Seat Preservation

[Ianashdown57]

Hi All,
Before I just bought it my car has been sitting in a dark garage since 1973 and will need quite a few things done before I can start to think about driving it. As the engine has sat for such a long time it will need to be gone through carefully before attempting to restart it. Does anyone have any suggestions for any TC specific things that I should pay particular attention to? I'm guessing the valve springs will need to be replaced before driving the car, and I know about the water pump issues; what else is waiting to bite me in the A**?

Whilst the seats look to be in quite good shape I'm sure they are a bit prone to cracking etc after being sat for such a long time. Is there a product out there that can genuinely give any flexibility back to old vinyl? I'm hoping for something better than ArmorAll! I know of several products that can make the vinyl and plastic parts 'look' good, but do they do anything to help the material itself.

If anyone has a check list of all the things to do to bring an Elan back to life I'd love to see a copy. Maybe something like this should be posted on the site somewhere!

Thanks,

Ian

[elansprint71]

Welcome to the forum (I see you have been lurking for a while) Ian and thanks for volunteering to write up the list of things to check through when exhuming a car from a long "rest"!

I think that the "Technical Tips" section here probably covers almost everything but really it's a menu, you just have to choose the jobs you want to do. It depends what the circumstances of the car being put away are really- did something big break, etc?

If your engine turns over freely, add oil and water and a drop of fuel and see what happens, I would turn it over by hand (remove spark plugs, spanner on crankshaft pulley bolt) and then try turning it over on the starter to build up some oil pressure, pop the plugs in and it will either start, or not. No need to do a major rebuild before seeing what works and what does not.

The clutch will almost certainly be stuck.

All rubber parts must be examined- modern ones last nowhere as long as original items, incidentally.

Brakes, change fluid, probably new discs req'd, new friction material certainly, also the brakes may be stuck on.

I don't know of a vinyl "softener" but even in cars in regular use splits can occur.

Read the archives on this site.

Lots more opinions will no doubt follow.

Tell us the story and post some photos.

[types26/36]

Would agree with what Pete says but just a word of caution, before attempting to start or turn over on the starter I would remove and refit the cam caps one at a time adding oil/grease on to the bearings.
I have seen an engine that had not been used for years turned over and because the oil had run from the cam bearings, it picked up on the bearings and scored the camshaft bearing surface.

[Elanintheforest]

For the car in general Ian, every gasket, seal and bit of rubber will probably have to be replaced after nearly 40 years being stood. Every moving parts should be checked to make sure that it still does, and properly. All the hydraulic system will need to be reconditioned. The chassis should be thoroughly inspected for rust and damage. For the engine specifically, it will need to be completely stripped down and each component inspected before deciding on what to do.

The condition of the engine will depend on how it was stored?..is the oil black or does it look fresh? Is there any antifreeze / antirust in the water, or is there any water? If it?s old oil, the acids could well have done some harm to the bearing surfaces, and could be set in the oil galleries. If there is no antifreeze, or the engine wasn?t drained, then the head could be seized on the head bolts, and / or the water galleries have some corrosion that will needs attention. I bought an XKE from Southern California that had been stored for 30 years, and the crankshaft oilways were set solid with tar?.it took days of soaking in a very aggressive engine degreaser at the engine builders shop, and a lot of digging and picking, to clean it all out. The head was also seized on due to corrosion, and it took days of work, and eventually cutting the studs to get off.

All the ancillaries will need to be overhauled, and don?t forget to at least put new seals in the gearbox whilst the engine is out.

That?s all worst case though?hopfully your car was stored properly, although I don?t think there?s a set procedure for storing a car for 40 years!

Depending on how far you want to go, it would be worth dropping the rolling chassis from the body, allowing much easier access to all the mechanical bits, and allowing a proper inspection of the chassis, and maybe paint it up or replace it if rusty or badly bent.

Something that should really also be done is to inspect and clean up all ythe electrical connection points, especially the earths. This will mean that the dash should be pulled out, which will give access to all the wiring behind there, as well as the heater (new pipes at least) and wiper motor / rack.

There?s a lot of work required to bring the old girl back to life after so long! Remember that these cars are prone to fire due to electrical issues or fuel spills from the fuel pump / carburettors onto the distributor, so pay close attention to those areas first

Mark

[twincamman]

I have had great success with glycerin .Its about a buck a bottle at the drug store and is the main ingredient in restorative leather food . Your hands will be girley soft after an application to the seats . How ever. If the stitching is gone you will have to go to the upholster . .......As for the motor I drained the oil and filled the sump with diesel oil and a bit of diesel fuel in the spark plug hole and pushed the car in gear with the plugs removed to insure all was free and moving before start up . Imoved the car about six feet and it was ok . I drove it for a year and then rebuilt the motor on general principle . It didn't need it after the fact but it gave me confidence in the unit and over came my paranoia of a catistraffic .pun intended . Failure .....now your having the advantage of California residency I would bet that , unless he car was imported to the south from the salt belt everything will be as the car left England barring crash damage .......and change the rubber donuts to sliding splines....add a better starter and ad an alternator for reliability ..Originality doesn't mean much at. 4in the morning in east Lumpox with a duff car ..Ed. And lots of pictures ( some posted here ) would be nice

[Ianashdown57]

Thanks for the insights. I'm starting to put together a list, divided into sections of the car, for bringing a car back to life and will posy a link here soon.

