Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi all,

I am going through the process of getting to know my +2 which I recently acquired, and unravelling some of the legacy issues. The latest one is that I appear to have a range of different size studs in the front hubs, mostly oversize (half inch). I found this out when I tried to replace a number of the studs which were knocked out, and the standard replacements (standard elan from sjsportscars) were too small. The corollary of this is that the holes in my steel wheels may all be oversize.

So my first question is, does anyone know the standard diameter of a plus 2 wheel stud (front and rear). Second question: if my studs are oversize, do I stick with it? Normally I would want to go back to standard, but I have steel wheels with holes to fit the larger size, and steel wheels are hard to find. I could theoretically have them all welded and drilled, or suck up the cost and get new alloys and tyres. I would also possibly need new front hubs, again very hard to find.

Need to measure the rears next...

Help! Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks
Al

Assuming you mean the drive pegs, are you sure they are the wrong size for the wheels rather than the hubs?
See my recent experience; lotus-elan-f19/fitting-wheel-drive-peg-t34711.html
Jim

Thanks Jim, I do mean drive pegs - are studs something different? Apologies if so. Top hat sounds interesting: does that mean they are wider at the base than where they fit the wheel itself?

I see from a search that the standard size appears to be 7/16". This is also the size of one that fell off. Looks like I should measure all the others to see how many are oversize, and measure the wheel holes also, to understand the extent of the problem.

Yes, the earlier top hat type have a thicker "waist" at the hat rim end to push (hard) fit in the hub. The bit that sticks out through the hub into the wheel holes is the same size. The earlier one are thinner at the base without a hat-rim. I call those "baby pegs" !
Jim

That should read; "later ones are thinner at the base".
Jim

Drive pins are 3/8 inch OD.
http://gglotus.org/ggtech/elan-panaspor ... ls-pg2.pdf

Kiyoshi

Thanks everyone. Bit controversial calling them "baby" pegs? Perhaps a new thread for the naming convention...?

lotus-gearbox-f37/peg-drive-spacing-t29928.html

it seems that some people have 7/16, some have 3/8 - does anyone know if there are two different drive peg sizes used? Many thanks.

There should only be one drive peg diameter and I am sure it is 3/8". Searching through the Service Parts lists I find only one part number for +2 road wheels, similarly only on part number for Elan knock-on road wheels, all suggesting only one hole diameter for the drive pegs. One curiosity resulting from my search is that the +2 Service Parts List has only one part number for the peg whereas the Elan Service Parts List shows two numbers. The part number for the later, non-flanged drive pegs for the Elan is 050G0011, indicating first use on the +2. So it seems that the transition to the non-flanged drive pegs came with introduction of the +2. Front hubs for the +2 are not difficult to find. I recently bought two from Spyder who removes and does not reuse these hubs on their Zetec conversions. New rear hubs are available from Tony Thompson Racing.

alanpearl wrote:Thanks everyone. Bit controversial calling them "baby" pegs? Perhaps a new thread for the naming convention...?

"Plus 2" (32nds) pegs?

Hi all,
in case it helps, i have been speaking to Kelvedon and also to Paul Matty today. They tell me that (i) Elans and +2s both have the same type of stud, and (ii) having measured the ones they have in stock, they are 7/16" (give or take a few thou). I have entirely 1/2" on my rear hubs, and a mix of 7/16 and 1/2* on the front hubs. I also have an odd spacer on the rear hubs (possibly due to fat tyres its been running). So I am off to an engineer to price up having some stepped studs manufactured and pressed in to get me back to standard, and to get my (steel) wheels welded and redrilled, as the peg holes are a minimum of 1/2" all round. Ho hum. I'll also check with Spyder and TT to price up replacement hubs - thanks very much for the tip.
Thanks for all the help,
Al

CBUEB1771 wrote:There should only be one drive peg diameter and I am sure it is 3/8".

I should have known I'd make a fool of myself with that statement, being made while I was at work and 25 miles away from a part that I could check.. When I got home tonight I measured the non-flanged drive pegs I got with new rear hubs from TTR. The peg diameters range from 0.4273 to 0.4276 inches, about .010" under 7/16". The holes in the new hubs are about 0.0012" under the peg diameter for a moderate interference fit.

Thanks Russ - trust me, if anyone's the fool it's me! Your dimensions match to what the Lotus guys told me, generally 427-430 thou. Thanks very much for checking - it's reassuring.

In case anyone is interested, the welding/redrilling of the existing steel wheels, and machining the existing hubs has turned out to be uneconomic. Lots of work and expense for an end product that I'm not sure I would fully be comfortable with, given it would involve an element of bodging even with the best machining. So I am going down the road of replacement hubs and wheels. If anyone has any +2 KO hubs they would be willing to sell for a fair price, please do let me know (Spyder have none at the moment; the TTR racing hubs are beautiful but a little pricey). I am checking with a local Elan owner who may have some, fingers crossed!
Thanks again,
Al