Elan S3 radiator fitment

[RoscoP]

Dear All,
Entering the home straight with my S3SE resto and am about to fit the original (recored) radiator. Does anyone out there have any pics of how the radiator is located? I have 2 brackets (one L shaped , the other Lshaped but one side more triangular if that makes sense!) but have no idea if they are correct and how they attach the rad to the car. Any pics/info gratefully received! How high does the rad sit above the steering rack for eg?
Thanks in advancw folks!
Ross

[NickD]

Here are some pictures of the RH brackets fitted to the body. The brackets then bolt directly to the flange on the radiator. On my car the top bracket is attached one hole from the top of the radiator.

Hope this helps

Nick

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[RoscoP]

Hi Nick,
Thanks for that, a very useful start!
Cheers
Ross

[NickD]

Hi Ross,

Here's a close-up view of the bracket and also a general engine shot. The bracket and bolt can just be seen in the bottom right corner.

Nick

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s3se-engine.jpg (85.11 KiB) Viewed 1283 times

[RoscoP]

Great, thanks Nick!
How is the rad located on the passengers side on a UK car? What height is the rad above the rack?
Questions, questions I know but I want to get this right...bit of a stickler me....wish I wasn't!!
Cheers
Ross

[NickD]

Hi Ross,
The passenger/LH mount is an exact mirror image of the rh mount. Here's another picture which shows some more detail:

lhf-engine-bay.jpg (96.2 KiB) Viewed 1237 times

I don't have a picture showing the height above the rack, but here's a view from the front which gives an idea of the height relative to the sides. I don't remember there being much choice with the height - one hole too high and the bonnet will touch the cap and if too low the radiator will touch the body above the ends of the rack.

engine-front.jpg (79.12 KiB) Viewed 1237 times

[richardcox_lotus]

I've always wondered about the bottom bolt, isn't it secured through the turret, with the nut hidden by the shock/spring assembly ?

If so, how do you tighten it ?

Regards
Richard

[NickD]

There's no problem with access to the bolts. The one through the bottom of the diagonal mounting strip is the body-chassis attachment and so is threaded directly into the chassis tower, and the one securing the small lower bracket is clear of the tower, as shown below.[attachment=0]S3 Wheel Arch Screws.JPG[/attachment]

[William2]

To get the correct radiator height I did it the following way.
Remove front grill if fitted.
Loosely fit rad in position.
Place bonnet on car in fully closed position.
Shine a torch in from the front grill area and check that the top of the rad is not touching the bonnet, especially the filler cap.
Within reason, I tried to get the rad up as high as possible but at the same time checking that the upper and lower rad hoses were routed correctly.
I also made up a piece of millboard to fit under the rad to improve airflow.

[RoscoP]

Nick/Richard,
Thanks for your help guys, I also looked at the parts book and the brackets are shown. I'll make up the upper brackets out of ali or stainless steel and with a bit of trial and error I'm sure I can get the sizes right.
Lotuselan.net to the rescue again!
Cheers
Ross