Back on the road?

[Oldthumper]

I've had my Elan for a little while now,with the intention of "getting it going" for quite a while.
Actually I bought it in 1972, used it for a few years and then put it away "to sort out later" Last time I had it on the road (somewhat illegaly) was in about 89, when some idiot of a mot tester at Arnold's in Haslemere failed it mainly because some of the lights didn't work correctly! He'd left it out in the rain overnight so what did he realistically expect? Anyway, much sorted, another illegal drive to Fibreglass Services for more help and inspiration and more new bits,tucked up in my garage and unfortunately left for many years due to work pressures.Two divorces and a garage fire later, and the car had to move.Six months in the open air for the first time in decades didn't help, but after watching "The Bucket List" on tv, I decided it had to be done! The engine turns over freely, I've freed off all the brake calipers,bought a new brake master cylinder and just about to fit new clutch slave cylinder,clean out fuel tank,service Webers,fit electronic ignition and see if it will run again!


Ray Johnson
Elan S4 36-8319
Worthing West Sussex

[reb53]

Welcome !!

Keep us up to date on how it all goes.
If I didn't live on the other side of the World I'd come around and give you a hand....

Cheers
Ralph.

[Oldthumper]

I forgot to mention that after the fire, my daughter used a green scourer to remove the soot and smoke from the body!Anyway,today the brake pipe from the master cylinder snapped when I was removing it,what a b****** it is to get off at the 4way junction! Easier when I managed to get the oil filter off, and that in itself was great fun after 25+years.
So many choices to make! The headlining has a small tear in the otherwise good middle section, so shall I replace the headlining,fit a sunroof,patch it up, or chop the top off? I say good headlining, but my brother, the previous owner back in 71 used to chain smoke Gaulloise in the car and managed to stain it a very fetching light yellow! Also when we got the car, in 71, there was no bonnet closing mechanism in place, having been replaced with locking pins, which at least never allowed the bonnet to accidentally come open. I wonder if any other cars were modified in the same way when (nearly ) new? The boot to cabin bulkhead had also been replaced with a press stud secured soft panel,which allowed access to the boot, and also allowed long items to be carried. The car also did not have air filters on it, or a nose grill when we bought it in 71. also the paintwork was absolutely crap , so perhaps in the interest of originality it should be left that way?Hopefully tomorrow I will have a new brake pipe and be able to start putting some of it back together!

[Steve G]

A fellow Elan owner in Worthing - how exciting! I now live in Saltdean but grew up in Worthing and still go over there a lot as my family and friends are there. I've just spent a year getting my S4 back on the road, failed the MOT this morning on brakes but hopefully rectifiable this weekend.

New headlining definitely, don't chop the roof off! FHCs are beautiful!

[Oldthumper]

Good luck with the mot,I hope you have a sympathetic tester! It might be a while before I get to that stage,but the recommissioning is actually going quite well so far!

[Oldthumper]

Slow progress,but getting there! New brake master cylinder fitted,new pipe from cylinder(eventually, as the local garage put the wrong fittings on it!) brakes bled and working. Clutch slave cylinder came out of the bell housing really easily,shame the c clip was such a pain to get on! The split pin on the brake pedal was a pain too,mainly due too m,y poor eyesight and lack of flexibility. It's funny that some jobs are much easier than I remember from 30 years ago,mainly due to better tools,but this is counteracted by age and increased girth on my part making getting at and under things more difficult!Next job is the fuel tank.I patched it in about 1975 (using something called Petropatch, if I remember correctly) and it will be interesting to examine it closely after all this time.

[Oldthumper]

Interesting what you find under and around the fuel tank! Two matchboxes c1972 from Neros Nightclub in Portsmouth many old spark plugs,old sets of points and so many nuts and bolts and electrical connectors. Sadly the tank itself, although mostly sound, has a couple of pinholes in the bottom, so will ultimately need replacing. I'll get a temporary repair done at this stage as I really just want to get it running for now, then consider all the options,full rebuild or running restoration. The old Petropatch repair is still holding up and is the strongest part of the tank now!

