New Member - S4 Elan owner - Nottinghamshire, UK.

[RobMc]

Hi all,

I am the proud owner of 1969 S4 Elan which was previously owned by my eldest brother. He bought the car in1977 for £780, and I bought it off him a few years later for not much more. I rebuilt it in 1984/5 on a tight budget, replacing the original with a Spyder space frame chassis and adding a roll cage and side members, making it into a convertible at the same time. Taking the advice of someone at Spyder, rather than taking years (and money I did not have) on making the car concourse condition, I focussed on getting it back on the road as quickly as possible to have the enjoyment of driving it. Really pleased I did because it gave me the a huge amount of enjoyment, and at times buttock clenching excitement.

Since the arrival of my eldest son in 1999 the Elan has been on blocks ever since! I have now started work to get it back on the road, and have been making regular reference to the mine of information on this forum.

Many thanks to all of you for sharing your wealth of experience and knowledge over the years!

Rob.

[StressCraxx]

So glad to hear you are bringing it back to life.

[innesw]

Welcome to the forum Rob, hopefully we can be of help to you.
There's one thing I have learned from the forum and that is people love pictures!

If you fancy it start a topic or build thread about your car. Add little bits when you can, by the end you will be surprised with the extent you have documented the process. I wish I did more of that with my car.

Innes

[Verve]

Hi Rob ,

I`m an " Old Member with an Elan S4 In Nottinghamshire " ... so feel free to get in touch : )

Cheers ,

Paul !

[RobMc]

Thanks for your words of welcome. It's always encouraging to get some replies from an initial post.

Welcome to the forum Rob, hopefully we can be of help to you.
There's one thing I have learned from the forum and that is people love pictures!

If you fancy it start a topic or build thread about your car. Add little bits when you can, by the end you will be surprised with the extent you have documented the process. I wish I did more of that with my car.

Innes

Innes, your suggestion is a great one. As a starter for 10 I am trying to post the only photo I have to hand from 2010 which is a photo for the insurers! Hopefully it will display when posted (I can see there is an image icon in the Preview but not sure if this means it will display when posted). If not I will try again after a bit of reading on how to post photos

[Bud English]

Rob, welcome and this may help....
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=27816

[RobMc]

Thanks Bud,

The link has made me realise I should have looked a bit further down the page

On second attempt, here is the photo of my starting point. Paintwork in desperate need of sorting, but not before I get her back on the road for a bit of enjoyment first.

[The Veg]

Welcome Rob!

[Elanintheforest]

Welcome Rob. I think that running / renovating an Elan on a budget in the 1970s was the norm for many of us! I bought my S3 Coupe (which I still have) in 1976 for £380, and whilst it was roadworthy the chassis was rather rusty in the usual places. But a plate was simply fabricated and pop-rivetted onto the upright and around the vacuum chamber which kept it going for a year until I could afford the new chassis. I seem to remember an old cocoa tin being pressed into service as the replacement vacuum chamber as well!

I am just going through an S4 convertible that I bought 12 or so years back, and that has been off the road for 35 years. I'm having a lot of fun getting it sorting and it's hugely satisfying getting things to come back to life after so long being dormant. It took a while to de-mystify the electrics, especially the headlamps with the 3 relays and flasher unit under the bonnet, but it's all pretty straightforward when you plod through.

The S3 is watching with a little bit of jealousy now as the S4 is getting all the attention, so next year I will get her sorted properly applying my new-found (and remembered) knowledge and enthusiasm.

Here's my topic on bringing the S4 back to life..not a lot left to do now. viewtopic.php?f=19&t=45156

Mark Kempson

[Sploder90]

Welcome Rob

Sure you will enjoy getting the Elan on the road again.
My only regret is not buying one sooner..
Still plenty on my to do list, which has stalled a bit now I have got it back on the road
Mel