My plan with this car, as it is so original, is to do as little 'restoration' as possible. For the moment anyway. I want to clean and polish the bodywork, but not repaint. Anything that needs to be rebuilt or replaced for the car to run, stop, turn and not leak etc will be done, but I really want to try and keep the car as original as possible. To that end I was not planning on lifting the body from the chassis. Maybe in a few years when/if I decided to do the full restoration. With the body attached can I still give the chassis a complete inspection to make sure there is no damage or rot? What are the main areas that I should be looking at? This car was originally a California car and then moved to Washington State where is was only driven for a few years before one of the Rotoflex joints let go in 1973. It has been parked ever since. I suspect when it was put away it was with the intention that it would be running again very soon so I would think that it was not put away with the preperations that one would make for long term storage. Having said that the Gentleman who owned it was seemingly a very knowledgable and competant mechanic, so maybe he prepared it well enough. We'll find out soon enough!

Thanks,

Ian

[Elanintheforest]

Ian, lifting the body from the chassis sounds a bit daunting, but it really isn't. Everything that is in the shell stays there, and you remove the radiator, the exhaust system, disconnect the brake pipes from the master cylinders, the fuel line from the pump, the clutch slave pipe, the speedo cable and a few other small bits and pieces. Then undo a few bolts and off it comes. A weekend will see the job done.

With a car that's been stood for so long you really will have to do something with each part, and with the body on, it is a long and awkward job. Re-building the suspension, steering, brakes, drive shafts and getting access to the gearbox and diff etc. is so easy with the body off. Replacing the Lotocones and the diff mountings can be nearly impossible with the body on, especially if siezed up.

Maybe once you start working on the engine you'll see access problems!

Mark

[Ianashdown57]

You might be right! The engine and gearbox have to come out for sure, so maybe lifting the body is a little more work up-front, but makes everything else easier in the long run. I don't have a lift so taking the body off is begining to make more sense . .

What does an unstripped body weigh?

Thanks,

Ian

[cal44]

Ian,
If you ever come down to San Diego there is a place that sells the most amazing plastic conditioner I have ever used. Not too far from Sea World. Of course if the material is too far gone.........it is over. Also, to clean the plastic, Trader Joes sells a (blueish) cleaner in the a spray bottle that is quite gentle for cleaning before conditioning. I just finished up a Tiger that was filthy from a twenty year nap in L.A

Got any pix? Inquiring nosy minds. You are in a hot bed of Tigers and 356's in and around your area.

Mike
San Diego

[elansprint71]

Ian-
Why do the engine and gearbox HAVE to come out?

Mark-
Why does the body HAVE to come off?

I looks to me like we have an un-messed-about-with car which broke a drive-coupling and was put away in a friendly environment; the like of which we do not have in the UK. Why turn this into a load of boxes of bits for someone else to put together in 15-20 years time?

I helped to pull a car which had not run for 70 years out of a barn, we had it running in two hours and through an MoT test in a week. No major dismantling involved, just sensible engineering checks.

[Elanintheforest]

Fresh petrol and a new battery...she'll be right!

[elansprint71]

Fresh petrol and a new battery...she'll be right!

Absolutely, she who thinks Australian, drinks Australian (except it tastes like weasel piss).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwP1JSmVDSA

No worries.

[Ianashdown57]

Hi,

The engine and gearbox have to come out because it has the wrong engine in it at the moment. The correct engine is in the 65 that I also bought. So the engine could be checked out and freshened as necessary in comfort and convenience on the stand.

I'll decide about the body lift when I've had a chance to check it out really carefully. If I can leave it alone I probably will.

I'm often in San Diego as I have clients and vendors there that I visit often. Where would I get some of the magical goop for the seats? They seem to be in really great original condition, but I hope to prevent them from cracking by softening them a little if possible. The stitching seems to be in tact.

I plan to di just as suggested, put some gas in it and get it running - carefully - before deciding exactly what needs to be done. I really do want the keep as much original as I possibly can.

I'm going to try attaching some pictures, I hope it works.

Thanks for all the advice,

Ian

[twincamman]

any drug store will have it ... glycerin --ed

[cal44]

Ian,
PM sent.

Mike