S4 elan in a field for 30 years. Worth buying?

[rohrsy]

Hi everyone,
I have just been asked to put in a bid for a Elan S4 SE 1969 Less than 40,000 miles 2 owners 1600 twin cam (obviously) twin su's 4 speed.
Been sat in a field for over 20 years, interior is nice and fibre glass looks good, can't see chassis or engine at the moment but was a runner when left there. Can anyone give me advise on what I should offer. I don't want to miss it, I love these cars and would really like restore it.
regards
Peter

[types26/36]

QUOTE: "S4 elan in a field for 30 years. Worth buying?"

Absolutely worth buying......but sat in a field would imply it has been exposed to the elements and the cars were never well rust protected when produced!
Most of the steel components will be beyond economical repair and I doubt the mechanical components (engine/gearbox/diff) will be much better.
In my opinion it is impossible to give a price without much more information/pictures and if you are intending to restore it then be prepared to have dedication and deep pockets....good luck and this forum is the correct place to be

[jimj]

No matter its condition, if it`s complete is has a value well over ?5K.
Jim

[rohrsy]

Thanks a lot for your advise, I'll let you know if I get it, could well be looking on the forum for some parts soon, fingers crossed. Good to see a community dedicated to these great cars.
Peter

[bobm3142]

God luck with your bids. If you are lucky enough to get it the a new workshop manual (genuine Lotus) is a really good starting place for the restoration. A great many parts are still available at reasonable cost; just ask on this forum.

Regards, Bob

[Tahoe]

Field Find rolls off my tongue better than Barn Find!

If the price is right go for it!

[rohrsy]

Thanks everyone, I am now the proud owner of a 1968 S2 . Very excited to start restoring her, chassis is not as bad as I thought it would be but looks thin in places. Will some pics up soon.
Pete

[types26/36]

Thanks everyone, I am now the proud owner of a 1968 S2 .

I dont think it will be an S2, the S4 appeared in March 68 but congratulations and good luck with the restro.
http://www.lotuselan.net/publish/car_type_by_vin.shtml

[billwill]

Thanks everyone, I am now the proud owner of a 1968 S2 . Very excited to start restoring her, chassis is not as bad as I thought it would be but looks thin in places. Will some pics up soon.
Pete

If you are lucky, the chassis might have been replaced by a galvanized replacement.

Else-wise it is very very likely to have weakened front suspension turrets. This will not necessarily be obvious until you poke a sharp tool through the metal.

lotus-suspension-f42/how-repaired-rusty-front-suspension-turrets-t16727.html?hilit=chassis%20repair#p101256

http://www.datahighways.co.uk/photos/og ... repair.htm

[gearbox]

The Lucky part is that you live in the land of Lotus parts. 30 years in a field is pretty much what I am restoring, so just expect the worse and hope for the best. I walked into my project "with eyes wide open" and most was what I had expected, and some was happily much better than I hoped for. Don't expect the frame to be in any restorable condition, but your options are vast, Spyder, TTR, and others offer reasonably priced "upgraded" frames and galvinized stock frames. Then there is the pool of good used (there is one on the UK ebay now with suspension and it is cheap). Take lots of pictures as you disassemble the car and lots of clear tupperware plastic boxes so you can see what is inside. Label everything and be methodical. Took me a week to fully disassemble and sort through the parts as to what was restorable and what needed replacement. Use the collective wisdon of this forum to ask questions and they are a great bunch of guys. Then the fun part, buying and sourcing parts. I just dropped over $10K USD with Miller, TTR, and Matty, not including all my ebay buys, but shipping from the UK was a killer. Plus values are much higher in the UK, so you can spend more . I'm away from home for 9 months out of the year, so every chance I get, I'm in the garage. Will be back in May and will have my new used frame fully modded to 26R specs and fully assembled. Should have the body repairs and in primer if not paint by the time I have to leave again. Challenging, but it's all I think about these days. Plus when I am away, I'm always searching for parts on the net. Coming home is like Christmas with boxes stacked up in my living room to the shirgrin of the wife But hey, I've got my priorities straight. Check out the progress of my rebuild at http://thelolaregistry.com/Projects/LOT ... s_elan.htm . No fear, look at it as a big model kit. Good luck Allan

Coming home with mixed feelings

Reminants of the frame