Type 26 registry pdf - what a quandry

[johnsimister]

The chap in Bledlow Ridge was Richard Milner, great chap & real prices helped me no end with parts for my old s2 which i am busy restoring now Curly

Ah yes, Bledlow Ridge 331 in the days when phone numbers were short. He had a yellow 1966 S3 fhc in pieces, body repainted: 'It's all there and just needs putting back together.' That was 1979 and I was very tempted, but I just had a sneaking feeling that it wasn't going to be that simple and I bought an MGB instead. I know. Sorry.

That yellow coupe gave shape to my Elan itch, though. The extraordinary thing is it took 29 years before I could stop scratching it.

John

[garyeanderson]

http://www.type26register.com/spec_changes.htm

Some recent update to Tim Mees Type 26 Registry. all good info, does anyone have anything to add that may help Tim in his quest to pin down these on the fly changes that occured at the time at Lotus?

Gary

[bill308]

Tim called me at work today and we had a nice chat.

I have a 1966 S2 SE.

I recently took delivery of a bunch of his trim parts. They are all really nice. Packaging and shipping were top notch.

Noteably, the front side window guides and front and rear lower guides were very high quality and beautifly chromed.

I also received sheet metal stampings for the door armrest brackets. Nice.

Trim pieces included the exterior top door finnisher, an L-shaped piece. I purchased this piece from at least 2 other souces but this is the first one I've been happy with. It faithfully reproduces the tight radious bend that the others lacked and is made of polished SS.

The other piece for the top edge finnisher for the interior door card is also made of SS and has very tight bends, although the polish is not as fine as the exterior piece.

I was not going to reinstall the kick plates on the sills but the replacement pieces I recieved form Tim are also very nice. They have the correct texture/surface finish and will protect sill.

The other pieces I took delivery of are the mid boot perimeter support bracket. This supports the center of the rear most portion of the boot perimeter and a rear licsesnse plate light gasket.

Tim and I chatted a bit about my SE. I told him my car had carpeting partially covering the side arm rests. Also, my seats had the basket weave pattern upholtery. Given my car's SN, 026/5327, this may be correct. Other details also seem reasonable. My car has SE cams, since changed to sprint cams, a green cam cover, a brake servo (since removed), knock offs, and a chrome strip under the lower door perimeter (which I never liked).

Tim says he is likely to persue recreation of the S1-S2 dash pad and padding. Apparently this requires 2-sets of tooling. One for the skin and one for the foam backing. He says he is inclined to persue this fore Q1 2010. I'd like this very much.

Bill

[curly type 26]

Hi Bill, I live in the U/K version of windsor & am lucky enough to pop down & chat to Tim & pick up parts as required, it makes it a refreshing change to be able to buy quallity parts & from real enthusiats, which allow us to return our cars to original spec if so desired. To long have we suffered the "well thats all you can get crap" from many suppliers. I too will be after one of his crash pads when they arrive which will be a nice finishing touch to the interior. So all you chaps out there with type 26's look at Tims parts list & get ordering.Curly

[garyeanderson]

Hard core type 26 addicts have been quiet of late and I thought it was time to open my big mouth wide and insert my only foot again. A couple of type 26's have changed hands in the U.S. of late and I hope that the new owners will start on the long journey back to the road soon and report there progress here. We need to get something going or this discussion group will be totally void of any mention of street driven type 26 Elan's. I don't really understand what the issue is with folks that own them. They are the earliest and BEST Elan's in both looks, performance and no nonsense driving. That may be the issue with folks getting up in age and talk of wind deflectors and fuel injection heresy. If you think I am trying to stir things up around here, you?re damn right about that. This group has turned into the plus2 parade patrol (how?s my paint look, anyone got any cushy seats?) and it?s shifted away from its earlier performance plateau that the type 26 were bought, Modified, and DRIVEN. I hope that we will get some new blood on this forum as we seem to have lost some great folks (or maybe they are just standing down for the time being). If you don?t have one yet and have thought about a S1 or S2 you better get your wallet out soon as they will be the next unaffordable Lotus car. The Lotus Cortina that just sold on ebaymotors for $17k. In 2004 I picked mine up for pocket money. it was just a few years ago that Eric was touting a very good driving S1 was worth $15k, with basket case Elan?s now fetching $7k to $8k and more you should get one while they are not (hot). All right if this doesn?t get things going I guess I need to take the rest of the year off and see what Ed, Mark, Brian and the rest of the silent minority are up to.

