Where to start? Long neglected '69 S4 SE

[SantaBarbaraS4]

Pre-Bath look at the engine compartment

Pre-Bath look at the engine compartment

Hello All,
This is my first post here. I recently inherited my late fathers 1969 S4 Elan. It has sat outside, uncovered for over 10+ years in the southern California sun. After having it towed to my house and a thorough washing and de-lousing, it looks somewhat less daunting than it did being winched up onto the flatbed. But, based on everything I've read, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to replace / repair almost everything on the car. This is a pretty staggering proposition especially considering I haven't turned a wrench on an engine since I was 18. I guess I'm looking for some encouragement from someone who's taken on a similar project.
Also any referrals for engine re-builders in the Santa Barbara, Ventura or Los Angeles areas would be great.

Thanks,

Evan in SB

[Ianashdown57]

Tony Ingram is in Santa Barbara and would be a great choice!

Great car and so deserving of restoration, so cool that it was your Dads.

Ian
SoCal

[mbell]

Welcome,

First thing to do is figure out if you want to do a full restore our just get it running and enjoy it for a bit.

You'll probably need to give it a good going over to see what needs doing. The engine may not need re building just because it's been sat. The brakes will need a rebuild. Carbs will need attention. Need to check condition of the chassis carefully, that might be the deciding factor between restore and re commission.

Just don't rush in and start pulling parts of. Take your time come up with a plan of action first.

Mark

[cal44]

Evan

Ask yourself.............since I haven't turned a wrench since I was 18..................I'm I a car guy? This is an important question.

I'll tell you what.................someone gave you a FHC..............you're a lucky guy..........if nothing else

We brought in a Sunbeam Tiger located in the hills of L.A from a family that had let it sit for 23 years. It was left to them by a deceased parent. When coming to a final agreement on the price I asked them the same thing.
They were not car people.

If the gawds are looking out for you, it may not take much to get the car going in a safe manner.
If you aren't?.........break out the wallet

mike
Encinitas Ca.

[Type28]

Well you seem to have a big enough garage so that?s one hurdle over- if you have plenty of space it makes the journey of the restoration more enjoyable.

You have to be methodical and examine the car in detail. Work out what needs done, what you can do and what needs done by others.
Strip it down and take many pictures and write many notes as you go- label and bag parts with your notes. Once dismantled repair, refurbish or renew as necessary and there you go? sounds easy- it isn?t, but it?s an enjoyable process and you get to know your car intimately, and you?ll make new acquaintances along the way.

Oh-onece again- take loads of pictures, and when you think you have enough take some more and be prepared for the restoration to take two or three times longer than you expect.

[EPC 394J]

Hi Evan, and welcome.

If you're looking for inspiration, you've come to the right place. Take a good look around, and you will find inspirational examples of what can be achieved.

You seem to have a great proposition there. Even just as a basic runner that car is SO cool!

Enjoy the ride!

Andy

[Europatc]

Welcome Evan
everything you will ever need to know, and more, will be on this site. It may be if you get your spanners out you may really enjoy the challenge.
all the best, don't despair
Stuart

[prezoom]

There is a burgeoning interest in survivor examples of interesting cars. Not every car has to look better than the day it left the factory. Before taking to the "wrenches" and start tearing the car apart, you should think about doing a general cleaning up of the car. Then repair/restore the items that are needed to make the car a usable and a reliable driver. After getting acquainted with your new treasure, you can then make the decision on how far you want to go, with regards to its restoration. Driving the car for some time will either make you want to make the car perfect in your mind or you may decide the car is not exactly what you thought it would be. If you decide to part with the car, a running, driving example is far easier to sell. Either way, you will have the time enjoy all things Lotus. If you take a full on restoration path, your time driving the car will encourage you to not to let the restoration languish. For now, jump in with both feet, get the car to a running/driving condition and enjoy driving some of the wonderful roads in the central coast.

