Rotoflex....or lack of...

[handi_andi]

Hiya
I was bleeding the back left wheel today on my plus 2 130S and was surprised not to see a rotoflex coupling on the driveshaft. I checked the other side and couldn't fine one either. Instead it appears I have two UJs on both driveshafts in a simialr manner to a triumph spitfire. The car is from 1972, appears to have bucket seats and all the optional extras bar the maplight and rear seatbelts.

Can someone enlighten me please as to whether these are original driveshafts or a later modification please?

Oh and on another point, anyone got any good tips when bleeding the brakes on a plus 2?

Thanks

Andy

[blackandgold]

These are aftermarket drive shalts and if they have UJ's and a sliding spline then are likely to be from a company called performance unlimited that offered them for all Elans to over come the problem of donut failure, they also could be home made ones as fitted to my car, make sure you check any wear in the UJ's and the spline as slop can cause noise and failure and also check if there is facility to lubricate with grease as this will stop binding on spline as well as help the UJ's if they have grease nipples, also phasing of upper and lower UJ's are important to stop vibrations

Over all this setup has some issues such as putting more stress on diff mounts and binding issues it is more reliable than the donuts especially if you have a higher horse power engine, however the newer CV based conversions are superior

[handi_andi]

Thanks Mark. Another probably really daft question. How do I identify if I have an original chassis or a spyder replacement.?
Andy

[Emma-Knight]

There are two types of spyder chassis: the real one which is tubular / spaceframe type and a second one which is a rebuilt original Lotus chassis
with a tubular front cross member. A look in the engine bay will reveal both. A Lotus chassis is a folded sheetmetal steel frame with a box shaped front cross member

Anna

[handi_andi]

Thanks Anna.
Well I have a tubular front cross member and the main spine appears to have lightening holes in the side of it, which is what made me question the chassis. So does that sound like a Mk2 Spyder chassis then? If so, I am a very happy bunny LOl
Andy