Just thought I'd post a few little jobs I'm doing on the Libra in readiness for the great summer we're hopefully going to have.

My GAZ rear shocks were looking pretty shabby as the passivated coating had corroded quite badly. I was looking for any excuse to get a set of Protechs but since the GAZ units were only 4000 miles old I felt obliged to try and improve their cosmetics. First, I made a temporary spacer from a steel bar so I could push the car around whilst I got on with the refurb. The shockers were taken apart, given a thorough rub down with scotchbrite wheels in a drill, and then painted with my favorite rattle can paint, PJ1 Satin Black. After a few days to harden, they were reassembled with a final touch - the top and bottom spring retaining collars were popped in a lathe, and a 'polished' edge detail was applied. GAZ were kind enough to send me some new decals which I have yet to apply. Voila - saved myself about £400!

I purchased a quick-release steering wheel adapter from eBay, mainly to bring the wheel a bit closer to me, but also (if I'm honest) as a bit of a party piece. It always draws a look of amazement from non-enthusiasts when you whip your steering wheel off. Now you know - that's how shallow I am!

The adapter is very good indeed. Well-engineered, with a very good locking system and no play at all. Problem is that there's no provision for a horn button in the centre of the wheel. So, I bought a bracket for a couple of buttons, soldered a lead with a JST plug to the horn contact ring and earth and the other half of the plug goes to the button (JST plugs are used on R/C model batteries). This way the plug can be disconnected and the wheel removed whilst still having a horn push.

Steering wheel with buttons.

Nice interior. What knob-less gearstick is that?

Also, dual air filter?

Thanks, I can't claim any credit for the interior, the guy that built it did a very good job. The original ball-type gear knob on a very short stick caught the seat in 4th so I got a sequential type from eBay which added a bit of length and is narrow enough to leave a bit of room.
The V6 has an air valve inlet on the throttle body which is normally connected to the air filter by a hose. It's easier to put a small breather type filter on it rather than try to feed it down into the main filter. You can see it better in the pic below.

That is a very clean engine bay

I recently enquired of GAZ about having my shock reconditioned by them, they said it would be £30 each + return shipping + VAT.

I don't know if that is a purely functional recon. or if it includes cosmetic as well.

I like the idea of your temporary damper substitute tubes though.

Phil.

"Libra Hardtail."

I asked about this when I called about the stickers and was told that the GAZ service doesn't include the cosmetics. Even so, it seems pretty good value for a refurb.

The V6 has a pretty ugly wiring rail that runs along the back of the engine, with a couple of brackets that aren't used in this application. So they have been whipped off and the insulating tape replaced by a couple of cable ties. I know, I'm getting a bit obsessive now...

Thanks. It wasn't bad when I got it - just a bit of corrosion here and there from mainly standing around.
Even so, I've spent hours poking around with a rag and some chemicals prettying it up.
Daren't drive it now (only joking!)

My wheel journey.

When I got the car it had 16" MGTF 11 spoke wheels which looked quite nice and I liked until... my wife happened to comment one day that the wheels made it look a bit like her mother's old MGF and that was it. Scouring the internet (and you really need to scour for used aftermarket 95.25 PCD wheels) I found a second-hand set of 16" Team Dynamics in really nice condition so I snapped them up.

I then foolishly decided to have them re-finished in anthracite which looks amazing on any car but a black one, so ££££ later I was in a worse position than when I started.

Salvation came in the form of a very rare set of KN 5 spoke 17" wheels. Another (!) re-finish later combined with a new set of 205 40 17 Falken ZE310's and we're in business. Dead happy.

Looks great. Got to agree, the anthracite should have been black. Even the MGF wheels would have looked good in black.

I hate modern car stereos, the Sony that came in my GTM is a complete haptic nightmare. For example, there is no obvious way to turn it on or off and the multi-press buttons are tiny. Back in the 80’s I had a Blaupunkt Bremen (which was a pleasure to use) in my turbo Esprit.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that there was a very much up-to-date version on the market with Bluetooth for streaming, USB, SD card, and aux in (skilfully hidden behind a faux cassette flap). A good bit of reading up later and justifying the purchase with the money I had ‘saved’ by not renewing the rear shocks I am the proud owner of a new Bremen, and a pair of Focal speakers with crossovers and tweeters.

I know that the brand name Blaupunkt has been a bit checkered lately and has adorned some tat, but this is a quality product that feels like a premium car stereo from 30 years ago. It’s a delight to use, with nice, simple on/off/volume knob, bass/treble knobs, and presets for channels. The sound is very nice and is only limited by the speaker placement.

The best thing is, it’s a really nice connection to a time and a car that was brilliant. I’d love that Esprit back to park next to my GTM.

Nik regrettably you would have to part with a lot more than you sold it for prices have shot up
Ian

They have shot up indeed. We were in Wales about 10 years ago and there was a slightly tatty S2 Esprit on a garage forecourt for £7495. I really wish I'd bought it.