Mods you have done - Hits winners, misses and loosers

[crannyr]

I have done many of the mods suggested in this post with good results. Three that I do not see are:
1. Oil pressure fail light mounted in the location of the rear screen light (moved to under dash next to map light)
2. Dead pedal mounted to side rail where it bolts to body
3. Tool pouch mounted to front of boot

[crannyr]

one more. When I converted to an Alpha 5 speed transmission I adapted a concentric clutch slave cylinder.

[Steve G]

• Moved the seats back a couple of inches. Perfect for me and still adjustable for someone else who is shorter.

Ooh, care to expand on that one? I moved my seat rails to the rear position which was great but I could still do with another two inches ideally. They sit in the grooves formed in the fibreglass floor, how did you modify this set up to get them back further?

My favourite modification so far is replacing the horrid aftermarket non-inertia reel seatbelts with lovely Willans turn buckle three point harnesses. Obviously a bit more of a fiasco getting in and out but they really connect you to the car and look about a hundred times better too. Brian (bcmc33) gave them to me, still can't get over that level of generosity.

Binning the brake servo was great too, got used to the increase pedal effort after one drive and now I don't even think about it, lost all that weight and complexity and improved the brake feel, a no brainer with hindsight.

Lastly, my TTR steering wheel. When my car isn't working (fairly often!) I just get in and hold it. Sometimes make twin cam noises too.

[prezoom]

One more mod just came to mind. Replaced all of the hydraulic bleeders with Speed Bleeders. This makes bleed the brakes/clutch a one person job, which on the brakes can turn the chore into a 15 minute task. Have done this for years on other cars, so it has become an automatic change.

Rob Walker
26-4889

[ardee_selby]

[/quote] Sometimes make twin cam noises too.[/quote]


Ahhhhh...Don't be shy!

But why not make a recording of your next outing so you can just play it back?

Cheers - Richard

[garyeanderson]

To add a bit more, My Supertrap is a bit of a controversy but the rear hanger is straight from Beau dog run that never got used. 100 ft of plastic coated 1/8 inch braided galvanized wire and a couple of u clips. this is the second version, the first was just steel wire cable that came from the metal pile at the old dump.

[garyeanderson]

My friend with the 5.0 V8 Miata was out last fall in the wet and the car "got away" from him, the result was an owner with a need to fix the underside of the Miata as it had come to rest straddling a stone wall. Don bought a parts car for $700 and I thought to myself "I don't remember elan's ever selling that low". Anyway when I get over to see the progress the Miata is stripped clean as a chicken and Don has sold enough parts to cover the header replacement and whatever else and a few dollars left over. He offers "see anything you want? So I look a bit and start to pull off th e gasket for the boot. Don laughs and says it yours. I got the jack too as it was better than the junk on I had been using,

Installed on S2 boot opening perimeter, I needed to cut out about 4 inches length for the seal.

Boot lid closed, not perfect but not many are.

[gjz30075]

Interesting! What other 'fettling' was needed to make this gasket work? Any close up shots?

Greg Z

[types26/36]

Installed on S2 boot opening perimeter,

Gary, is the seal obstructing the drain holes?

[gjz30075]

I don't have big feet but still had to twist my feet to properly work the pedals so I put a slight 'expansion' to the pedal assembly. They're not in the car yet so hopefully my calculations will be correct, but to be safe, I also plan to put a bowl/dish type of 'relief' in the carpeted masonite to the left of the clutch pedal (whoops, sorry, lhd here) to allow my left foot someplace to go.

[garyeanderson]

On the LHD models there is plenty of room to the left of the clutch pedal because the foot operated main beam switch that originally resided there. Most people now prefer the Triumph light stalk on the right side of the column with the directionals moved to the left. This frees up that space to the left of the pedals to be either space for my dead foot in my case, or for others to move over pedals a bit for some needed foot room. I have had some close calls where the dead foot has lost the clutch pedal and engaged forward or reverse but so far a quick slam of left part foot box with both the good leg and dead foot finds the brake to stall the engine (so don't get too close to me). I've got the heavy duty 8 1/2 inch pressure plate in my Elan so most times when local I just ride the clutch, doesn't seem to hurt...

Here is another mod I did with the coupe, The black bitumen paper that makes up the rear firewall was pretty well fallen apart at the bottom. I couldn't find anything that looked good to replace it. I was at the shop where they had paper and other items, one of them was a poster board paper sandwiching 1/4 inch of foam that folks use for making signs. Anyway it looked good but not to durable and had no strength to speak of, I bought a couple of sheets anyway. Back at the shop a layer of chopped stand mat on each side gave me a nice panel to use. I just cut it to the shape of the original.

[garyeanderson]

Installed on S2 boot opening perimeter,

Gary, is the seal obstructing the drain holes?

Not in the least.

Greg

when I got the gasket its was a continuous seal, when I got it home I pulled off the old one that I never reglued and just started to put it on as I got it.
It was a snug fit and when I got all the was around I had a bulge. I got out the hammer and uses the handle to make sure it was worked into the corners tight. I didn't gain much so I cut it and lapped the joint at the back. The left side sticks up a tad but I think the original did too. That boot seal has been moved back to 26/4020 which will be all stock maybe.

[gjz30075]

Along the same lines as Gary, I used a piece of masonite, carpeted, and attached via dzus (sp?) fasteners on the side of the shock towers. I use the flat area to store my jack, K/O tool, etc.

[garyeanderson]

I used the tempered Masonite with the original vinyl on the top. I'm not sure now why I did the foam/fiberglass thing but I think I was hoping for some insulation value. I also used 1/4 polyurethane foam for the carpet liner just as I did in 45/8221.

[ripley]

As an Elan newbie (never driven one; mine isn't ready yet) I would like to know what the guys with experience think about a strut brace(?). I've seen both versions: At the front or/and at the rear (both between the shock mounts). Does it really make a difference by making the axles stiffer?
Fred