Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi

Just a quick note to introduce myself as a new member, I have just purchased a 74 130/ 5 +2 that has been in a barn for 15 years or so, with an unused / unpainted shell and an unused Spyder chassis, plus donor car.......but no engine.

I am also the owner of a BDA engined Caterham, that I have just finished rebuilding, as that also had been standing unused since 1989 ....Dream pair I think.

I have been checking in on your forum for some weeks awaiting the delivery of my new project and clearly this will be my second home, seeking bits and advice, as I dont think I have yet fully realised the work involved, but Hay Ho.

I live in Milton Keynes, so are there any other +2 folks near by, I promise not to stalk you, but I assume I will need to have a look at a complete car for guidence from time to time ....

Regards

Peter

Welcome to the forum Peter. Actually with that donor car you're the one that's likely to get stalked...

Regards.

Sean.

Yes , having read my note again I dont want to mis lead or start getting asked for bits, the donor car, is the car I have purchased to fit the bits onto the new body and chassis.

But I will have the old body left over at some point, however it has had a rear end shunt, so I assume its not much use, the guy I bought this from, does have a 2nd bare stripped +2 body in straight nick, that he was going to bin, as part of his shed clear out.

I dont know if stripped bodies are of any use to folk if so let me know and I wont fire the chain saw up just yet.



Peter

Hi Peter and welcome
A bare shell isn't worth much to anybody, and after advertising one on here a couple of years ago, and nobody wanted anything from it, the shell was flatpacked with an angle grinder in about 30 minutes. I did save a few bits from it, and subsequently a guy on here had the roof to replace his webasto-hole, so the car lives on....kinda!





I have a BDA Plus 2, with a 1700AX block and a torquey 170bhp...feels spot on in the Plus 2. I've also been having a BDG (ally block) 2.1 built which, at one time was going in an Escort, then in an Elan, now into a 2 door 1600E Cortina....except I'm changing my mind again, and will probably sell the BDG. Way too many projects.....the old story.

So if you haven't made up your mind about what engine to go in the Plus 2, a BDG to keep the BDA 7 company eh? Now that would be a nice pairing!!

Mark

BDG.....

I am getting well ahead of myself, as painting will be the first major expense, but just in case......a rough idea of how much, should you decide to sell, in round thousands !!

If thats not improper to ask


Peter

Bl***y hell, that picture is shocking Mark.. You're a hard man. I can understand - sort of.

Peter, I live in Buckingham, but work in Central MK, so the car is often used for my daily commute and parked in CMK. If you want to see it and indulge in the past time of "that's not original", PM me.

Bob, who lurks in the these sections has a fully built up and sorted ally block BDG engine which may be for sale shortly, but it will be VERY powerful and expensive! A sorted twin cam or sorted tall block or even a BDA may be ways to go. You pays yer money... allow at least ?3k for a suitable engine; twink or BDA. The rest of the rebuild will be more expensive, although if the body is a new shell you may save a grand or two. Have you thought what you want to achieve? Full rebuild/resto - ?20k; road legal and everyday useable - ?5-10k. Of course if you do it all yourself, somewhat less, but not by much.

If you are ever in Buckingham, drop by - but bring sunglasses.

Jeremy

....the new 'home' of Mark's old roof (the blue car)

Jon

Superb colour, Jon, and I see that there's plenty of scope for the garage to be extended sideways!

The green shell was not viable as a shell, but only for parts. The previous owner had stripped it for parts for his other car, and where bolts were siezed, he cut the part out with a jigsaw! He'd also cut around the door hinges to get the doors off. I only bought a dashboard from him, but spotted this in the corner of a huge hanger, and he sold it to me for ?100 or so.....it had a new chassis and refurbished running gear, so worth the cost of getting it transported.

The BDG is currently being finished to be a complete short engine, and a complete head, all set up and ready to bolt together. This way, if I do proceeed with it, I can put the sump on that's required (different for Elan / Escort), bolt the two big bits together and get it set up on the dyno. You probably know, but once they are set up and ready to go, they need to be used within 6 months or so, or have to be done again, and getting it on a dyno for a day is a tad expensive.

I'd have to work out what it owes me, but it would be in the ?12k ballpark, or half the price of a Mr Wilcox BDG. The guy building the engine builds race twincams and BDAs and is well known, and I bought the engine off him in the first place. It has a Cosworth crank and flywheel, with new liners / pistons and rods, and will be good for 9500 rpm. It has big valves and it will have some fairly mild cams, to give a lot of torque at around 200bhp using original Weber 48s. Obviously it could develop a lot more power, with injection, but in an Elan that would just be unusable as a road car...or at least, for me it would!

Last thing on the BDG, it's an ex Terry Hoyle engine, probably from an RS1800 originally, and stamped up with his initials and unique number. Terry was an engine builder at Boreham, the Ford competition department, and was the main guy to build the works rally Escort engines in the 70s and 80s. It's not a problem if you don't want it, as the Escort boys will form a disorderly queue to acquire it if and when it goes on sale!

Mark

Just a comment on bodyshells. The bobbins are worth quite a lot, cut them out before throwing a shell away.

Mike

Jeremy

Thanks for the contact, I am sure I will be in touch at some point , and I would like to see what I am going to get at the end of this...
As to spec..its on a limited budeget so I do most of the work, I am lucky to have worked in car dealership most of my working life so have a few contacts etc etc.
The engine will have to be sourced bit by bit and rebuilt, unless an act of god delivers one at the right price, but having trawled the web, that seems unlikely.

Mark

Thanks for the note back, unfortunatly I was only dreaming, but as you say ex Terry Hoyle, the Rally lads will be wetting them selves.

Peter, it sounds like you're on the ball and the Caterham really deserves a pic or two. My advice would be get the engine last of all, and if you get one sooner get it rebuilt as the last thing you do - I think you know this anyway. Twincs come up regularly on ebay. A pro rebuild of a twink will be in the region of ?3.5k, so be carefull what you buy if you don't have an engine at all at the moment.

Regards.

Sean.

Sean

Had the said Elan package delivered today.......wow where to start.......... I will take a couple of pics of my new project just for the titter value.........and some of the Caterham, when I get it back, its in at Northampton MotorSport at the minute.