Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I've noticed that some braided clutch hoses have 90 bends both ends.

And some have a banjo at one end, and 90 bend at the other.

Simple question.......which is the better option, and why!

The best clutch hose is the original one. Keep it away from the hot exhaust pipe though. Most have survived 50 years without issue. Sexy looking no. But good quality yes.

And a third version is banjo's at both ends. That's what Sue Miller supplied to me, it fitted OK so no complaints.

Can't seem to contact Sue Miller.
No reply to phone calls/emails?

Just spoke to Sue.

Her hoses come in boxes.....and she sends them out.

She doesn't know about the end fittings!

Imho forget the Banjo music and fit as original lol.
Alan

I fitted a clutch hose with a 90 degree bend at the master end and a banjo at the slave.This allows me to move the slave cylinder forwards without removing the hose just enough to remove it before hitting the exhaust manifold.I can then bleed it whilst kneeling at the drivers side and pushing the clutch pedal by hand.Much easier than bleeding from under the car as i could never quite get the bleed nipple to the top.

A good idea from Yorkshire I think!

And I've got a friend here who will pump the pedal.

I was born and brought up in part of Leeds, now known as the Big Apple.

I've got an Earl's braided hose on order from TTR.

90 deg one end, banjo the other.

TTR now advise me that their clutch hose is for Elan only, not for my plus 2.

Sue Miller is currently out of stock.

I've ordered one from Kelvedon

hi Alfa dave,
you know if you have a brake pipe tool and a short flexible brake hose you can make one yourself.
Like the original and no problems. Why re-invent the wheel, it was ok for 70 years!!!!!!!!
Yes i know i like to keep original but that's me.
Alan

2cams70 wrote:The best clutch hose is the original one. Keep it away from the hot exhaust pipe though. Most have survived 50 years without issue. Sexy looking no. But good quality yes.

My original one didn't have the option to position it anywhere else. The metal end got hot and the red plastic melted within it and failed (see pic- you can see the melted part that extruded from the fitting). My former Esprit used the same type of red plastic line originally, horrible stuff- expands a bit under pressure, not so bad for a short run like in an Elan but woefully inadequate for applications like a Esprit that are more than six feet long.

Never seen that before with red plastic.
Only kunifer parts and brake hose flexible.
Alan

Those red lines were original on Sevens of the era, too.

The red lines were used all the way up to at least 1987.