Yes sensible plan. Iām intending for a diff (probably this winter if nothing else comes up) and itās going to be a bit of a task to resist the temptation to future proof other areas whilst Iām at itā¦ but that approach gets very expensive very quickly.
Quaife ATB Helical Differential (QDF21E/23DG) has now been delivered. Itās getting there, one step at a timeā¦
If interested, technical details of this unit can be found here: https://shop.quaife.co.uk/lotus-elise-exige-toyota-quaife-atb-helical-lsd-differential
Great stuff, you will have a lovely car when this is finished. It got my attention when we were both looking for our purchases!
Lee
Thanks. Yes, I cannot wait to get my hands on #138 but need to make sure everything is done right.
Dulan
Progress on #138 did slow down a fraction due to one reason or another, such as the new Ohlins fronts being shorter than they should be 
, so back to Mick Gardner Racing they went, and now waiting for the fronts to be rebuilt and shipped back to Jon Seal (note that the Bilstein damper is not from #138 but only used to illustrate the issue).
In the meantime, Jon got on with the āfront clam offā refresh that included new radiator, AC condenser, stainless steel tow post, and a good clean of the crash structure. The brackets holding the driving lights were removed and powder coated for good measure.
WARNING: Now it gets really dirty - the rusty suspension seems a long-forgotten memory! 
Soon after front clam was removed:
After rusty tow post and driving lights were taken off:
AC condenser and Radiator (old vs new):
After initial clean and new replacement AC condenser and radiator fitted:
The oil cooler link pipe has been zip-tied to the crash structure to avoid it bouncing off the undertray when the 3M sticky pads eventually do fail.
So, now I have a bit of a dilemmaā¦looks like the 10-year-old exhaust heatshield is beyond its sell-by date.
Items 4, 5, 6 & 30 need to be replaced if the job is to be done properly:
If one is to go OEM, then item 4 is Ā£421.63, 5 & 6 are Ā£74.24 each, whilst 30 is no longer available (all prices are ex-VAT).
Research suggests that Nimbus Heat Shield would be a good alternative due its thermal characteristics, but one needs to purchase a sheet and then mould/fabricate it to the required shape. EliseParts appear to stock it: Nimbus GII Twin Heat Shield | EliseParts
What is the general consensus on how one should tackle this? Any pointers/ideas will be hugely appreciatedā¦
I would bin off 5 and 6 even if they were mint - probably one of the biggest source of rattles on these cars when present. Iāve wrapped the 'U bend part of the cat pipe there with DEI to replace it (Iād certainly put SOMETHING on it, as itās very close to the rear clam and tyre).
30 is dead easy to replicate, Iām sure Jon could template one off another car he has in stock in minutes - only needs rear OS wheel off to remove it.
As for the bigger pieces, I got lucky and mine was almost mint- and it gets a coat of zinc primer every time I get the opportunity to hopefully keep it that way - but itās not an overly complex shape. I think you could easily make one up using your current piece as a template.
Shame you missed out on this, looks (marginally) better nick than yours: https://classifieds.seloc.org/ads/s2-exige-exhaust-and-cat-heat-shield/
Excellent, thank you for your feedback - most appreciated.
Indeed, I realise that the exhaust is within striking distance of many vulnerable areas, including the battery, NS rear wheel, and bodywork. Seeing a photograph of items 4, 5 and 30 certainly helps - note that I havenāt been up close and personal with an Exige S yet, so this is a hugely educational experience, but not my first such endeavour.
Learnt everything that one needs to know about the following (Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, a Group B rally car) and bought a half-built project, so I am up for the challenge:
Whoah. Incredible. If you fancy documenting the maxi build on here or turboRenault.co.uk ( where we have some proper Renault beards ) that would be all kinds of awesome.
Renault 5 Maxi Turbo - fantastic car!
Before my Exige I had a Clio V6, so I guess the 5 Maxi was its grandfather 
Great write-up and great progress
Indeed Andy, it is a cracking piece of kit, the epitome of old school, which is where my preferences lie. However, this project was started, but has been shelved for a while now, and will not restart until this COVID-19 situation blows over and we know for certain how things pan out after Brexit. The level of expense and commitment for a project like this is not insignificant since it is a ground-up build of a tarmac rally car that can actually compete.
I think the most appropriate place to post progress on that project would be TurboRenault.co.uk, so I will sign up there when it kicks off again.
Small world! I also have a Clio V6 255, well a couple actually, and what cracking cars they are, and the likes of we will never see again as it will be too costly to build. Renault lost money on each one they built, and they donāt appear to have the same financial muscle that they had in the 1990ās and early 2000ās.
Indeed the Clio V6 is the spiritual descendent of the R5 Turbo, on which the Maxi Turbo, and a few other race/rally cars, are based. Was yours a Phase 1 or Phase 2 (255)? Were you a member of the Clio V6 Owners Club (v6Clio.net)?
I had a phase 1 - āinterestingā to drive 
Ah, yes, they certainly are, and rather āentertainingā at thatā¦ 
[mention]Lankan[/mention] part 5 has become available - https://classifieds.seloc.org/ads/exige-s2-exhaust-heat-shield-brand-new/
Owwwwwww much?!
Thank you. Will check it out.
I was under my car again tonight and took note that the large piece that surrounds the entire backbox/cat area is actually several simple shapes riveted together. Would be so easy to replicate repair panels out of nimbus for it - its usually the parts near the toe links that go first, would be very simple to mock up some replacements for thoseā¦ might be a small business opportunity for somebody who could be arsed
Yeah, those are my thoughts too, so the plan is to replace items 5 & 6 and leave 4 as-is for the moment as it just does not justify the price of Ā£420-430 ex-VAT!
Have you seen or know of anyone who has done a comparison of the thermal characteristics between Nimbus and the OEM heat shields? I also found a SELOC TechWiki that recommends using a combination of Nimbus GII and Cirrus GIIIx since they have slightly different characteristics.
āA good way of getting rid of this (potential) problem is to replace the OE heatshield with a mixture of Nimbus GII and Cirrus GIIIx heatshield material.ā
Have you looked into using Cirrus GIIIx?
Iāve not done anything so scientific - but it wouldnāt surprise me to learn that any modern material easily beats the OEM stuff used by Lotus.
Understood, and agree that the latest materials are likely to be much more efficient. I have read that OEM material used actually degrades and crumbles into small fragments!
On a more positive note managed to order items 5 & 6 (shields for the U bend pipe) from Bell & Colville for Ā£180 including delivery to Yorkshire (Jonās premises) - order placed last night and delivery will be made tomorrow, and this is using standard delivery. Pretty good price and service I thought.