Stripped and DEAD for 30 Years! Will this Lotus run?

[@EubanksDVDs]

Absolute legend of a dude! Well done on everything you've achieved this far.

[@alejandrolemmo]

So cool to be part of this project!

[@thomascovenantwhitegoldwie113]

I had the 2.2 lotus lump, in a lotus sunbeam. I rebuilt the engine on my mums kitchen floor when I was 20 - that was nearly 40 years ago. I trust you’ve boroscoped the cylinders to check for wall scoring - broken rings are an issue. As is worn valve guides. Drifting them out and in is not the the faint hearted. But it’s a very simple engine. I ran mine (by mistake) out by two teeth on the belt, and it was okay - ran fine with no bent valves. This won’t be hard to get running, but be aware the carbs do spit back and singe the air filter, and can cause fires. Carry a fire extinguisher in the car - I has a fire in mine…when I had hair, and my whole life ahead of me. They are ballistically fast and the carbs make an excellent noise.

[@neildonaldsonlotusexcelresto]

Great progress George... That feeling when it first fires up is immense.

[@krazed0451]

The fact it ran at all on those leaky old carbs is impressive, look forward to hearing this thing sing 😁

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

Imagine the amount of improvement a proper set of gaskets and Ö-rings plus a little tweaking with the vacuum-meters will bring to that already now extremely responsive gargle .....

[@AdamHougham]

When you weighed the engine I was sure you were about to start drilling holes all over the place to slim it down. I'm very pleased you didn't!

[@alanperry8676]

After he blasted those plates for the engine mounts, I was afraid he was going to start drilling.

[@malcolmyoung7866]

That’s for the next episode.. 🥸

[@UKBUILT]

😂 It's a middle weight 🥊 My Mercedes m120 6.0 V12 is 315kg 💪

[@cillianbourke]

George, these videos make me so happy when I watch em. Keep it up hombre. Delighted to hear it start

[@antrax8394]

George thank you as always for letting us be a part of your adventure and giving us the fuzzy feeling. Big hugs from Cochabamba Bolivia.

[@Ankeneering]

I was recently in Bolivia, what a great country with fantastic folks. Love that you guys told McDonalds to f@&k off.

[@antrax8394]

@@Ankeneering I wish we could tell some other corporations too

[@tpellmhall4068]

It's on it's feet and snorting! I'm sooo glad you did the research and were prepared for the fuel over distributor event.

[@christianschoenfeld1825]

One of the best car channels - I look forward to every new video! Love your work George!

[@kieransammon666]

🎉🎉🎉 so exciting. “That’s it you got it” should be in every episode

[@tobymcnicol922]

*the cheer from downstairs*

[@AlteredCarbons]

man, the more i check out the chassis and the engine/trans setup. i love it. its just so bad ass.

[@UKBUILT]

Yeah, it's a heavily unappreciated sports/supercar

[@kwdriver58]

I continually find myself amused and delighted by your delivery. the progress is impressive, and I'm rooting for ya. and missing/curious about the camper status.

[@Carmalarky]

Excellent episode, and well-spoken VO. We're enjoying this shared journey.

[@adogmcdizzle]

Amazing progress; I'm so here for this - from another fellow Lotus, Mini and S211 owner.

[@TheKnightstar13]

Your humour is hilarious 😂, and animation is inspired, the fact that younot taking yourself so seriously is so refreshing. A little story for ya...when i was about 11yo, my buddy and i used to sneak into Pinewood Studios. Right at the tims they were filming The Spy who Loved Me, we got to see many S1's in various states of submarine covertion. Since then, allways had a soft spot for the S1. Keep it up bud!

[@rntv4391NOVA]

Thanks for the mention George, Bully is delighted btw, oh and good work as usual 😎👍

[@dan725]

I think this is the first extensive engine video we've got for your channel. Super cool, and we can just hear your passion for this particular engine and its history! Yet another lovely video!

[@soupclassicmotoring]

I learned a lot when I started researching the history. There’s so much more to the back story

[@mikeroz6549]

George, sounds like brilliant news on the seats. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Another fantastic video tonight.

[@465maltbie]

Glad to see you have a smile, have a great new week.

[@zeroy]

Excellent episode!! Cant wait to see the Esprit back on the road!!

