Putting a 1976 car back on the road after a 10 year lay up?

[Spinney]

This weekend I will be looking at a +2 that was completely dismantled some 8 years ago with the intention of a full restoration. This never happened and it was passed on after 4 years to it's present owner who, also after 4 years, has decided he doesn't have the time for it and wants to pass it on again.

As it happens, this is just the project I have been looking for and so hopefully I can be the one to complete it, but my question is:-

Under present legislation, if a 1967 car, which obviously doesn't need RFL, has been off the road for say 10 years, is it a straightforward proposition to simply MOT and insure the car and start using it again without the need to inform any of the authorities? Also, despite not requiring RFL, does the car need to be SORNed whilst off the road?

Thanks for any guidance you can give.

[paddy]

You will need to apply for a tax disc in the normal way - but since it has "historic vehicle" status it doesn't cost anything. But the MOT and insurance checks are the same as for any other car.

As to whether or not to SORN, the rules are here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Ow ... /DG_069727

If the car was last taxed before 31 January 1998 then you don't need to SORN - otherwise you do.

Paddy

[Jason1]

Hi

The car does need to be sworn but...... there is always a but, if you have the old style V5 then the chances are the car is not registered as a historic vehicle so the DVLA will not know about it needing and you will not get free RFL.

My friend had this with his Spit, he had it off road in a barn for years and never had a sworn reminder, he went to the post office with his V5 and said give me my free RLF and they said give me money. He had to send off the old style V5 to have it changed for the new V5 with 'Historic vehicle' on it before he could get the free one and now he gets a reminder to tax it or sworn it.

Jason

Paddy beat me to it

[512BB]

So in other words, if it is currently SORNd, you will need to carry on with that. But as i suspect it is not, buy the car, DO NOT register it to yourself, and you will then not have to SORN it for however long it takes you to get it back on the road.

Explain this to the vendor, that if you register it in your name, every blinkin year you are going to have SORN it, and you do not want to bother to have to do that. Take along some pukka ID with you, so that he can see who you are and where you are. That should satisfy him that you are genuine, and he will know where he can contact you should a load of parking tickets start to drop on his mat in a few years time.

Also, if you buy it like that, and in the said 4 years time, you have got peed off with it yourself, you can sell it on without the car showing yet another owner!

Let us know how you get on.

Leslie

[Spinney]

Thanks for the useful replies. I've always liked the +2 and recall the original launch when a friend of mine who then owned the baby Elan invited me to the dealers to view it with him. (That dates me rather )
I very nearly bought one in 1977 but other things in my life got in the way at that time and since then, I have owned quite a few cars but Lotus products have always had a special place in my heart. For fun cars, I owned Caterham 7's for a few years and now have a supercharged Elise in the garage for those sunny days, but still I hanker after a +2 like the one I saw at the launch all those years ago, so this is my chance.

I realise the performance of the good old Twin Cam won't be anything like my 7's or the Elise but I hope the car will still handle well and the engine push it along at a respectable pace. I view it more as a classy lady of advanced years who needs to be treated with respect rather than the slightly dirty strumpet who likes to be ridden hard that is the Elise. If you see what I mean.

[jono]

Best of luck.

I bought my car as a dismantled project in boxes of bits. It's a HUGE task and will cost a small fortune to do properly.

I am 2 years into it and the open road still seems a long way away!

...no wonder so many well intentioned projects were abandoned

Jono

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

The questions about the RFL & SORN are pretty well summed up here but have you thoughts about the Car itself?
A Car that's been pulled to bits by a previous owner (8 years ago?) then passed on to another owner in that condition, then coming to you & so means a "Bag of Worms", which I hope doesn't sound too unkind.
You have a major "Jigsaw" to sort out, which is not easy even when you've dismantled the Car yourself & there are almost certainly bits missing.
It's the fiddly little things like Bolts, Wiring etc., which will take you ages to sort out & you'll need both the Workshop Manual & Parts List to help you through the job.
The Price & your interest & available time to rebuild the Car are very important factors to consider; remember the other Guys gave up on it.

Sorry to sound so glum but if you go ahead I wish you fun & good luck; you'll get all the help you need on this Forum, the best place to be for Elan owners.

