The restoration of 45/7286

[elancoupe]

Mike,

I have been thinking the same thing about the gasket. That is the only thing that is different, since the windshield is the original. Any suggestions on where to get the gasket from. The one I have now came from r.d. enterprises.

Rick

PM sent

[rcombs]

Well it took some work but I got the windshield in. I sliced on of the joints and removed about 3/4" and glued it back together. Then my son, a friend, and myself got it to go in with some soap and an old credit card.

I then installed the chrome trim with the help of some soap, wooden paddels. I warmed the trim with a hair dryer to get it to curve around the bottom corners. Even with the heat, the chrome tape crinkled a little.

I also installed new drip molding. When you do this don't forget to round the bottom corners off so it clears the body before tightening.

[rcombs]

I also cleaned re-clear coated the two badges that go on the rear quarters. After adding some foam on the back, I installed them into the bezels.

Hear they are ready to mount.

[rcombs]

Hard to believe it's been this long to post again.

After the last post I installed a new wiring harness and sorted that out. Uncle Lucas took the wind out of my sails. I had to make up my own interconnect diagram as the S2 diagram only shows half of what you need. When I get this done I will post the diagram. Maybe it will help some other poor soul. Everything seamed to be working except the horns and the flash to pass function. The flash to pass works but does some strange things to the running lights. I have disconnected it as I will never use it. I added the ground wire to the steering u-joint but the horn button still doesn't work. I stopped working on the car for the 2017 holiday season. After that, I had some home projects that needed to be done. I got back to working on the car at the start of this year. I decided to work on the interior and give myself a break from electrical issues.

I had to install new windshield pillar trim pieces as the old ones were too brittle to use. I used an undersized hole saw the add the vent holes to the trim pieces. Then I used a small sanding drum the enlarge the hole to the proper size. It was when I went to install the trim that I discovered the windshield had to come out. After cursing my stupidity, I took the windshield out, installed the trim pieces and reinstalled the windshield. I had to bevel the trim flanges to get them to fit under the gasket, but the fit pretty well.

I found that using a paint can opener worked well to pull the gasket over the trim in some spots.

I took the vents apart and clean them and painted the aluminum. before I put them into the new trim pieces.

I found that installing the lock strip into the groove towards the windshield glass first and seating the other side with a screw driver seamed to work the best for me. Again I used a hair dryer to heat the strip and the bottom corners.

I cut the lock strip with a tube cutter at the start and finish to get a straight cut.

After that I was back to where I started! Nothing too it! After the initial cussing fit anyway. Moral to the story, Get the assembly order right.

[rcombs]

I have installed the original dash pad that I had cleaned and sprayed, along with the defroster grill. The dash is pretty well finished. The gages were rebuilt and new glass and trim rings installed. I also had the tach reworked to go with the electronic ignition. Also installed is the original glove box that I re-flocked. Routing the wires and ducting took some time. I'm glad I took a bunch of pictures!

I restored the rear view mirror with black wrinkle paint and a new mirror and mounted it on a new rod.

I have removed the leather from the steering wheel to measure for a new piece. I will recover the wheel after I get the seats in.

The heater aprons are new. The old ones shattered taking them off. The new ones have to be drilled, which took me an afternoon to mark and get the holes in the right spot. They look nice, my only gripes are the texture is not correct, and drilling them is a little scary. I haven't found the plugs for the holes yet. I may have to buy some new ones.

The remaining dash items were re-chromed and installed. I sanded and polished the toggle switches so they would look as close to new as possible. I still have to do the two switches for the windows. I also polished the hood latches and repainted the lettering. The ashtray frame face plate is chrome while the inner part is yellow zinc. The two parts were swaged together. I drilled the swage to separate the two pieces and used epoxy to put them back together. I had the ashtray redone in yellow zinc like it was originally and the cover is cleaned and reattached. I just haven't put it in yet.

[gjz30075]

Very nice! Thanks for posting. I believe the little plugs for the under dash valance can be obtained
from Paul Matty.

[Certified Lotus]

Rick, your doing an amazing job. Stay focused on the details (as you are). You made the right decision replacing the wiring loom, I did the same on my S4 restoration. I also had a devil of a time getting the relays to work properly. Took weeks to get everything working and it was so difficult I blocked out of my head what I did.

I expect you will have your car road ready for a trip to LOG 39 in Sturbridge MA August 23 to 26? A number of Elan owners and I are planning another Elan only road trip to LOG this year. Your welcome to join us!

Last year?s video of our road trip:

https://youtu.be/T5Y7_rtKuVg