Who is undergoing a nut and bolt restoration?

[richard sprint]

I've noted a few posts of those undergoing a rebuild so would be interested to see how far they have got and how long before completion?

I started my sprint in Feb 09 and aiming! for completion by Xmas - I reckon on being about 40% complete so far - this covers so far a full strip down, new chassis preparation and now rebuilding the brakes, hubs suspension (now close to completion).

The engine and diff work has just started, leaving the body, chrome work and interior still to be done...

Richard

[memnon]

I pretty much fall into this category...

10 years 5 months so far

The shell had to be repaired /repainted (done)
All suspension / bushes inspected and has been pretty much renewed
Engine is currently being rebuilt
Window frames are being rechromed.
I am fitting a rollcage (75% done)
Then I just have to put it all together.

I should be done by September

[Elanintheforest]

I'm doing three Richard. A 62 Elite, a 65 S2 and a 67 Plus 2. They are all completely apart (bought that way) and I haven't done much with them yet....working 120 miles from home doesn't help. But I'm quitting work shortly, so I should get quite a few hours a week in the workshop then.

The Elite won't take much to do...the shell is in really good condition and just needs a bit of prep and paint, then re-fit the re-furbished bits back on. What a daft statement!! I can't get it painted until the front bumperettes are made, and I'm waiting for those to be absolutely spot-on....and they are being done in Vietnam!

The Elan has a very tatty body, but has a fully refurbished rolling chassis, one of the last built by Mick Millar. Unfortunately it was all built on a Spyder chassis, but a new Lotus unit is awaiting the transfer of all the bits and pieces.

The Plus 2 is painted, but needs detail painting in the engine bay and boot. The chassis is done, but some of the metalwork (suspension etc.) needs re-finishing as it was done poorly the first time.

So I have my work cut out!! I won't be putting any timescales on completing these as a few smaller jobs have to be fitted around them...like replacing the chassis on the BDA engined Plus 2 and popping a big BDA into the S4 Elan, along with the spyder chassis from the S2.....just 'weekend' jobs!!!

Mark

[RichardS]

Richard

I have been working on getting my Sprint back on the road since April 2007 - its taken rather longer than I anticipated and I haven't had the paintwork done yet.

I decided a few months ago that I would have a final push to get the Sprint on the road and driveable and not worry about the tatty paintwork, lack of carpets etc as they can be done over the winter.

Fitted an aluminium radiator this week, Tomorrow morning's list includes final tightening of front suspension and adjusting the tracking. Have only had the Twin Cam running for a minute as the car is in the garage and didn't want to succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning! Hopefully next weekend will roll her out of the garage and give the engine a proper warm up.

Am aiming to drive to Oulton Park for the Gold Cup on August Bank Holiday - my wife is a little apprehensive as this will be the first time we will have had an outing in the Elan for 20 years + !!

Richard

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

I'm not presently doing it but have done it.
There ae so many factors that can affect the time taken:-

Wife & Kids
Work, I mean employment.
Other distractions.

Space to do the job
Traveling distance to that space
Tools availability
Personal ability

To mention just a few.


The biggy is how much money do you have to throw at the job & how much work you can afford to pay to have done.
Another is will you replace or refurbish parts; very time consuming.

My rebuild took about 4 years, working 1 day on the weekend but not every weekend & many evenings.
Most of the refurbishing work could be done at home but the rebuild workshop was 10 miles away.
Forgeting a particular tool/part or an unexpected call of nature meant a return to base often without a return to the job.
The Bodywork was done entirely by a paint shop & the interior trim by a friend.
I replaced a lot of parts which changed the time / cost scales.
Sometimes it took a long time to get hold of parts & getting them to Germany was not cheap.
Fitting a "different" engine was fun but without the use of professional machining facilities would have been a horror trip.

I would have thought for somebody based in the UK, with sufficient funds & doing the majority of the spanner work himself, that 3 to 4 years would be a respectable time span & should leave enough time for other important social necessities.

As a footnote, I retuned for a brief period to the UK with a 99,9% finished Elan project & a 40% finished "Banks" Europa project.
The Elan needed trailering to a couple of specialists (Exhaust & Suspension set-up). Getting hold of a trailer took a while & 900 GBP, but the job got finished pretty quickly.
The Europa however was sold due to working commitments, the estimated cost of completion & my addiction of attending so many historic race meetings at the weekends.

Best of luck & enjoy the restoration!
John

[twincamman]

I started from here and it took 4 years of steady work evenings and week ends ----ed

[neilsjuke]

Yep used some WD40 on a nut and bolt today.

[frearther]

Two years ago, I was done and drove a whole two miles. Then checked the oil and found brown goo (no, oil and water don't mix, but they make a pretty putrid-looking emulsion). Then fell and damaged my knee - that put me out of commission for a year, so I'm again almost done, after tearing the engine apart and changing bearings, etc.