Cheers
John

[Spinney]

I'm told it has a new Lotus supplied chassis and several new suspension components and that the engine is stripped and been machined ready to accept new pistons and bearings so at least some of the expense has been dealt with. The body has also been stripped of paint apparently, ready for repairs and re-finishing so that should cut down on the hours required as well. It will be treated as an early retirement project and so in theory I will have plenty of time to spend on it. We'll see how it goes this weekend first though before I get too excited.

I should add that the project itself doesn't particularly faze me as I've stripped and rebuilt many cars/engines/transmissions in the past so it will be a labour of love really. Also I'm not new to Twin Cam engines, having owned one in a Mk 1 Lotus Cortina back in the late 60's so I think I'm going in to it with my eyes wide open, but I do take your comments on board and understand what you are saying.

[alaric]

Hi. I also bought my +2 as an unfinished restoration. Think long and hard about that route unless you've already restored a +2; these things just seem to be different from car to car. As John says, there will be bits missing. A rebuild of the twinc can cost thousands (3.5k), so not hearing the engine running can really cost you. You can get a +2 with an MOT etc for ?3-4k, which you can then restore over a few years while using it. Also, the Lotus show at Malvern is coming up. There will be cars for sale there and plenty of guys from this forum that you could meet up with if you wanted to share a cuppa. If you do decide to take it on, on the other hand, this forum has been invaluable to me.

All the best.

Sean.

[Elanintheforest]

Spinney, you sound like a man after my own heart. I bought a '67 Plus 2 and a '65 S2 Elan both of which had been completely taken apart in 1975. I mean taken apart...the 4 carburettors were in a hundred pieces in a couple of old cigar tins, the servos, callipers and master cylinders were stripped to their component bits and all lumped together in one box, as were the engines, starter motors, dynamos and most everything else. It took a few weeks to figure out what was Plus 2 and what was S2 as it was all jumbled up! But slowly the sub-assemblies have come back together, the shells mounted on rolling chassis, and two distinct cars are emerging.

The saving grace with doing a Plus 2 is that even if you're missing some bits and pieces, so many have been broken for parts in the past 10 years that you'll soon find replacement parts at a very reasonable price. And they are great fun to do.

Buy it and enjoy. Armed with a parts book, a workshop manual and this forum, you'll be able to sort it out.

Mark

[Spinney]

Thanks for all your comments. I'm interested in the Malvern show mentioned a couple of posts back and sounds as though that could be invaluable in gaining information. When and where precisely in Malvern is this held please? Sounds like I should be going.

[dusty]

Three Counties Showground, near Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW. April 17th and 18th

http://www.club-lotus.co.uk/news2.php?id=126

[Spinney]

Many thanks, it's in the diary. Is anybody from this forum going with their +2?

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Spinney, you sound like a man after my own heart. I bought a '67 Plus 2 and a '65 S2 Elan both of which had been completely taken apart in 1975. I mean taken apart...the 4 carburettors were in a hundred pieces in a couple of old cigar tins, the servos, callipers and master cylinders were stripped to their component bits and all lumped together in one box, as were the engines, starter motors, dynamos and most everything else. It took a few weeks to figure out what was Plus 2 and what was S2 as it was all jumbled up! But slowly the sub-assemblies have come back together, the shells mounted on rolling chassis, and two distinct cars are emerging.

The saving grace with doing a Plus 2 is that even if you're missing some bits and pieces, so many have been broken for parts in the past 10 years that you'll soon find replacement parts at a very reasonable price. And they are great fun to do.

Buy it and enjoy. Armed with a parts book, a workshop manual and this forum, you'll be able to sort it out.

Mark

See wot I mean; Marks been tryin' to put 'em together since 1975; an' still workin' at it!!!!
Only jokin' Mister; honest
John

PS The Bloke's a total nutter taking on 2 challenges like that.
Masochism is the word for it I think; sorry more likely, "for the Love of Lotus"

[john.p.clegg]

Spinney

I'll be going in my '68 plus2 on Saturday

Setting off at 07:00 to arrive 09:30 (mostly boring motorways) 130 miles

John