68 elan help

[collins_dan]

Younger, Is the carpet on the doors the same as the carpet on the floor? Is any of it loop or "tuft"? It looks like all tuft to me. Thanks. Dan

[Jeff@Jae]

What a fantastic Elan. That is a S3 S/E Elan of 1967 vintage type(green S/E cam cover and the door hardware as evidence). Good suggestions from the group and well worth doing. I am not too sure I would mess with the Rotoflex couplings if they look fine but I would keep a wary eye on them during the shake down period. If they are iffy or start to show cracks I would toss them for CV axles and be done with it. I trust the nicer version of the new suspension bushings(the goldish colored shells with the rolled edges) but not the current crop of Rotoflex couplings. Get to know the handling (don't lift in a corner !) and learn to not overdrive it buy using a soft touch and drive it like a Lotus. As mentioned, drive the whee out of it.

[Galwaylotus]

... and grease (or oil) the trunnions and lube the steering rack. In fact check the lube section of the manual and change all lubricants. Coolant will need replacing too. When you replace the brake hoses make sure to flush out all the old brake fluid and fill with DOT 4. Most of all, enjoy!!

[younger]

Thanks for the compliments. Peeled the cover back first time in a while, took a quick look over to see some needed parts. Needs muffler, tires, points, wires, plugs, all new fluids, clutch slave moist. Amazing what just sitting will do. The door panels are a heavier loop material then the carpet. I will check out the part sourses. What fuel would be recomended?

[Mazzini]

Please post some more photos of the outside of the car

[cabc26b]

Younger,

Nice car !


I don't think i saw cleaning out the gas tank on the list but you should be prepared for that as well . if the carbs had gas in them the bodies will need a thorough cleaning and expect the passages for the cold-start/choke to be a task. lastly brake caliper rebuilds .

George

[stugilmour]

Younger, for fuel you want the highest octane premium you can get. In BC Chevron offers 94 octane with no ethanol. In Alberta I thing we only get 92 (no Chevron stations). I try to use Shell or Petro Canada premium. On my last trip I think I got a fill of Chevron regular by mistake in Reading CA (US pay at the pump does not accept Canadian postal codes and I think they started the wrong pump ), and the car pinged like anything at 1/4 throttle until consumed. Otherwise unleaded premium has worked fine for me.

Others here will be able to advise better on the impact of current unleaded on the presumably stock valve seats in your car; long gone frm mine.

[StressCraxx]

Stock steel valve seats are no problem on unleaded gas. Valve seats in cast iron heads are susceptible to rapid wear when operated under heavy load.

I used stock steel valve seats with unleaded premium until 1985, when I rebuilt the engine and put new steel seats in. I am still using the same replacement seats, with one valve grind 12 years ago.

[twincamman]

I run the engine slightly retarded [ like the driver] on unleaded regular with no ill effects I run the car on any gas at any gas station . There are no parts suppliers around here that specialize in Lotus . I have had some success with the local parts supplier houses for engine parts but most put up a 'next counter please ' sign when they see me coming . but that may have nothing to do with parts ordering ----I use Dave Bean and R D --nice car --ed

[Elan45]

Younger,

Welcome to the site. What a lovely time machine. I agree with most of the cautions of what to change. Sometimes it seems, cars in general rend to deteriorate even faster from sitting than running. You may not have to replace the water pump right away, but old seals are prone to leak after inactivity. I just had to rebuild mine and have had to do it much more often after it was restored in 1985 than I ever did prior to that when I ran it in good weather as a daily driver.

The cam cover color indicates the car is an illusive S3 SE. Does it have the trim strips below the doors? Does it have repeater flashers on the front wings?

As "pissant" has mentioned, the car is a beautiful 1966 S3-SE, not the later S4 model. I love S3's.

Roger

[Elan45]

PS: I also run anyone's regular unleaded 87 (R+M/2) in my Elan, ignition set as per the manual at 10 BTDC static. I avoid giving it full stick at low RPM and the engine is quite happy.

Roger

[jonsered 11]

Hi, would the gentleman from London who contacted me through this website with a request to view a plus2 in Scotland for him, please e-mail me,

Regards Kenny

[LI-599]

Hi, and congratulations to you and your family on having the wisdom to keep this gem in the family for so long. I am fortunate to have acquired a 1969 S4 SE that was in storage and slowly being restored over 26 years. Most mechanical components were repaired or replaced over that period including all the rubber items mentioned in this thread except the rubbers in the front torsion bar supports which looked good but quickly disintegrated on the second trip ( 4 days on the road) and the car was terribly difficult to handle on twisty roads- called "white knuckle driving" here in Australia. The other items which looked good but were very weak were the engine mounts. Tires can look excellent but loose all grip in the wet so please replace them too.
Regards
Ian

[elansprint71]

Eh?
"Younger" has not been back here since Nov 2011 (at which point he seems to have developed a remarkable command of English, compared to his previous Pidgin postings) and now some bloke from Scotland is seeking a "Gentleman" from London (shurely shome mishtake, Moneypenney?) regarding a +2; followed by someone else giving advice on rubber items.
I suspect that this forum has been hacked by GC*Q and Lord Lucan will be the next member to join.