Restoration of 74 TCS - 044615R

[skippopotamus]

Yes, what Grumblebuns said.  The ears on the locking ring are easy to mess up. 

My neighbor is a fabricator and he didn't like my Horrible Freight saw horses so he made me some stands.  I can post some dimensions if anyone wants to whip some up.

 

[Rosco5000]

Those stands are fantastic.  Measurements would be great, I could make some of those for my project.  Keep everything in one bay but still be able to work on everything.

[CCurl]

Hey guys! I'm Andy's son. I'm currently removing the clutch cable as one of the final pieces of the puzzle before we can remove the body. I've disconnected the cable from the the lever connecting it to the transmission as well as the pin connecting it to the clutch pedal. However, it is still being held in place by a bracket in the cab and the bracket attached to the oil pan. 

I don't think the bracket inside the cab removes, and the outer cable seems to be stuck on the bracket on the oil pan (attached). I'm basically just trying to muscle it from the bracket in the engine compartment. Any tips on how to get it out?

[4129R]

There are two types of bracket at the rear. One is welded to the chassis and is horrible as the movement of the engine affects the cable feel, so it was replaced by a bracket bolted to the block.

Undo the two bolts holding the bracket to the block, and the whole thing comes away easily.

There are two thin bolts holding the bracket to the other end of the cable, the nuts are close to the centre of the chassis. If necessary, carefully cut those nuts off with a grinder from under the car.

It sound like the metal collars on both ends of the cable have corroded and got stuck in the holes in the two brackets. They are a tight fit when new.

Once the front bracket is free from the tunnel, you will have to ease it away from the cable, but with the end now free, this will be easier. Then pull the cable back through into the engine compartment.

This is what I did on 4688R, about the same late vintage as yours.

[racurley]

So, we're down to just the final steps to get the body off.  We are working on the handbrake which has instructions along the lines of "wrestle the cable loose".  We have disconnected the handbrake cable from both rear brakes.  The handbrake handle is unbolted from the interior and the bolt removed from the access hole in the bonnet.  I'm at the wrestling point.  Not really getting the angle to get the cable to slip off the lever with the hook.  Is there a trick to this I'm missing?

[racurley]

Hah!  Carson laid in the driver footwell upside down and was able to disconnect the lever from the handbrake handle.  Then, he could turn the lever enough to get the brake cable off the other end.  Good to have young and flexible!  No idea how we are getting that all hooked up when the body goes back on.

[4129R]

I had to undo the bolt holding the lever to the chassis to get it off, (under the large 4" rubber bung in the plenum chamber) and when putting it back on again, tension the wire on the lever through to where the brake reservoir is, and then re-fix the bolt.

[CCurl]

Just an update for today. The body is completely ready to be removed besides removing the oil line which is already freed from the engine compartment and the final two vertical bracing struts. All of the parts have been labeled, bagged and boxed. It's been a lot of work and banged knuckles getting here, but it's exciting to be getting onto the next step even if it does pose just as big of a challenge. We're one step closer to getting it back on the road.

[racurley]

So, this has been quite the hiatus.  We got the car to a pretty good point, all ready for the body to come off, and then life got in the way.  Then , it was a matter of having the two of us here and two strong helpers to pull the body off.  Here are some photos of the results of that.  We have since removed the rear shocks/springs.

IMG_5976 by acurley, on Flickr
The boards on the sides are on stands and were holding up the body before removal.

IMG_5977 by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5978 by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5979 by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5980 by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5981 by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5982 by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5983 by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5984 by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5985 by acurley, on Flickr

Untitled by acurley, on Flickr

IMG_5987 by acurley, on Flickr
Up on my platform and 2x4's used for carrying it are off.

