Door adjustment

[Elanman99]

I have found that a square bar from a UK domestic door handle is just the right size for dealing with the nylon pivot screwing/unscrewing, using a typical ratchet socket set, via the bottom hole at the front, inside wall of the door.

All the door furniture I have ever encountered in the UK has used 5/16" square shafts for handles. As far as I know all the Lotus nylon ball ended pivots have a 1/4" square recess so now I'm a bit curious.

Regardless of the recess size, the only way one stands a chance of rotating the adjuster is with a key that engages the whole depth of the recess. To be fair though, stuck, seized and corroded assemblies are far less likely nowadays as our cars are less exposed to salt and other contaminants than they were in the first half of the cars life.

Ian

[smo17003]

I made mine from a short length of 1/4" Key Steel welded into a suitable size 3/8" drive socket.

Another tip. On an old car the 1/4" square hole in the lower pins will most likely be full of muck and crap, restricting the depth that you can insert the key. Make sure they're cleaned out, as mentioned, the key needs to fully engage in the hole to have any chance of turning the pins without chewing them up.

[billwill]

Yes, I meant unscrewing/screwing the top pivot.

And to clarify, I meant that a 1/4 square bar from a door handle, is just the right size to extend the existing extension supplied in most small socket sets.

[tonyabacus]

Lots of talk about how to get the pins out, but the fun starts as you get the door back into position. For most of us we want the perfect job, but remember this is a Lotus. The right hand door on all the cars is not too bad for getting somewhere close to an acceptable fit. But when it comes to the left hand door, many of us have found the dreaded poor mould used by the factory meaning the door never fits like the other side.

In Brian Buckland's book he goes into some detail about splitting the door up the rear face and inserting new fibreglass once the split has been rectified. Perhaps not for the faint hearted.

But for most of us we start by trying to get a decent fit and can spend hours tightening and loosening the various adjustments set out by others above, searching for the perfect fit. From past experience it is better given the hours I have spent on this, to concentrate on the front alignment of this pesky left hand door.

Try and get the top and bottom gaps on the front of the door to look equal along their length, then see if you can get the leading edge of the door flush with the front wing. This is likely to be the best fit obtainable. I forgot to mention to remove the striker plate from the door shut and the rubber seal around the aperture first, Once you have made the adjustments to the leading edges of the door, you can close the door to assess just how far the back edge sticks out, and gives an indication as to the worst case scenario for your particular shell.

On mine the chassis number is clearly marked on the inside of the door, so I know at least that it is not a case of a PO fitting a door from another vehicle. As I started out saying, have fun but trying to get a perfect fit is likely to frustrate you during the many hours looking for perfection.
Tony

[RichardHawkins]

When fitting doors, do you install the door and then fit the frame to the door, or fit the frame to the door, and the assembly to the car? I am about to test fit and then send frames for chrome.

Richard Hawkins

[steve lyle]

When fitting doors, do you install the door and then fit the frame to the door, or fit the frame to the door, and the assembly to the car? I am about to test fit and then send frames for chrome.

Richard Hawkins

Install the door frameless. It’ll be lighter, and so easier.

[RichardHawkins]

Steve,

Thanks, I only took the doors off to give better access when installing the dash, and am now concerned about this tricky little job. Having reread the manual and Bucklands book it seems the door can be refitted with or without the frame, but fitting the door first solves the puzzle of how to support the door while installing the frame.

Good luck with Keith Franck and the carburettors,

Richard Hawkins

[bitsobrits]

When refitting Elan doors, I find it easier to extend the lower ball pivot about 3/8" first, with the upper pivot fully retracted. This allows you to locate the door in the aperture using the lower pivot socket as a guide. I then adjust the lower pivot first to ensure the door clears the sill (I use one of my shop towels to pad the sill). Then crank up the top pivot to just snug to initially position the door. Then adjust the pivots as required to get the door vertical centered. I use a 1/4" drive ratchet with suitable extension combinations to wind the pivots, btw. The 1/4" end of an extension fits neatly into the pivot. Without window frames mounted I can mount the doors without assistance.

Then I spend some not inconsequential time adjusting the fore/aft and in/out of the front of the doors by loosening/tighenting the 4 bolts that hold the ball pivot brackets in position.

[RichardHawkins]

Steve (Omaha)

Thanks for the advice, unfortunately I have already taken the doors off the wrong way by releasing the bottom pivot!

Richard Hawkins