I'm guessing your Penelope Pitstop reference is lost on many. Do you remember the Thunderbolt Grease-Slapper?

San

 

I thought it was a picture thread for grid girls!

 

Ha,, I bet the 82 Brunette cost more to maintain then the the other three combined. If not her and I have to talk serious. Shoot straight always

 

Honest.....less! She's a prior Army pilot. After numerous deployments, she's happy with a place to sleep. I'm blessed!

 

I had to look him up again. Yes I remember my brother watching him on tv I really think he looks like Jay Leno. My daughter name Penelope and I added Pitstop. I need to boot up the other computer and load up the pictures today and get this blog headed in the right direction

 

I'm subscribing to this Topic by posting this info as a Public Service:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penelope_Pitstop

A star of the Wacky Racers, her car was actually named The Compact Pussycat.

EDIT: I guess Jenna will need to install a set of Headlamp Eyelashes to "do it right, once". LOL

 

I heard south park did a story with Penelope.
Handicar?

 

Atwood's been in the cooking sherry again,, Good job on the attachment. I quess I have to cut the roof of my Esprit

 

So we start our journey late in the day after a 14 hour drive to Sussex Wisconsin to look her over and load her up. This really marks the beginning of my new love affair, to hell with sex, this is a Turbo Esprit. I met the folks that rescued her from Minnesota and after talking and Shane taking lots of pictures we loaded her onto the trailer and tied her down, (tied down, sounds like something Atwood might do) Anyway I thanked them again and headed to the hotel to do some private gazing and some cream ale to help put me to sleep. A local guy was looking her over when I came outside the hotel to head for a sip of Ale. He asked if he could driver her and we both laughed and he said, Really can I sit in it. I told him sure and took a couple pictures of him behind the wheel on his Iphone. A few beers later and I was back in my room finding it hard to keep my eyes open and I knew 3:30am was coming on fast and that dreadful trip home. But she was all mine and I was beyond excited like a kid xmas morning.
Jenna:UK:

 

Penelope Pitstop Resurrection Reply to Thread

We made it home 7:30pm Saturday night and had dinner and left the car on the trailer and put my feet up and planned my attack in the morning. Friends were on the phone bright and early' They came over first thing and we rolled her into the garage and that afternoon I got her up off the ground and onto jack stands so I could access what needed to be done. Fiberglas cars look great mostly forever if garaged and covered. The underside is a different story and I have to admit since I couldn't get the car surveyed in Wisconsin I was a tad bit nervous. I did a complete look over and since the car sat fifteen years and the brakes and clutch didn't function any longer that was going to be where I jumped into it deep. I ordered rebuild kits for both the brake and clutch master cylinders as well as the calipers and slave cylinder. Included with that was the stainless slave cylinder line to replace the red tube. A local friend offered to let me watch them work on a newly acquired Esprit, but I had enough work of my own and wanted to get right to it so I passed the invite. Plenty of time for that in the future. It was time to do surgery. I started on the clutch master cylinder and worked my way back. No fixing the slave cylinder it was beyond scrap and it was a rusted frozen mess stuck in the clutch release position. Phone call later RC Enterprises had one on the way.

Jenna:UK:

 

Okay back to Penelope.
I digress soooooo easily.

I am told to use Red Line MT90 in the gearbox by the previous owner who races a Z car. Anybody else have thoughts about this??? Also how much lube actually goes into the gearbox and I see the drain,, where is the fill? The service manual left out that little piece of information (how British of them) I just put the car on the ground and it won't be back in the air again for two weeks until I sort out the front tires. I did buy Pirelli P600 236/60/15 W tires for the rear that will be here on the 11th. I am doing some home work on what to put on the front now. Aslo as an after thought shift linkage lubes,, wet or dry lube and what do you all thing is the best??


Jenna

 

Welcome to the group Jenna.

I have heard of owners using Red Line, on my '87 I've always used Mobil 1 Synthetic oil. The fill plug is on top of the transmission, just pull the boot carpet up and you will see the access hole on your left.

There are two plugs on the left side of the transmission, one is a blanking plug and the other is the fill level plug. I forget which is which but I can look it up in the service manual if you need to know.

Be sure to replace the timing belt before trying to start the motor. JAE had Gates make a special belt for our Esprit's. They are more expensive than the regular black belt but made much heavier, the belt is a beast. It's called the 'blue belt', many of us have installed them with no major issues.

Robert

 

Most people use Red Line or Mobile 1 for their transmission from my limited experience.

 

While I use Redline MT-90 GL-4 as many do, it is readily available at CarQuest autoparts stores. I have also used M1 or Valvoline synthetic gear lubes, GL4/GL5.

The plugs you touch on the transmission were painted yellow at the factory. The level plug is on the bottom left side of the trans, only a couple inches above the bottom. (There is a higher bolt on the left side of the trans but that is for reverse detent, DON'T TOUCH IT.)

I would need to look up the capacity but I believe it is ~3.5 qts. On the Citroen tranny, a little more won't hurt. Do you have a shop manual (AKA Service Notes)?