"How about a little fire scarecrow?"

Gary

[ElanSeries2]

Hi Gary, and all

I've not long owned my 26, a late '65 S2. Like others on here, I specifically wanted an early car rather than an electric window, rocker switch and chubby arch model . It took me ages to find one in the UK at a reasonable price, but I had a feeling that prices were going to rise, and it was now or never. In the end, I compromised - cheap car, with a few big flaws. Unfortunately as a result (that many of you will undoubtedly sympathise with), the car came off the road pending the repairs needed to get it back to tip-top condition.

I guess as a result of getting a cheaper car (I was saving it from a sorry fate, you see), it was missing many of the hard-to-get pieces, and over the last few years, I have been able to locate most of these thanks to some of the guys on here, and some I've met at the shows. One thing that initially surprised me was the source of these spares - decent, complete road cars that were being turned into racers. It does seem a shame, but then which is worse: a perfect, correct 26 which is stored in a garage and never gets out; or a racer with very little of the original remaining, but at least is being driven enthusiastically?

I think its great that more and more of the hard-to-get bits are being remanufactured, and this site helps us 26 aficionados trade expertise. Ultimately, whatever people do with the cars, its more likely that they can be rebuilt and maintained properly now - and that has to be better than breaking a type 26.

In the mean time, I'll keep plugging away at my restoration...

Greg

[spanner]

Hey Gary,

I'd call those of us that are "getting up in age" partially-recovered hard-core addicts. Been there, done that - and occasionally still like to do it. Here's a flash from the past (1966) that takes me back to when I was just a wanna-be addict!

Jim aka Spanner

[Famous Frank]

Gary, and fellow nuts!

Gary, I'm with ya! I've owned a Lotus of one type or another for the past 37 years. Where has the time gone. I love other marques too but I've always been a Lotus Lover!!! Especially the early Elans. I love driving my cars, and restoring my cars. There is something magical about bringing one back from he jaws of dispair!

I strayed for awhile the last 8 years, having restored a 67 Barracuda Convertible. It did become the centerfold car with a 7 page spread in Mopar Action Magazine. It is wonderful to listen to a lopy idle in a V8, that goes sideways in second gear with the tires straining to get traction.

So I said to myself, .......why not make an Elan do the same thing but be able to turn 7500 rpm at the same time. I missed that. I remember seeing the face of a M3 owner 8 years ago when I pulled him in second gear. When he saw the size of that pea shooter talipipe, he was going nuts wondering how a Fiat could out-accelerate him. It's always better to walk silent but carry a big stick!

And I remember trying to find a place to pass Tony Vaccaro's 7 in my Elan at one of the LOG's in the Northeast.

So the push is on. I bought my current 66 S2 SE about 3 years ago. A real basket case but it's slowly getting there. The original chassis is now ready to accept a huge pile of restored components. I want the car to look stock, with the correct stance. To have a perfectly restored interior. And maybe even have that pea shooter tailpipe coming out of that transverse muffler with the raspy sound. Can I have that and still get it to turn 12's in the 1/4 mile. Don't know, but I'm going to try.

Panasports will have to be used as they have the strength I'll need. A 3:73 posi rear should suffice if there's enough torque. Forged inner and outer axles will alleviate the embarrasment of a broken stub axle while doing a burnout at the local track or while trying to tempt some very expensive european machinery to get their butt kicked. Now you know why I was considering the GT6 front brakes.

The engine has already been built and dynoed. Although I'm considering takin it apart again to install more forged parts and maybe raise the power and redline a little higher. I love Jay Leno's little film clip in his Elan. 95% of all the suspension parts have been media blasted and powder coated. The new dash and restored gauges are ready. Even the heater core looks new.

Now what tires will look skinny but will bite like slicks? Hmmm, and how do I stuff them under the fenders. Body work? Nothing $10k to $20k won't take care of. The body is going to be the toughest part of the project. It's a mess. The frame was a mess too. Poorly repaired in 1976, bent in numerous places, and rusty. It's now ready. Straight, strong, and looks great! I can't wait!!!

Thank goodness I know where to get great interior parts! I'll start sending pics next week.

Thanks Gary for the wake up call!!! Maybe it's time to see an Elan on the Pass TIme TV show!