Elan Restore - Purists look away

[twincamman]

[brave man I know what your in for

[Jon.ford]

That's a good idea using Saran Wrap, I had to google it we call it cling film in the UK.

[Mister E]

just as a tip I use saran wrap to hold the wet fiber glassin place till it hardens then it peels off leaving a nice smooth surface ,,works up side down too ,,ed

Thanks for the tip Twincamman. I am cheating quite a bit on this project. I have assembled the "A" team for the restoration.
The body is with a renowned shop in Portland Oregon. The proprietor not only does top quality paint work but is one of the best fiberglass fabricators on the west coast. He is currently working on 26r headlight conversion that is quite clever. I hope to share some photos sometime soon.
Engine is with a firm that build the lions share of twin cam race engines for vintage and formula fords. Here is a youtube video interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=120&v=8NHJq86NWAg. We are going with a pair of 2" SU's with a port and polish. Makes same webber power with advantage of SU tuning.
The Chassis, running gear and final assembly is being done by the mechanic and caretaker of one of the most important vintage car collections in the Northwest.

[twincamman]

That will hurry things along ....I did ll the work and took 5 years .My friend who is a race engine builder tells me polishing the port actually slows things down as it causes the gas to cling to the port and slow down causing the gas to become droplets and that rough walls allow gas tumbling and gets better atomization . .......it's a big job but worth it when done ..good luck I'm off to drive things and enjoy the summer but will read YOUR posts .....hi ho silver ....AWAY ....ed

[john1180]

Curious about your 26R headlight conversion, I'm starting an Elan project in Seattle and plan on going that route. John

[twincamman]

they came with the car from the factory

[Mister E]

Curious about your 26R headlight conversion, I'm starting an Elan project in Seattle and plan on going that route. John

Hey John. We are creating a small fiberglass (1/4" recessed lip) all the way around the opening to completely support the plexiglass cover. I'm going to start out with adhesive as attachment. I like the idea of no fasteners showing. We also plan to fabricate a back and bottom cover (under the light) for a finished appearance.

I'm in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula, not far from you. We have a cars and coffee the first Saturday of the month. Here is the website. http://www.sequimcars.com/ It would be great to have another Lotus fan there some time. We put the Elan on a trailer and drag it down to C&C all the time.

[Mister E]

they came with the car

VERY nicely done.

[twincamman]

Mine has small metal tabs imbedded in the fiber with threaded hols for screws and the Perspex sits on them .i made the aluminum fittings but they were not needed.....il send a pic a little later....tied up for a bit today ....ed

[twincamman]

head light

[Mister E]

A little more progress. Rebuilt brakes, painted calipers, stainless lines. Test wheel fitment.

[Mister E]

Repair to underside is just about complete.

[mbell]

Looking good. For some reason I like the gold colour Chassis! Normally a black/red/silver kind of person but digging the gold on yours.

[Mister E]

Looking good. For some reason I like the gold colour Chassis! Normally a black/red/silver kind of person but digging the gold on yours.

mbell,
Thank you! I'm also typically partial to more subtle colors schemes, yet the gold is really working for me. Glad you like it as well.

[Mister E]

This will cause a bit of heart burn for the traditionalists. First step in converting to S1 tail.