[@OneSwitch]

World's coolest car, gets KZbin's coolest restoration footage. Slow but sublime.

[@morgananderson9647]

So happy to see another video! Also happy to see your community "Buoying you up!" Love everything about your channel! Cheers, M-

[@hephaestus4587]

It sounds great and no smoke as yet. I'd rebuild the carbs and see how it goes. Also if you want that factory lemony fresh look to the block, head, cam carriers and gearbox I believe the Esprit whisperer uses the FROST POR15 Top coat Silver paint (stirling silver) aerosol. Its just come back in stock as im doing my esprit bits with it. Amd bought a couple of cans last week. Its not cheap (£28.99) but man what a tough good looking finish. If you search youtube for "visiting the esprit whisperer" Time stamp 6:46 shows how it looks all finished.

[@joec3626]

All the way, never give up, never give in. Fight! Fight! Fight!

[@snoopyirl]

Nice one George great to see the forward momentum looking forward to seeing it completed.

[@PaulSchofield-p6b]

Always good to hear an engine run to give you heart and motivation for the next phase. Given where you are with the full rebuild, stripping the engine and a re-build is a must. A new set of 2024 big end bearings compared to the ones originally installed by Chapman on a budget back in the day, will transform the oil pressure. My UK 1968 Porsche 912 right hand drive has been in storage for over 30 years. Can't wait for retirement to re-commission it, seeing what you are doing with your Lotus. Keep up the good work.

[@greeneyes7392]

What an unexpected surprise! Well done George 👍🏆

[@RESTORATIONRESCUE]

WHAT AN AMAZING MOMENT!!! A HUGE SUCCESS!! ITS GETTING SO CLOSE TO DRIVE!

[@soupclassicmotoring]

Well… closer ;)

[@RESTORATIONRESCUE]

@@soupclassicmotoring I know that pain. But it will be an amazing feeling. I drove my 3 year build one time and I was screaming. Haha

[@soupclassicmotoring]

💪🏼😂

[@johngibson3837]

Hey up mate this one was super cool, it's such a pick up on a project to see it come to life

[@paulalderman]

George, I have been enjoying the videos, found you during a search for Europa videos. I realized I had missed a bunch and went back and watched them all. Your sense of humor and attitude has got me motivated to work find even a little time to work on some of my projects. Keep up the hard work and now I've got to wait for the next video.

[@malcolmyoung7866]

So here we are.. it runs.. AWESOME! Keep at it George… and ‘Good Luck’..

[@NemoConsequentae]

A most auspicious day, George! Great to hear it fire up, (and not literally)!

[@soupclassicmotoring]

🤘🏼

[@davybrown1329]

You made my day George! A massive milestone achieved. And it sound like some positive news on the interior. Stay stuck in!

[@motjuste8549]

It does my old heart good to see her on all fours, so I can imagine how it must feel for you. Then to hear her give that little grunt and a growl, "Let's go!" Well, it brought a tear to my eye.

[@Bob_Sacamano1975]

The stop-motion effect makes it really pedagogical. Much appreciated by mechanical newbies like myself!

[@soupclassicmotoring]

That was what I was going for! 🍻

[@marcusoutdoors4999]

Superb effort, so exciting!!! Really pleased to hear there seems to be positive news on the seats… people are mostly great

[@butl4665]

No better feeling than the first startup on a big car project. Even better than the first drive in my opinion. Congratulations!

[@paulryan522]

Great feeling, and very useful motivation!! Bravo!👏

[@LazerBrain11]

Ahhh what a joy to get home from work & see a new Soup video... Full screen thank you very much 😊

[@aussiebloke609]

The "How Will It Run" genre should be a winner. We all know the end result of "will it run?" - if it doesn't, the video usually won't be posted. It's the _struggle_ to get it to run that's so interesting.

[@bruceschneider4928]

Congratulations, George!

[@phillcc8524]

absolutely love your camera work , so refreshing from the boring talk fest of so many others

[@soupclassicmotoring]

Years dialing back the talk to only the necessary, if I can help it

[@bobproxmire3637]

I love the sound of the engine. Driving it will be a glorious experience. Excellent work so far. .

[@LetseeGarage]

I'm so happy for you George!! It's alive!!

[@WRXBase]

Very excited to hear the engine! GL on the interior!

