Ride height baby elan

[miked]

John,

My start position was not that good so I did quite an amount of ride height adjustments first with my weight in. Then I did empty car corner weights which perhap got me near and then corner weights with my weight.

I could not really tell you how much as I was working over two wekends.

I was also unhappy with rear height when I got set up so the wound up the rear collars to lift the rear. Also I was learning (making mistakes). One thing I will say is that the position of the bones look right when they are right (by the scales) and it is quite odd how the diagonal opposite affect each other.

Mike

[twincamman]

my 26R is set up as follows --in pounds ---lf 392 rf 414---lr 387 rf 401 --total 1594 pounds -with a full sized battery on the passenger side and all liquids --ride height 4 3/4 inches --bath room scales wont take this weight ---they are ok for formula cars though---so go to a race shop and pay the man to weigh the car --and if you look at the rear of the car the driver side will be slightly higher than the passenger side so your weight has been factored in -ed law

[miked]

Ed,

There dont appear to be many of the weight guys around my area. Also will they start to adjust for you without big fees. I did use 8 scales for the weight.
My car is as you say, I have slight rise to the driver side. A silly question, your info' is for a car without the driver judging by the wieghts!! Is this correct. Or is this with the driver weight in. Or have you and have a second set of results.

Re: ride height. Could you help me here as to the point of measurement. On cars with bushes, I believe it is (as the manul says) under the wishbone bush tube (pivot pints). If you are on a 26R, I presume yours are all metal. Do you measure from the ball end outer part when on these. I have all this kit to build a second car.

Your are nice and low. Do you have to raise the steering rack on a 26 R?

thanks Mike

[twincamman]

all suspension bushing points are rod ends on the lower A arms ----the measurment for ride height is on the passenger side --[right] and from the ground to the bottom of the rocker panel ---the rack is installed at per the elan manual but you may have to change yours when you bump steer it -------toe in is 1/8 total front and 3 /16 rear total --shocks are adjustable [armstrongs?]-the only problem with handling is on fast turns the front wheel lifts slightly depending on a left or right corner giving a slight vague feeling at the wheel steering for short time -- - but i just grab the hollyhocks and hold on --ed

[twincamman]

heres a pic of the tire to fender clearance --ed

[miked]

Ed, thanks for info'.

Please explain "rocker panel". Is it under were the pivot points attach on the bottom of the chassis? I know the manual says closing plate and this aways confuses me.

Mike

[twincamman]

well I used the very bottom point of the body under the door area --ie measure the height of the body to the ground I dont use the chassis --its way under the car and the body rides on it any how -ed

[elansprint71]

How do you get at the platforms to adjust them with the wheels on the car? My Ferrari racing-prep friend lent me a set of computerised corner-weight scales, but I found it next to impossible to get the c-spanner near the platforms. Taking the wheels on and of would be a real pain.
My mate has sets of skeletal wheels which have five very thin spokes and a thin steel rim, so access is fairly easy; unfortunately he did not have any to fit the Elan k/o hubs.

Cheers,
Pete.

[john.p.clegg]

Couldn't you knock-up four stands of the correct "wheel radius" to prop up the stub axles to allow access to the dampers?
John

[twincamman]

I used a formula car set up just jack the car up and set it on 4 pads --then read the numbers ---if it s 20 pounds or so off side to side dont worry about it ---ed

[SADLOTUS]

How about four plywood 'wheels'. With double thickness centres, you should - just - have enough room to reach the spring platforms.

Or a triangle shape if you don't want to nip round the block on your new wheels.

[twincamman]

sounds like you have a bump steer set up not a scale --ed

[john.p.clegg]

ed
So,from what you are saying one doesn't need four (or eight) sets of bathroom scales,just the one and maybe a scissor jack and move round all four corners just lifting the tyre clear of the floor and noting the readings???

John

[twincamman]

nope I used a 4 pad scale with a computer read out ------just lifted the car and set it on the 4 pads and read the weights wheels tires and driver [if you want ] I didnt want the other guys to see my weight and there was a limit of 4 tons ---just like a pensky shop -but if your car weighs 1500 pounds [most weigh more] you are around 350 per corner and thats over the limit for a bath room scale of 270 lb---at least mine --most formula cars are around 900 pounds -thats around 250 a corner and well within the scale limits - so your wife wont be POed about her broken bathroom scale and go off her diet --and if your planning on driving the snot out of the thing on a race track its best to set it up properly so your wife stays your wife and not your widow -- ed

[davidholroyd]

If its a standard car use standard ride height unless you have fitted lower profile tyres, adjust accordingly., Mr Chapman new what he was doing !.. its in the big green book and I set mine 1/4" higher at the back... You need to put 90kg of weight in the drivers seat , snap that's my weight .... then set the front to the same corner weights and the rear so it looks 'right' / even. You will never get the rear to be the same as the car / driver / petrol tank are offset. Its a pain but I take the wheels off and adjust the platforms each time .