Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi,

Im 4th owner of a late S2 26R, been tucked away for ages after accident which still has it's original as per the factory invoice engine, Cosworth with dry sump, all steel bottom end.

I've been told the car regardless of being rebuilt as it was delivered would not be allowed to race in Europe, is this the case?

I've been trying to get copy of current Elan 26r/GTS papers. Also after details of FIA legal TC engine for a 26R as I'd like to one day take my car to Europe for a summer of racing.

Hope someone can help me

Cheers Vaughan

Hi

Here is a link to FIA Appendix K regulations that govern historic racing http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-public.ns ... .06.11.pdf
Dry sumped engines are not allowed pre 66.
Copy of the homologation papers are in the general information section of the forum

regards

Andy

Thanks Andy, downloaded the document, my cars being rebuilt with TTR components, the originsl paets all boxed up with shell and chassis. Ive left the engine exactly as it was cam etc wise but running extra comp and it made 171bhp on dyno.

Ive got a George Wadsworth prep'd head, cams etc which I'll put together with DKE crank and steel rods and wet sump, expect it to make more than the original Cosworth and will be easy to swap over.

I'll do season locally before tsking it OS, looking forward to having it out for 50th, chassis done, about to put body on and test fit, drill holes etc before painting.

Cheers Vaughan

hi Vaughan
Be great to see it back on the track

cheers
Rohan

Hi Vaughan

Sounds good. If using the latest TTR exhaust manifold check the clearance with the rear pipe and the bulkhead before you paint or final fit the engine, I had to remove some of the bulkhead and glass in a recess to allow the exhaust to fit.

regards
Andy

Hi Rohan, I'm certainly looking forward to getting the 26r out on the track as I bought it, reversed it off the trailer and drove it into the shed.... as bought the chassis was a mess, the old damage from late 60's still present with twisted uprights and cracks which were that bad you could put pnecil led into gaps, and cannot remove the body from chassis and it had been inspected by CAMS and given OK to race!!

I decided to restore it as it was, so the engine was rebuilt with all the original Cosworth internals, cams etc, only extra comp, as it arrvied in 66, its running in Group O so its up against FVA's and cars like my Elfin 300, which with TC engines are doing 1.40's and lower around Eastern creek, hecne its about getting it out, not winning races.

The S1 I have was to be rebuilt for Group S, and now also eligible for group T as it has race history in period from 64 on til about 68/9, in restoration I've removed GS Motor Bodies flares etc to allow it to be classified for Group M as well, I'll get it CoD done when completed. Due to the 26r it will now be completed as a road car.

BTW do you know who owns the other S4 (Red) with Lenham hardtop racing in Group S based in Melbourne, I owned the car in 98 and raced it at Eastern Creek before swapping it for 73 RS Carrera and some $ of course!!

Cheers V

Hi Andy, thanks for the tip, I've actually made jigs to make a system like the one in the homologation papers with dimensions from Vizard book as starting point with long secondaries which were then trimmed on the dyno to optimise torque and power to the range I was happy to run up to.

Do you have dimensions of pipe and lenghts the latest TTR manifold so I can compare, I had a previous one from TTR (10yrs ago) and it was shocking, terrible bends, the junctions rough and on the dyno an old set I had from my S4SE gave same top number but better torque!!!

Made of thinwall stainless steel with slip joins easy to fit, beautiful mandrel bends everywhere and Burns Stainless type junctions. I've also made same style with small tube for road going cars.

If I find a photo I'll post it.

Cheers

V

Vaughan wrote:BTW do you know who owns the other S4 (Red) with Lenham hardtop racing in Group S based in Melbourne, I owned the car in 98 and raced it at Eastern Creek before swapping it for 73 RS Carrera and some $ of course!!

Cheers V

Vaughan the only Elan running in any class currently based in Melbourne is myself I believe. Peter Hill was running a S4 drop head a few years ago in group S but he has retired now.

