Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Yes, sills are rusty. Chassis on the other hand, has little rust that I can find, but severely cracked at front towers.
Tom

If you decide to lift the Body change the Sills first
Alan

Good advice, thanks. I'll certainly do them first. Tom

This topic shows with many pictures (best ones off-site but linked) how I repaired my front turrets.
lotus-suspension-f42/how-repaired-rusty-front-suspension-turrets-t16727.html?hilit=turret

http://www.datahighways.co.uk/photos/og ... repair.htm

but the repair was done BEFORE the turret geometry had changed !!

In your case I would recommend body off & new chassis/sub-frame.

I am not sure where you are in NH (I grew up in Plaistow and Hampton), but you might check in with Bill Fralick, he has a lot of experience resurrecting old elans. lotus-elan-f19/another-elan-the-road-t21176.html Good luck with the repair. Dan

billwill wrote:This topic shows with many pictures (best ones off-site but linked) how I repaired my front turrets.
lotus-suspension-f42/how-repaired-rusty-front-suspension-turrets-t16727.html?hilit=turret

http://www.datahighways.co.uk/photos/og ... repair.htm

but the repair was done BEFORE the turret geometry had changed !!

In your case I would recommend body off & new chassis/sub-frame.

The problem I have with your repair, Bill., is that is almost exactly what was done to my car before I purchased it in 1984. It started cracking the first year, and failed completely after the second year driving.

If you do not replace the closing place, the structure just isn't right.

The new metal is rigid and everything tries to move around it.

It works until one day it doesn't

My alignment was fine, until the day it wasn't

Mine I walked out of work and could see about 2 inches of toe out from across the parking lot.

Of course I drove it home....

I think the rigid metal maintained the camber, but eventually they just started to twist off of the car

If I really really wanted to save a stock chassis, and needed it to look stock, I would probably make the closing plates out of .09 or .125 and the towers .09. Then they will outlast the rest of the chassis anyway.

When I fabbed new towers, they lasted about 10 years. The back of the towers literally tore after a vigorous track day. I didn't find out till after I drove it home.......800 miles.............

I have never heard of a replacement galvy or Spyder chassis failing from rust