Bumper colour, sunvisors, mirror and Super Safety info

[johnsimister]

Hello to all. I've just bought an Elan S3 Coup? having wanted one for the last 30 years, and so far it's proving as wonderful as I hoped it would. It's the Pistachio Green one that was on Pistonheads. Its bumpers are currently painted gold, probably in an attempt to make it a bit like a Sprint, but I want to return them to the correct silver. The question is: what is the correct silver? Is there another manufacturer's silver paint that is the right match?

Also, this very late S3 is a Super Safety with an S4-type rocker-switch dashboard and recessed door handles which emerge from within the upper part of the door trim into the recess. These mods were clearly meant for the US market but does anyone know any more about the Super Safety? I can find scant reference to it in books or on the net.

Next question: are the sunvisors and interior mirror common to any other car? Mine has had a new headlining at some stage, I think, and the sunvisors and mirror weren't reinstated. Instead it has a modern mirror stuck to the windscreen. There are no mounting holes in the headlining but I can feel moulded lumps where the visors and mirror should attach. Would this be by self-tappers or should there be captive nuts of some sort?

Very grateful for any help with any of this.

Thanks

John Simister

[robcall]

Lotus paint codes-see Silver Laquer about half way down the page

http://www.elanfactory.com.au/pdf/techn ... 0Codes.pdf

[trw99]

John

Welcome and well done on buying your S3.

I have to ask, of course - are you John Simister the motoring journalist?

If so, it is always intriguing how many professional road testers still rate the original Elan!

Tim

[Old English White]

John

Welcome and well done on buying your S3.

I have to ask, of course - are you John Simister the motoring journalist?

If so, it is always intriguing how many professional road testers still rate the original Elan!

Tim

Tim ,
Have you read Classic &Sportscars - september 08' !?!
If you're searching nice comments to help you to stay with your baby , G. Murray's words will help too . A lot .
Christian.

[Alasdair]

Tim,

I am the recent, third owner of a 68 S3 SS Coupe, it has a non standard colour as well, Tawny, getting use to it, it was Burnt Sand!

This car is somewhat interesting as you state the SS was for North America, only 300 + built I recall? My car was purchased/registered in the UK, it is LHD with UK plates, the original owner whom I do not know, must have been on assignment in the UK/emigrated? the car was brought back to Canada around 1970 when it was sold to the second owner who I purchased the car from last December, it had been off the road since 1984.

This car was used as a slalom car, it was national champion, I use to compete against it in my seven back then!

The car is very nice, needed all the usual stuff done, has the S4 dash with RED letters, covered door handles, dual brakes, this is not an SE so no KO wheels or booster. Has original chassis. I do not have the SS badges and am told are like hens teeth! Sun visors are Elan SS/Sprint only I think, the interior mirror is unlike my S4 but do not know if this is original, it is larger.

The seats are normal for a S3, but do not tip forward and a pain to remove! A SS/Sprint feature.

My dash is in good shape, i will not be changing as getting red letters will be like the SS badge!

By the way, this car had a (HOT) Vegantune engine installed just prior to it being laid up, it has Dolerto carbs and an S4 cam cover, I painted Black, what colour is yours?

Cheers.

[trw99]

Alisdair - Your post should be addressed to John, I believe!

John

Roger Seiling on this forum is your man on things Super Safety. I found a list of differences he posted way back and I hope he forgives me for reproducing them here:

'Distinctive features of Lotus Elan S3 Super Safety models:

1. Super Safety badge on flank of front wing (fender) just in front of door. This is the same bezel as the S4 Elan badge and S2 Europa.

2. Dash has rocker switches and gauges are recessed in counterbored holes so that the outer rim is flush with dash. Heater and choke control knobs are large and flatter than earlier cars and located where the earlier bonnet release cables were. Crash pad is normal late S3 with "eye level" vents. Bonnet release cable is located at bottom outer corner under the dash edge, same as S4.

3. Door interior. Handles are very similar to normal S3, except the stem of the remote actuator has been shortened and the handle now hangs out from a hole in the edge of the recessed center of the door. The chrome door pulls, which were part of the window frame are gone, replaced with pivoting plastic one from MGB in the center of the recessed area. No flapper handles! Door latches are standard S3 as are the exterior door handles, i.e. locks are part of handle.

4. Seats are hybrid. They are low back with the centers in perforated material like all later seats, but the tracks are retained to the floor like the S4. They don't tilt forward.

5. SS models have Weber heads but everyone I've ever seen has had the bulged bonnet like the S4 Stromberg. My friend's 45-7450 had Webers and flat bonnet. Go figure!

6. Reflectors were located at all four corners, just above the bumpers. The front bumper was early style, no flats for light or reflector.

7. Most SS I've seen including my own have had bolt-on wheels. I finally saw some of the turned in three eared KOs at the Atlanta LOG in '98.

