1967 Elan

[Chuck Nukem]

Small update. I changed the front and rear shocks and springs with new TTR and Koni yellow units. I have a CV axle conversion on order because I noticed some damage to a donut while switching things over. 1500 miles down and it has been smiles the whole way! I had it on the dyno yesterday and it put down 109 to the wheels.

I have even taken to herding livestock with it in the fashion of Mr. Clark.

[EuropaTC]

 

Good to see you're having fun.  Did you go for the higher rated springs, I think TT calls them "fast road" ?

+1 on the CV conversion, I fitted one several years ago for exactly the same reasons, concerns over the donuts and modern replacements. I've done a lot of miles with donuts but you need constant checking and CV joints just work.

109bhp is good, it sounds a lot more than a standard S3 should do.  I bet it flies.

Brian

[BDA]

I'm envious, Chuck! That sounds like a lot of fun! Many years ago, a buddy let me drive his Elan. It was impossible for me to drive the first two gears smoothly. It felt like there was a lot of wind up and my buddy and I blamed the donuts. I don't know that he ever changed them so they must have lasted a good while. Anyway, I decided if I ever got one, I would make sure it had CV joints.

Enjoy your new toy ... or I should say, keep enjoying your new toy!

[Rosco5000]

That looks great! You won't regret the CV conversion.  I did it in my Elan+2 and we have had absolutely no issues and it get driven spiritedly. 
R.

[Chuck Nukem]

Thanks guys!

Good to see you're having fun.  Did you go for the higher rated springs, I think TT calls them "fast road" ?

+1 on the CV conversion, I fitted one several years ago for exactly the same reasons, concerns over the donuts and modern replacements. I've done a lot of miles with donuts but you need constant checking and CV joints just work.

109bhp is good, it sounds a lot more than a standard S3 should do.  I bet it flies.

Brian

Yes I went with the fast road springs on the front. I have the rear shocks set to one turn, and the fronts at 3 clicks. Ride is supple, just slightly harsher in the front than before.

As for the motor - It does fly! I wish I'd snapped a pic of the power curve. We just put the car on for fun, not for a real tuning session. Upon seeing a saw toothed peak he suggested adding some timing to the engine. There may be more power lurking in there. The tach tends to pulse +/- 500 rpm and read above what the dyno was capturing. The car has pertronix ignition and I believe the current tach is from an MGB of some description. I need to do a little digging and see if I can get something together that reads more precisely.

[Chuck Nukem]

CV joints are in and they certainly make a difference. The car seems tighter and has less vibration. When it was sitting on the jack stands the wheels turn over more easily - though I wonder how much of that feeling is due to the extreme angle on the donuts. The peace of mind is worth the price...

Time to enjoy the car for a while!!! My goodness it's nice to have at least one running car that is not a forever project!

[EuropaTC]

The car has pertronix ignition and I believe the current tach is from an MGB of some description. I need to do a little digging and see if I can get something together that reads more precisely.

Lots of discussion on the Elan forum about the Pertronix range & tachs, apparently the first check is to make sure the tach isn't fed via the coil but from a separate 12v source. That seems to work for most folks, I just replaced the internals on mine because I didn't know about that at the time.

That donut is definitely FUBAR'd and sadly it's all too common. Mine would delaminate at the steel inserts for the bolts and after reading in Club Lotus mag about someone who had one shred while in motion I became paranoid about it. The CV conversion is expensive but definitely an improvement in reliability.

I can't recall what I've got the dampers set at but I'd say mine is a very firm ride in comparison with the original. Mine aren't from TTR but Path Thomas (Kelvedon) and he uses 175lb F, 140lb R springs (OEM 75F/67R).  Definitely one of the best mods I've made on the car, I only wish I'd done it years ago.

Brian

[Roger]

The tach on Chuck's Elan is a real Elan tach with a Spiyda conversion for the Pertronix. It has separate feed, and so does the Pertronix, so the coil doesn't interfere.
You can adjust the reading via a little screw hole in the side of the case. I did that some time ago but since then fitted a capacitor and diode to prevent another issue. Turning off some components, like the heater fan, causes a surge through the wiring which can make the tach peg over to max. I didn't readjust after making that mod.
Try www.spiyda.com or email spiyda@outlook.com .They are very helpful!

When I bought the car it had, and I still have, an MGB tach and speedometer (I think). I tracked down and bought the correct ones.  Anyone got an MGB?

[Chuck Nukem]

The tach on Chuck's Elan is a real Elan tach with a Spiyda conversion for the Pertronix. It has separate feed, and so does the Pertronix, so the coil doesn't interfere.
You can adjust the reading via a little screw hole in the side of the case. I did that some time ago but since then fitted a capacitor and diode to prevent another issue. Turning off some components, like the heater fan, causes a surge through the wiring which can make the tach peg over to max. I didn't readjust after making that mod.
Try www.spiyda.com or email spiyda@outlook.com .They are very helpful!

