Question: support points on Lotus Elan +2

[Luis de Almeida]

Greetings,

I am new to this forum, therefore i kindly request understanding, should this be an already discussed topic.

Recently i acquired a plus 2, and naturally the lifting and jacking topic is the first step before any work can be done on the car.

The lifting/jacking stud access points, around the sill are known, but without a lift these seem to be an issue when it comes to having the car on stands for the Winter, unless one makes dedicated jacks.

In my mind, the other safe points will be the chassis. Nonetheless, this again will be tricky, since the chassis is Y shaped and there is the exhaust pipe running in the middle of it. I saw someone posting a customized wooden frame for the purpose. Along with also a modified jack stand. Seemed like a good solution, but again, without any resources to make the tools, this proves challenging. Plus in the rear the car would only be supported in the middle.

What other options are there? I would like something obviously safe for both the car and myself.

Many thanks in advance

[Foxie]

Greetings,
<Snip>
The lifting/jacking stud access points, around the sill are known, but without a lift these seem to be an issue when it comes to having the car on stands for the Winter, unless one makes dedicated jacks.

For jobs like attacking all the brake bleeders I would use 4 suitably sized wooden blocks under the outer lower suspension arms;

Or you could make up a cradle like below and hang it out of the ceiling !

[The Veg]

https://quickjack.com/

I have the standard 5000-lb model which fits the Plus 2 and also has enough capacity to lift our modern cars when they need maintenance. Worth every penny!

[Spyder fan]

Welcome Luis,
For winter storage of the car it may not be the best option to support on stands as the driveshafts will be drooping and putting your rubber couplings under pressure or cv joints if you have them.

You could use tyre trainers to help prevent flat spots https://hamiltonclassic.co.uk/products/tyre-trainers?srsltid=AfmBOoqWWfyRdfj8YN__1bOUhUgxd4tZ8nMbY7b6_Z2lz4RKkmFlXaG2

As for safe jacking points for general maintenance the flat platforms at the ends of the sills can be used provided you protect them with a square piece of wood or sturdy rubber, or invest in a nice Michelin style sports car jack that has a flat rubber covered lifting pad. The front crossmember is also a safe and sturdy jacking point, good for placing axle stands beneath.

[Spyder fan]

I copied the following image from the Golden Gate Lotus forum, it shows a diagram of a simple wooden frame that can be used to raise the rear of the chassis with a trolley jack.

Click on the image to enlarge

[ericbushby]

Good morning Alan and others.
I have a wood block assembly similar to that but the 2"x4" is longer to support the A frames and reduce droop.
It worked quite well for a while until I jacked the rear end up first before lifting the front onto axle stands.
As the front was still on wheels it was unstable and could move. The back end fell sideways off the jack.
It works OK but the front end must be unmovable first.
Nowadays I jack up with the bodyshell rear corners (S3, not Plus 2)) having already run up home made timber ramps.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

[Hawksfield]

Hi
I use heavy plank just short of the length of the sills one inch thick under the sills. Then you can jack it up with trolly or scissor jack. Then onto axle stands either side. I have done all suspension work and more like this.
John

[shynsy]

I've got mine up on a hydraulic twin scissor lift supported on the ends of the sills using rubber mats.. seemes very happy altough I now know that the sills are slightly out of flat across one diagonal by about a couple of mm..
TIm

[TonyA]

There are two schools of thought on this topic: there are those who are comfortable supporting the car by the body: along the sills or the floor strong points: behind front wheel arch, in front of rear wheel arch ...etc

The other school of thought are those that support the car by the chassis, cos they are nervous about supporting the car by the body and sill members of questionable strength, and having the chassis, engine gearbox and diff dangling by the body mounting bolts. I subscribe to this school and posted my solution to lifting and supporting the car by the chassis.

See my post ' Lifting and supporting the Elan plus 2 '

Good luck.. Tony

[Harvey]

Luis,

To lift my Plus 2 I used to place a trolley jack under the front crossmember and, once raised to the desired height I would place two jack stands under the crossmember. At the rear, I had a machine shop shape and weld a heavy duty piece of steel into a "U" shape. I would place this "U" shaped piece on top of the saddle of a trolley jack and lift the car from directly under the exhaust pipe. Once in the air and with the wheels removed I would place jack stands under the base of the wheel bearing carriers. Now that I'm an octogenarian and not as inclined to crawl around the floor to perform this drill, I lift the car with a scissor lift known as the EZ car lift. https://www.ezcarlift.com.

Lee