Footwell Modification

[Frank Howard]

I've had my 1971 S4SE for 28 years and I'm considering a modification to the passenger footwell. My car has left hand steering. As we all know, these cars were manufactured to accommodate either LH or RH steering. As a result, the passenger footwell is deep because it has room for pedals that will never be installled so I'm thinking about shortening it by around 5". Why shorten it you ask? Shortening the footwell will dramatically improve access to the rear Stromberg as well as the fuel pump. I mean, the bottom nut that attaches the carburetor is impossible to reach with a spanner (I know it's supposed to be loose against the thackery washers to allow the carbs to move a bit). The fuel pump is just about impossible to reach. Shortening the footwell would make the car much more serviceable while at the same time, making it much less original but I've always subscribed to the school of practicality over originality. This change will not affect the character of the car. It will just make it easier to work on. It will also make it difficult to convert to RH steering, something that I believe will never happen anyway. And if someone did decide to convert it to RH steering, wouldn't he/she be losing some of the originality as well? Think about it. Making them ambidextrous was a compromise. Had Lotus made them all RH steering, I probably wouldn't own this car. Had Lotus made them all LH steering, I don't believe they would have made them symetrical.

[gjz30075]

Interesting. Why 5 inches? I'm guessing that still leaves room for a fairly tall person, although I'll
bet you can cut out more than 5 inches

[elanfan1]

Seems like an awful lot of work for little real benefit to me and you would certainly devalue the car. Would you not be better off spending your time fabricating a tool that could do the job for you (and you could market it afterwards too!).

[Frank Howard]

I chose 5" because when I drew a line that cleared the carburetor, it was 5" from the end of the footwell. It cleared the fuel pump as well. I also measured the distance from the pedals to the end of the driver footwell. 6-1/2". I'm 5' 9". When I sit in the passenger seat with the seat all the way back, my shoes are 6" from the end of the footwell. When I measure from the base of the seatback to the end of the footwell, I get 4'. My minivan measures 3' 8" between the same two points.

I don't know about other cars, but mine has a 1-1/2" rubber plug in the footwell facing the fuel pump. If it's for access, it doesn't help much. I did think of fabricating a door under the carburetor giving access through the footwell, but that wouldn't help the fuel pump access problem. A second door would be needed next to the pump. Sealing these doors so you don't get engine fumes and heat into the interior seems like a lot more work than simply shortening the footwell. The whole reason for the modification is to improve access to the carb and pump. If I did make this modification, I'd still have to dive into the footwell every time I needed to service them, not a particularly great improvement in accessibility.

As far as making a special tool to work on the rear carburetor and fuel pump, I've worked on them with conventional tools. They work. It's just a pain. The only special tool that would help would be one that could magically pass through fiberglass.

As far a devalueating the car is concerned, it depends on the buyer. I work on my cars. I would pay a premium for an Elan that had been modified in this manner. One more thing. It's not uncommon to see a dry sump tank at the end of the footwell. That spot is chosen because the foot room really isn't needed.

[DJ908]

If it were me Frank in the same situation as you are I would have simply gone ahead and carried out the modification you are now proposing.

Originality? Some might argue that the modifications that some undertake to their cars, and that includes the likes of the late Ron Hickman, to the left hand door in order to get it to sit correctly is modifying the car and is no longer the same car which left the factory. The car is no longer original!

In my case the cracking that occurred all around the rear boot (trunk) hinges and in the area between the two tail lights was cured by the addition of extra metal bonded to the fibreglass. My car has therefore been modified in a manner which means it is no longer original.

Some folk replace the chassis????!

I doubt that it will devalue the car for the next buyer might well applaud you for what you have done. And perhaps if you are like me, you will not be the slightest bit bothered when it comes to sell the car for I know that I will be six feet under the ground and the next generation will be viewing what?s left as a bit of an aberration that the old man had with his hobby of quaint old (very old) cars!

Robert

[mrdoow]

footwell cutout

footwell cutout

Frank,
Just a month ago I got a ride in Mr. Hickman's brother's Elan and it has some very nice modifications. An electric fuel pump was present in the boot and would solve your issue with fuel pump access. My 1972 Elan Sprint has an electric fuel pump that works fine and is easy to get to. Not much maintenance required for the fuel pump blanking cover at the other end of the car either. Also, if you shorten the footwell you will likely need to modify the steel truss that extends to the end of the footwell. That would be a real pain.

I did modify my passenger footwell to provide clearance for the rear carb. I'm converting to Mikuni HSR carbs and needed some clearance under the rear unit.

One of the nice things about the Elan is the leg room. My wife, who has a nice set of long legs, won't ride in an Elise because of the restricted leg room on the passenger side. She has plenty of room in the Elan.

Sounds like you may be itching to do some FRP work.

Good luck,

Gary Wood