IMG_5990 by acurley, on Flickr

[racurley]

So now, the big question is what to do next?  As you can see, there is some rust on the chassis but it appears to just be surface rust.  My neighbor, who restored his father's 1939 Ford pickup, is recommending I take everything off and have it sandblasted and then prime and seal the chassis.  I'm ok with taking many/most of the stuff off since I want to replace the various rubber bushings, etc.  Bringing it down for sandblasting would involve pulling the engine/tranny and all the bits running through the chassis.  Looking like more work than I was hoping.  But, it would be as good as we can get it before it goes back together (assuming I can get it all back together  ).

I'm interested to hear recommendations from this group.  Thanks.

[jbcollier]

It's your car and your money so it's your decision.

First though, block the engine intakes with a couple of rags!

Second poke the bottom of the chassis with a sharp ice pick.  If it is truly solid, then you don't need to replace it or blast and paint it if you don't want to.  At a bare minimum replace all the brake hoses and bushings, and spray the inside of the chassis with a semi-liquid, non-hardening, rust treatment.

[BDA]

Now that you got it apart this far, it would be a shame to miss an opportunity to do a good repaint of your frame. It's really a simple car so I'm confident you can put it all back together.

If that is a bridge too far, I would find as much of the rust as you can (don't forget to look inside the 'T' and backbone), sand it away and prime and paint those areas. Usually, there is some oil coating the area around the engine so you probably won't need to pull the engine from the frame to get to those areas - but if you do, Plan A (sand blast and paint the frame) starts to make more sense.

You should replace the jute with closed cell neoprene foam (or similar). r.d. enterprises stocks this.

I would replace your shocks and springs. Richard at Banks recommends 250# front and 130# to 150# rear. That sounds very high but in reality, those spring rates work very well and are not at all uncomfortable. He sells them as well as some nice shocks. r.d. and Dave Bean also sell good shocks. I'm not sure they are on board with Richard's spring recommendation, but I don't know.

You may want to replace the rear bearings and replace the spacers with hardened steel replacements. I don't think this is as critical as it is with S2s, but you've gone this far, you might as well freshen them, too.

Depending on your budget, you may want to consider Richard's twin link rear suspension, rear disc brake, and/or vented front disc brake. Adjustable front A-arms are a good idea. The stock setup was designed to be destroyed in a crash to help save your frame. If your A-arm pieces are straight, you might consider replacing the top ones with adjustable units and leave the bottom ones as they are more likely to be damaged. They're getting rare so at some point, we'll all probably end up with tubular units. Adjustable rear links are also a good idea. It would probably be a good idea to replace the front suspension bushings with polyurethane units. This looks like a good place to get them: http://www.autobush.com/8/Lotus/Elan-Twin-Cam

Just my $0.02!

[racurley]

Thank you BDA.  My next question was going to be around the shocks.  They are definitely shot and we'll be replacing them.  I will look at your recommendation.

I presume the jute is the insulating stuff on the chassis. 

When I removed the front stabilizer bar (anti-roll bar or whatever they called it), the bracket holding it on was difficult because the bolt inside the T of the chassis was no longer brazed on and it spun.  I was planning to repair that with it all apart but I'm not seeing how I can get inside the T to do this.  Any recommendations?

[BDA]

I have Spax shocks. They're good but they're steel and I really like the aluminum units Banks and SJ Sportscars sells. It could be that r.d. or Dave Bean sells similar shocks. It would probably be worth a call to all of them to make a comparison. As I said before, Banks sells the springs I mentioned and I'm not sure if the other guys do. That might be something else to discuss when you talk to them.


Yes, the jute is that fibrous stuff that is between the body and the frame, under the carpets, etc. A new carpet kit (I recommend Automat https://www.autointeriors.biz/) would be recommended and it would come with a new pad.


The top of the anti roll bar is attached to the top A-arm attachment point via a "drop link." Is that the bracket you're talking about?. When you go to loosen that nut, you're going to have to grab the back one. If you hold one and turn the other, eventually one will come off. IIRC, the top suspension pin has a nut welded on one "rear end." If I did remember correctly, that should make it easier. You might need some penetrating oil like Liquid Wrench or Kroil if it's rusted.

[LotusJoe]

Your car looks about the same condition as mine when I started.