Restoration

[shaun]

Rear suspension trial fitted

[1owner69Elan]

Looks great.

What size wheels are those? What body is going on eventually ?

[shaun]

The wheels are minilites 5x13 a s4 Dec body will be used when back from the body shop

[Mr.Gale]

Looks good! Did you install a Diff. cover stiffener?

Mr.Gale

[rgh0]

I see you don't have the rear Aeon rubber springs fitted and I presume the small diameter springs are to small for them to fit inside. These rubber springs are a key part of the original suspension design enabling the combination of soft ride with good handling through the progressive spring rate they achieved in the rear suspension. There is a VW Audi part that has a similar length and spring rate to the original Aeon rubber springs but a smaller diameter that others have used.

cheers
Rohan

[Davidb]

Part # 171 412 303 c
Get it on ebay.

[shaun]

Thanks for the advice , so even with matched dampers and springs the suspension still relies on the rubbers thanks Shaun

[rgh0]

Thanks for the advice , so even with matched dampers and springs the suspension still relies on the rubbers thanks Shaun

Unless you go up to race track spring rates you need the added spring rate that the rubber spring provides at the rear. With standard springs and no rubber spring you get the tail sitting down in a corner on the outside rear and the front inside wheel lifting to much. Typically this results in unpredictable oversteer in a corner taken hard.

cheers
Rohan

[shaun]

Never make a machinist , 4 hours and a bit of finger milled off

[dougweall]

Shaun,

I can see that you are going to produce a very nice car the way you are going.

Now I don't want to p155 on your bonfire but I know a couple of folks near me who have tried fitting 5" rims to their Elans and fallen foul of the tyres catching the wheel arch. It is possible to relieve the arch to make them fit, but you will have to be very careful once your body is painted.
Unless of course you have trial fitted everything first.

I was lucky when I bought my Minilites, only had to sort out the bolts on the rear bottom wishbones to clear the wheels, the arches were ok.

Doug.

[Foxie]

I see you're using adjustable rear wishbones. That was one of the best improvements I've made to the car's handling. On the originals, one wishbone was positive toe, and the other negative, and overall positive, bit of a disaster

[bitsobrits]

The issue with the 5" Minilites available now is not so much their width, but that their offset is greater (more positive) than the 4.5" stock rims. On my S3, the Minilite inboard tire mounting bead surface was greater than 5/8" further outboard than the stock rims, which puts the outboard bead surface of the rim a full 7/8" further out. So no go (on my car at least) without significant surgery.

Apparently at one time Minilite offered a more negative offset option (114mm I think), but now only supplies the 100mm versions.

[TurbineHeli]

I'm curious about that adjustable feature on your rear wishbones.
Wouldn't any adjustment other than neutral(original) place strain on the wishbone
in either tension or compression? Or is the amount small as to not matter?

Thanks

[TeeJay]

On a lighter note, just noted the most important tool, on the first photo, especially useful for the many times you go 1 step forward and several back, a wine glass.
It's by the front left side wheel and it's empty, must have been one of those days.

Regarding the machining, you could have spent more hours searching online for the part and its very satisfying making your own.

Hope the fingers OK.

[TurbineHeli]

Also visible in 3rd pic...