Rebuild Advice (and maybe a pep talk)
Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 2:35 am
It has been a LONG time since I have posted on the forums. I own a 1964 Elan S1 that I bought over 10 years ago. The car was in bad shape, but was complete. Shortly after buying it, I stripped the car down to the bare chassis, had it powder coated and reconditioned the brakes, steering, suspension, etc. and now have a rolling chassis with the exception of the brake lines.
I then completely disassembled the engine and transmission to assess their condition and prep them for a complete rebuild. After reconditioning the transmission (and with the engine apart) I began to second guess the work I had done on the transmission. I was really wondering if I had screwed it up. I then was worried would I do something to damage the engine beyond repair.
Keep in mind that I have no transmission repair experience and while I have done some engine work (head replacement, starter replacement, minor carb work) I have no experience at all with the Lotus twin cam engine. I called a couple of local places to see if I could get some help with the engine, but none of them even knew what a Lotus twin cam engine was. I became more discouraged and shelved the project.
Fast forward many years. A friend pointed out that my Elan would be 50 years old next Fall and said I should get it back on the road for its birthday. I tried to explain that it sounded easier than it really is. His reply was that it can't be impossible or no one would have an Elan on the road.
Sorry for the long back story, but he was right - it is time to get the Elan back on the road.
I have a couple of questions:
1. Is it feasible for me to rebuild this engine and transmission myself, or am I better off getting someone else to do it? I was planning to take it one step at a time - starting with getting the block and crank cleaned and tested to see what condition they are in. Has anyone else with limited experience rebuilt their own engine?
2. Can someone recommend a shop that can rebuild a twin cam for street use at a reasonable price? I am located in Michigan and would be willing to drive to a surrounding state if necessary. I just can't afford to spend $10,000 to rebuild the engine and transmission.
Unfortunately, living near the Motor City, most of my friends are into American muscle cars and have no interest in the Lotus or any other British car. I'm sure there are other collectors in the area, I just need to locate them.
Thanks in advance for the help (and the pep talk )
Nick
I then completely disassembled the engine and transmission to assess their condition and prep them for a complete rebuild. After reconditioning the transmission (and with the engine apart) I began to second guess the work I had done on the transmission. I was really wondering if I had screwed it up. I then was worried would I do something to damage the engine beyond repair.
Keep in mind that I have no transmission repair experience and while I have done some engine work (head replacement, starter replacement, minor carb work) I have no experience at all with the Lotus twin cam engine. I called a couple of local places to see if I could get some help with the engine, but none of them even knew what a Lotus twin cam engine was. I became more discouraged and shelved the project.
Fast forward many years. A friend pointed out that my Elan would be 50 years old next Fall and said I should get it back on the road for its birthday. I tried to explain that it sounded easier than it really is. His reply was that it can't be impossible or no one would have an Elan on the road.
Sorry for the long back story, but he was right - it is time to get the Elan back on the road.
I have a couple of questions:
1. Is it feasible for me to rebuild this engine and transmission myself, or am I better off getting someone else to do it? I was planning to take it one step at a time - starting with getting the block and crank cleaned and tested to see what condition they are in. Has anyone else with limited experience rebuilt their own engine?
2. Can someone recommend a shop that can rebuild a twin cam for street use at a reasonable price? I am located in Michigan and would be willing to drive to a surrounding state if necessary. I just can't afford to spend $10,000 to rebuild the engine and transmission.
Unfortunately, living near the Motor City, most of my friends are into American muscle cars and have no interest in the Lotus or any other British car. I'm sure there are other collectors in the area, I just need to locate them.
Thanks in advance for the help (and the pep talk )
Nick