How much clearance twixt engine and bonnet on S4?

[nebogipfel]

Hi All,

I'm now putting the body back on my S4 and it looks like there is very
little clearance between the engine and the underside of the bonnet.

Anyone out there know how much there should be?

At this stage it would be easy to slightly raise the front of the
shell by putting spacers between the shell and chassis.

Thanks in advance

John

[steveww]

It is pretty close in there. Just come in from the garage and cleaned up
so I am not about to go out there again to measure the gap. However at a
guess I would think there is only aprox 0.5" - 1.0" of space. The tight
bit is from the front of the cam cover to the underside of the bonnet/hood.

nebogipfel2004 wrote:

--

Regards,

Steve Waterworth
***@***.***

Einstein: "The faster you drive, the slower you age..."

[nebogipfel]

--- In ***@***.***, Steve Waterworth <stevew@s...>
wrote:


"I would think there is only aprox 0.5" - 1.0" of space."

I think mine has nearer 1/4" at the front edge of the camcover!

Is it common practice to have to use spacers under the shell?

John

[john.p.clegg]

No,but it is commom practice to get a round file on the engine mountings and lower them a little

John


nebogipfel2004 <***@***.***> wrote:


--- In ***@***.***, Steve Waterworth
wrote:


"I would think there is only aprox 0.5" - 1.0" of space."

I think mine has nearer 1/4" at the front edge of the camcover!

Is it common practice to have to use spacers under the shell?

John

[rdssdi]

I am in the process of attaching my +2 body shell to a new Spyder chassis.
The Spyder instructions say to shim the front mounting points to provide valve
cover clearance. They do not mention the distance.

My under bonnet insulation was trimmed at the portion which contacts at the
front valve cover. I am using shims at the front mounting points and lesser
height shims as required on other mounting points. I am looking to achieve
between 3/4" and 1" clearance at the very front of the valve cover. I believe
the engine can move as much as 1/2" under load.

Bob
1969 Elan +2

[nebogipfel]

Thanks Bob,

It would have been helpful if Spyder had told you what to aim for!

I was concerned about the engine movement especially when starting the
twink.

Did they supply shims or suggest what to use? I was going to use
ordinary mild steel repair washers.

Does anyone else know what we should be aiming for?

I'm not really keen to start modifying the engine mounting holes.

John

[rdssdi]

I would steer clear of modifying the motor mounts. That may change the
alignment between the transmission output shaft and the diff pinion. My
understanding is that they should be on parallel planes. Someone else on the list may
be able to explain this in greater detail.

I would look for approximately 3/4" from the bonnet (w/o insulation) and the
very front and highest point of the valve cover. Remember after all holes
are drilled and tapped its permanent. I will be using appropriate washers as
shims.

Bob
1969 Elan +2

[elansprint71]

Time-traveller,
You are in the best of all possible positions to alter this critical dimension. Pack up the front of the body until you have enough clearance for the cam chain cover, enough in this case being a minimum of half an inch. You can then put decreasing amounts of packing as you progress to the rear of the chassis. Use plastic, aluminium or even marine ply to do the packing.
You may well finish up with a perceptible gap between the top of the front tyre and the wheelarch compared to period photos of the car, this is not a bad thing; you now need a pair of Tony Thompsom adjustable height dampers to bring the ride height down a bit.
Do not worry about the clearance between the radiator filler cap and the bonnet, you can always drop the rad by quite a bit.

Cheers,
Pete- been there, done that.
----- Original Message -----
From: nebogipfel2004
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 6:27 PM
Subject: [LotusElan.net] How much clearance twixt engine and bonnet on S4?



Hi All,

I'm now putting the body back on my S4 and it looks like there is very
little clearance between the engine and the underside of the bonnet.

Anyone out there know how much there should be?

At this stage it would be easy to slightly raise the front of the
shell by putting spacers between the shell and chassis.

Thanks in advance

John

[Foxie]

Bob,

I have a Spyder chassis in my Plus 2. The bonnet is not insulated. I shimmedup the body about 3/8" in the front, and tapering back. There was plenty of room.

I since fitted a tall block engine, and the clearance is still about 1/8 (plasticine test ! ) There is evidence of very light occasional contact, on the under surface of the bonnet, but no cracking !

Sean Murray

----- Original Message -----
From: ***@***.***
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 9:31 PM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] How much clearance twixt engine and bonnet on S4?


I am in the process of attaching my +2 body shell to a new Spyder chassis.
The Spyder instructions say to shim the front mounting points to provide valve
cover clearance. They do not mention the distance.

My under bonnet insulation was trimmed at the portion which contacts at the
front valve cover. I am using shims at the front mounting points and lesser
height shims as required on other mounting points. I am looking to achieve
between 3/4" and 1" clearance at the very front of the valve cover. I believe
the engine can move as much as 1/2" under load.

Bob
1969 Elan +2

[nebogipfel]

Thanks for all the replies everyone

1/2" minimum it's gonna be!

John

PS

Pete, Driving the Elan (assuming I ever finish it) will be a bit like
time travelling ......... it'll take me back to the late sixties when
the roads were far quieter, all the girls wore mini skirts and the sun
always seemed to shine!!