I'm nervous!!

[alexblack13]

About using the Elan during my summer hols this year (Le Mans trip). Mainly worried about slogging (or crawling) along our beloved motorways. Cruising not an issue. But crawling would be a pain in the ass. Plus of course the wear and tear etc on my little car. Question is, should I be subjecting it to this trip or be using something else? I'm finding it difficult to even think about leaving a Porsche Boxter S in the Garage and heading off in the Lotus. Sounds like a nuts Idea to me. Is it?

Am I worrying too much? What does the team think??

Alex B....

[paddy]

Alex,

You didn't rebuild it just so you could go an win second prize in a concours competition, did you? Being nervous is how you know you're still alive

When I think back to the road trips done as a student with cars that didn't deserve to make it past the end of the road, let alone hundreds of miles - I remember in particular driving for a hundred miles through dark roads at night with no headlights, or driving 4-up in a Mini with only 1 drum brake working at the front - and we never gave it a second thought. Getting older seems to make us so much more risk-averse and something gets lost in the process.

Personally, it's the fast motorways that I would be nervous about, with only 4 speeds and a 3.9 diff, but would be happy to drive all day on slightly slower roads.

Is it the UK leg of the journey or the French bit that you're concerned about?

Paddy

PS. I would be just as nervous as you, except I wouldn't admit it

[billwill]

Keeping the engine cool in a traffic jam in Summer is the problem. Broiling your knees because you have to run the heater full blast to keep the engine cool, isn't quite the fun it ought to be.

But if you get pissed off with the Motorways you can always find an alternative route, more suited to fun in the Elan.

[JJDraper]

Stay off the peage unless you are in a hurry. The route to Le Mans is much more fun on the older roads & most of the towns have been by-passed now, so there is less risk of a jam. The biggest worry will be in Le Mans itself, where I remember almighty jams for the 24hr race, but a lot less for the Classic. Alternatively, travel early in the cool of the morning.

Jeremy

[69S4]

Hi Alex. I know how you feel. I was exactly the same before I set off down to the alps in my Elan last Sept. I was happy that the car would cope with normal driving but traffic was another matter. Based on how I know the car responds I did a number of things beforehand. Firstly I made sure that I took spares that I thought I might need. Nothing complicated, plugs, points (easier to fix at the side of the road) etc, stuff I could anticipate actually using so no gearbox parts. If anything major happened I made sure I had recovery insurance, knew what numbers to ring and had a phone that worked in France.

Secondly, looking at overheating, I tried to get a feel for what the magnitude of the problem actually was; how quickly it would heat up and what, with increasing inconvenience, could be done. I put a manual override on the electric fan so I could switch it on before the temp was already out of control and most importantly, used it. The fan was always switched on whenever I was in 1st or 2nd gear even if it was only for a few seconds. Next stage was to pop the bonnet. Raising the rear about 6" in my car will stabilise the engine temp but of course you have to close it again when the traffic moves off. The nuclear option for me was to pull over and switch off as with my hot starting problems it could be an overnight wait before it would go again. With decent carbs you shouldn't have to face this.

Thirdly, navigating. I plotted a route that used as many D roads as possible and went round major towns. My sat nav made sure I went down the right roads. French back roads can be really difficult to navigate and the sat nav was a major success.

Lastly, mindset. I took the Elan because I wanted to and the trip wasn't an essential journey (5 days of DIY in our flat ). If things went wrong they went wrong and I'd deal with them there and then. As far as I could tell beforehand the car was up to the journey but it is 40yrs old after all and who knows what might overstress it. I mentally broke the trip into stages - can I get to Dover, will I make it to Reims etc and was quite willing to give up at any stage. If you use your Lambrettas to go further than the end of your road you must know the feeling (ex Lambretta owner!). Paddy's comment that we get more risk averse as we get older is very true and as modern cars are so dependable we don't have to face the consequences of a breakdown like we used to but that's not a reason not to take the Elan.

[alexblack13]

Hi Again guys,

It's mainly the British motorways that are a concern. Just getting into the old stop-start crawling along gets me cursing at the best of times. However the adventure bit will take over I'm sure. If on the big bike I would just ride thru the problem and bugger off. Happy days..

