Now that everything was back together on the Green Cortina, it was time to get the brakes bled and get it back down on it wheels.
I started with the fronts and found no problems there, but when I did the nearside rear, I found that brake fluid wouldn't come out of the bleed nipple and the pedal would go firm. So, I then took the bleed nipple out completely, but no fluid came out at all, so I put it back. Removing the brake drums revealed that there was no problem with the wheel cylinders and both were moving freely.
I then wedged the brake pedal down with a long bar between the pedal and the seat to simulate pressure to the brakes. Then I removed the bleed nipple again, but still no brake fluid came out. This was looking like the flexi hose in the brake line was either blocked or had collapsed internally. So, I removed the bar from the pedal and seat and started undoing the flexi hose. There is only one and it's on the driver side. I undid the end going to the wheel cylinder and once again, no fluid came out. I then undid the other end which is attached to the metal brake pipe coming from the front of the car and that was when the fluid started leaking out, so there was indeed a blockage in the flexi pipe. Once I had syphoned all of the fluid out of the master cylinder, I removed the offending flexi pipe all together. Blowing an airline down it proved it was completely blocked. In fact, I cut it in half and blew air down both ends and both of them were blocked!
I didn't have a spare flexi pipe, but a phone call to my friend Keith in Wickford found that he had one, so I made arrangements to collect it the next day. I wouldn't be able to finish the job until Monday now as Sunday was 'Mothering Sunday' and I was meeting up with my family.
Monday morning was the next chance I had to work on the car, so I was in the garage bright and early to get things moving. The flexi pipe was fitted and the brakes bled up first time with no issues. I then refitted all the wheels and lowered it back to the ground.
The new nine inch springs and standard hubs were well spaced and the tyres wont be rubbing on the struts like I've had issues with previously. (They look like they are touching in the pic, but they aren't- it's just the angle of the camera)
The strut brace was re-fitted and I had also recently found a genuine Lotus badge that my Dad gave me from when he was working for Pickfords and helped move the Lotus factory from Cheshunt to Norfolk. I was only young when he did this so I've had it a long time. This car reminds me of my Dad as he used to have one, so I fitted the badge to the grill as a tribute to him.
With all of this done, it was getting towards the time that I have to leave for work, so I called it a day and went indoors to get ready. I was pleased with the mornings work and also pleased that I'd discovered that blocked flexi. I'm pretty sure that this will turn out to be the remedy to a few other issues that I've had with this car since owning it. (Sticking rear brakes etc) I can't wait to drive it again now!
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