 

AHH RESCUED

I do have the shop book parts book and the owners manual. I will look again. I did not see it the first time through in the service manual. Is touching the reverse like crossing the beams in Ghost Busters or worse??? Inquiring minds want to know.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct...cross-the-streams/&psig=AFQjCNEWdDn5mNpAMDhSZ6LfVpJO35VFsg&ust=1446924705362284

 

No I have it,, found it in there. Thanx

 

Okay so without throwing rocks (or boulders) when ordering rebuild kits don't sell me a kit missing crucial parts or a mixed kit of parts to fit a plethora of other cars. Unless of course you want me to beat you with a 12 in cast iron skillet. My angst has to go someplace your head is fair game as far as I am concerned. I got the front caliper kits and they were missing the seals between the caliper halfs. All my internet searches showed them being discontinued with warning not to take them apart. Well bull**** to late. After a day of searching a company in Mass called The Wedge had tons of them. Needless to say I am now a full retail plus seller of them (ha). The calipers all around were rebuilt and after fifteen years or so getting the pistons out was a bear. But in time, lots of time, they came out and astonishingly they were in purfect (cat owner) condition. Looks like dot 3 was used and everything was a frozen mess and the seals were like concrete. So back in the car rebuilt it all went with silicone fluid and I will admit dealing with the parking brake cables inhaled huge. My son did a great job of bleeding the brakes and clutch out and all functions well. JAE supplied new stainless braided flex hose for all the calipers at a very reasonable price. I am happy with the results. Win for Team Penelope Go Team
Jenna:clap:

 

When first inspecting the underside of the car I noted many things I want replaced. Shocks all around was one of them but that research on what was the best is off in the distance a bit as far as the crucial things like getting Penelope drive-able. Looking at the pictures last posted reminded me of them. Sure thing first ride they will exhaust themselves of functioning properly. But its time to update you on whats transpired this week.
The fuel lines on the car were all dry, some places worse then others. The crossover lines were cracked all over and de-laminating. I have a really good grasp on why these cars burn now. Honestly I did push on them lightly as I was afraid they would rupture if I put any pressure on them. Solution new silicone hoses from JAE. I took the old ones off after dumping this putrid smelling fuel out. That stuff stunk really bad and it lingered forever in the air until it was sealed in a waste container. I had to clean the oil drain pan out also to get rid of it. I ran some sacrificial gas through both fuel tanks and then blew them out. Same with the crossover tube and it was pretty nasty also and I ran a brass brush through it till it cleaned up and blew it out with air also. The fuel lines were no better and I replaced them all with fuel injection hose. I then went to the fuel filter and pump and replaced everything and added a primary filter that I plan to use as a sacrificial filter and change it out a couple times to clean the system out without wasting the OEM filter repeatedly. I am happy with how that turned out. The supply hose from the tank to the fuel pump was horrible to replace and in really sad shape. Lots of rug rash on the back of my hands feeding the hose through the body and removing the old one. Last night doing the cap and wires I found more of the old hose on the right side of the engine at the fuel pressure regulator. A Princess work is never done. Back to the store yet again.

Jenna :facepalm

 

Yeah, those hoses are OEM, good thing you replaced them. :up:

Are there any remaining plastic fuel line Ts near the carbs? That's another cause of dripping fuel and fires. :huh:

Sure was clever to put the distributor UNDER the carbs wasn't it? :shrug:

 

About as clever as putting your head in an oven to see how really bad that grease fire is as its about to flashover. Two drains on the transmission by the way, one near the front and one at the tail end,, holds about 1/2 a cup of oil. No metal on the mag plugs and no bronze tint either,, Things continue to look brighter. I have been thinking a bit and I will remove the air pump guard, brackets and all the lines. Maybe it will help someone complete a project that might not be possible otherwise. Penelope is a Jersey Girl now and she isn't leaving while I'm breathing anyway.

Jenna

 

Two drains on the transmission by the way, one near the front and one at the tail end,, holds about 1/2 a cup of oil.
Jenna

Yet ANOTHER model update, this time to the C35 Citroen trannies.


Yes on the older transmissions there are two drains (how convenient).

The top cover is smaller and the shifter control linage is on the left side rather than the right. Is your clutch slave on the top of the trans or the right side?

 

Flash back moment
I was sharing this with a member here recently though it might be fun to extend.
This is how I got here to Penelope and how deep my British roots extend
Vintage 1967 Triumph Spitfire 4 MK2
Time Trialing at SCCA event at what was Atlantic City Speedway in what I remember as 1975

Jenna:UK:

 

The clutch slave cylinder is on the right side. The upper drain we talked about is on the left of the transmission with a bolt and stopper but in it. No mistaking that and what it is. I dry lubed the shift linkage under the car with WD 40 Specialist Dry Lube. Once I get back working inside the car I will do the shifter itself. While I was at it I put the Mobil one oil filter in and Mobil one 15W/50 syn oil with a bottle of Lucas
ZDDP. I just love that damn oil filter location almost as much as the distributor cap. I mounted the oil filter remote on my TF6 and will give serious consideration to doing the same with Penelope if I can come up with the right parts combo. Tonight is researching how the manual choke hooks up to join the two carbs. I do have some things figured out but not all. They are not Stromberg carbs as I thought they are Dellorto carbs from Italy. Might need some pics from someone with their choke hook up. I mostly think I got it figured out but I an not sure 100% yet. Maybe a couple glasses of wine will help.
Update: I figured out the linkage between the carbs,, thats the good news. I am missing the piece that mounts to the lever from the choke cable. Its that lug lock bolt wedge lock type of fitting. Hello parts man help!!

