General sorting - Elan M100 S2

[Edward]

Hello everyone!
I’m just at the stage where I’m trying to acquire some of the cars that either I’ve always wanted, or have had in the past that have made me smile.
I have recently had a Ford Puma (best value smiles per mile), and in the past had quite a few VW Golf Mk1 GTis, Mk 2 GTis, Bentley Continental GT Speed (long gone - part of a different life) and currently have a Lotus Elan M100 S2.
I bought this on the back of a memory of coming onto a roundabout after a yump at far too great a speed at the age of about 23 and not being able to believe it had come out of the other side of the roundabout intact. And the Elan was relatively unflustered!
I bought a slightly leggy (125k) 2 owner car with full history to 114k/2014 from Bell and Colvill. Had a bit of money spent in the interim in what seems to be the right places - cambelt full service and a couple of oil services, replacement hood, replacement s/s exhaust, replacement clutch etc over approx 10k and ten years.
I wanted something that I wouldn’t be afraid to drive - hence not buying a low mileage garage queen.
I’ve had it just coming up to a year now and need to get some bits done. And also want to get some bits done.
I’d like to bring it up to mechanical excellence and have the following issues and also thoughts on ‘extras’ I’d like to do:
She runs and drives well BUT....
Have had a local mechanic go through and sort various leaks - new hoses to oil cooler, cam end plug and o-ring, replacement Coolex radiator.
Assumed the leaking rad was where coolant was going (only losing slowly and topped up every time) but it seems not - local mechanic said the top hose was very hard and system quite pressurised. It doesn’t run hot (usually below a quarter) and fans kick in at about three quarters and it takes a while to get there). After an hour or so’s drive I parked up and the next morning there’s a few drips of coolant on the garage floor and it clearly came from the header tank cap - looks to be around the edges. It’s been bled to within an inch of its life including the bleed valves near the headlights.
It’s the black cap so I assume the original. I’ve ordered a replacement to see if this resolves things. Also ordered a head gasket tester kit just in case.....
I’d like to give the car what I feel it deserves - a full go through.
Assuming it doesn’t need a head gasket, which I accept it may, I’d like to put a new steering rack in (some play noted on MOT last year) replace all hoses, thermostat, cambelt service inc water pump and plugs/HTleads, upgrade brakes, replace bushes and shocks, flickering handbrake light, flickering windscreen washer bottle empty light etc.
Oh, and a slight crunch changing down from third to second.....
Please also fee free to suggest other sensible replacements which can be done at the same time to save labour costs if everything is coming out - I’d like to keep it relatively stock apart from brakes and exhaust I think unless anyone can convince me there is, for example, a particular brand of bushes or shocks that are much better than the originals.
I plan on getting a compression test done prior to any/all of this to make sure it’s worth doing.....
Want it to drive spot on - it’s nearly there but not quite and I was coming down a dual carriageway hill at some lick last year (approx 69mph....) and had to brake reasonably hard as someone felt the need to change lanes without looking or indicating and it all just felt odd - a bit like a three legged dog. I’ve driven it only a few times since then as it went away for winter - but reasonably gingerly as it lessened the confidence I had in it.
I’m playing the game of “willing to spend some money on repairs/maintenance instead of depreciation on a new car” (what on Earth would I buy anyway - nothing really appeals!) so I wondered if someone could recommend someone to go to who knows these inside and out (preferably not a main stealer - as I said, someone who knows these inside and out....) who would be able to walk me through the options and do all of the work. A little reluctant to take it to a local garage who have no experience at all with these - know from working on boilers etc that experience with a brand is everything. You just end up knowing all the things to look for, all the quick tricks and tips etc.
I’m based just south of London near Tonbridge.
I don’t have the facilities in my garage to do this myself and if I’m going to enjoy driving it, I’d rather get someone who plays with these all day every day to do it rather than learning my way through trial and error. I’m an ex heating engineer, not a mechanic, and although I’d like to think there’s life in the old dog to learn new tricks, I’d rather start out learning on something basic like an old Ford Fiesta 1.0 Popular Plus rather than something I need to go around corners and brake rather well. The last car I worked on in earnest was a 1980 Mini Van which when I sold it I seem to remember was shipped to the Far East!
I’d be very grateful for any and all advice given - happy Elanning everyone!
Edward.

[dapinky]

Hi Edward, welcome to LEC,

It sounds like you have a nice, usable example of an M100, and are happy to spend a bit if it will give a better ride/use for you.

I don't know any garages in that area, but Trevor Buesnel (Trevor B on here) will hopefully be along in due course to give his advice.....

.... he owns what I think is probably the very best M100 known to us, which is used on a regular basis (definitely NOT a museum piece or garage queen), and regularly wins awards at local and national shows.....

..... and he lives in your neck of the woods (well, comparatively, anyway).