I have used my sat' nav' software (Garmin Map source) to plot a route staying off the motorways as much as possible and have allowed loads of time and I can, as suggested, travel early morning or even at night. So we will see...

Spares will be drive belt/hoses/plugs and oil/coolant.. I have a very good rev-tech fan control that works every time and I can set to run constantly if need be and the points are no more (Magnetronic.Never did find out how come my rev counter worked ok!). So... Question for you all.. I have the big (ser' 3) Radiator but as yet see no need to fit it as cooling has not been an issue.(still bloody cold up here!) Do you think I should swap it over? Or, give it a go as std?

It could be I'm just very keen to use my new car, which looks like a good idea from where I am standing!!

Alex......

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Alex weren't you going to take in Goodwood or something like that on the GB leg of the journey?
For that you can only use the Elan, face it.
The thought of getting past the "Smoke" with all of its Traffic horrors is worrying if you're in a hurry, but you can take your time & plan your way around it some way.
Just think of actually being a part of the "Historic" bit of the LeMans event; does it leave you a choice?
Weren't other Elan owners going to join up with you for at least part of the trip; I seem to remember something being planned?

John

P.S. Why not fit the better Radiator, it's not a big job at all & you'll know that the System's filled with fresh Coolant as well?
All peace of mind stuff

[trw99]

Its' odd, isn't it, that today we worry about things we never did just thirty years ago. I blame the mobile 'phone (and Gordon Brown, but that's an entirely different matter!).

In the 60s/70s we would set off in any car, almost certainly not designed for hours on end motorway driving, anticipating that we would eventually reach our destination. When we did break down and were unable to fix the problem ourselves, off we toddled to the nearest house to ask to borrow the 'phone and call out a local garage or the AA. Then we had to arrange the rest of our onward and now car-less journey. I can recall breaking down in my MG Midget in deepest Somerset at 10.00pm one Friday evening and trudging for miles to find a house. On another occasion I broke down on the North Circular Road, walked up to the large house in the driveway of which I had parked, to find a very obliging housewife!

So Alex, please do take and enjoy the Sprint, treat it as an adventure and have fun. And given your rev-tech fan control I do not believe you will need to swap radiators, as long as you have all the blanking plates in place of course! I understand the temptation to use the Boxster, but I'm sure you will have other trips for that car.

Tim

[Robbie693]

When I had my previous Plus 2 (over 10 years ago now) I used to take it all over the place without a worry, quick fluid level check and off. Park it anywhere (within reason), no anti theft equipment, battery cut-off or what-have-you. No jack(!) or even tools sometimes.. This was before my time with the internet.

Now I worry about going round the corner. I think (apart from the age thing mentioned) that this is partly caused by too much knowledge of potential problems, mostly gleaned from these forums! It seems blissful ignorance was the key previously.

Now I am (hopefully) getting to stage where I can use the car more, I think this paranoia will subside as I get used to the cars behaviour in various situations. knowing I have done trips without any problems will give me peace of mind I hope.

Robbie

PS - just got an email from Len Chandler - my steering wheel is ready. I'm very excited!

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Its' odd, isn't it, that today we worry about things we never did just thirty years ago. I blame the mobile 'phone (and Gordon Brown, but that's an entirely different matter!).

In the 60s/70s we would set off in any car, almost certainly not designed for hours on end motorway driving, anticipating that we would eventually reach our destination. When we did break down and were unable to fix the problem ourselves, off we toddled to the nearest house to ask to borrow the 'phone and call out a local garage or the AA. Then we had to arrange the rest of our onward and now car-less journey. I can recall breaking down in my MG Midget in deepest Somerset at 10.00pm one Friday evening and trudging for miles to find a house. On another occasion I broke down on the North Circular Road, walked up to the large house in the driveway of which I had parked, to find a very obliging housewife!

So Alex, please do take and enjoy the Sprint, treat it as an adventure and have fun. And given your rev-tech fan control I do not believe you will need to swap radiators, as long as you have all the blanking plates in place of course! I understand the temptation to use the Boxster, but I'm sure you will have other trips for that car.

