Restoring Plus 2 (with a little modification)

PostPost by: PeterK » Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:13 pm

I am restoring an ?abandoned project? Elan Plus 2, bought as a replacement (unused, late 1980?s Spyder) chassis, a striped body, an interior and a number of boxes of bits, excluding the engine, and registered January 1969. The front brake callipers (P16 with early piston / seal arrangement) reflect this age of vehicle.
The body however is much later ? it?s Sable Brown (not introduced until 1972 ?), has the 8 dial dash with fuses, an dfog/spot lights. Although the roof is also Sable and not silver, from details such as the boot arrangement, handbrake, roof lining, interior colour and material, etc., I think it?s probably from a +2S 130. There is 1997L Sable marked on the inside of the driver?s (rhs) door, but I assume that this is a body number, as if it was the chassis number it would be later than the last known Plus 2 produced.

I've sent details to Andy to find any production history, but if anyone has any information on the history, I'd love to hear.

Peter


I'm doing a full nuts and bolts restoration, but as it came without engine (and of course a number of small and hard to find parts), I'm fitting a 2l Zetec and EFi. As a matter of protocol, should I post details here, in Mods or in Gallery ?
Last edited by PeterK on Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:03 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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PostPost by: alaric » Tue Jan 15, 2013 12:01 pm

Hi. I have the +2S 130 shell also, and my chassis number is 986L which is also marked on the inside of the main body and doors. I can't remember off the top of my head which was the last chassis number of the +2 though, but mine was manufactured Oct '72, well before the last one. The date of manufacture makes up the first part of the chassis number on cars of that age, and that part is not usually written on the panels. What you're seeing is the last part which is the sequence number. So it may well be from the chassis number. I think you'll find the information on chassis number on the forum with a bit of hunting.

Sean.
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PostPost by: ElanSeries2 » Tue Jan 15, 2013 1:23 pm

If you go to the (excellent) http://www.elanregistry.org and click on list cars, then go to the end of the list (they are listed in chronological order), you will see that the last car is a +2, chassis number ending 2010L, from Dec 1974. Therefore, I guess its possible that it could be either chassis or body number from Dec 1974. I assume that like Elans, the +2 would have had a separate body number written on the inside of the shell, which won't match the chassis number.

Is there a possibility that you have a Dec 1974 car which is wearing 1968 plates and brakes, rather than a 1968 chassis wearing a later body, seats, dash?
1965 Elan S2
1972 Elan +2S 130
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PostPost by: mikealdren » Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:14 am

ElanSeries2 wrote:Is there a possibility that you have a Dec 1974 car which is wearing 1968 plates and brakes, rather than a 1968 chassis wearing a later body, seats, dash?


Perhaps to avoid road fund tax?

Mike
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