LGM Elan

[tigerdog]

I'd hate you for your skillz if you weren't so doggone pleasant. Another underhood jewel from the LGM masterworks.

[lotusgirlmarie]

Another pic of it intalled. Not bad looking and it has a windage tray welded in as well.

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/9139425@N0 ... 8/sizes/m/

[dapinky]

Looks good, Marissa

With the square shape, does it make for getting to the altenator adjustment bolt any easier? or would it still need to be moved for good access?

[lotusgirlmarie]

Access is still resricted but better that the OEM tank. It doesn't protrude as far into the engine bay. The total setup is lighter than OEM too considerring there isn't a big steel bracket. I know it's a minimal difference but every pound counts. I've gotten the GVW down to 2019 LBS wet. Alot of carbon bodywork, significantly lighter seats, the lighter rear valance, no spare tyre, lighter exhaust system and the list goes on. My goal is sub 2K LBS. Heck I even did an aluminum AC drier as mine was knackered. After the Valance project and the last BOV and intake pipe run I may do a limited run of coolant tanks and PS resevoir. Attaced is a comparrison pic of AC driers.

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/9139425@N0 ... 8/sizes/m/

[tigerdog]

Please count me in if you start the group buy on coolant and PS tanks. One cracked header tank is enough and I have to believe the 2nd is a ticking time bomb since it seems to have come from the same batch at Dave Bean.

[lotusgirlmarie]

I think we've all had cracked tanks. I tried to set up a run before but it went all sideways. When the time comes up I'll get more into detail and design.

[Ekapol]

Please count me in if you start the group buy on coolant and PS tanks. One cracked header tank is enough and I have to believe the 2nd is a ticking time bomb since it seems to have come from the same batch at Dave Bean.

I don't know if there is anybody out there that is luckier than me. I went through at least 4 of these thingies.

[tigerdog]

Did they all split along the lower back edge? That's where my last one went and Marie posted a pic that looked suspiciously similar. If yes and if they all came from Dave Bean, maybe we should package them up and send them all back with a thank you note.

[lotusgirlmarie]

Yep. And we recieved some frome DBE and others straight from GM. Same result. This is why I went and built two tanks from aluminum. As I stated before, my goal is to have one very sorted Elan( at least mechanically) by years end. No more wasting $$$ on BS issues and design defects. While I'm about it I'll add some High End pedigree flair. It will not only look good but perform doing it.

[lotusgirlmarie]

As I was waiting for a layer of gel coat to cure on the valances, I decided to have a go at the AC. It's been 8+ years since it has worked. System was destroyed by the original owner among other things as I came to find out. I fabricated all new hardlines and made all of the other lines braided steel. I fabricated a new compressor block (the bit that the lines attach to in the rear of the compressor) and got a new compressor from lotus aftersales. I'm using "Freeze 12" and can honestly say it works pretty well. It's just as cold as my BMW Z3's 134A system.

While I was at it, I also replaced the power steering pump (mine knackered), refit the oil cooler lines to clear the new AC compressor, installed new custom Carrera aluminum bodied sport shocks and took measurement to do a limited run of foglight brackets among other little bits and bobs. The rear shocks came in yesterday to my friend's shop in the south bay so I'll be picking them up next week. Photos of them to come shortly after.

Piccies....

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/9139425@N0 ... 2/sizes/m/

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/9139425@N0 ... 7/sizes/m/

[londoner]

Hi Lady LGM,

you never stop to amaze us.

I can't see your pics on flickr... Is there something I must do or sign up for before I can see the pictures?

[knoxmotorsports]

Marie, how long did it take Carrera to finish a set of shocks for you? I am looking for something available stateside, adjustable, and light weight as possible. Would they (or you) be interested in a run of the shocks they sent you?

Feel free to PM me if you want to keep details off list.

[nitroman]

No doubt made by the same company that made the crap overflow tanks for Maserati. We have supplier cost-cutting to thank for the poor quality of plastic used.

