Accepted Mods

[bengalcharlie]

I agree with all comments made by Rohan. If you are in the classic car scene for the money, lotus would be a very poor choice ( few exceptions) but generally speaking buying an old Porsche, ferrari etc.. would make much more sense. I like the lotus for the driving qualities and have made mods that inproves the car as it is used regularely. I also do not care if someone else likes it or not, it is my car afterall. I also like old alfas and lancias, also very poor investment choices but who cares. life is too short to think and talk about material stuff all the time!!!
It is my hobby and hobbies are there for enjoyment!
cheers
Robin

[Elanintheforest]

Tony, there is a world of difference between 'original' and 'authentic' when applied to a classic car. There are very few Elans that are genuinely original...i.e. they are complete with the paint, trim, chassis etc. that they left the factory with. I don't include service items like tyres, fan belts and oil in that definition!!

The term 'authentic' is more commonly used now for a restoration that has been completed, as far as possible, to the original specification. Most cars have been painted with two pack rather than cellulose, but if two pack is 'knocked back' within 24 hours of painting, and polished, it gets rid of the plastic look of two pack, and more closely resembles the original finish.

I certainly wouldn't use powder coating on components as it's just to shiny, and two pack painting of things like the radiator, servo etc. just looks totally wrong to me. Again, I prefer a more authentic finish, even if it has been achieved with modern materials.

Take a look at 'Corvette Restoration - State of the Art' by Mike Antonick if you want to see a real dedication to reproducing the authentic factory finish....as far away from the 'concourse' restoration as you can get, but maybe just as anal!

Mark

[sparkey]

I also dont call new paint, new air in the tyres, new modern oils in engine and gear box etc mods!!!!

cheers
Rohan

Hi Rohan, As you've replaced the air in your tyres, I was wondering if I could have your old air as i'm trying to get my +2 back to original and I'm having difficulty finding original Lotus tyre air.

Steve

[mr fixit]

Wow again;- I seem to have touched a nerve but I know what I want now, I do want to keep it as original as possible but also cock a hat to Mr. Chapman being both an intelligent and resourceful chap who knew when the wheel needed reinventing, and would not mind subtle innocuous mods that improve the drivability. I?m also sticking to Lotus as much as possible (Inc the Chassis although Mark assures me its good! ).

Thanks again for all the suggestions and help

[Elanintheforest]

You haven't touched a nerve with me! My arguments here have come across as someone who will only accept original specification, but that was putting forward the case for 'Accepted' mods. On this forum the vast majority of folks are happy to modify, but there is also a large number of Lotus folks who don't come on this forum for whom authentic restorations are the only way to go.

I have a Plus 2 with a BDA which you'll see when you come and collect, and I can guarentee that there are some that wouldn't accept that as a 'proper' Plus 2 either...and that's fine. I can also guarantee that if I put that on eBay, it would be bought by one of the Escort boys, the engine ripped out, and the rest sold on with or without a replacement twincam. It wouldn't appeal to the 'authentic' guys, and it wouldn't appeal to the modifiers, as they didn't do the mod....which seems to be half the fun.

I'm also putting a BDG into a 2 seat Elan, although I have a sneeky suspicion that's a few bhp too many for a road car.

So I enjoy tweaking and playing and driving an Elan as well, but really only so long as the modification is reversible quite easily. I really don't see the need to modify areas that work perfectly well on the original, like headlamp lifters / dynamo to alternator replacements etc. To me, that's just playing around the edges and not adding any real value to the car or the experience of running one.

And Robin, I would love to know what classics you consider would make money after having been restored? I can't think of any!

Mark

[bengalcharlie]

Mark

Restoring costs are fairly even i.e think paint, time, materials etc so there is quite a difference if you restore for example a morris minor or a porsche 356 and the increase in value over time. I do not want to go into big debates here, I am sure you understand what I mean. All I want to say that if you are concerned about mods and investment returns there are far better car investments to make than lotus elans.
cheers robin

[ClashofLotus]

Really enjoyed reading this post.

Has given me a great ideas with my own Plus 2 project!

Love the Lotus forum!

[JJDraper]

Back on topic - get rid of the ambient air temp gauge. About as useful as a chocolate teapot, even when it works. Fit an oil temperature gauge and really worry yourself! Reversible, and cheap.. (?60).

Jeremy

[Spyder fan]

Back on topic - get rid of the ambient air temp gauge. About as useful as a chocolate teapot, even when it works. Fit an oil temperature gauge and really worry yourself! Reversible, and cheap.. (?60).

Jeremy

Nice one; they are pesky bit's of kit at the best of time's as you say.