[twincamman]

We'll I have pretty much quit posting here but in this case .....these cars are very simple so don't panic and don't be in a rush First buy a manual and read it....second put blackboard up and proratize your actions as the motor needs a rebuild start there .the tranny should be ok and also the diff . Try to rebuild the motor your self they are a simple bottom end and send the head out to a place that does V W. aluminum heads ......if you. Give. Up than part of the work is done and that will save you some money at the rebuilders , but I'm sure you can rebuild it . The rest is just time and slowly learning how Chapman and the crew thought ....good luck .....ed

[rgh0]

Yes I agree with the "get it running first" approach.

I would first spray some oil down the bores, change the oil in the sump and check the engine to see if it turns over by putting it in gear and pushing the car with the plugs out. If thats ok I would then put in new plugs, drain and fill with new fuel, a new battery and see it you can get it to start and run.

Once the engines going I would then look at the clutch and brakes. As a minimum change the fluid if they are not rusted and seized or leaking and the hoses show no signs of damage or swelling and you have a firm brake pedal then take it for a very cautious drive.

Once it a going car then you car prioritise the fixes / improvements you want to make. Brakes and suspension would normally be top of my list together with a detailed chassis inspection looking for cracks and rust. Engine, gear box and diff next depending on what condition you find them in. Wiring and trim clean up next and finally a body repaint.

At some point in this process you may decide things are so bad that it is best to do a complete strip and dismantle and rebuild. I have done a couple of those but you only want to do it once you have owned the car and driven it to build some familiarity if possible.

Working on Elans is relatively simple and easy and most parts are available relatively cheaply. Parts supply is now better than when I first started working on my Elan in the mid 70's. The cars were built by hand and thus can be rebuild by hand in your own garage. Almost any problem you will encounter is in the archives here somewhere or can be quickly answered

cheers
Rohan

[twincamman]

Although Iam not a big fan of motors that are seized an have sat for a long time I did have some success with the Renault motor in my Europa . Ifilled the bores with diesel fuel and waited and tried to move car in gear by lightly Pushing it daily and it broke free in about 2weeks .I still drive it but am waiting for evil sounds . I really prefer to rebuild them as it really adds dependability . Do the brakes second before you drive it . Ed

[twincamman]

Oh yes. .......find some one with a sand blaster and buy a lot of gloss black spray paint .....makes things look so good before you bolt them on Change all the vital fluids and filters bleed and check everything before you drive it ,you don't want something failing at an intersection or winding up under an 18 Wheeler .. Ed

[stugilmour]

Great car in a lovely colour! Welcome aboard Evan.

Agree with the points above. Try to get the car running before taking it to bits. That is what I did, although eventually we decided on a frame off. If you are new to the Elan, the big issue is frame condition, and whether you need to separate the frame and body. The car is easier to work on separated, but the scope of work expands a lot as you will want to fix everything while the car is apart.

For reference material, you can look over the car's construction using the on-line parts manual at rdent.com. Hard copy of the parts book can be helpful. The Workshop Manual (Lotus one for your model, not the Brooklands 'All models' one) is a must, and the Brian Buckland book 'The Rebuilding of a Lotus Elan' is highly recommended.

Although not as detailed as the other books, I found Gordon Lund's book 'Lotus Elan A Restoration Guide' helpful. The book covers the basic construction of the car and restoration planning / motivation / keeping going very well, with a lot of 'been there, done that' advice. The Elan lends itself well to the shed restoration process, but takes up a lot of space disassembled. I sent the separated components (body, engine, diff, some interior bits) to specialists while building up the frame, which saved space. Again, don't assume a frame-off is required immediately though.

Books aside, the Forum is a terrific resource. Welcome aboard and enjoy the car.

PS Although not familiar with shops local to you, JAE in Goleta are terrific for parts. Jeff posts here as well. Perhaps he could assist you in assessing frame condition, required work, etc.?

http://www.jaeparts.com/

HTH

Stu