Conversion from Fixed Head Coupe to Drop Head Coupe

[phil_ring]

Could anyone inform me as to how to convert an S3 Elan FHC to a Drop Head. Whats involved and is it worth doing? I see Paul Matty stocks a conversion kit of parts.

[Elanintheforest]

Coupes and convertibles are worth pretty much the same these days, so from a financial viewpoint, you'd be better off selling the coupe and buying a convertible. To make the conversion complete you will have to re-paint most of the car, which willl add another ?5000 plus to the cost of the kit and the fibreglass work.

You'll then have a car which has the chassis number of a coupe, but looks like a convertible, with a repro hood frame which doesn't look right. This will put a lot of buyers off if and when you come to move it on.

Is it worth it? You decide that

Mark

[Frank Howard]

Phil,

Cut it off! That's what Lotus did to mine! By the way I have a friend who did this to his 1967 Elan S3 Coupe. Here's the weird part. The factory had already designated his car as a Type 45.

[elancoupe]

Coupes and convertibles are worth pretty much the same these days, so from a financial viewpoint
Mark

I was thinking along the same lines myself, but a prominent US Lotus buyer/seller told me quite the opposite.

He told me that a top notch FHC would be worth way less than a comparable DHC. He quoted some well known "black book" for his price source.

I do not agree with that assessment, so don't shoot the messenger.

DON"T cut the roof off, purchase a DHC instead.

[Frank Howard]

Off with their heads!

[johnsimister]

Keep it as a coupe, for the reasons Elanintheforest says. Also, a coupe is much more usable more of the time, eg in the rain. It's quieter at speed than a roof-up dhc, leaks less, and in my opinion looks purer. The S3 fhc is to me the purest Elan of all as a thing of beauty and a driving machine, which is why I have one. Others will disagree, of course.

John

[Old English White]

Keep it as a coupe, for the reasons Elanintheforest says. Also, a coupe is much more usable more of the time, eg in the rain. It's quieter at speed than a roof-up dhc, leaks less, and in my opinion looks purer. The S3 fhc is to me the purest Elan of all as a thing of beauty and a driving machine, which is why I have one. Others will disagree, of course.

John

+1 ,
My only advice , buy a second one , don't touch a Fhc !
Christian.

[jimj]

I wouldn`t normally disagree with Mark in the forest as he talks more sense than most but.......... on this occasion.........
Drop heads seem to be worth about 20% more and I understand the work is straightforward and, if done with care, the paintwork should be left intact. Plus, personally, I just love having the hood down. Elansprint71, otherwise known as Pete, did his and will probably answer the second part of your question.
Jim

[rgh0]

Drop heads used to be worth more but in Australia at least I think that is changing. So few FHC are left due to coversion to DHC that the FHC now has a rarity value.

Had a guy come up to me at a race meeting last weekend and ask me if I knew of any FHC for sale as he had been looking for a year and could not find one.

which version you like is purely a personal choice and doing a conversion of a FHC to DHC a personal decision - in one sense I believe people should do it - it drives up the value of the fewer remaining FHC including mine

cheers
Rohan

[robcall]

The hood mechanism is nowhere near efficient as modern convertibles and feels a bit less glamourous if you are continually having to put it up/down

[elansprint71]

I wouldn`t normally disagree with Mark in the forest as he talks more sense than most but.......... on this occasion.........
Drop heads seem to be worth about 20% more and I understand the work is straightforward and, if done with care, the paintwork should be left intact. Plus, personally, I just love having the hood down. Elansprint71, otherwise known as Pete, did his and will probably answer the second part of your question.
Jim

Firstly, I agree with Christian; the only sensible way is to buy one of each.
My car was actually converted for it's previous owner (owned it for 15 years) who decided after eight years of ownership to have the roof removed; I have the bill for this and even at today's prices it looks expensive. Apart from the round-tubed hood frame and the 46 on the chassis plate I cannot see any evidence of the conversion.
I think there would be two areas of difficulty in the chop-job: firstly the windscreen header rail, which has to be replaced; cut off the windscreen pillars about halfway up, insert metal tubes (or not!), bond new rail at EXACTLY the right level. Secondly, the FHC rear window goes virtually down to the level of the rear deck; this does not leave anywhere for the hood fixings to go. It is necessary to bond in a piece of glass about 35mm high for the Tenax fasteners to fit through, this piece comes as part of the kit but it is a complex curve and needs to be in exactly the right place and has to be strong enough to take all the stress and strain caused by the hood frame and buffeting from the roof. In order not to "see the join" either from the topside or underside, you would have to be a very skilled fibre-glass man; I've seen a few less than perfect conversions.
Finally, the S3FHC must be a fairly rare variant by now; do you really want to ruin one, because there is no way back.

Cheers,

Headless Pete.

[types26/36]

and the 46 on the chassis plate
Headless Pete.

Wow Pete! ......you have a DHC Europa (type 46)

[elansprint71]

Well, someone had to give it a try! Of course I should have typed 45.

[bcmc33]

Personally I wouldn't do it ? the cost would be prohibative and therefore hardly worth while.

However, as some PO had already done it I bought a coverted Sprint. I bought it from a well known specialist and had a choice of three cars from which I chose the convert. Visually I could not see any difference between the three cars ? (two 45s and the 36). The only reservation I had was in regard to insurance ? and the conversion did not seem to matter to any of the insurance companies I contacted.

The comments regarding the hood are a little misleading. My hood looks identical compared to a 45, but it only fits properly around the door frame on one side ? I keep promising the car to put this right, but as the hood has only been up twice in the last three years it does not get the priority it maybe deserves.

Conclusions: Don?t bother coverting yourself, but don?t be concerned about buying a properly converted car.

[tyasman]

Proper sports cars shouldn't have roofs. Lots of FHC's have been converted, successfully. Lotus used to do it themselves. Get the wind in your hair!!
PS. My 70 Sprint ragtop is (reasonably) quiet at speed (80/90mph) and has never leaked, ever.