When I bought the car it had, and I still have, an MGB tach and speedometer (I think). I tracked down and bought the correct ones.  Anyone got an MGB?

Thanks Roger, I will reach out.

The car has pertronix ignition and I believe the current tach is from an MGB of some description. I need to do a little digging and see if I can get something together that reads more precisely.

Lots of discussion on the Elan forum about the Pertronix range & tachs, apparently the first check is to make sure the tach isn't fed via the coil but from a separate 12v source. That seems to work for most folks, I just replaced the internals on mine because I didn't know about that at the time.

That donut is definitely FUBAR'd and sadly it's all too common. Mine would delaminate at the steel inserts for the bolts and after reading in Club Lotus mag about someone who had one shred while in motion I became paranoid about it. The CV conversion is expensive but definitely an improvement in reliability.

I can't recall what I've got the dampers set at but I'd say mine is a very firm ride in comparison with the original. Mine aren't from TTR but Path Thomas (Kelvedon) and he uses 175lb F, 140lb R springs (OEM 75F/67R).  Definitely one of the best mods I've made on the car, I only wish I'd done it years ago.

Brian

My friend bought a +2 that had a donut failure. He recently spent about a month cutting and welding new metal to replace the bent sections.

I will have to experiment with different spring set up in the future. I believe the TTR fast road are 140 F/ 80 R. I do have a bit of body roll if I really push it in the corner.

The CV axles did not weigh much more than the original axles w/ rubber and bolts. Eventually I will machine some rear hubs for the bolt on wheels (I have only seen aluminum rear hubs for the center lock). I will use the Elan to test my aluminum front hub/floating rotor once it's ready, though I will leave its original brake calipers alone for now. When I had this car on the dyno I noticed the steel wheels wobble. A future project may be to machine an aluminum look alike of the bolt on Lotus wheel....Image makes a nice billet for the center lock style only.

[Chuck Nukem]

A friend (+2 owner) and I am about to embark on a 2500 mile journey with the little Elan and his +2 next week.

This weekend I am headed to COTA for a vintage race. The Elan will be in the show, unfortunately not in the race

The week starts with a 3 day trip toward the tail of the dragon and deals gap.

The next stop is in Birmingham to visit Barber

Then the return trip will be down the Natchez trace, before returning home.

Any recommendations are appreciated be it routes or sites, any visitors welcome be they tall or slight. 

[TurboFource]

Sounds like a good time! Have fun!

[BDA]

That’s going to be a great trip, Chuck! Please post your travelogue!

[TheKid#9]

A friend (+2 owner) and I am about to embark on a 2500 mile journey with the little Elan and his +2 next week.

This weekend I am headed to COTA for a vintage race. The Elan will be in the show, unfortunately not in the race

The week starts with a 3 day trip toward the tail of the dragon and deals gap.

The next stop is in Birmingham to visit Barber

Then the return trip will be down the Natchez trace, before returning home.

Any recommendations are appreciated be it routes or sites, any visitors welcome be they tall or slight.

When you come back through the Natchez Trace, please let me know. I live 15min from the bridge. I’d love to meet up with you or you are welcome to come to my house and see the Lotus Collection. PM me if you are interested in a meet.

[Chuck Nukem]

The trip unfolded a bit differently to our plans...

I drove in from Denton to Austin and we had a great weekend at COTA for the SVRA vintage race. Mark (+2) and I entered our cars in the show and got to do a lap of the track.

We drove to Fredericksburg on Sunday and spent the day preparing for the twisted sisters in the hill country. On the trip there something curious happened with my car. The overflow tank sprayed a little coolant out. We checked the cap, refilled and waited to see what symptoms came back. These roads were excellent and I can not recommend them highly enough. For a brief moment I felt I was on a rally stage in Corsica....not like anywhere I've driven in Texas!

To keep our schedule that day we pushed hard to get to Nacogdoches which was about a 600 mile day in total. When we woke that morning things had clearly taken a turn for the worse. His car had a slight gearbox leak initially. It appeared to have grown in to a noticeable output shaft leak. We decided to abandon the rest of the trip for fear of his box. Once we got back to Austin I noticed my bottle had sprayed again. We pressure tested the radiator and found no visible leaks. After performing a combustion gas test my fears were confirmed... There is a slight bypass from the headgasket of exhaust in to the coolant once the car is warm. The car does not show outward sign of it at all other than the overflow. It is very minimal...but it is there. After pulling the valve cover I noticed little cracks around the head studs. It seems that the head may have caused the studs to lose torque at some point. I need to begin researching possible remedies...


Kid,

I wish I could have made it to see you. We are still planning to do this trip at some point after a few engine outs 

All in all it was a great trip. We set out to stress test our cars, so in that measure it was a success

[BDA]

Sorry your trip was short circuited! You did get a lap around COTA which must have been fun.

You have good eyes to see those cracks. I suppose they will have to be welded. I hope you post how you get it fixed.