Overflow tanks on old MGs & Triumphs were made of brass (although always painted black). I've seen some really smart-looking ones once stripped of paint & polished. They are of a size/shape to fit in the space of the Elan's plastic tank and I imagine you could easily bend around a metal-strip to situate it properly. There is a brass-electrical insert to signal low-coolant too, and I could easily imagine these being built by the same company making Chobham armour for Challenger tanks! http://www.dragtimes.com/parts/Triumph- ... 01433.html

Please count me in if you start the group buy on coolant and PS tanks. One cracked header tank is enough and I have to believe the 2nd is a ticking time bomb since it seems to have come from the same batch at Dave Bean.

I don't know if there is anybody out there that is luckier than me. I went through at least 4 of these thingies.

[lotusgirlmarie]

http://m.flickr.com/photos/9139425@N04/4846840982/

hope that helps on the pic.

The Carrera's were a one off deal. Bit of a pain to get right but happy with the results so far. I've found them far better than the Avo shocks I used to have and more adjustable as compression and rebound are separate. Much lighter the the Avo and stock equivalamts as well. I'd consider a small run but I really want to run them through the paces before I go any further down that road.

[Don.Hasi]

another alternative for ugly looking overflow tanks is to cover them with a foil in a "water transfer"-technic (don´t know the right word for it )

It seems to me, that we have in the VX220 the same tank and even greater problems due to the extra sunbleach


for the great picture click HERE

We have sorted it with a small "window" to check the right waterlevel

kind regards

[nitroman]

The total setup is lighter than OEM too considerring there isn't a big steel bracket. I know it's a minimal difference but every pound counts. I've gotten the GVW down to 2019 LBS wet. Alot of carbon bodywork, significantly lighter seats, the lighter rear valance, no spare tyre, lighter exhaust system and the list goes on. My goal is sub 2K LBS. Heck I even did an aluminum AC drier as mine was knackered.

Pounds per cubic foot:
1224 - Tungsten
708 - Lead
490 - Steel
165 - Aluminum
109 - Magnesium
82 - Carbon Fiber

LGM, have you considered lightweigh batteries like those from Braille or XS Power? What about cross-drilling some of the rotational-mass in the wheel-mounting area (since any rotating-mass, wheels, clutch, brake-rotors, flywheel, pistons, etc., is an exponential drag on the engine).

[lotusgirlmarie]

Thought briefly about cross drilled rotors then remembered the stack of cracked rotors I had that were drilled.

My new lighter, Carrera shacks will help and after alot of thought and noticing that the top cups on my front shocks are both damaged from the Avo shocks bottoming out. So I'm going to design new mounts from aluminum that will accomodate better dampers. More like a full on race damper like the ones I have on order for the rear. This will also allow for the Eibach race springs which are consequently a aller ID that stock and therefore lighter.

[nitroman]

I read an article about an autocrosser who OCD'd on removing ever ounce he could from a Miata. Ended up removing 330lbs. Petrol weighs 6.2lbs/gallon, if you can stomach going to the filling-station more!

[lotusgirlmarie]

Well I just had a long and very insightful conversation with some of my racing mates. I was there to pick up my new Cerrera rears only to find that they were only single adjustable. So I'll wait another week for the correct double adjustable ones. Whilst we were talking and one of the guys was working on a raced out mopar we we talking about my dilema with the front shock cups and how they were impacted by the Avo dampers. So I hammered out a plan to build new mounts to use full on race Carrera's and either Eibach or QA1 springs all around. Very exciting and informative. I know that Bob, I believe is doing a Nitron/Eibach setup and I would wait but the Avos were just sooooo bad. I also wasn't sure how adjustable the Nitron shocks were going to be. Anyways the setup I'm working on will do away with the pin mount cups for good. It gets me very excited just thinking about it.

[lotusgirlmarie]

Something like this..... Sans pin mounts and the purple colour. You get the idea.