Purchased 69' Elan S3 Coupe
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:14 pm
Hello All,
I'm glad to be on this forum and I appreciate all of the valuable information from everyone so far regarding vintage Elans, I am now adding a third Lotus to my collection (83 Turbo Esprit Special Edition, 2006 Lotus Elise (supercharged) and now the last addition to my collection, a 69' Lotus Elan S3 Coupe (appears to be an S/E (based on engine and headers). The car was originally BRG with last paint job being yellow and at one point black. The VIN is 367863 and is listed in the registry as an S4, but body is definitely an S3 (does have an S4 dash it seems) but this was one of the last 15 or so S3's off the line according to a book. I finally bought the final Lotus model I have sought after since childhood. I used to dream about the Sprint convertibles, but the more I began to look around, the more I fell in love with the lines of the S3 coupe. I also wanted a project. So, I purchased this late S3 (built in 67', titled as a 69') in December and transported it myself 2300 miles from Washington to TN literally through tornadoes, ice and snow storms. I will never take such a journey again with having two near death experiences in the middle of winter (tractor trailer jacknifing on icy highway directly in front of me), but I couldn't trust a transporter company in getting this project car to me safely with all of the bits and pieces alongside. The car had been disassembled (for body work) and had engine/tranny removed with engine disassembled at engine builder. I've attached some photos and I've already made significant progress in bringing her back to life, cleaning, restoring parts. I've pulled the body and the chassis after cleaning has the original red oxide paint on it with minimal surface rust in spots (suspension uprights are solid). It's in good shape. The car has about 70,000+ miles on it, comes complete with 98% of the parts and has a Weber headed twincam with high lift cams (S/E markings), headers, close ratio gearbox, with 040" pistons. Also, includes extra bumpers, elan 26R flares, dash top, pinto crank, etc. The body definitely needs work as the current state of paint is hideous as I continue to sand through 4 different paint jobs to get to the gel coat to begin repairing crazing/cracks. Anyway, I'm continuing my interviews/search for a competent twincam/engine builder in the TN area to review the engine and offer measurements, guidance, etc, so any tips are appreciated even if its 200 miles driving distance from Nashville area. I've attached some early photos (pre-cleaning, etc). If anyone knows any history on this VIN, please let me know as I don't know much about its past. In the meantime, I'm having a blast working on it to restore it to a good driver and can't wait to turn the key for the first time!!
Thanks again for all of the support and wealth of knowledge on this forum,
Later,
David D.
I'm glad to be on this forum and I appreciate all of the valuable information from everyone so far regarding vintage Elans, I am now adding a third Lotus to my collection (83 Turbo Esprit Special Edition, 2006 Lotus Elise (supercharged) and now the last addition to my collection, a 69' Lotus Elan S3 Coupe (appears to be an S/E (based on engine and headers). The car was originally BRG with last paint job being yellow and at one point black. The VIN is 367863 and is listed in the registry as an S4, but body is definitely an S3 (does have an S4 dash it seems) but this was one of the last 15 or so S3's off the line according to a book. I finally bought the final Lotus model I have sought after since childhood. I used to dream about the Sprint convertibles, but the more I began to look around, the more I fell in love with the lines of the S3 coupe. I also wanted a project. So, I purchased this late S3 (built in 67', titled as a 69') in December and transported it myself 2300 miles from Washington to TN literally through tornadoes, ice and snow storms. I will never take such a journey again with having two near death experiences in the middle of winter (tractor trailer jacknifing on icy highway directly in front of me), but I couldn't trust a transporter company in getting this project car to me safely with all of the bits and pieces alongside. The car had been disassembled (for body work) and had engine/tranny removed with engine disassembled at engine builder. I've attached some photos and I've already made significant progress in bringing her back to life, cleaning, restoring parts. I've pulled the body and the chassis after cleaning has the original red oxide paint on it with minimal surface rust in spots (suspension uprights are solid). It's in good shape. The car has about 70,000+ miles on it, comes complete with 98% of the parts and has a Weber headed twincam with high lift cams (S/E markings), headers, close ratio gearbox, with 040" pistons. Also, includes extra bumpers, elan 26R flares, dash top, pinto crank, etc. The body definitely needs work as the current state of paint is hideous as I continue to sand through 4 different paint jobs to get to the gel coat to begin repairing crazing/cracks. Anyway, I'm continuing my interviews/search for a competent twincam/engine builder in the TN area to review the engine and offer measurements, guidance, etc, so any tips are appreciated even if its 200 miles driving distance from Nashville area. I've attached some early photos (pre-cleaning, etc). If anyone knows any history on this VIN, please let me know as I don't know much about its past. In the meantime, I'm having a blast working on it to restore it to a good driver and can't wait to turn the key for the first time!!
Thanks again for all of the support and wealth of knowledge on this forum,
Later,
David D.