Rebuild sequence

[Donels]

My +2 is now ready for the paint shop Cv-19 permitting, chassis is rebuilt, engine rebuilt, and all other bits just about finished. Next stage after painting is putting it all back together, except I never took it all apart.

What's the suggested rebuild sequence? I was thinking wiring loom, then engine, but many rebuild shots show the engine installed in the chassis, then the body is fitted. Surely this makes fitting and clipping the harness and brake pipes, etc pretty difficult. What's the consensus on the sequence?

Dave

[661]

I can only tell you about my experiences with Elans rather than +2's , but it's all very cost dependent, or it was for me at least.
I decided to gradually purchase every item I needed and dry fit them before sending the body off to paint.
During the dry build you learn ( if you didn't know already) the things that would be best 'final' installed before putting the painted body back on.
I had fully restored 2 Elans before this present one and I had pretty much forgotten most of the previous lessons. I merely had the confidence to plough on, backed up by the various library sources and tools you need.

[Davefettback]

Chassis first.
Engine, driveline, brakes, fuel line rough set up of the suspension and alignment.
Body on
Then start at the trunk(boot) and work you way around fitting chrome, lights etc.
Then once all of that is done, wiring harness and test everything before fittting the dash.
From there it’s putting the final bits together and hoping nothing leaks.

Good luck

[alan.barker]

Hi Dave,
for me build complet rolling Chassis with Engine and Gearbox.
Don't fit Carbs before Body.
You need the Engine in place so you can Shim the Body off Chassis to stop Camcover touching the inside of the Bonnet and making cracks in your new Paintwork.
Brake lines "roll of Kunifer" and buy a good Brakepipe Flaring Tool.
Alan

[McBiter]

I'd agree with the last two comments. Complete the fixed work to the chassis- brakes, engine, gearbox,diff etc but leave off the carbs and possibly the exhaust as well. Fit the body to chassis and progress as you want.

[Donels]

Thanks guys. Good tip about cam cover to bonnet clearance, I had not thought of that.

Dave

[RichardHawkins]

Dave,

My method is slightly different, basically as above, but fit wiring to body before fitting body to the assembled chassis, engine, and drive train.

Just my opinion, and I have only done one Elan.

Richard Hawkins

[JLescenski]

Dave,

I am just starting the process, but there is a guy on Youtube, not sure if he is on the list (Paul H). He has done a series of videos of reassembling his elan S2. I got a lot out of his videos and have gone back to his videos as reference to see things I missed. Or in tracking down and identifying parts

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMQVoX ... 6xQ/videos

Good luck with it, it is an adventure, but so far, worth it.

John
65 Elan S2 26/4684

[saildrive2001]

I have only done my Elan, but it is much easier to work in the front of the body before it is installed on the chassis. I completed the wiring harnesses & everything I could in the engine bay first. As others have mentioned, complete the rolling chassis without mounting the carbs.

[Bigbaldybloke]

Pretty much as most people above, rolling chassis with bare engine in it, no carbs, exhaust manifold, alternator or starter motor, can't remember why no starter motor! Make sure brake and fuel lines are all in place. Check gearbox and diff oil, much easier at this stage!
Body on - bare shell, nothing in it at all, ( easy lift for 4 people) temporarily fit bonnet to check clearance to cam cover and when happy remove bonnet and secure body to chassis.
I then started with sound deadening followed by heater and fuel tank. moved on to complete bits in the nose cone, electric headlamp pod mod and horns and air filter housing. I made up my own front harness to incorporate various mods - electric fans and switch, electric screen wash, electronic ignition, alternator rather than generator, electric oil pressure sender, electric fuel pump and collision cut out switch etc. then fit auxilliaries to the engine, add radiator brake pedal box and exhaust, carbs, wiper motor etc.
Inside car, loosely install dashboard, steering column, handbrake etc and rear wiring harness. decide how you are going to vent the fuel tank and any filler mods and complete. Test all electrics work while you can still get behind the dash then fit the heater ducts and secure the dash finally in place.
Then its just work through the remaining stuff, doors, bonnet, boot lid, head lining, carpets, seats and glass, finish off the boot floor and trim.
Bleed brakes, check oil and water levels, add some fuel. If you have had the car up on stands and replaced the suspension bushes, leave them slightly loose until you have the car sitting on its wheels then finally tighten the suspension joints so the rubber in the bushes is not over stressed at full travel.
Thats about it, start it up, check it out and go for your first test drive!

