Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I'm aiming to fit new rotoflexes shortly.
Is there a 'how to do' somewhere?
Would it be wise to fit new bolts and nuts as well, or are the old ones good enough to reuse?
Will I have to lower the suspension in order to access the rotoflexes? If so, then I can fit the new bushings, as well..

You Will have to disconnect the lower arm at one end to get the shaft out especially if you have a later failsafe type but you don't have to drop the whole suspension.

The other problem is getting it all to line up again at full rebound, I found it easiest to put the vehicle back on it's wheels (ie compress the suspension) to get the last bolts in.

kevin

Hi there

I would agree with what Kevin says, the only difference is I have made a special block of wood so I can safely jack up under the wishbone. This way I can keep the weight on the suspension but have the wheel off for better access, I can also rotate the driveshaft to get them in the best position for inserting the bolts.

I would suggest using new nyloc nut for the job but provided the bolts are not unduly corroded, I'd reuse these. Do make sure however that they are the correct special ones with the long shank and short thread as per the workshop manual. My car had at some point in the past had been re-assembles with standard bolts.

Andy

Andy - could you post a picture of your "special block of wood" & where you place it ?

Richard

I agree with Andy's method, having done the same thing myself, including the 'special' bit of wood. The same goes for work on the front suspension, where I have drilled the wooden block to allow the roll bar mounting threaded bit (technical term) to pass down a hole. I always make sure the car is securely on secure axle stands, then jack up the suspension with the bit of wood until the car rises slightly off the axle stands. This way if your bit of wood fails (they do..) the car drops back onto axle stands.

Jeremy

Re. compressing rotoflexes, three jubilee clips joined end to end works a treat - used on Hillman Imps as well.. fit before removing RTFX bolts - don't remove clips before refitting. This keeps the shape of the RTFX, helping with the line up of the bolts.

Hi There

The block I use is nothing fancy, it's just two pieces of wood glued and screwed together. The size of the larger piece is fairly important, it needs to be long and wide enough to spread the load evenly over the wishbone tubes but not so wide it fouls the bottom of the brake disc or the inside of the tyres. The smaller block stops the piece slipping and sliding up the inclined wishbone. I always use this when jacking up the rear of the car as I believes it prevents over stressing the Rotoflex couplings

One word of warning though, as Jeremy says do make sure you work safely and never rely on this method alone to support the car. I always put a axle stand and block of wood under the body just in front of the rear wheel I then just lower the car a little so this just takes some of the weight off the jack

OK - looks good, but can I clarify - do you use it North/South or Transversly across the Wishbone ?

I have constructed a U-shaped support for the chassis / body at the rear, but that doesn't help with supporting the wishbones.

richardcox_lotus wrote:OK - looks good, but can I clarify - do you use it North/South or Transversly across the Wishbone ?

Ummm - see that dotted line box on the diagram of the wishbone?

kstrutt11 wrote:You Will have to disconnect the lower arm at one end to get the shaft out especially if you have a later failsafe type but you don't have to drop the whole suspension.

I do mine without disconnecting the wishbone - they are the non-failsafe type. I have to release the couplings at both ends of the intermediate shafts to be able to do so, but it is possible. Having an inspection pit is invaluable for this...

Matthew

JJDraper wrote:Re. compressing rotoflexes, three jubilee clips joined end to end works a treat - used on Hillman Imps as well.. fit before removing RTFX bolts - don't remove clips before refitting. This keeps the shape of the RTFX, helping with the line up of the bolts.

Imho, this just about works, but the jubilee clip bands will bend if you try to compress a free rotoflex

An industrial hose clamp is much more up to the job, check out:
http://www.idealclamps.com/catalog/clam ... TION_ID=12

kstrutt11 wrote:The other problem is getting it all to line up again at full rebound, I found it easiest to put the vehicle back on it's wheels (ie compress the suspension) to get the last bolts in.
kevin

Couldn't agree more. Having the suspension compressed so the drive shaft is horizontal during removal /refitting is the secret of success.


But be sure it is safely supported

Ummm - see that dotted line box on the diagram of the wishbone?

Doh !

Rgds
Richard