Do the lower sills look better painted black or body color?

[PanoGuy]

My Elan is white and I was really amazed at how much better it looked with black sills and wheel wells. On a dark colored car I don't suppose it would be such an issue. It took years for me to address the wheels, which were Krylon rattle-can silver (too bright) Now that I have those spayed a more reasonable shade it's another very nice improvement.

[cabc26b]

if your wrapping your car in vinyl , how do you make the sills black ? is the vinyl black ? or is it clear with an option to black underneath or on top of the vinyl ? I always get confused at the intersection of period correct and WTF ....

( this was for you nebo/john)

[adigra]

Some of you make the classic car ownership seem as fun as being kicked in the groin...

[garyeanderson]

Some of you make the classic car ownership seem as fun as being kicked in the groin...

I think your Coupe looks great. I hope 36/6292 comes out half as nice. It's your Elan, do what it is that makes you happy and don't listen to the jealous cackling hens that may not care about you or even own an Elan. When your driving down along a country road at speed, it's the last thing on your mind. Nice job on the restoration and don't let anyone crap on your cake and spoil your day.

Gary

[Old English White]

+1.
Any Elan owner is always a bit lost/alone, flooded in an ocean of MG's and Triumph's, looking for advices or experiences of others.
That's why we all are here.
When having spend money/time in a nuts/bolts restoration, and when the result is worth it, a word from any of us on that forum around the last work/part left is not to be understand as a bad comment, but as a real encouragement to keep going to the end.
I am sure that if Adigra's car had extra flares, gold/chrome Compomotives wheels and/or a webasto on a red candy apple paintjob, that black sills point ll never have been pointed.
Anyway, I am not going to do the job on Adigra's car, at least my animated image (a ten minutes work) should show the benefit to anyone who's asking himself about it, Adigra included.
Let's feel free to follow ... Or not!
Christian.

[nebogipfel]

Some of you make the classic car ownership seem as fun as being kicked in the groin...

As far as I can see we have all been very complimentary about your beautiful car.

Don't you like receiving compliments?

After 3 years of work my Elan is done and driving beautifully. I am in love with it.

That says it all. You are in good company. I love my car and I'll admit I sometimes sit in it and can't believe how fortunate I am to own it

[garyeanderson]

Here ya go please have your way with the "constructive" observations. This Coupe was started in the mid 90's and is one of the close to running Elan's that I own. I knew all about the "black out" treatment of the sills but elected to stop the black at the horizontal edge of the sill. The entire bottom is blacked out. My friend Mark painted it and I masked and papered off every bit of "Performance White" on a bare shell that I wanted to stay and sprayed on about 2 quarts of black base coat myself. The Coupe was to get a full interior so that was not blackened but the boot, arches, and entire engine bay were except the smooth gel coated surfaces. I like the Coupe, your opinion is valid but doesn't carry much weight as it is my car. what pleases you is fine and please do as you like with the cars you own, just as I have done. They are done by me to please me and that counts more than the armchair contributors here.

I sometimes wonder why folks bother to show there cars here at all. I guess many don't. After spending the sums that some do to bring back a very tired Elan and get the feeling that you've been "kicked the the balls" says that some don't see it as pointing out "over sites" of some. Everyone reads things differently, this response will likely be read in a manor that it is not meant to be. I lack tact, many others here also lack the finesse required to write and be read by others in a way that it is intended.

Gary

[Robbie693]

Adi's car looks great as it is, as does Gary's coupe. I think Elans look ok with blacked or body colour sills. One thing I noticed from Christian's animation is that the version with the blacked out sills creates the illusion of a bit more ground clearance.

The Plus 2 on the other hand does, I think, look terrible without the sills blacked, bit like it's showing it's underwear!

I suppose a benefit of blacked sills is that you can touch them up more easily...

Robbie

[jono]

...you're right Robbie,

...here is another Wedgwood Blue car, the lardy version this time, with underwear properly covered up

[adigra]

Don't get me wrong, I am not upset, not even close, I was only pointing out that some of you offer opinion as a statement of fact, and very aggressively so. What made me think more about it is the whole vinyl wrap thing rather than sills. Something might not be to my taste, and I might even say so, but in the end it's the owner's car and completely their right to do whatever makes them happy. But threads like this kinda beat a dead horse ad infinitum.

