1966 Elan S2

[Ianashdown]

Ian ,
a Triton or Norvin or Tribsa has nothing to do with a Jap or modern bike also.
Keep the Elan as original and if you want more protection buy a Honda S2000.
Alan

I agree. I’m coming to the conclusion the other that a few hidden, but returnable to original, improvements, I will do everything I can to keep this car original.

Ian

[evanlotus]

What a nice find. I am doing a ground up in my garage and you will find that working with fiberglass very easy. i put a new nose on mine and the job went well. You might want to contact jamestown dist they are in R.I. there stuff is really great and very inexpensive. All my materials ran me 600.00 dollars and about 145 hours to bring the body to the primer stage. Also take a look at tcp global for your paint supplies there inhouse paint is all ppg. Due the resteration yourself it is a easy car to due. And fun. evan

[Ianashdown]

Hi,

Happy to hear there is another car on its way back!

Imagine trying to restore a modern car in 60+ years time! They are so complex!! This level of complexity suits me just fine.

I have been dealing with composites in one way or another since the early '80's, I still do actually! I know all the local distributors, I used to buy from all of them! There is a TCP Global not too far from me in San Diego, and a couple of other good paint stores so I won't lack for advice!!

I don't like wet-lay-up, but as you say it's not too difficult.

I enjoy the work and the end result, so I'm looking forward to the process!

ian

[Ianashdown]

My July ‘65 built US Model year ‘66 Elan S2 has a foot operated Dip-switch, but also appears to has the mounts for a LH pod (Escutcheon!) on the steering column shroud where a dip-switch stalk would be.

Which would be correct for this car build date? If the foot switch is correct, what would be on the LH steering column?

Thanks,

Ian

Edit - I have read in the Manual the LHD cars had the foot switch fitted, Im not sure why the distinction, but if that is the case, what was on the LHS of the column?

[Davidb]

My similar car 4844 has the same switch arrangement. I have considered fitting the hand switch since the foot switch is not convenient.

[StressCraxx]

The high beam foot switch was the most common convention for American cars in the 50's and 60's. My '67 S3 SS has the same. The escutcheon on the column had the turn signal stalk on the right side. I changed it to the left side when I replaced the steering coupling u-joint.

[Ianashdown]

The high beam foot switch was the most common convention for American cars in the 50's and 60's. My '67 S3 SS has the same. The escutcheon on the column had the turn signal stalk on the right side. I changed it to the left side when I replaced the steering coupling u-joint.

So what’s on the opposite side? The column cover has a big square hole and the two tabs the the escutcheon to attach, so is it just left empty?

I grew up on cars with the foot switch, back in the UK. The smaller and unlit roads that are typical there require dipping the lights constantly. I thought it worked quite well. I had a European Ford for a while that had a foot operated washer pump button with a ring switch around the outside. When the roads are constantly wet and dirty it was a great system!

Ian

[Andy8421]

Hi,

Imagine trying to restore a modern car in 60+ years time! They are so complex!! This level of complexity suits me just fine.

ian

Ian, that is a very good point. My own view is that cars much past the 80s will be un-restorable. Assuming there is any interest in late 20th century and early 21st century combustion engine cars in the future, the electronics will be unavailable and un-repairable. Any vehicle that has application specific modules (ignition, engine management, car systems control and so on) won't be fixable.

Jay Leno makes exactly this point in his video about the Elan.

[2cams70]

Ian, that is a very good point. My own view is that cars much past the 80s will be un-restorable. Assuming there is any interest in late 20th century and early 21st century combustion engine cars in the future, the electronics will be unavailable and un-repairable. Any vehicle that has application specific modules (ignition, engine management, car systems control and so on) won't be fixable.

Jay Leno makes exactly this point in his video about the Elan.

The main problem with modern cars is not so much the cars themselves but that most of the youth of today have little interest. As to the cars themselves where there is a will there is a way. I'm currently driving a 3 cylinder Ford Fiesta ST. Certainly the engine is state of the art insofar as ICE technology is concerned. One just has to do a quick google to understand that the aftermarket support to "improve" a Ford Fiesta ST is huge in much the same way as the Fords of the 60's and 70's were back in the day. Golf GTI's, Skyline R32's, etc. etc. are similarly revered and fiddled with. By the way I think Jay Leno makes a better talk show host than a reference when it comes to expertise on cars.

[The Veg]

Hi,

Imagine trying to restore a modern car in 60+ years time! They are so complex!! This level of complexity suits me just fine.

ian

Ian, that is a very good point. My own view is that cars much past the 80s will be un-restorable. Assuming there is any interest in late 20th century and early 21st century combustion engine cars in the future, the electronics will be unavailable and un-repairable. Any vehicle that has application specific modules (ignition, engine management, car systems control and so on) won't be fixable.

Not just that issue. The more mundane bits just aren't available. I had a 1983 Honda Accord that I positively adored and still miss. I'd love to have another just like it, but there's NO source for the little stuff that makes the difference. I suspect that even basic maintenance parts like distributor caps and carb-rebuild kits are probably more difficult to source these days than the same bits for our beloved old Lotuses! Thing is, for all its brilliance as a car to drive and use, that Honda was a mass-produced 'appliance' and was always intended as such. A few nice ones survive but that's it.

[GLB]

A little off topic but I had an engine management computer fail in my 1993 Honda civic. It seems electrolytic capacitors fail with time. I was able to find a specialist who could repair it and the car is no longer yard art. Seems as good as new. Price was less than $200. I agree about plastic trim pieces. Lots of stuff is NLA even from RockAuto. Hard to believe my daily driver is now a classic in almost the same category as my Lotus. Gary

[2cams70]

Cars that had a cult following when new are those that have the best chance of survival into the future. The young blokes when they become old blokes look to the past with misty eyes and want the same car they had when life was good. The problem is when there aren’t enough young blokes with an interest in the first place or that the young blokes of the day have no interest in the cars of the past and only like the new. There’s plenty of forgotten about vintage and veteran cars that no one wants because no one currently alive remembers them.

[StephenT]

Hello Ian,

It looks like we have taken on similar projects. Earlier this year I acquired a 1966 Elan series 2 SE that had been sitting in a garage in New Jersey since 1976. My initial goal is to make the car drivable once again. I started with the brakes and am nearly done with that project. I have replaced the rotoflexes (not a job I want to repeat in the near future). My next focus will be on getting the engine running so I can evaluate its condition. I have pulled the webers and will be going through them soon. I am located in Temecula so not too far away.

Steve

[Ianashdown]

Looks good! I think your might have been in a little better condition than mine!

It will be good to share stories. Do you have more pictures to share?

Merry Christmas!

Ian

[StephenT]

Here are a couple of generic shot taken the day the car arrived. I would be more than happy to take photos of any area you are interested in seeing.