Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I want to replace the sealed beams in my 1969 S4 with a set of halogen H4 replacement units. There are two problems:

1. The manual suggests a tool be made to pull off the trim ring. What should this be made from. There is precious little room between the rong and the headlight pod, so it needs to be thin. But it also needs to be strong enough not to bend. Any ideas?

2. I have the headlights that are held open by vacuum. The lights will stay up for a short time after the engine is turned off, but is there any way to manually keep them up without putting any strain on the mechanism?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Steve B.

Steve
Headlamp ring removal tool, i made mine from a strip of stainless about 1/2" by 6",all you have to do is hammer the end back on itself,works a treat

John

I made my trim ring removal tool from an old butter knife. You don't want a blade that's too wide or it will scratch your paint as you work it down to the bottom of the ring.

Gary
'71 Elan Sprint

I remove mine from the inside of the engine compartment. There's a small hole in the pod right behind the spring clip of the ring. You need to get back there with a small screwdriver to pop the spring clip. Sure beats the risk of scratching paint!

I dont bother to refit my h/l rims after all the headlights are usually only used at night so nobody see's them anyway ............O.K. if you want to enter the car in a show then refit them. :rolleyes:
Brian.

Thanks for the responses.

We use the car for shows, but also have been on overnight trips to Lime Rock and other venues. The original lights are terrible. Also, the right light is dim on both high and low beams, so I am assuming the ground wire is the problem.

Steve B.

You may want to swap out the original generator for one of the alternator conversions offered by RD or Dave Bean. Elan owners who have report better performance of electrical accessories.

Tom Roberds