Recovered from the wedding!

[Oldthumper]

Now in first coat of primer.My body shop say that this has been a very good experience for them, as they have never had to work to a deadline like this before, previously having done similar jobs over a period of months or even years. They are fully documenting the work for their website, and also for a local advertising event commemorating their 45 years of trading. I am most impressed with the attention to detail being shown, and also by their desire at the same time to improve as well, whilst staying original where it matters.
Ray
S4 fhc now showing off her underwear!

[Oldthumper]

I forgot to add to the previous post that the bodyshop is also closing down for their summer break just before the wedding.So no pressure!
They are also going to allow me access to reassemble everything in their shop,using their ramps etc,with their help and advice. My poor aching old joints and muscles will benefit greatly from not having to grovel around on the garage floor!

Ray
S4 fhc
(now I must get on with cleaning,polishing and generally restoring all the parts I took off)

[pauljones]

Ray.

can't wait to see it done.. do you think they will want to do a plus two after yours??

It's looking great in its primer tho.

How long is it being left in the oven?

[martynbrown]

Ray

Really good to follow the progress. I decided to get in touch for several good reasons. Firstly when I saw "Oldthumper" I wondered whether you live in Ringwood. We used to live there from 1984 to 2001 and frequently bought Old Thumper direct from Ringwood brewery.

Anyway, onto cars, we also have an S4 which Miles resprayed in 1986 in rather similar circumstances to your own, in that the work was driven by the deadline of a wedding (our own!) on the 21st June. We had moved house in the February with the car in countless bits and then took it over to Miles in the March and collected it in the May. He said at the time that he would have liked to have had it much longer and that the paint (cellulose) would still be quite soft, but of course the deadline hadn't been negotiable! I recall the bill for the respray was approx ?1200 - we had done the disassembly, removed the paint, repaired the fibreglass surface in accordance with Miles' book on the subject, and then did the re-assembly. The prep took us about 250 man / woman hours. I'm pleased to say that the paint finish has stood the test of time, and yes, the car was ready for the wedding, but it was pretty damn close!

Good luck with the rest of the work, I'll continue to follow your progress.

Best regards

Martyn

[pauljones]

Martyr. .

You still in Ringwood? I just moved from Bovington but I'm still local if you consider north of Salisbury local. I just next to Thruxton..about an hour up the road from Romsey..

Seems we have a fair few loti in this area.

Paul

[martynbrown]

Paul

We moved from Ringwood in 2001 and now live just North of Cheltenham. When we moved in we discovered that one of our next door neighbours has three Elans - an S1, S2 & S3 (sadly none of them currently on the road). We keep hoping that one of the other neighbours will get a Sprint to complete the set!

I've often thought that it would be good to have a map of the UK with the homes of Elans and +2s marked on it. I had hoped that the Elan Register in the Elan Section of Club Lotus' web site would have developed by now in order to provide this kind of information, but it doesn't seem to have, unless I'm just not accessing it correctly.

Which model do you have?

Martyn

[pauljones]

Martyn

Many apologies as I have just read how predictive text changed your name.

I have an ordinary plus two..don't even think it's an s model.

Word is sold in 1969 as a kit and registeted in 1970 as a build car.

Slightly modified now as I have a 3.54 diff and Sue's solid shafts along with Emerald EFI. I had a semi rewire done when it was fitted.

It just had an MOT but would definitely bennifit with a respray.

[Oldthumper]

I have much fondness for Ringwood Beers,having sold them in various pubs that I had owned since probably the late 80s. OldThumper was actually our house beer at one pub,which says much about the drinking abilities of some of the Hampshire folk.
(that was actually a bikers/music venue in Bordon,great fun and just a little"playful")
The name also sums up my other great passion,a 1700cc Yamaha MT01, which is the opposite of the Elan really,A big brute,not exactly delicate in any way!
Back to the respray/ body restoration,I am in daily touch with the bodyshop,and very impressed with the work. As Dorian there says"the proof of the pudding....." I think he is getting a little p.......d off with the advice/criticism from some correspondents,as between father and son,I think they have over 65 years of experience!
He admits he wasn't expecting quite so much paint removal,but has cheerfully got on with it.
As he says,we shall only have to wait a week or so to see the end result,and all his work has a meaningful,no quibble guarantee!
Ray
Nearly there!

[Oldthumper]

White coat followed by first colour coat, with much sanding and prep in between. More sanding and wheels on tomorrow before moving into the actual spray booth for final coat. Hopefully reassembly on Friday!

[Tournesol]

Hi Ray,

It is coming along nicely!

Bet you can't wait to get it back. Saw a +2 in that colour at Silverstone on saturday and it does suit the car well.

Keep us posted and best of luck on Friday.

Tournesol

[Oldthumper]

Hi Tournesol,
I am really pleased with the way it is coming on,and delighted with the daily contact from Dorian at Leewards. It is a very welcome change from "the other place" to be consulted and asked for my wishes as work is carried out. I know it is going to cost more than originally quoted,but know that only what was needed,and requested by me,has been carried out.
The colour is as close as we could get to the original,comparing it with some of the old paintwork,and certainly does look great!
Ray
S4 fhc yellow again

[S3FHC]

Ray,

it certainly looks a lot different!!!

[trw99]

Ray

May I ask a technical question?

Who is going to drive the car on the wedding day? I presume you will drive your daughter to church in the Elan, which I am sure will be very special.

But on the return trip, do you hand the keys over to your brand new son in law and bravely wave the new Mr & Mrs Youngthumper off to the reception?

How does that work?

Tim, with apologies for the slight drift here.

[Oldthumper]

Hi Tim.
Yes, I will be driving to the church,( Southsea to Steep,near Petersfield) with my daughter,along with two classic vw campers for the groom's party and Bridesmaids etc.
After the church,it is a short 2 mile or so,drive to the reception venue( a beautiful field with stunning South Downs views) and yes HE will be driving!
(it's bad enough that he's stealing my daughter,now he thinks he can get his grubby paws on the car as well?)
But seriously,I feel very lucky that she has chosen such a fine fellow.(Did I mention that he owns a brewery?)
I think my daughter is very happy with the idea that the Elan is "hers", but will remain under my custody until I either become unable to enjoy/maintain it,or snuff it!

Off to my shed to continue cleaning and polishing my lights and bits! Deep joy!

Ray
S4 fhc nearly there!

[Rob P]

Excellent Thread Ray, car starting to look splendid. Really enjoying watching this turn from a slightly ugly duckling into what will be a beautiful swan