[@soupclassicmotoring]

Thanks

[@thekatmann9730]

Twenty seven minutes of goodness! This project is so enjoyable to watch!

[@stuartd9741]

Exciting stuff finally hearing that motor bark into life. Although a rebuild would be ideal. If your going to run as is George, I'd recommend the following; 1/Confirm good oil pressure. 2/Do a compression test wet and dry. 3/Remove sump and check all the big end and crank journals for wear. .. If all checks out you're good to go. I think the crank end float is due to either a really worn or missing (dropped out) crankshaft shim..

[@philiprowney]

G'wan, we're all up fer humpin yet leg!!!!! What an epic build!

[@dan725]

Woaaa that's a LOT of new Patrons on Patreon!!! NICE!!!!

[@soupclassicmotoring]

Amazing support!

[@jasontozer8079]

Thank you George! Nobody does it better...

[@dennisobrien2578]

Brought a smile to my face when it started! Congratulations and cheers!

[@curm1778]

Thrilled to hear that motor and to know you got a lead on an interior. George, you're an inspiration

[@lozl]

Absolutely bloody brilliant. Some.of the best fun you can have outside of a bed. I love bringing an engine back to life. Great work as usual

[@marco2often]

Thank you for sharing your progress. You give me so much fun by sharing your progress, frustration and achievements. Brrrrrrooooooom: onto the next episode!

[@gregfrench7011]

Another absolutely great video full of detail and unbelievable video photography skills. As a lifetime car nut and former owner of an Esprit I look forward to these immensely. Keep up the enthusiasm; which I know from my own projects can be tough. Greg - Kent UK

[@Jayneflakes]

What a lovely film, thank you for sharing your work and your journey with this iconic vehicle.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Great to hear the engine running - you must have been overjoyed!

[@philipB31]

Absolutely in edge to find out about the interior… you sound positive… but we’ll just have to wait. Great, great sound!

[@Semi0ffGrid7]

Great result!

[@grantlingley1385]

I absolutely loved that Intro! What a hoot! Loved hearing that engine fire for the first time!

[@johnnycab1000]

Just brilliant! The very best from the wilds of Bonnie Scotland George.

[@brianmacadam4793]

My old GT6 motor waited 27 YEARS to restart. When it did start, it was as good as it gets. Do what you feel is right, you've earned the right !

[@OpticalMan]

Restoring a car is a rollercoaster for your emotions, the highs are addictive and make you impatient to take on the next task, the lows test your resolve to carry on. You certainly seem to have had big dip but it's good to see you get that buzz from seeing that the next milestone is within reach.

[@kennyray116C]

I'm so happy for you and this milestone. Charge on! Let's Go!!! ✌🏼

[@rivenmotors7981]

Great to hear the good mojo is back, that engine sounds like it could be (relatively) healthy with some work. You've got the inertia just keep it moving! Go George! P.S. It was cool to hear my name in the shout out. It was my first donation to a worthy KZbin cause!

[@paulbishop8103]

"That's it, you got it..." just wow! well done George.

[@MayneRacing951]

New subscriber, but longtime viewer. It will be amazing to see you drive this lovely Lotus someday, but the journey to get there is equally amazing, especially with your stellar filmmaking!

[@soupclassicmotoring]

Welcome aboard and thanks 🙏🏼

[@mennokleijn3709]

Great work George, as always. I admire how you always manage to pull through, despite of setbacks. Waiting for moment the Lotus posters are for sale in your webshop. Regards from The Netherlands.

[@ImranOO7]

This is fantastic, the works done is almost paying off, looking forward to seeing the finale.

[@bandidol200]

As far as I can see, anything is possible to do yourself with the right research and input from those who've done it before. The only thing I didn't tackle on my bike resto was the engine and the paint. As far as the engine goes, someone once told me that to rebuild an engine, you've got to know it, you can replace all the worn or damaged parts, but if there's something missing, you won't know, so you'll put it back together how it came apart and that means it might be missing something. Body paint is a different thing altogether, I know I'm crap at it so I don't bother. Keep going, but know your limits! 👍

[@samuelbroad11]

that LEGO chassis is delightful. Special mate put me on to you, chur to the chur and thanks for delightful times.

[@matthewehmka7095]

The only KZbinr I thumbs up the video before I even watch it! Brilliant work always soup guaranteed….

