to be a great driver, took it to many cars and coffee events this summer, as seen below with my friend's R17 Gordini. It still needs the oil temperature / oil level gauge to be be fixed, but I've kind of put that on the back burner for now, since I've confirmed correct temperatures with my infrared thermometer... The tan '90 Sportwagen is going to be my winter project this year. I've driven it a lot lately, and it runs and drives excellent, however it can be tough to start at times, and it needs some attention to the exhaust system, as well as a bunch of deferred maintenance items, ie. timing and accessory belts, plugs, etc. The red '92 Mi16 is likely going to sit a while until I get the tan wagon where I want it, as well as catch up on some other projects. It runs and drives just fine however, so there is no real need to do anything with it, other than drive it from time to time and keep fuel running through it. I'll post updates/pictures on the SW once we get going on it, hopefully by Thanksgiving...

Also I'd love to see some pictures of your car, so used to seeing just mine, ha...

Nothing to be jealous of, sounds like you are well on your way to having the same thing, aren't our cars more or less clones of one another? Let me know if you get hung up on anything, we have gone pretty far through this one to get it where it is. I don't (but probably should) even think much about breaking down when I drive it anymore...

Oh and the white car is still running great, happy to report...it has seen many cars and coffee events already this year with my daughter...here are some recent shots at a friend's house...