I dont recall seeing a red S4 elan with Lenham hardtop in the last 20 years at any race meeting that I have been at or competed in.

cheers
Rohan

Vaughan wrote:Do you have dimensions of pipe and lenghts the latest TTR manifold so I can compare, I had a previous one from TTR (10yrs ago) and it was shocking, terrible bends, the junctions rough and on the dyno an old set I had from my S4SE gave same top number but better torque!!!

Made of thinwall stainless steel with slip joins easy to fit, beautiful mandrel bends everywhere and Burns Stainless type junctions. I've also made same style with small tube for road going cars.

If I find a photo I'll post it.

Cheers

V

Vaughan

I have a new TTR racing system sitting in my workshop waiting for the new engine I am building to be finished before I fit it and try it on a dyno. I can take some photos and measurements for you if you would like

I also have built my own systems previously using the Vizard book as the starting point in the past but thought I would try the TTR system to see if any better.

A friend of my who races a S4 Seven in Sc has built a couple of systems using the dimensions and fittings from Burns stainless with very good results. His engines are the same spec as mine but he gets about 5kw more than I do with the better 4 to 1 exhaust you can fit in a Seven versus the 4to2to1 system in the Elan. The main difference appears to be the Burns 4 into 1 venturi collector itself as dyno tests with or without this element in the system show it is worth much of the 5kw I am missing.

Did you design your system using the Burns design program and did you use a venturi collector for the secondary to tail pipe collector? as that is the approach I was going to use to compare to the TTR system when i have time

cheers
Rohan

Hi Rohan,

Id appreciate the measurements, ive used the burns collectors in past for an Alfa i raced and was very pleased with improvement over previous collectors, my mate Hugh makes the system for me and he's been making his own collectors to same style as burns, Hugh makes systems for porsches from flat sheet and pumps them up for some ofvthe really tight radius sections amazing.

Otther than hes set up to do them id have biught them from burns again. Ive got one from Alfa polished on my desk its that well done!

We did not use the burns program, as vizard gave lots of info, then before making set to fit the car we made simple 4 2 1 for dyno that allowed us to shorten primaries and secondaries easily, then translated this to the jig which wss made in chassis.
Cheers V

Hi Rohan

Some photos showing the modification to the bulkhead I had to do to get the TTR exhaust to fit.

regards

Andy

Hi Andy ,

The car looks like its home stretching .

I also used the TTR 4-2-1 system - I was told when I went down that path that you should not expect to get more than low 170's out of a motor running the system. That was fine by me as I was heading the the wet sump , small valve rout with 11/1 CR . I did not have the clearance issues with the system like you did, nor did i find the workmanship shoddy as Vaughn mentioned - perhaps this is lot ( supplier) dependent ? We did change up the collector so it exited into a oval mid section of larger diameter .

The S2 i use to have ran a 4into1 which exited the collector at 2.5 inches- the routing made it impossible to run an alternator which I had to have for this car - the motors were quite different so no sense in comparing figures.

Hi, the pictures of the systems you have attached look way nicer than the ones TTR sold 10 years ago, clearly the jig could do with improving if some cars clear and others require modifications, were they required for firewall and footwell?

I've attached photo of the ones we've made, using the homologation papers as reference for shape.

Cheers

V

Thought I'd add a few photos of the car in period, the colour shot is the car waiting to go out for a practice session, the other shot was the car being loaded onto the trailer to for its first run.

Cheers

V

Hi Vaughan,

It's great to see the project moving forward - I was wondering how it's been going! JG never exactly set the tarmac on fire when he had it, so it probably needs the full zero hour resto, or the shock of actually racing it might kill it! Did you manage to winkle the photos and documents out of Anne? I've been meaning to drop you a line and have a peek when I visit Sydney, but 2 mortgages, a new business and 3 kids under 5 have somewhat dampened my Lotusing in recent years.

I'd love to see the body shell from TTR; despite my lack of spare time (and money), I'd love to pick up the super lightweight project one day, and the TTR shell seems to be the only option.

Cheers

Patrick