Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Allan,
I picked up on your comment that you were more worried about someone slamming into the car than actually rolling over. I'm not sure if I mentioned in my email that Spyder can supply the side impact and footwell intrusion bars without the roll over bar. details are herehttp://www.spydercars.com/elan_side_and_foot_well_protecti.htm

Using the low back seats with the roll over bar seems to be okay for tall passengers, they can use the full depth of the footwell for their legs and feet unlike on the drivers side where the pedals are in the way, my brother has no problem at 6'1" on either side. The federal seats look like they get in the way quite a bit, taking out the headrest and recovering them is an option, but the price for the cover kits is exorbitant, see here http://www.newtoncomm.co.uk/cars/lotus-elan/elan-series-4-1968-73/seats/5045-series-4-seat-recovering-kit/.


Gary,
Thanks for being my archivist with the pictures

Alan, You are correct, I feel that should I go upside down, nothing less than a full cage would be able to help me. My head extends above the bar and windshield would flatten in a heart beat. My thinking was the sill bars would do nothing in a side impact as most cars here in the states would just roll over the bars. But preventing the front wheels to intrude in the passenger compartment on a frontal hit or a tree or lamp post from the side would a good thing, but only thing that I could hope the bars will do. I see the roll bar as additional side protection. The front of my Tahoe is about the wheel base of the Elan, so if something that big hits me, the vertical part of the roll bar might transfer the hit to the chassis and prevent the front of the impact car from entering the passenger compartment. Well at least that is what I am thinking.

Yes, I have been researching upholstery and it appears if you want the correct material and pleat welds, you will have to pay for them. But with that said, I am not kidding myself about the cost of this restoration. Needless to say, the cost of the car will be inconsequential. I figure I'll be spending over $4,000 USD with Spyder and waiting for quotes for what I think will be over $5,000 USD with either Paul Matty or Sue Miller, and we haven't even added air freight to the US yet. Add in the Weber head I just bought, Webers, engine rebuild, paint, tires, gearbox rebiuld, diff rebuild, new Konis, and what ever else, and I am sure I am going to be in excess of $20K if not more just in hard parts and machining. So another $1-2K for upholstery seems inconsequential given the whole. Plus I will have the best Sprint clone on the planet lol. Well at least one that I cannot buy for the money I spent. Just look at your car, I am sure you spent a ton for that restoration and it is perfect. I wasn't kidding about the bar you set, it is lofty, but I will do my best to replicate what you did. The good thing is that restoring cars has been my sigular passion for the past 40 years. As a result, I have amassed enough tools, equipment, and skill sets to restore anything or fabricate parts if not available. Counting my labor as zero is the only way to make this kind of work affordable. Check out my website at http://www.TheLolaRegistry.Com and see all the nonsense I get myself into under "Project Cars". Thank you again for the help and I am sure I will be coming back to you for more insight in the future. Thanks Allan