Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby novacaine » Mon 08.12.2014, 13:46

The SE wheels look quite nice in Dark Grey, they make the discs and calipers look the right size again too :-D
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1994 Lotus Elan S2 #170 (Steel Blue)
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rusty Wishbone » Fri 30.01.2015, 01:28

I got fed up with an absence of heat from the heater, so I've changed the thermostat. The old one wasn't stuck, but it didn't close completely. So, I now get warm air coming out. The strange thing is that the idle speed of the car has dropped and it keeps stalling.

Does anyone know how high to fill the stainless steel coolant reservoir? I can't see a fill line.
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rusty Wishbone » Tue 07.04.2015, 22:19

I've accidentally fixed the stalling problem - by changing the oil! Funny how things work out.

A couple of weeks' ago, the headlamps stopped popping up. So, every evening, I had to wind them up by hand, which is a bit embarrassing in the station car park. It is quite amusing the first time, but the muscles soon tire. I dissected the headlamp pod control module with my son (a putative electronics engineer), and we concluded that, in spite of its apparent good condition, it was probably buggered. So, I swapped in a new one over the bank holiday, and bingo, I have light again.

I have also sourced a replacement front n/s wheelarch liner - it was missing when I bought the car - and fitted that.

It is so nice to be making progress with the car at last.

Next job is to put the summer tyres back on. I have grown to really like the original Elan wheels in their matt dark grey colour. Then I can stop the hardtop from creaking, and then paint my underside, if you know what I mean....
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Doug » Wed 08.04.2015, 06:50

Rusty, you are a lucky man as Simon's hardtop is a thing of beauty! Car looks great.

Is that an Esprit splitter you have under the front? Marie and Ekapol did that on theirs and they look great -- I'd just worry about donating it to a dip/bump/hole/speedhump someday :burnout:
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rusty Wishbone » Sun 31.05.2015, 19:33

I don't know where the previous owner found the splitter (I describe them as winglets), but I think that it is likely they were designed for something other than the Elan.

I've finally taken off the winter wheels and put the summer ones on. I shall miss the smart appearance of the dark gray SE wheels, but the Compomotives do fill the wheel arches better. I've also removed the hardtop in favour of the hood for the next few months. Nice.

Fiddled around with the timing today, which has brought gains, but not without some pain - see my other posting.

Talking to an auto electrician, I think that I need to replace my aerial. My one looks good, but only allows me to pick up the BBC. The auto electrician commented that the aerial is a really high-end model. I wonder if they are still available.
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rusty Wishbone » Sat 22.08.2015, 22:15

I've now had the cambelt changed and the car serviced. I also got the garage to investigating a clattering coming from the engine - I was concerned that I might need a new head, but it turns out that the CAS mechanism was in need of replacement. The car came back initially feeling hesitant and 'fluffy' at about 4k RPM, so I re-timed it. It seemed to be a long way out, but the car was still missing. So, back to the garage she went, and came back running beautifully today, complete with a new MOT.

It is amazing how good the car is when it is running properly. So, perhaps I'll do a track day in the next month or so to see what she will do.

One of my kids has just turned 17, so I gave him his first experience of driving in the Elan around the car park of a local industrial unit. As I said to him - don't worry, what could possibly go wrong!
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rusty Wishbone » Sun 25.09.2016, 22:00

It is a long time since I updated this thread, but the car is looking absolutely fantastic now that a bit of bodywork was repaired after a little bump. Maidstone Sportscars have done a lovely job, although it would have been good if they were a little quicker. Anyway, the latest development is to the wheels. I have replaced the old 17 inch Compomotive wheels, which looked lovely, with S2 wheels. Here are some pictures of before and after.

First, the Compomotives:

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And now the S2 wheels:

Image

I must say that I am very happy with the result of the refurbishment and colour of the S2 wheels.
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby tb10 » Sun 25.09.2016, 23:55

Hi Rusty,

Yes, the S2's over the 17's any day. My Red NA wears black SE wheels and, ironically, also has a black hardtop. Good combo, not that I'm bias!


regards

John
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rusty Wishbone » Mon 04.12.2017, 23:43

Just got my Elan back from Maidstone Sports Cars. Having been up until 1am the night before taking it in (I was rebuilding the second headlamp motor) it sailed through its MOT, and got a service. I got them to replace the hoses with the Samco ones I bought in the discount period 2 or 3 years ago. In doing so, they found the heater valve badly corroded, which they replaced. Happily, this also fixed some rough running that I have been experiencing recently. I think that the corrosion caused a vacuum leak.