 

So another day and the saga continues. After going through Charros rebuild I feel insignificant,, I wonder how that man's mind works. Just incredible. I do use cat food cans that have been hot water soap cleaned for mixing glass or epoxy. It keeps the contamination to a lower risk and a 5.5 oz can gives a lot of material to work with. Great job on the rocker panels by the way. My catamaran gave me a good lesson in working with fiberglass and more recently carbon fiber with epoxy. So the wires cap and rotor were a project onto themselves. I basically laid on top of the engine with lights all over and the oil filter off so I could get to the lower cap lock band. Engineering straight from hell with positioning of the distributor on the engine. I have to admit that on the turbo engine the supply oil line feed plate interferes completely. I can see it now two lads a bit snookered drinking Guinness in a pub in some straw roof thatched village after a day at the drawing table saying,, And you know what I did today while slaving on that turbo package. I pissed off people that don't even drive yet, some aren't even born that will hate me, I did I tell ya God Bless the Queen on my soul.
Yup that was horrible, but its on and done.
Today brought my interest to the air filter and the cover over the air horns on the carbs. I was a bit anxious but mostly they are clean and I did some Berkabile wash down on the air horns and cover. It appears the guy I bought the car from was taking a lil used car salesman privilege and he did not rebuild the carbs but the last owner did and when that was done remains a mystery. We will run them till the snow fly's and see how they sound. I would sure love a set of Webers for Christmas Santa where ever you are. The mice did find the air cleaner and nibble off a corner a bit. What was very cute was the pile of cherry skins they saved to make a bed at one end of the housing. How functional, warm and effective. Cherry scented mice for you favorite felines. Off to RD Enterprices tomorrow for the air box gasket, air filter and those lil hose connections that burn cars down under the air box.
Friday the new tires get mounted and by Sunday I think we might just roll out of the garage under our own power. Stay tuned.

 

Maybe Inglese or Pierce could help?

I always heard the dellortos are excellent, but I've always had webers.

Maybe some info here.
V8 carbs: Information on Webers (British V8 Newsletter V14/I1, Jan2006)

 

I always heard the dellortos are excellent,

X2

Dellortos have more adjustability... otherwise, they are similar to Webers.


:x

 

Good day,, the new rear tires came in a day early. It made for good reason to get all the rims off and over to Good Year to mount up the new fronts and rears. We are still moving along at a brisk pace trying to pull it all together before the snow fly's. The transmission oil Red LIne MT90 MK4 showed up also so tomorrow it will get poured in and sealed back up. The tires should be done also according the Sales guy at Good Year so I can remount them too. I replaced a piece of the crankcase breather hose also at the right inner fender well under the air cleaner. It was gouged up in a couple places and a
bit dried looking. The one on the engine was new with the part numbers still visible clearly so it got reused. I also topped off the anti freeze as it was about a quart low. That was a scare as at first glance I though the over flow reservoir was empty. Closer inspection showed it was not the case. I will admit that took a load of my mind in a second. My Machinists motor head neighbor stopped by to pick up the lever for the choke off the carb to make a new cable locking fitting as the one on the car was missing. JAE didn't have one nor did RD Ent.I am not looking forward to replacing the fuel line under the right side fuel tank. My hands are still scratched up from doing the one on the left side. Major UGGH, I don't wanna do it!! Hopefully Nick will stop by and lend a hand again. It takes three to do it quickly. Two hands just don't got it unless you enjoy gas baths. I need to pick up up the small vacuum line plastic adapters under the plenum cover. One straight rubber one is cracked I noticed tonight. I need a good nights sleep. This mid week working on the car is fun and personally satisfying but adds to my exhaustion. Nite.

:mw::mw::mw:

 

Late post,, but here we are. New tires are on the car, Plenum is back on correctly ( when I took it off lots of clamps for the lower sensors was off and hanging in the breeze.) Gear oil is back in the transmission. Tomorrow is a trip to get the seals for the upper carb fuel tubes. I swear they are bosch. My long hair calico cat ( Pebbles) sat at the wheel today meeping asking for the keys I swear. I took pics of her and will have to load them up at some point. I am as close as I have ever been to firing her up. After that I need to take a long nap.
Thank you to Atwood and those that have guided me so far. It is greatly cherished and acknowledged we are a community involved with our common interest.
Peace
Jenna

:UK:

 

Keys please