Which tools?

[richardf]

I am starting to build up a toolkit for my Elan +2. Anyone got any ideas for any tools
I should get. I'm looking to build up a list of stuff to buy this year.
Any help on specific tools for the elan would be appreciated.

I've already got a fire extinguisher!

Thanks

Richard

[twincamman]

ad a gold credit card and and a cell phone and you have everything covered --- ed

[Old English White]

... Tow rope ?(the car is very low and a bar 'll crack the body) Add trottle cable and belt in the spare wheel , store gaskets in plastic enveloppe under the boot ,don't forget fuses(they have changed a lot since!) if weight no problem , fix a second coil next to the first , a set of plugs , strong large tape always help (fixing everything from body bits -see my gallery!-to perforated hoses ... + all classic tools.
Christian.

[curly type 26]

A great sense of humour and someone with a wide angle lens to photograph grin when blasting down one of those bendy windey up & downy roads that a Lotus was always meant for, as for tools all A/F i think but whatever you buy make sure it is good quality in the long run cheap crap costs you more, I have run lotus cars since 1975 and as long as you maintain correctly they are pretty reliable Colin

[stuartgb100]

Correction:

pretty AND reliable

well.........most of the time!

Regards,
Stuart.

[Old English White]

... I was trying to be realistic ... but some are rich or optimistic , depending of the side of the ocean ... so ... which is your's?
Christian.

[JJDraper]

I second carrying a spare throttle cabe - mine snapped a few days ago (well, swmbo was driving it as usual) so it had to be left in a car park for a few days until Matty's sent a spare (18hrs from call to delivery). Other usefull bits include a good pair of grips, and a selection of A/F combo spanners, especially 9/16th - metric fits until you put some pressure on, then you end up with rounded nuts (painfull)... If you like clean hands keep a few hand wipes, or rubber surgical gloves - try explaining them to swmbo!

Tow rope is good, but beware being towed - even a regulation 4m towrope seems frighteningly short when a lotus is behind any modern car - you cannot see anything...:<>

Finally the most important thing is a mobile phone & charger kept in the car at all times - a cheap and nasty 'pay as you go' with a little credit on is good (my kid's cast off ones - I can't be seen dead using it!). This way even if you go for a little blast and forget your usual phone you still have one to explain why you will be a little late to swmbo.

[SADLOTUS]

Hi jjdraper
With a name like that i'd expect a bit more of a tooly type answer.

[twincamman]

well if you lose the throttle cable you have most likley lost the small clamp that goes in the carb linkage actuating arm and holds the cable ---so one of these little buggars at 12 oclock at night is worth hundreds of dollars because yours will be in the fast lane a half a mile back so-----get one for a spare ed

[JJDraper]

Well SADLOTUS was already taken....!

[reb53]

A standard toolkit of spanners, screwdrivers, tape etc. is all you will need. The answer is not to try and carry one of everything but to keep up the maintenance on a regular basis. When things are apart, and they will be regularly, keep an eye out for anything else that is looking a bit tired.
Despite what the know-alls will tell you there is nothing intrinsically unreliable about Elans, but they aren't built like tractors and don't seem to tolerate casual, "when it's necessary", type maintenance.
When used as a work car for 20 years and about 300,000 kms. my Sprint never failed to get me to where I was going. Plenty of minor problems but nothing out of the ordinary for an early 1960s car.
Last time I checked the toolkit it was rusting!

Ralph.

[Old English White]

... Eh Twincamman , your story about "the small clamp" has the smell the reality ... even for me !
Last year , this happend to me , 1km from home ... by chance , the complete assembly fall in front of a couple walking along , they collect everything so that's why I forgot to add this on "the" list ... but is this still availlable?
Christian.

[Rob_LaMoreaux]

I've had the throttle be a problem twice (strombergs). The first time the clamp popped out of the arm just as I entered the drive to my destination, so I coasted into a parking spot. It had been threatening to fall out so I had a bought a spare and it was in the glovebox. Unfortunately this was just a bolt with a hole through it so a year later the cable broke as I left the southern wisconsin hotel that the Lotus Owners Gathering was at. I coasted into a parking lot, got out and tried to figure out how I was going to fix it since I had left the spare cable at home. Well I looked up and the parking lot was for a bicycle store that was open on a Sunday afternoon. $5 later I had a new cable and a spare. Mountain bike brake cables work great. I did have to trim the end down a little, but it works quite well.

I later changed the clamp to a throttle clamp for a lawn mower and that works much better. The replacement clamp did not turn freely on the lever so it flexed the throttle everytime the throttle was opened. This cause the cable to break. The lawn mower clamp pivots freely on the lever and has a separate bolt to clamp the cable so I don't foresee and more problems with that.

I do carry a GearWrench tool set <http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1285783&cp=1259497&parentPage=family&searchId=1259497>. It has a half dozen ratcheting combination wrenches and some sockets plus a screwdriver with various bits. This and some small screwdrivers and a needle nose pliers cover most needs. I have needed carb parts, damper oil, and engine oil, but that about covers my problems away from home. On the other hand my car is a good car and always gets me where I am going before falling apart.

Rob

[triumphelan]

Plenty of "bandaids"

[mark030358]

a big f@#k off hammer!!!!!