PS, that can take several years!!!

[rgh0]

My sequence was

1. Build the rolling chassis, including bake and fuel line and handbrake cable in place
2. Do basic structural repairs to body while off chassis and paint engine bay and nose area.
3. Bare body mounted on rolling chassis with temporary bolting and sent to painter to finish surface prep and paint body, doors, boot lid and bonnet
4. Install all the trim, dash, glass and wiring and doors etc
5. Fit engine, exhaust ,radiator and gear box and diff and related bits
6. Check all clearances and shim and final bolt down body on chassis

cheers
Rohan

[alan.barker]

For me you need to have engine in place to check cam cover to inside of bonnet clearance before marking where to drill chassis. This also means making and putting in place shims so body is not stressed.
The problem is more for the horizontal bolts into the turrets. Also not too much stress on the steering rack lugs.
I prefer before painting to have the body fully secured to chassis. To let it settle for a while.
Everyone has their own little tips.
Alan

[Donels]

Thanks for your input guys. Very helpful.

Dave

[Bigbaldybloke]

Just for info, I built a wooden transport frame with casters on it for the bodyshell to go to the paint shop on, allowed the body shop to wheel it around as needed.

[bobchaplin]

Hi, here goes! I bought my +2 as a total basket case, its car number 32 so that causes loads of issues, more later. Mine came in 16 boxes, a body and a chassis, the body had been under a tarp for 40 years in a garden. Idiot or what!! at least thats what the wife calls me. Trying to condense the stages I did. Booked body into paint shop (18 month wait, yes he is that good). Chassis was perfect (about the only bit that was) I checked it for cracks etc but perfect. So built up chassis first, suspension, brakes, brake lines, handbrake cable etc. I had diff rebuilt as I was very dubious about condition, found it had cracked diff carrier and remains of 2x sheered drive shafts in bottom of housing. Replaced by Quaif ATB. I made life harder by fitting a Type9 gearbox. Used a Retro-Ford alloy Type9 to Kent bellhousing and concentric clutch kit. Once chassis was rebuilt I started getting the old paint off. Car had been hand painted black with JPS stripes (oh joy). once all paint off and new sill beams fitted, the body shop was ready. Once painted and back, body on chassis, don't fit doors! I didn't shim body and didn't fit engine (more later). Very early cars have different castor angle so uprights don't line up with bobbins in body, if fitting later chassis check this. Then fuel tank, sorted breather, sound proofed shell, then sorted headlights, this takes ages! I went electric as a. early car (non safe) b, all pivots had sheered and c, one vacuum actuator was missing and the other rotten. The Spyder kit is very good, but allow lots of time for the fiddle factor. Without engine in place this gives extra room for access. I eventually drilled all the bobbins to 6mm and fitted stainless steel shank bolts this works perfectly. If you have an early (non safe) car you need to cut away some of the bodywork, Spyder give you a jig for this, also reinforce the GRP across the top of the headlight appature to avoid stress cracks later in your new paintwork. Then I fitted engine, I did a 'tall block' conversion so I ended up dropping block by 13mm, this avoided the shimming. Then cooling system,then headling, then glass. Then wiring, test dashboard out of car, I had to have speedo rebuilt and I fitted a module to the rev counter for neg earth and pulse counting as I am using electronic ignition and alternator. As I was before I retired an electronics engineer it took me a week of work on the dash alone, cutting out bodges, bad connections, overloaded wires etc, Do not fit dash until you are absolutely certain it all works. Interior goes Dashtop. Dashboard, carpets, centre console, 1/4 panels, seat bottoms, parcel shelf then the seat back, this locks the whole lot in place. By leaving the doors off it gives you loads of access. This may be wrong but its how I did mine as I didn't take the car apart in the first place and this has all been trial and error. By now you have caught me up!! Best of luck Bob