Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi All,

I hope someone can shed some insights so I can get behind the wheel and enjoy the car again.

I'm close to completing a restoration of a Series 1 Elan, 26/0429 when hit by the latest obstacle to it returning to the road/track. The car was put on the dyno to bed rings in prior to tuning mixtures and final power tune. I've just had to remove the reconditioned DCOE 40 Tipo 16 carburettors due to excessive air leaks from the throttle shaft seals. the carburettors were restored a few years ago and have sat bagged awaiting fitment.

Fortunately as the car will be returning to he track I had also bought a set of DCOE45's 152's with 36mm chokes and recommended jetting for the Kent L14 cams which are now on it, fitted and it is now idling smoothly and will be on the Dyno Monday morning. As the car will be used on road and track my preference is to use the 40's with 33 or 34mm chokes and appropriate jetting to make the bottom end more tractable.

So I have a few questions for you all so I can plan my next step:

1. The seals are new, just seemingly ineffective,can anyone let me know if it is possible to upgrade these with the later seals bearing and or shafts etc. I have a number of sets of these and also the early DCOE 45 Tipo 9's and DCOE 42's so would prefer to understand best solution

2. The leather seals had been soaked in something like grease, what should be used to soften and make the leather else porous if no upgrade option exists?

3. The 78 deg 30 min throttle plates have small holes drilled in the lower part of each throttle plate, I was told this was toast with low speed running when fitted to engines with hot cams or on siamese port engines. Is this correct? If replacing shafts should i fit new plates of same or 79 deg plates? which would better align with progression holes?

Cheers Vaughan

Hi Vaughan,
replace the bearings with fully sealed bearings which are available from Weber Performance in Melbourne. I would be tempted to solder the extra hole in the throttle plate and do a test run.
cheers Alan P

Thanks Alan, I was wondering if the bearing diameters were the same. Are any special tools required to draw out the bearing etc? Or gentle heat and light tap?

I'll get onto them on Monday

Cheers

V

After you remove the throttle plates and pump lever (2mm punch I think,) knock the shaft out with one bearing attached and then remove bearing from shaft and tap out other bearing with shaft.
cheers
AL

Thanks Al, hopefully I'll make a better job of it than the chap who I paid to rebuild them!

V

Panda wrote:After you remove the throttle plates and pump lever (2mm punch I think,) knock the shaft out with one bearing attached and then remove bearing from shaft and tap out other bearing with shaft.
cheers
AL

I would seriously warn against that if you have brass shafts.

Ask me how I know.

Jon the Chief

Hi Jon,
What happened?

In my case, the shafts came out easily after heating with paint removing gun, the old bearings were dry and rusty, on the rear carb and the throttle plates showed dirt stains.

To refit I used same procedure to heat the body, etc, following the weber rebuild instructions, I'll refit them on Thursday

Cheers

V

Hi,
I expect Jon is talking about this? A suitable packing piece should be used in place of the butterfly plate in removal . If the bend is not obvious in the pic it is bent at the weak section by the plate fixing holes. Steel spindles are not quite as weak.
FWIW
Ron.

Yes that is the problem getting the second bearing out.

As a footnote, the other brass shaft is good.

I am willing to let it go to a good home, (Not to be resold on Ebay)

Jon the Chief