Spacing between chassis and body of elan

[gazzamuffin]

Hi all!

I have recently refitted the body to the chassis, and found that the bonnet is fouling the front of the cam cover.

I have fitted the original 6.0mm thick spacers to the chassis but the bonnet still clashes with the cam cover.

can anyone confirm if they have had the same issue?

and can anyone confirm if they have spaced the body off by more than 6.0mm?

thanks

Gazzamuffin

[elansprint71]

Yes! Lots of thoughts on this somewhere in the archives. Just pack it up until the clearances work out (better to have measured it up before removing the body, if you got the chance). Also be aware that the body/chassis lateral alignment has "some margin for error, especially at the rear end" Best plan is to drop the body on and go for a three-week vacation in the Bahamas and see what you come back to... I'm sure that this is what the production folks at Lotus did, btw.
Give me a PM if you are struggling.

[stugilmour]

Gazzamuffin, I could take a look at my Plus 2 for the packing dimension I landed on, but IIRC it was more than 6 mm at the front bolts by the rack. I also needed a couple of packing washers at the front tunnel bolts.

If you have already drilled the side bolt holes into the towers and you are close, an alternative is to consider fettling the motor mount holes slightly to lower the engine. I had to use a combination of adjusting the bobbin holes, modifying the motor mounts, and modifying the Spyder engine mount arms to get it all to fit, but my SU's are a little higher than the stock Stromberg's and caused an issue.

I believe the key trick is to get the bonnet clearance to fit relative to the tower body bolt location and then pack the front nose cone and tunnel as required to prevent adding stress in the body shell.

HTH - Cross eyed in Canada

[gazzamuffin]

thanks guys!

I shall have another go next weekend and let you know how i get on!!

[nebogipfel]

I assume you have the correct engine mountings (and on the correct sides) .......?

[gazzamuffin]

hi Nebogipfel,

yeah i have the correct mounts and on the correct side.

I did have this wrong when i first re-fitted the engine so i know they are right now.

but thanks!

[lotusS2guy]

About 10 years ago, I did a body off restoration on my S2 Elan. I put the body back with original shims and everything seemed to fit well I noted, however, a couple of years later that horizontal stress cracks were appearing in the bonnet. When I opened the bonnet, I could see that the cam cover was making a very deep impression in the felt insulation and causing a lot of pressure on the bonnet. Funny says I, that never happened before and I've had the car since new. Then I remembered that I put a new "Big Valve" cam cover on the engine (didn't change the valves, only the cover.) I removed it and measured the height against the original cam cover. Sure enough, the Big Valve cam cover is at least a quarter inch taller. Needless to say, I went back to the original and there is a nice gap now. I don't know if Lotus re-profiled the bonnet to accommodate the Big Valve cam cover or if they went to thinner felt, but the space between cam cover and bonnet is quite small and every quarter inch helps.

Herb
26/4618

[nebogipfel]

hi Nebogipfel,

yeah i have the correct mounts and on the correct side.

I did have this wrong when i first re-fitted the engine so i know they are right now.

but thanks!

You're welcome old chap, it was just a thought

Herb is correct, the BV cam cover is taller.

I'm pretty sure I have reasonable clearance above the engine on my S4 but must admit I've never measured it. I'm not sure underbonnet felt is a good idea on an Elan bearing in mind the limited "headroom" and I don't think it was ever an OE fitment?

If you are confident that the engine mounts are correct then the only way to gain height is to lift the front of the shell by shimming as you have mentioned or adjust the holes in the engine mountings to allow the engine to drop slightly but that is a bit cludgy. I don't really think it matters how thick the body mount shims are (within reason). The most important thing is that the body is as square on the chassis as you can get it and that you are not putting undue stress into the shell as you tighten it down. It shouldn't pull down significantly but merely tighten onto the mounting points

If the bonnet is a bit low at the front when closed you can gain a little by lifting the nylon screws that the bonnet pivots on (new screws with washers under the heads)

Just a thought.... is the radiator fitted? I have found my rad' needs to sit as low as possible to allow clearance for the bonnet.

[PanoGuy]

My 1971 Sprint has around 1/2" clearance between the front of the BV valve cover and the bonnet, maybe a tiny bit less. And no felt. This is based on memory, I was thinking of installing a tall-block and figured I would need to lower the engine a bit. I could re-measure if you like.
Doug

[lotusS2guy]

Sound-deadening felt was original equipment on the underside of the bonnet on my 1965 Elan S2 Roadster.

Herb
26/4618

[gazzamuffin]

Hi guys!

Rad is not fitted yet,(hoping to do that this weekend!)

i think i will try shimming the body first, im not so keen on fetling the engine mounts untill i have no other option.

thanks for all your help everyone, i shall give you an update this weekend as long as the english summer weather (rain!) holds off!!!

speak soon!