8. Since the body is still a S3, there was no clearance for the dual Girling master cylinder. A hole was cut in the inner wing and mine was merely taped over from underneath. There is a "brake fail" light on the dash, but when rebuilding my brakes a long time ago, I could find no differential valve. The differential valve is a small "H" shaped piece with a small switch inside which would normally activate the light when pressure was lower on one side due to a leak or failure. All post '68 cars had something like this, but I couldn't find one. Several weeks later, while sitting at a traffic light, I was resting my foot on the floor under the pedals and heard a click and noticed the light had come on. Upon closer examination, on the floor, under the carpet of the SS models there is a small micro switch, situated so that when the brake pedal strikes the floor in event of a brake failure, it will activate the switch. What a great time to have the light tell you that your brakes have failed! What a joke! My car is a very early SS, 45-7380, but every other one I've seen since has also had the micro switch on the floor. If you have an SS, feel on the floor, under the carpet for the switch. Then laugh with Colin's ghost.'

Additionaly, others have mentioned that the collapsable steering column is also fitted to SS Elans.

SS Elans appear to have been made predominantly for the Federal marketplace from 1967 until July 1968. I have seen figures of 'around 300' and 445 units made.

Tim

[johnsimister]

Thanks for all these replies. Yes, I am that JS who writes...the Elan will no doubt be in Octane some time soon.

I think my S3, unit no 7755, is probably not entirely a Super Safety. It has the right interior door handles but the S4-type dash has normal instruments, not recessed ones, and the lettering is white. The crash roll is S3-type, though, with a MkIII Zephyr demister grille. The seats tilt, it has a Weber head (now on Dellortos) and no bonnet bulge. No side reflectors, no badges, but they may have been removed. Wheels are knock-on with three-eared nuts. Brakes are standard UK spec, not dual circuit.

Maybe it's a 'bitsa', or maybe it was like this from new using up bits that the factory had before getting stuck into S4 production. I'll be with it at the Lotus 60th at Hethel on Sept 14th and would be glad of any further insights then. Lotus hasn't yet been able to trace a production record for 7755 but I'm not entirely surprised.

I'll check for a brake microswitch but given that it's a RHD car I suspect it's unlikely to have one.

John

[Elanintheforest]

I wouldn't be too worried about it being a bitsa, John. I'm sure that the factory used what they could get their hands on. I saw this SS last year at Castle Coombe, and it looked just like a S3, except for the door handles and dash...and that was standard S4.

The de-mister grille is early Corsair by the way, also used on the GT40. Welcome to pedent's corner! However, the interior mirror you seek was from a Zepher, and it was also fitted to early Plus 2s. Not sure about the sunvisors, I'll check those out tomorrow.

Mark

[Old English White]

... John ,
#7755 is born in 1968 , the 6th of november , its engine number should be LP12548 ...
Christian.

[Alasdair]

John not Tim sorry!

My chassis number is 36 7658.

My car had the micro switch, I removed both it and a small push button close to the bonnet pull, saw not value in them whatsoever, I have kept them though. My car does not have the 4 side marker lights, never did by the looks of it, it has a bulge bonnet. Nor does it have fail safe lights, this was not untill the fed Sprint?

Alasdair.

[Alasdair]

John not Tim sorry!

My chassis number is 36 7658.

My car had the micro switch, I removed both it and a small push button close to the bonnet pull, saw not value in them whatsoever, I have kept them though. My car does not have the 4 side marker lights, never did by the looks of it, it has a bulge bonnet. Nor does it have fail safe lights, this was not untill the fed Sprint?

Alasdair.

[elansprint71]

John,
Welcome aboard! I'm afraid if you want to return your car to original It's not just the bumpers you'll need to repaint- the Pistachio colour only appeared on the Sprint, either in all-over or over-white forms.
Look forward to seeing more Lotus content in Octane (tell Mr Coucher that there is far too much emphasis on money at present; very un-Gentlemanly). The Lotus feature by Hesseltine in the current issue is far too sketchy and covers no new ground, just a re-hash of stuff we have read over and over for the last 30 years, including all the mistakes. If you want the facts, get in touch with Ron Hickman or Robin Read.
You'll find that there are plenty of folks on this forum who know their stuff but many of the real experts hold their own counsel.
Spent some of the week-end at Oulton with (new) Octane photographer Pete McFadyen, he's on the outside of the Armco again after a few years racing an Elan, we reminisced about photo-snapping back in the 60s-80s.

You may wish to consider joining fellow Octane contributors Bell and Mason by becoming a member of the Cheshire Lotus Owners Group (CLOG)- if admitted you will not be the only hack to tread our hallowed halls, drop me a PM.


btw folks, is the SS not an S3 intended for the "overseas" market, although we have an RHD example in CLOG?

Cheers,
Pete.

[robcall]

the Pistachio colour only appeared on the Sprint, either in all-over or over-white forms.

Hi Pete-according to my records Pistachio was available October 1970-I presume still post-dates this particular car tho'

[robcall]

Actually-now that i've found an image of your car-I'd stick with the gold.It suits pistachio.
If you're definately going silver I'd do the wheels as well....

[robcall]

For comparison....