Brian Buckland Book

[elanfan1]

ww

[1964 S1]

Hello elanfan1, two quick questions, does ww mean anything in internetalk and will Brian offer advice here at Elan.net?

[Otto]

LOL...I use this http://www.netlingo.com/ when the net gets too cryptic. WW didn't work...but alot of Pita, imho and stuff like that gave a new mening to me...

[Frank Howard]

hello people ts the 21st century......scan it to pdf format and make it available electronically.....dont even think about printing the whole thing.....if you need a page or section jst print it out.....

I'm sorry, but you struck a nerve. This attitude that stealing is OK is what drove me out of the photography business. I certainly hope you were not suggesting copying copyrighted material. Stealing is no less illegal now then it was in the 20th century. And besides, even if you could somehow justify stealing, why would you want to rip off one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable Elan enthusiasts in the world? Who's next? Ron Hickman? Clive Chapman?

[stuartgb100]

Who's next? Ron Hickman? Clive Chapman?

So who's Clive ......... ?

Regards,
Stuart.

[trw99]

Clive Chapman is Colin's son. He runs Classic Team Lotus from Hethel. You can have a look here:

www.classicteamlotus.co.uk

Tim

[elanfan1]

ww

[slarsen]

All of my emails to Brian Buckland have bounced, so I'm posting it here in the hopes he will see it.

Brian, I purchased your book from a UK book dealer and had it sent to me here in Phoenix, AZ, USA. A bit expensive but one of the best values and investments I have ever made.

I purchased my 1969 ?lan SE in 1973. It had only 3,100 miles on it. In the past 40 years of owning this incredible vehicle, I've done nothing to it except fix it appropriately when it broke - which was not often. Ten years ago I put it away to rest until I had time to rebuild it - which I am doing now with the guidance of your book.

Friends (mostly Arizona Lotus Club Members), have been helping and enjoying the process. They say things like:
- I can't believe it, the original stickers are still on the carbarators
- we removed the cover from the head and it looks new. The tolerances were so close on the cams they stayed in place when we de-torqued them (yes, in the right order)
- it is basically an original car that no one has messed with.

The chassis goes out next week for powder coating. The body to the body and paint guy and I start rebuilding the rest.

You and your book have been such a part of this, I am wondering if you ever visit the states and would you have any interest in popping in for a few days to assess our progress, meet some of the guys, and answer any weird questions we can come up with? I would underwrite your travel expenses, within reason of course, and do whatever I could to ensure you had a great time while here. Plus, the draw of seeing a 40+ year old ?lan SE that is remarkably like it came from the factory, may be compelling to you as we'll.

With great respect and admiration, I am

Steve Larsen
13041 N 17th PL
Phoenix, AZ. 85022 USA
+1-602-466-2012
More about me? Google: "Steve Larsen AND motorcycles"

[512BB]

Hmm, interested to hear your views on Brian Buckland and his book now Elanfan, all these years on. Do tell.

Leslie

[tonyabacus]

Steve
Good to read your car is going to see some further use. If it helps Brian was at the Lotus Festival at Donnington Park a couple of weeks ago, so the organisers will have contact details for him. The organisers were Club Lotus and if you look on their website you will perhaps see info there, but a quick email to them explaining you wish to contact Brian will I am sure get you a result.

Tony

[skelteanema]

It was interesting reading this thread, with comments from before the book was published to the reactions of those that purchased the book. I am with Leslie in wondering whether those who thought the price of the book was too high, and that it was just another book on the Elan have since read/purchased the books and changed their opinions.

I bought one of the books a number of years ago. I contacted Brian directly. he was a true gentleman. The shipping cost to little old New Zealand was nearly the same price as the book itself, but Brian paid half the shipping for me, probably taking a loss on the book as a result. At that stage Brian was in the process of chaning his e-mail address as he was getting unsolicited e-mail after posting his address online.

This book is truely a marvel and an enjoyment just to flick through and so useful when you need some advice on how to do that tricky job. I suppose it is just another Elan book, in the same way as the Elan is just another car.

I

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

You'll find my name amongst the long list of people who praised Brian's book a the time.
I bought it as a "must have" but having already completed the complete rebuild of my S4 Zetec it did arrive on the market just too late.
Interestingly whilst glancing through it I found myself saying to myself "yes I did it that way as well".

Regardless of how good that book is, & it really is, I'm still putting off working on the "workings" of the doors on my car.
The locks have never been connected to the rest of the rod mechanism & now the driver's door can only be opened from the inside because another of those fiddly links has dropped off again.
Hey Brian! how about adding a valuable page or two on that subject!

But back on subject, yes way back when, I paid the princely sum of ?70 plus post & package to Germany; so not at all cheap, but a good quality product.

Price drops in the recent past have been cause for certain anguish but hey that's spilled milk isn't it.

Cheers
John

[adigra]

I find the book a really great help in understanding the car. It's meant to go along with the Workshop Manual, not replace it, and the two together have not let me down yet. I also think the price, for what the book is, at ?50, is quite cheap.

John, having just fitted new door handles on my S3 (not sure which car you have), I took the opportunity to disassemble the whole mechanism and clean it. The whole thing is a bit of an engineering mess and Lotus themselves did a bodge to get the handles to work, which is the main reason for the link dropping off the little lever and preventing the opening from the outside.

Adi

[512BB]

For the record Skittle, I never mentioned the price, but if anybody wants to know Elanfan's views on the meaning of WW, or more pertinently WAW, as I have it on good authority that that is what he meant, why don't you PM him, I am sure he will give you chapter and verse.

Leslie

[Mazzini]

Great book and good value.