Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Beyond the shake down run!!!
I put in several hours and about 100 mile run today in the beautiful fall foliage. Brought the better half along for the ride. Initial scare happened early going up interstate 295 when at 65MPH suddenly lost power, tachometer read zero, i said "uh oh, this is NOT good" as we drifted toward the side of the road.

Quickly I remembered that stupid burglar immobilizer switch in the glove box and reached over, flipped the switch up and down a couple times, and immediately (while drifting over in gear at speed) she came back to life (the car i mean). I'm a bit surprised that i didn't get a big "back fire" as would be the case when the unburnt fuel gases flowing are suddenly ignited. (I've done that in my youth with other cars in my past, even blowing apart my muffler once)
The rest of the day was perfect driving weather and scenic fun. The car is running superbly.

Great to see you today Ted and the Sprint looks great! I really like the patina of the car and how original everything is. Glad you "shake down cruise" went well. Next time give me a heads up and we will go for a back country road drive!

While visiting Glen, he kindly pointed out to me that i had the one-way valve for the vacuum headlight system installed in the wrong place. I connected it right off the intake manifold, but Glen said that the heat of the engine bay and radiator will melt the valve and render it useless. So today i moved it underneath to just off the vacuum "T" off the front frame cross member. Tested and everything working OK.

Another little thing, the little yellow/amber warning light on the dash for the parking brake didn't work. A little investigation found the ground wire not connected. Reconnected it and it now works as it should.

My final check list of things to do is getting smaller. The only thing left is to put on the new windshield wiper blades and put windshield wash solution into the "bag" and test the windshield washer setup. Not that i'd ever use it, but at this point, i'm trying to have every single thing working as it left the factory.

Then the buffing/polishing of the old original paint !!!!

Ted, will we see it at Birmingham next year?

if i can get another vintage Lotus to ride with me down, i'd love to take that "ultimate" road trip. Anyone want to join me??

Hi Ted
I'm a definitely maybe to drive my Elan to LOG 37. Maybe we could start a .....Convoy!!!

count me in!

Had the Sprint out for a run today running a couple errands getting goodies for our Christmas Eve party. Ran great and felt good to be driving a vintage Lotus, even in winter! Top was down and heat was on, very comfy.
Anyone else been driving theirs around recently??

Every chance I get! Lots of people waving and smiling at me driving my Elan in December with the top down. Your right Ted, with the heater fan blowing it's actually a comfy drive

Washed mine yesterday, went for a blast & then put her into slumber until April or May....

pharriso wrote:Washed mine yesterday, went for a blast & then put her into slumber until April or May....

If weather up there keeps her from getting regular exercise, you can send 'er down here to sunny Georgia for the season, where we're expecting an unseasonably warm and dry winter. I now have plenty of garage-space and I live near lots of twisty roads to keep her happy. Yelotus will happily keep her company when I'm doing other things. They can gang-up on making fun of the German motorbike's looks too (the bike won't mind too much). I won't even charge you for this excellent seasonal boarding service, as we Lotus-lads always help each other out.

I exercised the Elan today. It was a beautiful day! We need to stay in shape for the trip to Alabama next spring. Merry Christmas!

Well I've had this Sprint since last year and now just getting around to a buff/polish to bring a shine to the old dead original patina paint and here are the preliminary results before final waxing. Chrome is nearly perfect too!