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

[prezoom]

Spot on......

It is your car to do with as you wish. I don't think any of our names are on the title. None of us were there to help fill, blend, sand or blow the dust out our noses as you wore you fingers to the bone building a beautiful car. The only person you have to please is yourself. If you decide on the black out treatment later on, that is your choice. If you decide to change the color, again, your choice. If and when you sell the car, that person will be free to make changes that please themselves.

It is now time to enjoy the fruits of your labors. Spend less time sitting, looking at the computer screen, and go drive the wheels off of it.

Rob Walker
26-4889

[elansprint71]

Surely the answer is to paint one sill black and leave the other.

[Mazzini]

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

Amen!

[nebogipfel]

I have never seen so much fuss about what I had thought was a helpful little hint given with a wink in my eye and with the best intentions. For goodness sake get a sense of perspective.

Why does every little tip, remark or comment have to be so thoroughly torn apart on this forum. I can't speak for anyone else on here but I certainly don't go around looking for conflict or to insult anyone. I like to think we are all singing from the same hymn sheet in that we love enjoying and talking about Elans.

I said I thought the car was lovely. It is. I just offered an opinion, a hint, on what is after all a trivial matter, that's all. Nobody is going to care if the sills are painted black, blue or s*dding iridescent pink. I didn't know (or at least remember) it had been covered 3 years ago with reference to Adi's car and didn't know it was something Adi is sensitive about or indeed a subject he is bored with and for my ignorance I apologise.

If you tell me the black sills or anything else on my Elan look horrible, I don't care, that's fine, it's not going to change my life and I'm certainly not going to throw my toys out of the pram about it. I have had negative comments (not constructive suggestions) made about my car at car shows. I don't care, it doesn't change the way I feel about it.

As for rigid views, I don't really understand the comment. The essence of having a view is that it is something you believe to be valid or correct. I often have my opinion changed during friendly exchanges with others. I'm not particularly a purist, my car is lightly modified and the colour scheme is totally wrong. I make no secret of the fact that I'm no fan of heavily modified cars but I'm not campaigning to have them banned!

Gary on the one hand you suggest rightly it was worth having a conversation about it as a topic and choice available to all Elan owners nearing the end of paint jobs or restorations but then having created what appears to have turned into a hornets nest of a thread insist on poking it with a stick. I find some threads repetitive and boring and frankly I'm not fascinated by endless pictures of painted wishbones etc but I know other people are interested and do enjoy it, so that's fine and as it should be.

I have had a few people rib me about "baby Elan" and that's OK, I take it as a bit of a leg pull and ignore it. I certainly don't feel the need to go into a major sulk about it.

I'm afraid I really don't understand what has gone wrong with this thread and not wishing to cause any more offence I'll leave you all to it and try to be very sparing with my opinion from now on.

[cabc26b]

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!

Its the bridge that links the US and Canada North of Buffalo ( take I190 north) its a lot cooler than where you are - If I I squint and look real hard i can see ed has started to collect up some cardboard boxes to sleep on , its colder over there ...

[garyeanderson]

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!

Its the bridge that links the US and Canada North of Buffalo ( take I190 north) its a lot cooler than where you are - If I I squint and look real hard i can see ed has started to collect up some cardboard boxes to sleep on , its colder over there ...

That's a nice bridge, I believe thats called the "Peace Bridge", used to take that one a couple times a year going to Detroit. Not much fun in an Elan though.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&gbv=2 ... d=0CBoQtgM

[elansprint71]

What a strange thread. Folks taking offence where none was intended (I can't even find what sparked this off) however, if my early posting of the "Paint it Black" Rolling Stones war in Vietnam clip along with my "Concurrent Histories" comment in any way contributed to this kerfuffle, perhaps I should explain?
When I was fixing up my first Elan, the war in Vietnam was coming to something of a bitter end; in my garage there was an old valve radio and each night I listened to VoA and AFN giving out their sanitised versions of the dreadful mess. If they said "20 men died today"; I knew that it was much worse.
The music I listened to at that time has stayed with me to this day; Paint it Black and Purple Haze seemed to be anthems of their time.
Vietnam was "my war"; not because I was there but, had I been born in the USA, I damned well would have been there and counted my blessings, every time I heard what was going on, that I could be swearing an cursing at an old sports-car rather than waiting for the next bullet in the Mekong.

These days I swear and curse at an old sports-car and listen to the senseless happenings in some sandy shit-holes where we have no place to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqTf8DU6a0

[bast0n]

typed very very quietly - what about bumpers?

[garyeanderson]

typed very very quietly - what about bumpers?

They look sweet in black, they look good stock and body color (or any other) too. You can't see them when you are out for a drive so what does it matter, same with the blackened sills. I think there is way to much discussion on "correct", "look", "money" and not enough about the great fun that these cars are, the shit eaten silly grin they put on your face, unlike this forum that seems to enjoy rubbing folks noses the wrong way. I started this stupid topic to distract you and john from going off topic in what does your elan/plus2 look like. I guess it worked as the "discussion" has moved. I started that topic for folks to show the Elans and the plus2 they own, not to discuss the aesthetics of someones choice of colo(u)r or speeding tickets or any other off topic thread killing subjects. NEW TOPIC works just fine and thats all I have asked you folks to do. Reply if you have an "ON topic" post, and "NEW topic" if you don't. You folks still don't get it and I guess I don't either.

[Tonyw]

To all,

Well, I like black mine was the body colour and I found it irritated me to look at it but as Gary's says you cannot see it while you are driving, as for bumper I would like mine chromed but I do not know how to do that to GRP

Tonyw

[bcmc33]

typed very very quietly - what about bumpers?

What about wheels?

But I guess we have come to blows about that already.

[Jon.ford]

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.

arches blacked sill not.JPG

boot bottom1.jpg

bay.JPG

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

[adigra]

I am sorry if I came across as being upset by it, I am not, I am too happy with my car to be upset about something so silly (see what I did there?...) But, there is a difference between helpful guidance and being repeatedly told you should do something with altered photographs to prove the point. Since my car brought this topic up, and my car was used in the animated photo, I did start to feel a bit singled out.

We all love these cars and we all have strong opinions about them, but some are militant about what should and shouldn't be done to other people's cars to such an extent that they make the hobby seem like some kind of a regimented chore.

Best,
Adi

[elj221c]

Pah! You lot are lucky you've got sills!

Mine are all blown out by the rusty trellis.......

[garyeanderson]

typed very very quietly - what about bumpers?

What about wheels?

But I guess we have come to blows about that already.

It may depend on whether it has hub caps or spinners. octagonal or 3 eared, inward or outward pointed. It probably deserves a topic of its own, then when you do a search you may find something that you may be looking for.

Gary

Pah! You lot are lucky you've got sills!

Mine are all blown out by the rusty trellis.......

Just in case you can't find this old post
elan-f14/elan-door-surround-latice-yours-rotten-too-t15161.html