Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Personally I don't find the couplings seperating from the metal the problem, but the rubber cracking itself. I don't blame the vendors since it's all they have to sell. With more drivers going to CV joints there are fewer of us who enjoy the windup and less incentive for someone to manufacture a proper coupling.

Fred Talmadge wrote:Personally I don't find the couplings seperating from the metal the problem, but the rubber cracking itself. I don't blame the vendors since it's all they have to sell. With more drivers going to CV joints there are fewer of us who enjoy the windup and less incentive for someone to manufacture a proper coupling.

Agree Fred. The other issue is the bolt holes made of folded steel that collapse under torque, causing fatigue failure of the bolt.

alan.barker wrote:Dave,
i know Miles Wilkins has closed his Garage but i think he is still supplying parts.
If you can buy some from him they might be NOS
Alan

He has a box full of them (I saw them when I visited him in... errrm... December I think) but I don't believe they are NOS. However, as he is most insistent that one should never use CV joints, I would hope they were good enough quality. The only real problem is the cost, in that a full set is ~60% the cost of a set of CV jointed shafts. Which is why I chose CV joints, to remove any doubt about what was going on under my car. I'm sure if a) there was no concern about the quality of modern doughnuts and b) they were a little less ruinously priced, I would have stuck with them.

Oh, by the way, Miles is still supplying parts, if you can catch him when he is in. He sold me a (genuine Lotus) water temperature sender last week.

alan.barker wrote:Dave,
i know Miles Wilkins has closed his Garage but i think he is still supplying parts.
If you can buy some from him they might be NOS
Alan

When I spoke to Miles Wilkins a couple of years ago when the doughnuts weren't available, the supplier had made a batch but was waiting for Lotus to pay for them before being released. Lotus would then send them on to Miles and he would send them on to Sue Miller, etc etc. The supplier would not deal with Miles direct as they wanted to keep their contact with Lotus.

In speaking to Miles recently he is keeping the parts business going. Jim

Detailed guide on how to replace doughnuts (rotoflex).

lotus-gearbox-f37/replacing-the-doughnuts-t16456.html

Hi Dave,
A pair of Rotoflex joints posted this morning.
This should allow you to get the car back on the road until you make a considered decision.
It took me about a week to fit Kelvedon CV shafts,
Everything that comes off needs some attention, if only painting, and I shortened the Koni shock absorber shafts for droop limitation. It would be quicker to buy new ones but these were in excellent condition.
Best of luck
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC
PM sent with personal details

StressCraxx wrote:We are using guibo couplings on formula cars making more than 170lb/ft of torque. They require spacers, but fit well. They will take the torque our engines produce. There were previous discussions about them.

http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/lotus-gearbox-f37/rotoflex-not-rotoflex-t26435.html

Those couplings will certainly work in a formula car with its limited suspension movement. has anyone actually tried them in an Elan with the much grater angular deflection than these couplings were designed for. Their design is based on use in a prop shaft with almost no deflection .

cheers
Rohan

Hi,

I purchased some from PMS not too long ago, I asked about quality etc and was told there are a lot of cheap Chinese copies on the market at the minute. They assured me that what they sell are the high quality Dunlop Motorsport type.

Hope this Helps!

Hi Eric,
Many thanks for your kind generosity and I look forward to receiving them. I remember when I replaced them 8 to 10 years ago they were great fun to put in!
And also thanks to everyone on this site for there help and support over the years, this has to be the best forum on the web.
Thanks
David

For an alternative source from the usual try an industrial manufacturer. I have used Robush for suspension bushes and they also show donuts on their website.