Two days ago that 5 1/4" bolt that goes down through the front of the head into the timing cover became a 4 1/4" bolt (wouldn't even torque to 15 ft/lbs.). Off comes the head again. Lucking there are just enough of the end of the bolt protruding, so it backed out easily. Replacement parts came yesterday, so it's another try this weekend.

Wish me luck, folks.

[Terry Posma]

17 years.

About 2 to go.

[stugilmour]

I figure I am about mid-way on my '71 Plus 2 frame off.

Picked the car up last May, and drove it 2000 miles home. The car pretty much died in the driveway because it would not pass out of province inspection due to frame corrosion and some wiring issues.

We removed the body last September and shipped it to a body shop about 80 km away.

As I didn't have heat in the garage, the winter was pretty much taken up with re-wiring the dash and preparing the loom, and rebuilding small items like the heater.

I have removed all the major components from the original frame. The Spyder replacement is about 80% built-up now with mostly new parts. Brakes and brake line install next on the list. The engine is stripped and should be assembled in about three weeks, barring a hang-up for more parts. I am getting a local specialist to do the engine and assemble to the Spyder supplied five speed.

The body work is a bit stalled at the body shop, but should be to paint in about five weeks or so.

If I can actually get the car started and driving down the street with one seat in it before the snow flies in October I will be happy. Getting a garage heater so I can trim it out over the winter this year, and be ready to blast next spring.

[Gordon Sauer]

Closing in on 72 +2S/130 painted in March and displayed at topic on colors on the +2 section--been 19 years to this point. My other chassis off was started 30 years ago, bottom finished, rest in gel coat, rolling chassis ready so we'll see when that 67 S3 DHC hits the road. I've thought before maybe it's the love of the project. Gordon Sauer

[kcrossle]

Remember that the first 90% of the work takes 90% of the time and the rest takes the other 90% of the time.

STarted Feb '07 and that includes a head start with a full Spyder chassis etc. Half a year off for a broken knee. Currently sharing the work with the resto shop - I do the dumb, time-consuming stuff. Every single piece cleaned, blasted, painted. All new nuts & bolts and anything else I can "make new". Completely tidy wiring... except behind the dash challenges any efforts at simplicity and order.

Est. Complete: August 2008

Just have the interior and some wiring anomalies to go.

Keith

[richard sprint]

I have long marvelled at the time and dedication that is shown to those restoring cars and it probably started when I was 5 and my dear Uncle now departed bought a wreck of a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost for ?50.00 and turned it into a beautiful car.

Then a friend who has spent 7 years so far in a nut and bolt rebuild of an Escort RS 2000 - he has removed spot welds throughout to get back to the very basic shell and reconstructing with new parts and by fabricating patches - the result is a work of art and as his welding skills have developed has even re done his earlier welds!

Also another who works on the 1970's racing BMW batmobiles - the original works cars none the less and to exemplary standard.

There is something very wholesome to seeing an old wreck rising from a rusty forlorn state to one of mechanical and aesthetically pleasing excellence!

I think that what makes the Elan so pleasing to me is that it salutes the energy and drive of the Colin Chapman team/Lotus in producing such sound engineering principles in and amongst the mediocrity of the 1960's - four wheel disc brakes, fully independant suspension, twin overhead cam engine and lightweight!

I also run a 1990 M3 Sport Evo and the specification criteria is very much the same, both developed through racing but the Lotus was there some 20 plus years earlier but essentially both provide real driving pleasure through good design and engineering nouse...

Richard

[Bill]

gent's

I tackled my restro 13 years ago on my 1600. I purchase the car in 1963, had a whole spare car for parts to work with, I put it back on the road in 1997 - as new!

It took 960 hours, 1/2 that time on body prep and the pretty stuff.

The hell of it is I have an S2 to do now, I am getting to old for this sh-t, but I will do it!

Just keep your stick on the ice! and enjoy!

Bill

[bluesbrother30]

Well it is time for me to chime in as well. First of all, this forum and those "lotus masters" who reside here, are both a solid resource and inspiration. I acquired my S-3 DHC about 8 years ago, rescuing it from a backyard. Got started on the project about 3 months ago. Disassembled the car, cleaned and modified the stock chassis with info from fellow listers. Now powdercoated and sitting on stands in the garage. Rolling table finished yesterday.........will pull the bits and pieces from the body in the next week or so. My biggest hurdle right now is stripping the body. Media blasting or soda blasting.....both around the same price. When that is finished a fellow GGLC member has volunteered to assist with body repair. Had the old suspension bushs removed this week, powder coating the parts next week and hopefully have the suspension back on in a couple of weeks. Sooooooooo, a long process. I have only driven an Elan once and that was enough to hook me forever. Between working on my house, sourcing parts for the next restoration (Lotus Cortina) and maintaining my Lotus 23, I am amazed at how little time I have. I will be surfacing very soon with a couple hundred questions (after trying to search for them of course). Till then, heading outside to put the Elan on the table (after killing some spiders)

Mike Summers
Sacramento, CA