elan owners manual (S4) request

[grat]

Would anyone be willing to scan** the few pages about S4 DHC top (hood) fitting/raising/lowering/stowing instructions in the owners manual and send them to me? I'm just looking for reference material that I can read, and keep nothing more. I have neither an owners manual nor a top currently.

** photocopy and mailing would be acceptable, though would obviously be more expensive

I'll gladly pay reasonable costs for this.

Contact me directly off list grat [ at ] wyldwood [ dot ] com, and use a subject line like above.

thx,
fj..

[Elanintheforest]

Here you go...just save the pics and print them.
Mark

[nebogipfel]

Or you could make the hood fully detachable and simply store it in the boot.

Just having the frame folded under the cover is much neater and you don't have to worry about the frame poking holes in your windows

[Bruce Crowthorne]

Excuse my ignorance but isn't the hood normally "fully detachable"?
I am at the stage where I am refitting various bits (like the hood) to the newly restored body, so I have never actually had the hood up yet!!

By the way, why didn't lotus learn to make a hood that is easy to use (like MX5 or MGF)? I know the Elan was years before, but the Elise is as bad as the Elan!

Bruce

[nebogipfel]

Excuse my ignorance but isn't the hood normally "fully detachable"?

No the hood normally remains attached to the centre part of the rear flange.
If you look at Fig 6 (pic' 3) above, this is illustrated and described.

A commonly done and sensible mod' (IMO) is to replace the centre fixings with normal "lift the dot" fasteners so that the hood can be removed and stowed in the boot.

The problem with storing the hood and frame together is that it is often a very tight fit under the cover and unless you are very careful it is easy to damage the hood windows with the frame.

In the past I used to avoid this with carefully placed padding of cloth at the sharp points. I think having the hood detach is a better solution.

I agree the Elan hood setup is quite crude but it also has a simple elegance. The frame is just about as simple as possible and when erected the hood is very neat, complements the shape of the car and usually pretty watertight and draft free. It's only a problem if the rain catches you unawares

[grat]

Thanks Mark that's excellent. I really apprecate it.

Can you (or others) field one more question regarding this?

On the leading edge of the hood, I'm assuming that there is a sewn-in or renforced edge that is inserted between the top of the windscreen and the metal plate that runs accross the trailing edge of the windscreen frame, then is snapped down at the corners? Is that a correct description? (it was the only way I could figure out how it worked from what I have).

The reason I'm asking all this is my car is being built out as a vintage racer and I'm looking to make a hood to keep the rain/dust/etc. out when it is stilling still or in the tralier. With the roll bar a standard hood would no longer fit so I'm looking to make a simple replacement (not to be used when the car is being driven).

Thanks,
fj..

[grat]

By the way, why didn't lotus learn to make a hood that is easy to use (like MX5 or MGF)? I know the Elan was years before, but the Elise is as bad as the Elan!

Bruce

If you are refering to the S1 elise I can't really speak to that. We, that is it belongs to my wife so I get to say "we", have a S2 US spec elise, and I find it's hood very easy to fit, stow, etc. It stays dry in all but directy high-pressure water from a car-wash-wand, then only at the corners where the windscreen, hood and side window meet. You just have to avoid spraying it there.

fj..

[steveww]

Yes there is a stiff flap at the front of the hood that slips between the top of the screen and the metal strip you mentioned. Tension is maintained across the front of the hood by two fasteners at either end.

[grat]

Thanks Steve!

Guess that means I have to put it back on (the metal strip). I was going to anyway just haven't yet, as I've got it all stripped down for paint.

Thanks guys, I appreacate it.

fj..

[Bruce Crowthorne]

Yes Grat mine is an early S1 Elise - as you say the S2 is better, but still not in the MX5 class.....

Interesting point about the Elan hood and the metal strip on the top rail - on mine the gap between the metal strip and the top rail isn't wide enough to take the stiffened front edge of the hood. I'll need to figure out a way to get the gap right.
Any ideas?

Bruce

[nebogipfel]

Bruce, For an effective seal and good result the gap needs to be as tight as possible.

If you need to adjust the gap it can be achieved by putting small washers on the rivets and centre fixing bolt. (twixt ally strip and top screen frame) Buy the best long rivets you can find so that they get a good grip in the fiberglass

When I put the strip back on my car it looked as if the gap was too tight but I found that by gently easing it with something wide (so that it doesn't kink the ally,) the result is a nice stiff push to get the hood flap in.

If the gap is too loose (or as I had with one car, the hood had been manufactured with only a narrow flap on the edge) the hood will pull out at speed ..... not good

FWIW I am impressed with my new hood as supplied by Susan Miller and it has a generous flap on the edge.