1967 Elan S3 SE Restoration

[Tmac897]

Well I?m happy to say that my ?67 Elan DHC restoration is moving along. So far I?ve had the frame straightened and media blasted. I repainted it with POR-15. Then I ran new copper alloy brake lines with fittings from Fed Hill, and new brake hoses from DBE.

I had quite a job coaxing the pistons out of the calipers, and for the two rear calipers the only course of action was to split the calipers, lock a vise grip on the piston, capture the vise grips in a bench vise, and twist the caliper body until one of us gave up. I haven?t rebuilt the calipers yet, but I do have the rebuild kits. That?s one of the next projects.

I replaced the bearings and races in the front hubs and reassembled the front hubs. I decided to stick with my original front shocks as they were in good shape when last driven, and the mechanism is mostly enclosed. I replaced the upper ball joints, steering tie rod ends, and steering boots, along with the steering rack ?clamps.?

The rear hubs are out at a machine shop having the bearings replaced. I have new shocks for the rear, which I will install when I have the hubs and stub axles squared away.

The differential seems to be in good shape, but I?m replacing the seal prior to reinstalling. Seems like an easy precaution against a whole lot of work in the future. I?m going to stick with rotoflex couplings now, saving my money for the engine rebuild.

Speaking of the engine, that?s a big piece of work upcoming. The block was submerged in Sandy in 2015. The pistons are out, but don?t seem usable. The cylinders have some rust, but I?m hoping they can just be honed. They were bored 40 over. So it?s either honing, boring 60 over, if the cylinder walls cooperate, or C?est la vie.

I also need a head. I have all the other parts, but the head disappeared many years ago. Part of the reason this restoration has taken so long to reboot. I?ll shortly start to look for a good used head. Someone out near Trenton, NJ had one listed a few months ago, but I need some guidance about what to look for when examining/assessing condition.

So that?s where I am so far. At least it?s starting to resemble a car again! I?ll post some photos soon.

[englishmaninwales]

Depending on budget and if the car is not historic racing, would you consider a new cylinder head? Takes a lot of the ache out of the risk with a second hand one.
Malcolm

[Tmac897]

Hi Malcolm,

I guess I would consider a new one. I did see one site that had new, machined heads, but they seemed to be more racing oriented. They were also $7000+. The used one I saw, without cams, was $2250. Ken a DBE thought $3000 with cams was a fair price.

If you know another source, I?m open to suggestions.
Tony

[1owner69Elan]

You can get a new head from SAS engineering in "street ported" form. Superior to most used heads that may have "softened" or suffered other damage over the years. Cost, a couple of years back, was about $4250 (at today's exchange rates). Not sure of current pricing. Shipping to the US can be done reasonably (if you use the right company).

There can be a lead time of several months as a "street port" is typically a custom order. Most SAS heads are race ported. The new heads available in the US when I did my research a few years back were all race ported and not suitable for my street application.

The SAS quality is first-rate. My result with a tractable street engine (with the right cams, etc): 181 hp, 143 torque, in a stroked twin cam, 7K redline, broad and flat torque curve. I'm glad I went with the new head and avoided the uncertainty of a 50+ year old used head. It does cost more but for me it was worth it.

[Tmac897]

You can get a new head from SAS engineering in "street ported" form. Superior to most used heads that may have "softened" or suffered other damage over the years. Cost, a couple of years back, was about $4250 (at today's exchange rates). Not sure of current pricing. Shipping to the US can be done reasonably (if you use the right company).

That's a little more like it. Thanks for the info. I think I saw their web site a little while back, but may have thought that they were race only, too.

I will check it out.

[seriouslylotus]

You can get a new head from SAS engineering in "street ported" form. Superior to most used heads that may have "softened" or suffered other damage over the years. Cost, a couple of years back, was about $4250 (at today's exchange rates). Not sure of current pricing. Shipping to the US can be done reasonably (if you use the right company).

That's a little more like it. Thanks for the info. I think I saw their web site a little while back, but may have thought that they were race only, too.

I will check it out.

Speak to Tim at SAS (The owner) Very knowledgeable and friendly.

[geni]

note also address to search for it simply, not knowing the specialists in Lotus parts remaking

[seriouslylotus]

note also address to search for it simply, not knowing the specialists in Lotus parts remaking

http://www.sasengineering.co.uk/lotus-t ... -head.html

[Tmac897]

Here?s a photo of my progress to date.

[Tmac897]

note also address to search for it simply, not knowing the specialists in Lotus parts remaking

http://www.sasengineering.co.uk/lotus-t ... -head.html

Thanks!

[Tmac897]

Haven't made too much progress in the last couple of weeks, due to the arrival of the Striped Bass fall run here in NJ. Caught one 35lb fish, and hooked into a pretty large Bluefin Tuna that just took off without saying goodbye. Otherwise it's been an off and on season so far. It's cold here. One morning it was 24 degrees (F) and with the waves, and the ocean spray freezing on my boat, it looked like an episode of Deadliest Catch!

But, my block has been cleaned up, checked out, and honed. It was already bored .040" over, so I had my fingers crossed that the rust in the cylinders could be eliminated without having to bore further. My crank is also still good, as are the (forged) connecting rods and rod caps. Pistons are probably history, though. Not bad for having been dug out of the mud of "Superstorm" Sandy.

Since I'm a couple of hours of work away from having a rolling chassis, I'm going to direct my attention to the engine. Lost out on a head that was for sale nearby, which originally belonged to someone on this site. So I'm looking for another. I'm also going to contact SAS to see what they have to offer.

That's about it for now. To all our US members, have a Happy Thanksgiving! To all our UK members, good luck with Meghan Markle. She's yours now.

[Tmac897]

I don't know if it's been mentioned before on this site, but I just "discovered" that Savannah Race Engineering here in the States (https://www.savannahraceengineering.com/) also manufactures new heads for both street and racing applications. Contact Ted Wenz.

He is sending me info on a kit with hot street characteristics, i.e. around 130-135bhp, responsive low end, with more power through the mid and high ranges.

SAS Engineering also sent me info and with the current favorable exchange rate, that is also a good option.

[sprintsoft]

Hi Tony,

QED in the UK would be a good option for a new head, they claim.. "faithfully reproduced using original Lotus tooling..."

Attached is a recent ad they ran in the Club Lotus magazine we get over here.

Cheers
Iain

[Mazzini]

Thread drift.

http://www.davidgathercole.co.uk/engines.html

This company manufactures MK1 heads with the half moon bosses in the plug well. I have no association with them, but I would guess that they maybe more suitable for a competition application, but if you're in need it might be worth a call.

It's amazing that after so many years without a single supplier for heads, we now have so much choice.

[seriouslylotus]

Big thumbs up for SAS from me
Tim ( the owner is very knowledgeable and friendly, races some classics Inc twincams