Recovered from the wedding!

Post by: **Oldthumper** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 11:36 pm

Off to see the wonderful Miles as I need to get a move on with the recommissioning of my Elan.
My darling daughter wants to arrive at her Wedding in it in August.So no pressure!
Thinking engine rebuild by the master,new seals for gearbox and diff,new shocks,suspension bushes and brake overhaul! I think I shall leave the bodywork till later.Oddly,I had not noticed the front wheel arch "oddity" until Miles pointed it out. The front near side was the result of a repair by an official Lotus dealer in 73.
I should get the estimate in the next few days....

Post by: **Elanintheforest** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 4:26 pm

He did a superb job on my engine in the early 1990s...or rather, his engine man John did! Pretty good price as well.

He may even put an original grille with number plate digits mounted if you ask him nicely

That would make a big difference to the appearance of the car.

I rather like the S3 wing!

Mark

Post by: **Oldthumper** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:44 pm

After a big,deep,intake of breath,I gave Miles permission to get started! He's anticipating about two months work to do the above list, plus quite a few more odds and ends. Bodywork is going to have to wait,as apart from a few panels it will all clean up quite passably,at least from a few feet.
When I told my daughter the sort of sums involved,her reaction was to just sell it as it is.I told her that after owning the thing for 43 or so years that it wasn't quite such a logical thought process as that.
When I first bought the car it had no front grill.a stick on number plate,bonnet pins,the rear bulkhead opened up to make access to the boot(with professional vinyl press studded flaps,for golf clubs or perhaps a carry cot?)
Luckily Miles says the chassis is fine, and will at least last as long as I will!
That wing mirror will have to go,thank goodness I never got round to fitting the other one.I seem to remember they were a gift from a loved one........

Post by: **Quart Meg Miles** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:37 pm

So you got lost as I saw you in Barnham!

Hope you didn't get too much Anglo-Saxon and I'll pop round to see what he really thinks of the car. :lol:

Post by: **englishmaninwales** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:21 pm

I personally would load the car on the trailer the other way around, as it might make the trailer more stable.

Malcolm

Post by: **Oldthumper** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 1:13 am

Hi Malcolm, yes the damn car refused to start yesterday and we had to push it quite a long distance to the trailer, and it was far easier to attach a winch to the rear than to turn it round. It was however a very substantial trailer,and substantial towing vehicle, and stability was no problem at all. Also, the trailer was rather big for the car, and overhang/ exhaust made it better to load that way.
It was also a very short journey( ok Jerry, a bit further than absolutely necessary, but I normally come via LA rather than the 27, and my memory ain't that good these days!)
I should be very interested in hearing the true opinion on the car! Not too worried as I have always found Miles to say it as it is!

Post by: **Oldthumper** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:29 pm

: Work started.So far,front suspension nearly back together,radiator recored,engine out and stripped,gearbox seals done,brakes stripped,rear end dismantled,and numerous other jobs done.The block and crank are about to go off for machining,the head is being done now.
Amazing,but a little scary to see so much happening.so quickly.

Post by: **pharriso** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 6:24 pm

No kidding, Miles didn't waste much time did he...

Post by: **Oldthumper** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:01 am

Luckily Fibreglass Services are only about 8 miles down the road, so it's an easy trip to have a look at progress. There are so many tasks being done that I have distant memories of having done myself back in the 70's( probably bodged,or poorly) I had dreamt that I would have the tools and facilities( not to mention skills) to be able to do it all again myself. Alas,divorces and life conspired against me,but it is great to be able to see it all done by people that really know what thy are doing.
I am still in shock that a "respected" Lotus Dealer managed to graft on the wrong front wing in 1973( and that I hadn't noticed)

Post by: **billwill** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:13 pm

Oldthumper wrote:I am still in shock that a "respected" Lotus Dealer managed to graft on the wrong front wing in 1973( and that I hadn't noticed)

My S3 front wings were replaced by Ian Walker's back in 1969 after I crumpled the front, the new wings were S4 type.

I think you have to realise that S4 was the current Lotus Elan then, a current top-of-range sports car, and Lotus had 'decided' that wider-high arches were better, so 'quite obviously' then it was better to fit the wider arches. Your only real oddity is that the dealer did not offer to change the other side too. Originality of Elans was irrelevant in 1973 and possibly S3 wheel arches were not available off-the-shelf.

Post by: **rgh0** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:19 pm

Unfortunately Bill it was an S4 fitted with a S3 front arch !

cheers
Rohan

Post by: **billwill** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:42 pm

rgh0 wrote:Unfortunately Bill it was an S4 fitted with a S3 front arch !

cheers
Rohan

Ah... Sorry my mistrake.

Post by: **Spyder fan** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:52 pm

Oldthumper wrote:I am still in shock that a "respected" Lotus Dealer managed to graft on the wrong front wing in 1973( and that I hadn't noticed)

You can only see one side at a time and the shape is not that dissimilar, it's no wonder you never spotted it! Perhaps the dealer didn't realise the front wings were different from S3 to S4 just assuming the rears were different.... now that would have been really obvious if the shunt had been at the other end.

I have Tex door mirrors on my cars, the nearside mirror needs to be at least 3 inches further back than the drivers side otherwise it's just an ornament, nobody has ever spotted that.

Post by: **Oldthumper** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:59 pm

Work is progressing rapidly,brakes,hydraulics,diff,gearbox,doors rehung,headlight bowls,fuel line,radiator,mesh grille,new tyres,rear screen rubber and trim,heater hoses,all suspension rebushed and new shocks and springs,vacuum lines replaced,new coil,new seals and little bits everywhere.
Block and crank are back from the machine shop,the only thing slowing things down is the valves.
If all goes according to plan,it should be in for Mot in a couple of weeks,then comes the fun of registering it again.