While I had the Elise up on the lift and was working in the area with the induction setup and clutch slave cylinder bracket I thought it was a good opportunity to do a quick gearbox oil change. Apparently this is the stuff to use in the PG1 gearbox. Motul Gear 300 75W90. The drain […]
How to Guides and Reviews
S1 Elise – Clutch Slave Cylinder Support Bracket
When I was buying all the suspension refresh bits, for some reason I decided to buy one of these. An Elise Parts clutch slave cylinder support bracket. Apparently the original bracket can be a bit weak and bendy. I figured I’d may as well fit it while I had the air filter out the way. […]
Lotus Elise Chassis Damage and Corrosion, What to Look for
There’s plenty of helpful information out there on various websites and forums when it comes to buying guidance. But when I was looking before buying, it seemed one particular point didn’t really come up that often. Maybe it’s my experience with Classic Mini’s and old Japanese cars that means I can’t shake this particular concern? […]
S1 Elise – Suspension Refresh – Removing Ball Joints and Bushes from Wishbones
The last parts to strip down were the wishbones. They all had some surface rust, as seems to be the norm for all Elise’s, so I wanted to clean them down and give them a good coating of POR15. I had also ordered spherical bearings to replace the rubber bushes and new ball joints for all […]
S1 Elise – Suspension Refresh – Pressing out Drive Flanges and Wheel Bearings.
Having removed all suspension components from the chassis, the next thing to do was start breaking down what was left into single components for cleaning and refurbishment or replacement. The first thing I needed to do was come back to the ball joint that had refused to split and broken my trusty old ball joint […]
Forester STI – Whiteline Rear Subframe Lock Bolts
While I was reading about various rear ARB options for Subaru’s I came across the rear subframe lock bolts that Whiteline and some other suspension upgrade companies offer. So I did a bit of research about them and found that people who’ve fitted them say they make a noticeable difference. Obviously this is not always […]
Forester STI – Whiteline Rear Anti Roll / Sway Bar
If you’re not already aware, A Subaru Forester is basically a jacked up Impreza with a slightly larger, boxy body. Those are the things that attracted me to one, the performance and tuning potential of an Impreza but with more space in the back for stuff. Being ‘jacked up’ and the ‘larger, boxy body’ both […]
Forester STI – New Fog Light Cover STI Decals
The left fog light cover could do with a new decal and a little freshen up with a layer of lacquer so I carefully measured the dimensions of the original STI decals and had an eBay seller make me some exact copies of them for me. I wanted to make sure I placed the new […]
S1 Elise – Gear Linkage Bush Kit
When I test drove the Elise before buying it, it was immediately obvious there was too much slack in the gear linkage. Having already done my research, I knew this would most likely be due to tired bushes in the linkage at the gearbox end. I also knew there are inexpensive kits available to replace […]
How To Guide – Underbody Protection, Rust Prevention, Stonechip, Underseal, Cavity Wax
Having found myself a fairly recent Japanese import Forester STI. I wanted to give the underside the best chance of surviving UK winter roads as I could. Leaving it with no protection as it came from Japan was not an option. Too many newly imported cars are given a quick and cheap spray over the […]