This gauge might be relevant given the way fuel prices are going

gas-prices1.jpg (16.14 KiB) Viewed 1018 times

[trw99]

mrfixit

You should buy the new Octane magazine and read the Elan article. It makes some interesting comparisons between four Elans (S3s & S4s), one very original, the others modified to varying degrees. It's written by our friend from here John Simister, who prudently got Nick Adams, Lotus development engineer and Lotus chief of vehicle dynamics Roger Becker to drive all four cars on the Hethel track. Since Roger retired from Lotus in early 2010, we have to assume that the test was carried out in the late summer of 2009, evidenced by the cereals still growing on the infield and the fact that John sold his S3 some time ago!

The point is that in fact the original spec S3, complete with the silver Lotus sidewinders on each sill, actually came out on top according to one tester and ran a Mike Spence BRM spec'd clone S4 a close second overall. Some other interesting points were made.

Becker "These were the cars when drivers were drivers". Yep, I liked that one too!
Becker, regarding doughnuts "We tried stiffening the suspension, but even doubling the spring rate only reduced roll by a quarter"
Becker gets into the original S3 "..his face cracks into a nostalgic grin... we used to change the dampers and the doughnuts at the same time, every 5000 miles"
Adams, in the original car "It's very linear...has intuitive responses...it's a real delight to see one so original and patinated. Please don't restore it!"
Simister "All of which suggests that the best suspension for a Lotus Elan is the suspension that Lotus designed for it"

With acknowledgement to Octane and John Simister.

Tim

[simonknee]

Great thread.
Got me thinking whilst on the tube this morning.
Firstly welcome to the self-delusion of all of us Elan owners Mr. Fixit
e.g.
How much money we spend.
How much time it takes to do a job. (reversible in a day hahahaha)
That those knackered bits in boxes at the back of the garage, that we replaced years ago, are worth keeping because they are original. (Gary excepted

Back closer to topic - how do mods change the value of an Elan.
The point of owning one is the smile it puts on your face and the faces of passers-by.
This is a true value, as opposed to mere monetary value.
The more smiles it produces the more it is worth.

Example: The wind up of the donuts becomes a niggle, less smiles, the value is dropping.
Replace with CV joints and the smile will return, the value goes up.
For those that never had an issue with donuts then the smile will have never dropped.

So if the mod makes yours or others smile bigger it is increasing the (real) value and is acceptable.

Best indicator of the value of my Elan recently?
Driving through Leicester Square and the Elan gets a spontaneous round of applause from a middle-aged, Spanish lady tourist.
It obviously made her day and she made my day.
Priceless.

[rgh0]

On original low grip tyres the orginal Elan suspension is what you need.
If going to higher grip tyres then you need better roll control but this is best done by stiffening the front roll bar and roll bump rubber or a rear roll bar first rather than increasing the spring rate massively.

The narrow track and light weight of the Elan makes the spring rate not a great driver of roll resistance especially in a road car where you loose ride quality much faster than you gain grip.

cheers
Rohan

[bg109685]

Hi All,

In response to SimonKnee's recent post on mods and the "smile" factor any Elan can bring, I attended my first NORLOG meeting earlier this week. This was at the invitation of a local plus 2 owner by the name of Geoff (apologies but I don't even know your surname but I do know you read the alias) and came away with an unforgettable smile moment ?

I am rebuilding a basket case plus 2 but have a good deal of work in front of me so motivation is important. Geoff was kind enough to take me for a run across the lower Pennine moors (Northern England for those outside the UK) and brave man that he is then offered me a chance to drive. Words are not eloquent enough to articulate the experience, my first time behind the wheel of a plus 2 (and a good example at that) after 20 years of anticipation was something else.

My point is simple, purest or moderniser, it doesn?t matter; the key is to take satisfaction in what you have and enjoy a privilege that many will never experience or even understand.

The buggering about keeping something 40 years old on the road can also be a pleasure if you look at it in the right way.

Enough rambling

B.

As Mel Gibson said in one of the lethal Weapon films ?Big Smile, Big Smile?

[vernon.taylor]

Salut Rohan

Have you got a picture of your MGB centre muffler in place, please?

Merci et @+

Vernon

[rgh0]

Hi Vernon
I am travelling currently for work and my pictures are on my home network - I will dig out a photo of the plus 2 exhaust and post when I get home in a weeks time.

My home network has the capability of being accessed from anywhere and i should turn that feature on but I just have not got around to setting it up. I keep meaning to do it as i travel a lot for work and it would be useful to have access to all my stuff on the network storage at home but when I read the manual it seems easier to just go outside and play with a Lotus than stress my brain over network router and firewall settings:D

cheers
Rohan