Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I another small car with heat problems dealt with with a nice big fan..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiEC2_6j ... 1&index=31

Not grade 1 listed though..

Jeremy

The point is a bit moot, as there are no good doughnuts available.
I personally have always liked the feel of the doughnuts, but I will be buying the Elantrikbits Conversion.
As an engineer I like the design, and thought gone into it.
If I could get good quality doughnuts I'd probably stay with them.

BTW, I live in the U.S., and have very old steel frame windows, not quite pre-war, and there is a company that made
custom double pane conversions for the frames. I don't like the look of plastic cookie cutter windows.

Tim
Elan #3235

Lotus14S2 wrote:The point is a bit moot, as there are no good doughnuts available.
I personally have always liked the feel of the doughnuts, but I will be buying the Elantrikbits Conversion.
As an engineer I like the design, and thought gone into it.
If I could get good quality doughnuts I'd probably stay with them.

I agree 100%.

I like the donuts, they give the car a unique feel.

I intend to switch to solids when these ones are worn out though as the risk of a dodgy donut letting go is too horrible to contemplate.

Peter
66S2

hatman wrote:

worzel wrote:
...does your pre-war house still have cast iron window frames or do you prefer to keep out the elements with plastic?

Ah, but you wouldn't be permitted to fit double glazing to a Grade 1 listed building would you? (and an Elan is certainly the equivalent of Grade 1 listing status ).

You had best think about shopping me to the local planning authority on that one then! Hate to think what the fine would be for illegal incorrect renovation of two Elan's (Zetec +2 & Duratec S4) and they both have solid driveshafts with CV's.... naughty, naughty!!

Regards

Excellent thread, this. I'd have voted anyway, but events yesterday evening have brought this issue much more sharply into focus. Yes, I've now experienced the joy of a split Rotoflex. When I bought my Plus 2 a few months ago I had a good look at the donuts, as I knew they were a potential weak point. I was pleased to see that they appeared to be in excellent nick, with the rubber smooth and new-looking. Then, on the way to my girlfriend's last night, the car started clonking on the nearside when I accelerated; initially I wondered if the n/s rear wheel might have loosened (I'd had tubes put in the tyres a couple of days ago) but when I stopped it clearly wasn't that. I removed the wheel and felt round the coupling - sure enough, there was a split developing where one of the bolts goes through. Then a phone call or two, a ride home on a low-loader, pick up the Deuche and out again. Not a great start to the weekend. It's bright and sunny today; perfect for a spin in the Plus 2, which obviously won't be happening now! So on Monday I'll be ordering some solid drive shafts.

From my own point of view this is as much an issue of reliability and peace of mind as anything else; as other posters have said (and I'd heard this elsewhere too) it's simply not possible to get decent quality Rotoflex couplings any more. The recovery chap last night, who clearly knew a thing or two about such matters, said exactly the same. I don't mind the gear change surge, though it always takes me a few changes to get used to it again, but I do mind very much the idea of having a car I can't drive, or the worry that the damn things could go at any time. As I said, the ones on my car looked almost new, so how can I be confident that new ones would last a reasonable time? Plus, of course, a one-off fitting compared to regular wrestling appeals. As for cost, it seems to me that two sets of couplings plus nuts and bolts will more than pay for a pair of solid shafts. So, in the longer term, donuts work out costing more.

I'd be interested to know posters' views on the various solid drive shafts on offer - I had (and have) Mick Miller ones very much in mind, but this is largely because they're the ones I knew about first. Any thoughts?

Cruller anyone?