Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Was crawling around under Yelotus tonight, actually investigating something other than suspension, but thought I'd take a few pics just for your amusement (or just for y'all's amusement, as we say around my neck of the woods).

How has that passed your vehicle inspection?

What inspection? I'm in USA. In the vast majority of this country you can register a car and keep it legal indefinitely without the law ever laying eyes on it. One exception was when I lived in TexSux, but even there it's more of a basic safety inspection (wipers, lights, etc.) than anything resembling an MOT.

We're such savages over here!

Is that the rare hydraulic sway bar adjuster I see?

The Texas inspection consists of:
1. Horn
2. Windshield Wipers
3. Mirror
4. Steering
5. Seat Belts
6. Brakes (system) (Parking - beginning with 1960 models)
7. Tires
8. Wheel Assembly
9. Exhaust System
10. Exhaust Emission System (beginning with 1968 models)
11. Beam Indicator (beginning with 1948 models)
12. Tail Lamps (2); (1) if 1959 model or earlier
13. Stop Lamps (3) 1986 and newer; (2) if 1960-1985; (1) if 1959 model or earlier
14. License Plate Lamp (1)
15. Rear Red Reflectors (2)
16. Turn Signal Lamps (beginning with 1960 models)
17. Head Lamps (2)
18. Motor, Serial, or Vehicle Identification Number
19. Gas caps on vehicles 2-24 model years old
20. Window Tint.

So about the same as any reasonable person would do before a long trip in a vehicle.

I paid $7 for mine the other weekend, so you can guess how little effort is actually put in...

Thanks for sharing the photos and making me smile. there's not a lot wrong under there that a few hours and a set of bushes wouldn't put right.
Good place for attaching the earth strap on the sway bar drop link, at least that part looks new.

I'm guessing Yelotus is a drop head with a noisy exhaust, so you don't hear the sway bar clicking every time you go over an uneven road surface?

There's talk of exempting MOT testing for vehicles built before 1987 in the UK, at the moment any vehicle built before 1960 is exempt, although you can still voluntarily test. I have had a few things advised on MOT tests and have been failed on a safety issue about 3 or 4 years ago. The MOT test focuses me to maintain the cars properly at least once a year. If the exemption goes ahead I'm wondering if I will fall behind a little.

Spyder fan wrote:There's talk of exempting MOT testing for vehicles built before 1987 in the UK, at the moment any vehicle built before 1960 is exempt, although you can still voluntarily test. I have had a few things advised on MOT tests and have been failed on a safety issue about 3 or 4 years ago. The MOT test focuses me to maintain the cars properly at least once a year. If the exemption goes ahead I'm wondering if I will fall behind a little.

Somewhat off the original topic I know, but I think these UK MOT change proposals are unwise. I'd keep the present three year period. The Government is too keen to boast of abolishing "red tape", when some red tape or regulation is perfectly sensible.
For those who want to register their views for or against the proposes change, there is an online government survey: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/H8EJR/ and an explanation here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/585256/extending-the-period-of-the-first-MOT-from-3-to-4-years.pdf

Dear all, reading your posts I do realize that USA is the car owner paradise but do not forget that paradise is not far from hell... In belgium, even old car must conform to a deep (very deep) technical scrutineering and a very severe administrative control....If car does not pass these both and simultaneous scrutineering control you are not allow to drivre the car (even in race ) and not to have it insured (companies refuse to assure)and if at second time if it does not pass (as we say)you just have to call a trailer to go home...All technical scrutineers are recognized and ""homologated"" to act for the state of Belgium so ....no possibility of cheating and you do it every two years...I think it is a little bit to "hard" but USA is a little bit too "smooth" perhaps.... I join a green card of one of my car it is the original one you must have when you decide to put the car on road after buying it....as second hand) in the way you can realize how many points are (very really) controlled....sorry for fotos but not very efficient in that domain....when there is a hole in face of a case that means it is not good but you can have small bad things before being fired of the station.....(ha ha ha )
Roger

"Inspections, we don't need no stinking inspections".
Street legal in Nevada...



With no disrespect to "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" or thread drift.

Spyder fan wrote:I'm guessing Yelotus is a drop head with a noisy exhaust, so you don't hear the sway bar clicking every time you go over an uneven road surface?

No, Plus 2 with a noisy exhaust!

Actually in 14 months of ownership I've only run the engine for under 20 minutes and only driven the car about 1/8 mile, and not running well during that 1/8, so I really don't know what it should be like with everything right.

Earth strap- yes, it does appear to be new, as does the starter which I also noticed while underneath. Thank you, previous owner!

The rotten suspension components got noticed way back when I first got the car, and they are definitely on my project list.

Oops! I really don't read the detail or catch the visual clues... . your signature says +2 and your avatar shows the license plate lamps and chrome fender from a Riley Elf with a centre section welded in. So that's a +2 with a noisy exhaust... doh!

Bud,
I like the pictures of the redneck "specials". The suicide doors are overkill on the street rod, to call it a death trap would be underselling.

Spyder fan wrote:I like the pictures of the redneck "specials". The suicide doors are overkill on the street rod, to call it a death trap would be underselling.

Yes, but that good ol' V8 sittin' out there in the sunshine will make 'er do at least a buck twenty before the doors rattle open and slow 'er down a mite!

Not all states are so lax. My Europa is currently sidelined because the Massachusetts tester expects there to be less play in the front end than when it came out of Hethel. But I do agree in general that things are easier here.

I did have a pair of guys once scratch their heads, attempt to plug the tailpipe to find the leaks, then conclude it really should be that loud. And he doesn't have to sit with his ears less than a foot from the Weber where the real noise comes from on long highway trips.

denicholls2 wrote:Not all states are so lax. My Europa is currently sidelined because the Massachusetts tester expects there to be less play in the front end than when it came out of Hethel. But I do agree in general that things are easier here.

You need a different tester. My guy - an enthusiast himself, with eclectic tastes (I've seen everything from a Humvee, to a drag racing Camaros, to British sports cars - currently one of those Mercedes SSK lookalike things) looks at it, asks me if everything is OK, and slaps a sticker on it... But another station a ways down the road got me for an inoperative windshield washer after no one in the state had checked it in 30 years.