Back to the sills, I was actually reluctant to post photos of my car because, even though it is more original than many Elans out there, (suggesting possibly that I knew, at least in part, what I was doing) I knew one of the first things to be pointed out would be the sills. I was more bothered to get the car to the standard I wanted and the sills were of no consequence, but now I think I might paint them neon green.

[cabc26b]

uh oh - looks like i stirred up a hornets nest.

My post/comment , though flippant, was not a statement of fact but more an observation of the duality of the forum ( and elan ownership ) .

On the actual topic of sill color - every elan I have had, race or street has had the sills black except..... the Medici blue car - I think about about making them black but that job is not high on the list and frankly I like to spend my time looking out the windshield going down the road vs mixing up a small batch of paint.

i see no merits in vinyl wrapping significant classic cars and IMO its not a technical discussion - i will refrain from commenting further and go sit by ed under the bridge.

[elanner]

A hurried, possibly slightly inaccurate, count of photos in Robinshaw and Ross shows 23 Elans with body colour sills, 5 with black sills and 7 indeterminate. All three Elans pictured on the front and back covers have body colour sills.

Nick

[trw99]

And I've just counted through 35 period photographs I have of Sprints in factory or road test condition ... and they all have black sills! That's how they came out of the factory.

However, it is a totally subjective view as to whether or not one thinks the sills look better that way. I happen to believe they look better black. Thankfully we all live in a democratic society where we are entitled to our views and to state them. Be a dull old world if we all thought the same.

Tim

[garyeanderson]

However, it is a totally subjective view as to whether or not one thinks the sills look better that way. I happen to believe they look better black. Thankfully we all live in a democratic society where we are entitled to our views and to state them. Be a dull old world if we all thought the same.

Tim

I agree Tim and we all like to express our point of view and it certainly deserves to be aired out but not in another topic. I wouldn't waste my time debating this color stuff as its just not that important to me. I do feel that if you want to state something you should start a topic to say it so it's not lost in another topic that some folks enjoy. When John stated it thats just fine but to drive home that point twice more

Holywood, your car would look great with a silver stripe. Elanfan1's got them.

Greg Z

That's a nice looking car, the colours work very well

I agree with Greg. FWIW I'd also remove the chrome strip ........ and black the sill....We Elan owners should always black our sills

.....used satin black chassis paint, was that the right choice?

Satin black is the perfect choice Doug

It sits a bit high. It's on regular Lotus suspension, so not much I can do about it, although it handles beautifully, and the ground clearance is nice.

Looks like it's sitting just right to me

Lovely looking car, gorgeous period colour and I agree the trim rings would contribute little particularly on the silver wheels.

PS. Don't forget to satin black the sills

I am undecided about the bottoms. I actually like them body colour, but I know it's not correct...

Your bottom should be body coloured but the Elan's should be black.

They need to be pretty much invisible as you admire the side view of the car.

Have faith, it will look better

oop's wrong again that 4 times.

once stated, twice repeated, 3times a bore, and on the the 4th I figured it was time to start the topic as John was just stuttering and sometimes the record is broken.

Gary

p.s. - not sure but the pictures that adigra posted appear to be gone - if so was that the intended mission of the multiple replies. If this topic has caused adigra to delete them I am sorry that I started it seems like poor judgment on my part as that was not my intension. I like pictures and to loose a number of nice photos of a sweet Coupe is a loss to us all that just enjoy Elans for being Elans.

elan-photos-f18/blue-coupe-t25490.html

PPS hey George wheres that bridge that you and Ed are hanging out under, maybe maybe we can go for a drive and have some fun!

[adigra]

I didn't delete the photos, but my web server is moving and I've had outages for the past few days.

As I said, I really am not upset by this, but I am quite bored of it being pointed out. To highlight the point, the photo OEW used to create the animated gif showing the blacking out of the sill is actually of my car from three years ago (and that is my father in law in the back), which was used back then to tell me multiple times that I should paint the sills.

I am aware that the cars came out of the factory with the sills black. I also know that many photographs of racing and modified cars in period show the sills to be in body colour (including the Stirling Moss Elan, many of the Shapecraft cars, etc.). So, even from that perspective, an argument can be made that it's a period correct modification. But completely regardless of that, it is my car, I have been "made aware" that the opinion of many is that I should paint the sills black (over and over and over), so I will make my choice at my own convenience.

The rigid views of some enthusiasts of what should and shouldn't be done to other people's cars is what's making the hobby seem more like a chore than enjoyment, which shouldn't be.

Regards,
Adi