[@cce9749]

I lost my wheels by sending them to the painter’s, I know now you send them in pairs not the full set at the time… to avoid getting ripped off. Congratulations on your video, your car and progress. Big fan

[@jdw242b]

wow; hearing the heartbeat of your baby... that's awesome!

[@Splashdown99]

My Patreon monies have been well spent. I absolutely love these videos.

[@jamesmackie9292]

Mate your editing skills are absolutely phenomenal 🫡🫡

[@garydunn7014]

Great delivery, congrats.

[@anarchist_rationale]

Another great video - love to hear it run! Can't wait to see you driving it someday!

[@nilu7862]

Love following along. The amount of work you put in these videos on top of the actual restoration is inspirational 👍

[@soupclassicmotoring]

Thanks 👍

[@0wl999]

The Lotus Esprit is still one of the best looking cars ever made. Hoping for a good restore, it doesn't have to be perfect. 👍

[@soupclassicmotoring]

Couldn't agree more!

[@secretwpn]

Yeah man 🎉 Good progress, we're with you!

[@rupertmclean1776]

Engine back in the chassis is a sight to behold! It’s exciting now 👏

[@JohnHonda101]

Just caught up with this, great to see the progress.🙂

[@htownblue11]

It breathed a little fire boys! Well done Soup! Rebuilding the carbs and crankshaft issue will be a fun watch too. One step at a time and the journey will eventually end where it is intended to.

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

Will it burp ...? I very much like Your approach of "gimme a burp to make me wanting to push on, despite all the increasingly brutal obstacles". And I appreciate Your way to repair things more than "restore" them like a lotta 'tubers do it. It doesn't have to be the shiniest of all ever built Chapman .... Loti? ... Lotusses? .... Loten? .... (anyway), has it? That would only reprehend the serious usage of it. It gotta run and go round curves and bends fast enough to make Your midriff vibrate, and scare Your neighbor's son in his 2018 Golf mark nomatter in the same go. A little bit of real true earned patina from the 13 owners helps tremendously with that last task, as experience recurrently shows. 😁Thanks for sharing!

[@Marillionado]

Thanks for the video. I'm routing for an engine rebuild, but of course, it's understandable if you decide to stick with not doing one. Can't wait to see the Esprit tested on the road.

[@cheztaylor8]

Yeah, I had that crank end float issue on a 912 engine in an Excel. The clutch pedal would suddenly and unpredictably fall away under my foot because the crank was moving fore and aft. Ended up taking the engine apart and machining the block to accept full circle thrust washers. The original engine just uses a half-circle thrust. I had to make the thrust washers (no biggie) because the crank also needed machining and no OEM thrust washers were going to accommodate that extra range. Cheers, and keep at it, though - these engines are very much worth it. 👍

[@bradcrossman5068]

Wonderful! Fingers crossed for your interior. Really enthusiastically looking forward to your next vid(s). Cheers Georgie!

[@Piterworkshop]

Thank you George.

[@Littlemosslad]

WHOOOOWHOOOOO BRUM BRUM noises! Nice one George!!

[@Scodiddly]

Congrats! The beast will live on!

[@MrMontychops]

Best looking Supercar ever. Full stop.

[@SteHughes90]

What a joy this series has been

[@JacobOdgaard-m7b]

I love your videos and have been through most of the them after I discovered your channel. Just bought a Datsun 280 ZX, needing both some rust repairs and a serious interior makeover. Also trying to find ways to reduce weight. Keep up the good work - your channel is really unique.

[@soupclassicmotoring]

Oh I like your style 😅 congrats on the wicked project

[@1fiatman]

Great work

[@richardholland1116]

👏👏👏👏🤜 Great work. Very please to hear that you are getting sorted on the interior 👍🏻

[@jeffreysalzman1497]

You really have to see the wheels and engine together to appreciate how truly weird that frame is. Also appreciative of the fuel system over the ignition system information. In my youth I heard tale from my best friend of one of these cars burning to the ground in a book store parking lot. Now I know why.

[@tomeisberg2356]

"a how will it run video" - really good point here.

[@peterwarner8541]

Brilliant George. Very pleased for you. That test rig would look good as a dashboard! Restoration doesn’t have to involve an engine rebuild