It was difficult preventing the wheels from spinning up under acceleration on the way home, even in 3rd gear. That is a big improvement. I shall probably take it up to the Midlands next week.
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Giniw » Mon 04.12.2017, 23:46

:-)
Rusty Wishbone wrote:It was difficult preventing the wheels from spinning up under acceleration on the way home, even in 3rd gear.
With a stock engine?!
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rusty Wishbone » Mon 04.12.2017, 23:57

The roads were greasy this evening. And the engine does have a mountain chip of some kind.
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Giniw » Tue 05.12.2017, 00:11

OK ^^
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby lotusflasherman » Tue 05.12.2017, 02:21

Giniw wrote::-)
Rusty Wishbone wrote:It was difficult preventing the wheels from spinning up under acceleration on the way home, even in 3rd gear.
With a stock engine?!


Methinks needs new tyres or some throttle control ... :lol:

Chips only increase the boost at the top end but that extra power can be 'bit too much' on greasy roads so grab the next gear just as it's breaking away ..

I have an extra ECU with an Everest Chip so only takes a minute to pop it in or take it out. Put the OE ECU back in September when I borrowed my daughter's fiance's VW Combi Maxi diesel van to take stuff to the south of France and insured him to drive my Elan while I was away. He used to have a Civic R and drives his Dad's Maserati GranCabrio but found the Everest chipped Elan a bit too exciting so I put back the OE ECU for him. Came back early November to very greasy roads so haven't bothered to put back the Everest ECU, I'm leaving that to the Spring. My current 'issue' is the big Hispec brakes exceed the tyre adhesion - lucky I learnt cadence braking long before ABS appeared .. :lol:
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rambo » Tue 05.12.2017, 10:31

Phil - you must have the only M100 in the world with ABS :poke:

:lol: :lol:
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby lotusflasherman » Tue 05.12.2017, 18:32

Rambo wrote:Phil - you must have the only M100 in the world with ABS :poke:

:lol: :lol:


Look here Monsieur Horseradish, are you being deliberately obtuse? I said "long before ABS appeared" ... meaning 'was common on production cars', didn't say it was on my M100, though I believe there was an M100 in Norfolk that was a Lotus development M100 that was on the road with ABS. (I'll check with the ex-Lotus guys at the next Norfolk pub meet.)

(My statement wasn't strictly true as in the late 60's the Jensen Interceptor FF had 4 wheel drive and Dunlop Maxaret mechanical ABS, first used widely on aircraft landing wheels, but they only made 320 of them so I ignored that. Took a long time before ABS was common on production cars.... first I saw was on Ford Granddads in mid 80's.)
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby clemo » Tue 05.12.2017, 18:41

lotusflasherman wrote:


Look here Monsieur Horseradish, are you being deliberately obtuse?


I sometimes think he is much greater than ... but then he comes along with something that makes me think he is much less than .
Jim Clark S2 - 1/12. The one with the Yellow spoke wheels . No 613 on dash (pushed in to factory in wrong order 615 on tub)
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby dapinky » Tue 05.12.2017, 18:48

lotusflasherman wrote:Look here Monsieur Horseradish, are you being deliberately obtuse?


Only to a certain degree.........
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go on - click this link - you know you want to!
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rambo » Tue 05.12.2017, 19:41

I am acutely aware that I have a different angle on things, but only to a small degree :wink:
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby lotusflasherman » Wed 06.12.2017, 03:47

Rambo wrote:I am acutely aware that I have a different angle on things, but only to a small degree :wink:


Three degrees is it then ? I always liked the tall one in the middle.... :-D
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Re: Rusty's Second Elan - Keeping it on the Road

Postby Rambo » Wed 06.12.2017, 12:51

Having a sleepless night Phil ? Too much thinking about the tall one in the middle :lol: :lol:
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