[Oldthumper]

Another surprise today! I decided to take "George",my heavy duty vacuum cleaner to work removing some of the debris deposited by rodents under the bonnet.(I was startled, many years ago, to find a rat under the bonnet ,nested snugly between the cam covers, surrounded by a very neatly stacked hoard of food on each footwell) Dog biscuits, straw, paper and all the usual nest building materials were duly sucked away. I then decided to see if the headlight vacuum pods still worked at all, so connected them up to the vacuum cleaner, and lo and behold, they both slowly creaked up! Not all the way,admittedly, and not particularly smoothly or rapidly, but up they came! I took the top off one of the Webers today,and found a delightful treacle like sludge in the bottom, so a good soaking is in order, not quite sure what to use, possibly just fresh petrol? Off to see a welder tomorrow, re the fuel tank. I will eventually get a new tank,just not yet!

[billwill]

Crikey.

Remind him that it used to have petrol in it, else you might get a might BANG1

[Oldthumper]

Thanks for the concern, but I'm sure my welder will only repair if it is safe to do so! He has the reputation of being the best in the area, and has taught most others around here. Also the viability of a repair has not yet been determined, it might be a big NO anyway! My intention at the moment is just to get the thing running and mobile, then I can realistically determine the best course of action,be it full rebuild,sale or use as is with running restoration.

Ray Johnson
S4 36/8319 (owned since 1972)

[UAB807F]

I took the top off one of the Webers today,and found a delightful treacle like sludge in the bottom, so a good soaking is in order, not quite sure what to use, possibly just fresh petrol?

That's what I used on mine, together with a small paint brush to work it in. Check the accelerator pump jets, mine had glued themselves together and it was only after I'd re-assembled and tested the carbs on the bench that I found a couple not working.

[Oldthumper]

Well I've got a good spark,fuel flowing to the carbs, a new battery and it's turning over fine.Clutch hydraulics work,brakes work,most electrics work, and even the tyres are holding air. Won't bloody start though, will it! Definately no fuel coming out of the carbs,I had cleaned all the jets and obvious parts of the webers, but tomorrow they're coming off again to try and ungum all the passages.So much is in good shape,even the vacuum pods are working fine.I never had micro-switches or relays on the headlamps,from when I first bought the car, so a bit of rewing may be on the cards. The only cable with any tooth marks from the rats is the live wire to the coil,I was quite surprised as I expected to find more damage ,I guess the plentiful suply of dog biscuits actually saved from greater damage!

[UAB807F]

If you've got fuel in the float chambers, then once the carbs are off, try opening the throttles and watching for the spray of petrol. 10-1 there isn't any, or at best a dribble. As mentioned previously the accelerator jets had stuck on mine, the little ball seems very good at gluing itself in place and the only way I could find of freeing them was to strip them down, hold a clean rag over the carbs and shake 'em upside down after a good soaking. Once the brass follower is clear I used a strong magnet to stop the ball from losing itself on the workshop floor.

As an aside, I find those "cold start" aerosols (ether ?) very good at getting a bit of enthusiasm out of my cars after a lay-off. If I can get a few revs with one of those directly into the air trumpets then at least you're certain it's a petrol problem.

[Oldthumper]

Yes,thanks,I think you are correct. I had managed to get the balls out quite easily,and guess I was just a little too eager to get it back together and try starting! The good thing is that now,after nearly 40 years,I am getting the chance to fully learn about the Webers. In the years when I was actually using the car I never actually touched them!
A beautiful day today,sun is shining,so what will it be? Gardening,painting the outside of the house,vat return or sorting out the fuel system?
Ray
PKK 567G

[Oldthumper]

I managed to get an odd hour inon the car today,decided to have a go at the accelerator pump rods and pistons,before taking the carbs off.the front one came out with a little difficulty and I managed to get it moving freely.the back carb proved more difficult,quite firmly stuck, and when the rod did eventually come out,the piston remained firmly stuck in place,also the end tip of the rod has broken off(the bit that hooks into the piston) I've squirted in loads of wd40,and made up a slotted tool in the hope of getting it moving tomorrow. Amazed at the power of old fuel as an adhesive!