Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I have just read.... "A Very Old Web Site" by UAB807F

Just Fantastic...

Well done and what a history and thanks for the memories!!!! A top read.

Mark

73 Sprint
69 S4
and
ex owner of '72 twin cam and '70 S2 Europa's.... so one reason `i like the story...

Agreed - read and brilliant....

I would like to add another review but whilst I consider myself to be of at least average intelligence have found doing so impossible!

Is it a book? a posting to this site? is it an article in a magazine, is it a website? is the author a car?

Please could someone in the know give me a clue.


Ian

Elanman99 wrote:I would like to add another review but whilst I consider myself to be of at least average intelligence have found doing so impossible!

Is it a book? a posting to this site? is it an article in a magazine, is it a website? is the author a car?

Please could someone in the know give me a clue.

Ian

It's in Brians' "signature"



e.g. elan-f15/piston-combustion-chamber-damage-t26338-15.html#p174215

Richard (and yes a good read)

Agreed! A great read. I especially love: " it just wasn?t practical to go out every day to work when I had so many hobbies that needed my attention. "

Greg Z

I opened this thread expecting to find a new book to read and not this, so gee, thanks for the kind words.

Brian

UAB807F wrote::oops:

I opened this thread expecting to find a new book to read and not this, so gee, thanks for the kind words.

Brian

A great read even my wife enjoyed it
Jon

The gears & synchros were all intact but the front bearing had collapsed and that week-end I learned how to overhaul a gearbox. It's easy when you've got no money and need the car to get to work on Monday morning.

How true that is, and how said it is that the current generation have no idea what they are missing.

My best overnight repair:-

I was working as a contract draughtsman and earning very good money to take a day off would have been badly viewed and would have cost me dear, on the way home mid week my Suzuki Jeep engine seized, after it had cooled it would turn but I could see that there was no oil to the top end, I removed the cam cover, sloshed oil over everything, put it back on a drove carefully repeating the procedure every few miles.

Back home I whipped off the head, dug out the carbon that had blocked the oilway and replaced the head using hylomar on the old gasket, but what to do about the cam lobe that ressembled a ratchet pawl?

Many hours of painstaking hand reprofiling with a hand oilstone and I had a profile that whilst smaller all round did resemble the others and the lift wasnt far off, the follower (the rocker type) was much worse and was shown the bench grinder first before hand finishing with the oilstone, the engine was started and the follower clearance reset a couple of times during the 30 minute bedding in period and she was good to go to work the next day.

After one more tappet adjustment a month later you would never have known that there had been a failure and the vehicle was sold about a year later still running well.

One Sunday afternoon I took pity on a young 17 year old guy and hsi girlfriend trying to refit the gearbox on their Escort outside on icy ground in the middle of a snowstorm, I knew exactly what was driving them (the need to travel to work) so went out and plopped it back into place for them and lent them a few tools, gave them encouragement and hot drinks, I am pleased to say they have become lifelong friends.

You just dont see scenes like that these days and whilst undoubtedly cars are far better these days I think we as people lose out to a degree.

I agree with the others, this is a great read.
I first read it when I was looking for my Elan, back in 1999/2000 when it was a "relatively new website" rather than a "very old website". I even had it book marked for any new installments, but then the site disappeared. I was so pleased to see the site resurrected, and read through it again snickering at some of the stories and sagas associated with owning a Lotus. Recommend to anyone who has a few moments to have a read.