Progress so far

[SADLOTUS]

I'm reluctant to show things before they're finished but thought these pics would be interesting for people to see - I've never seen an Elan from this angle before, and friends have asked to see how far I've got (that's not me with the angle grinder by the way - far too scary!)

[Frank Howard]

Sad,

I assume you are flairing out the wheel wells. All I can say is, wow. I hope you know what you're doing. By the way, is that a rear-engined Devon in the background in the last picture?

[twincamman]

wow --you are far braver than I AM --was there rust in the 1/4 panels????- --ed

[SADLOTUS]

Ginetta G4 and moulds in the background. Cottage Classics are doing the chopping about, I think they know what they're doing, the question still remains - do I?

www.CottageClassics.co.uk

twincamman..1/4 panels?

[gjz30075]

Wow! 26R conversion maybe? Be sure to save the old panels.

Greg Z

[twincamman]

fenders??? heels ????wings????? America and England are 2 countries separated by a common language --- -ed

[garyeanderson]

Thats a lot of cutting but it probably doesn't hurt the s4 body all that much. It is very thin in most areas anyway. and once the new arches are bonded back on it will end up nearly as stiff. My 1 1/2 body in the photos was the remains of Don Tingles D production Elan and was cut for period flairs (1970 to 1975) and was only cut mostly upwards to make clearance for the 6" wide wheels that were legal at the time. S1 and S2 bodies are still pretty stiff after they are cut as shown in these two photos. Once again, with the arches back on (they are on but no photos yet) there is little difference. Id be curious of how much weight was cut from sadlotus's S4, my guess would be maybe 15 lbs.

[richardcox_lotus]

Paul, nothing like going in at the deep end. When will you get it back ? And have you decided who is going to do the paint ?

Also, how many paintstripping hours do you think you've wasted by removing ALL the paint including in areas you no longer have on the car ?

Hindsight's great, isn't it.

[Dave-M]

SadLotus, Where did you get the flared wings from?
Regards
Dave

[SADLOTUS]

Hi Richard, they've only had the car since last Tuesday! they have a man who'll do the paint but I think that'll be the bottleneck as there's queue now. MMM...yes could've saved myself a few hours there couldn't I.

twincamman, didn't find any rust.

gjz30075, the panels are now prettywell NFG having been cut up and chopped about, I'll probably save them, but not sure why.

garyeanderson, Dave-M, the wings were from Tony Thompson and were very flimsy and almost see through! Once fitted, they became MUCH stronger. There's an awkward bit as the wings meet the rear lights panel and a bit of creative glassing was needed there. The original front and rear wings had seen a lot of action over the years and the car looks like it's had a few prangs, there was a lot of crazing and you could see the replacement panels. It's not really a weight saving excercise but the stuff that came off probably did weigh about 15lbs or so, and the new wings about half that.

[cabc26b]

Be mindful of these newly made body pannels - I have some on my race care and they will flex , alot. Also, pay careful attention to where you place your hands when you push the car around ( a constant with a lotus ??) - my at track experience where not so knowledge people are jumping at the opportunity yo "help" push the car has left lots of cracks in the paint/finish.. not even a urathane can cope with the amount of movement .

[SADLOTUS]

Got the MOT certificate last week and that let me drive around a bit - done about 200 miles so far. I thought I'd share a few more progress pics.

Found a few bits that need altering or fixing or replacing.
Missed a wing mirror so put on this Sebring I had in the loft.
Already ripped the exhaust off, went back to RSR Exhausts and he welded a skid plate on for me.
A new duel temperature fan sensor for the fans- still not fully sure about this yet.
The fuel guage looked like a no go until the shock of a full tank gave it the kiss of life!
Needs longer springs... bought them too short...doh.
When funds allow it's a new hood and hood cover and springs.
Also a suspension clinic session to sort out weights and settings.

Goes better than I remember - not hard, considering the state of the poor old engine when it expired going into the Blackwall Tunnel. My young son says it makes him smile when I give it the full YAHOO!! In fact goes better than it's ever gone!
Well chuffed.

[gjz30075]

Thanks for reviving this thread. Car looks great! The flares really blend in.

Greg Z

[billwill]

Looks very pretty now!

[ill_will]

looks really nice! bet you're happy with the end result.

a couple of q's, if i may:

black wheels with the polished rims look really nice - which wheels are they?

Did you replace the front numberplate letters, and if so, where are they available from?

And lastly, what method did you use for paint removal? I've just removed the body from the chassis and it's now completely stripped out (except for one lower seatbelt bolt, which the rattle gun won't budge and i'm scared of cracking the gfrp/metal frame junction using the breaker bar) so paint stripping is going to be the next project.

cheers

will