A little bit of carbon fiber

[Elanlover]

Frankly, anything on the front of the car that can reasonably be converted to a CF copy would be ideal in an effort to lighten the nose of the car a bit. I wonder about things like the prongeron, and anything under the hood/bonnet. I'd bet that, if EVERYTHING possible was converted to CF we'd lose a good 50 - 75 lbs. or more. Might be a bit expensive of course but the heavier items would be nice.

[par]

Yes I can probably do that, let me fetch the mould and do a trial with vacuum infusion (my were done with a wet layup as they were experiments) and I will let you know.

That would be great

[lotusflasherman]

I'm all for 'adding lightness' but it should really be done everywhere to maintain the balance. Don't want to go off topic but there's some strange opinions being expressed here about weight distribution and handling.

Elan M100 is a front engined, front wheel drive car with a reasonable amount of power. The important wheels are at the front as they drive it and steer it so that's where the weight should be - just think "Segway"
Transferring the centre of mass towards the rear will reduce traction and increase understeer, particularly if it's been 'chipped'.

A tyre has a finite amount of grip, that can be used in any direction. If, say, 90% is being used for cornering force only 10% is available for braking or accelerating or sliding will occur. Lift-off oversteer is a characteristic of rear wheel drive cars, when cornering near the limit, lift off and engine braking tips it over 100% so rear breaks away. Try an early Elise if you want vicious lift-off oversteer. Bought my first M100 while I waited for Lotus to get production going and when the Elise arrived I sold the little and kept the Elan. Elan rear end bushes are designed to give a bit of toe out when the outside rear wheel is heavily loaded, and hence some rear wheel steering occurs to reduce the radius of the turn but lift off and the wheel straightens up so that's the opposite effect of classic lift-off oversteer. Not to say that you can't spin an Elan by doing things all wrong though...

Sorry Chris for going , keep up the good work. I'll 'butt out' now...

[Elanlover]

I completely agree. I've no doubt the engineers at Lotus took everything into consideration when building this car including its nose heavy characteristics. Still, when you think about it, there's little weight to be saved in the rear of the car compared to the front - where the bulk of the components are. So, the front would be the most likely place for weight savings and I suspect that 50 lbs. wouldn't affect the handling too much - especially for those with adjustable dampers.

[chrisP]

So another little update and this is just because they look better that the originals (not weight saving) I have made up some cheater panels that cover the door mirror wiring. they seem to sit quite well in place even without the usual double sided velcro fixing

[chrisP]

So I have been busy making A pillar covers - I saw them on a Mclaren P1 and thought they looked good. So copied the originals but rather than having the horrible self tappers holding them on at the header rail, I added some extra material so that they tuck under the header trim - seems to work. I also fund some rubber trim that goes round the edge and gives them the professional look.
It is hard to take a picture of them in situ because of the lighting.

If there is any interest, then I can make to order.

Chris

[Steve A]

Wow they look nice
How much are they

[par]

Some great work being done here!

Would still be interested in a pair of A-panels if you were to do a batch

[chrisP]

Hi Steve, I can make you a pair if you would like. price is £180 for the pair, let me know if you are interested and I will get some better pictures of them installed at the weekend.

Hi Steven, sorry I have been concentrating on getting the Elan back on the road - I just went back through the thread and saw your message. I can certainly make you a pair of of the A panels for the outside - it will take me a few weeks to do for you. they would be £200 for the pair and I can take some better photos at the weekend as well.

Both parts are resin infusion made with a several layer of carbon each side of a core to increase the stiffness - they are then lacquered for UV protection.

Best Regards
Chris

[Steve A]

you have pm Chris

[Don.Hasi]

So another little update and this is just because they look better that the originals (not weight saving) I have made up some cheater panels that cover the door mirror wiring. they seem to sit quite well in place even without the usual double sided velcro fixing

How much do you want for a set of these please?

[novacaine]

I quite like the look of the front grille/splitter. I think that could be a good candidate for 3d printing maybe, any chance you have cad drawings or measurements?

[chrisP]

Hi Don.Hasi.
I don't have any of the panels made at the moment but I can make a pair the first weekend of July, They are £55 if you are interested. You would need to transfer the rubber seal from the old cheater to the new one.

Hi Novocaine
The grill is completely hand made, it took me months (on and off) to make, it is a plastic VW grill shaped filled with foam and then wrapped with carbon. I think you will struggle to make one with a printer, as the bumpers PU plastic make up, means that they are all warped and were also hand trimmed by a human.

Best regards
Chris