Tim

I agree entirely, in fact the cars I drove back then didn't have the attention that my present Elan has had paid to it.
My Car's been rebuilt from the Ground up by myself & I have every faith in all of its Components & have no worries about driving it anywhere now.
What does worry me is leaving it anywhere unattended, especially in GB; vandalism, theft etc.
Leaving it amongst other Lotus Cars & Owners does however give me a secure feeling, even though they may be the most likely ones looking for a suitable "Shiny bit" for their own Car
Having said that, I think it's the volume, size & speed of today's traffic that is scary at my age when driving my diminutive little Elan.
All routes are planned to avoid as many Motorways as possible but when I'm actually on them my confidence is quickly restored & I soon start blatting it down the fast Lane.

Cheers
John

[Dave_Newcastle]

Alex

I fully understand where you are coming from : I have used my plus two for seven trips to le Mans since 1999, in 2004 I went in another old (fifties) car, though last year I went in a modern. This year I am going to the Classic in the plus two, and the nerves are starting here too, as they have every year. I also live well north of the channel (Northumberland) and so have a huge journey to get to the southern ports, albeit not as far as you.

I would say go in the Elan - especially to the classic - it makes you part of the event then and it sounds to me like you are preparing well and have the time both for preparation and getting there.

Items to add to your list of parts would be brake and clutch master cyl seals and clutch slave seals (perhaps esp clutch slave). I dont know if this is your first LM trip? but once you get to France you are not as exposed as you might imagine - loads of people who understand cars around you for starters and plenty of time there to check things over before you come back. Carry oil and water and brake fluid, dont let the tank get too far down (off the motorway, petrol can be hard to find late in evenings and at weekends.

Cooling has never been on my list of worries at all - and boy was it hot one particular year. Of more concern to me has been the plugs sooting up in jams - so I do all I can to avoid them and miss the problem. There are easy ways to get around Le Mans without seeing the traffic on the ring road, and also aim to miss Rouen at rush hour

Dave

[512BB]

Paddy,

Are you mad, or do you just like to hear your T/C making an awful din at slow speeds? Still running about with a 3.9 diff, wouldnt you like to buy the last recon 3.77 diff I have?

Tim,

I blame Gordon Brown for EVERYTHING, Labour ALWAYS leave us in a mess. Oh, dont get me started on politics.

Alex,

What you need to do before Le Mans is, should you get any warm weather up there, get your Elan good and hot on a run, then pull over in a quite spot, and let it idle for a good ten minutes. That would give you a good idea as to how it would handle heavy traffic. If it didnt like it, you could swop over to your 3 core rad.


Leslie

[paddy]

Paddy,

Are you mad, or do you just like to hear your T/C making an awful din at slow speeds? Still running about with a 3.9 diff, wouldnt you like to buy the last recon 3.77 diff I have?

I have a 3.54, just not got around to fitting it. I also quite like the 2nd/3rd gear performance and know I will lose some of that. Being able to get to 50mph in first might compensate though

Paddy

[terryp]

dont let the tank get too far down (off the motorway, petrol can be hard to find late in evenings and at weekends.

I second that and we live here .....nearly ran out of diesel on a recent trip to the UK! (My wife wasn't very happy!!)

Terry

[andyhodg]

Hi Alex

Definitely use the Elan. I took my +2 to the LeMans Classic in 2008 and then down to Pau in 2009. I just set the satnav to avoid toll roads (sometimes the French Autoroutes are the best way to travel through the larger French towns). As you are suggesting the biggest problem was the travel in the UK. My passenger lives in London and I had to endure the stop start traffic on the way into London to pick him up! Although things got a bit hot the car did not overheat.

I did not have any problems other than having to replace a spark plug during the Pau trip. My +2 (with Webbers) returned in excess of 31 mpg over the entire round trip and used about 1 litre of oil (about 1100 miles).

Regards Andy

PS is it the Lemans Classic you are talking about? If so I could well see you there.