I know he uses a couple of 'local' specialists, and wouldn't do so if they weren't capable of great work.

As far as your question on what else to look at, the only thing I would suggest is that as the suspension is now 25+ years old, and will have 'sagged' a bit, it may be something to consider.

Some of the original bushes are NLA, but have been re-made in polyurethane..... so may or may not benefit you.

Same for shock absorbers - OE ones are long since obsolete, but there are quite a few aftermarket ones about, at various price points. Springs can still be got new.

Personally, I use AVO adjustable shocks with new springs, and it works for me.... there is no "off the shelf" shock absorber made to identical specs as the Lotus originals, but a new one 'nearly the same' is often better than an original one which is well past it's best.... and may even make it "better" for your particular usage.

The biggest difference will probably be gained from a new set of good tyres, as they tend to suffer from 'age' more than wear with the amount of use they are getting.

[Edward]

Thanks for the welcome and response Dave.
Yes it will be used right up to the 5000 mile limit the classic car insurance policy allows and is nice but as you say, probably a bit saggy in various places.
To be fair to it I drove a few - even lower milers - and this one seemed the taughtest of the bunch. Some of them were really wallowy and soft.
However it would be nice to get it spot on as it’s all in pretty good condition visually.
I suspected that quite a few bits may be NLA and am happy to take advice (as well as read lots of interesting threads!) so thanks again for the input on the shocks, suspension and bushes etc.
Edward.

[Simon_P]

Hi Edward,

Welcome to LEC.

As dapinky says, particularly a good set of tyres.

The three legged dog could be tired bushes, damper or uneven brakes - usually on the N/S for some reason.

I haven't used any of the specialists in the area but I have met and had a long conversation with the chap at Lakeside Engineering and he knows his stuff with M100's.

[Rambo]

My first bet is the OEM brakes. If they haven't seen any action for a while or the car was put away wet I bet one of the front calipers has seized. If the brakes aren't balance the car will dive to the side. It is worth stripping and refurbishing the front and back calipers. Long term you will probably want to go down the route of HiSpec/PNM front calipers (or AP racing) and probably PNM rear calipers (VW mk 4 I think?) Both are less maintenance and also work better. If you can do your own regular maintenance on the OEM set up, as some do, then that is another option for you

As Dapinky and Simon mention, the bushes, springs and shocks will also benefit from thorough inspection and the car will benefit in the long run from replacements as and when money and time permit.

Brakes, tyres and suspension work will undoubtedly sort your "three legged dog" problems

Good luck with the work. Just remember, to drive it as much as you can

[TrevorB]

Hi Edward, that certainly is a list and my recommendation is Maidstone Sports Cars. They are based near Headcorn. They are the official Lotus service centre for the South East. If you speak to Andy he will help you out immensely. I've used them for 10 years and they have done all the maintenance work on my car. I'm not a mechanic so always have to rely on the experts, which includes the vast knowledge available on this forum, as you would have gathered from the responses. If you need any further information or want to meet up pm me.
http://www.maidstonesportscars.co.uk

[Edward]

Thank you for your responses.
A keen theme seems to be good tyres and it has an equal tread (5/6mm?) set of four Pirelli P Zeros on it. I assume these would be considered a good brand but again, grateful for advice as maybe some tyres don’t suit some cars. When I viewed the car I did like the fact it had four matching tyres - always a good start.
The new header tank cap has arrived - as has the head gasket tester....
I may have an opportunity to take it out today with the new cap on and then a head gasket test when I get back.
Fingers crossed!
Have emailed Maidstone Sports Cars and just awaiting a response.
Many thanks to all.
Edward.

[Simon_P]

Keep the old black cap, they are a better fit than the new ones particularly if you have an aftermarket header tank.

[dapinky]

Edward,

The P-zero are indeed an excellent tyre (but that said, I haven't driven an Elan with them on - I think that Clemo has them on his, but I may be wrong).

The issue tends to be that "we" buy tyres, do only a few thousand miles a year, and the tread lasts for ages, so we think they are still great. However, the 'rubber' will start to deteriorate over time, and "old" tyres can sometimes be seen to be cracking along the tread, or on the sidewalls. The biggest reason is often cars which are layed-up for a while and the pressures drop, leading to stress on the walls.

If you are happy with the condition of the structures, then the only thing to check is the date-stamp on the tyres. This will tell you if indeed they are a 'fully matched set' fitted at the same time, or '2-pairs' of tyres.

My own experience is to change tyres once they get to a certain age, even with good tread remaining....... having said that, I used to do a lot of track driving, and they often wore out anyway! Now it is only used for road use, I have (as always!) Yokohamas fitted, and despite being 6 years old, they are in good condition. When I put the car away I increased the pressures to 35psi, and then let them down again on Sunday when I got the car out from the back of the garage.

There is no magic number for what makes a tyre 'old' and everyone has their own ideas on it.... the current offering from Pirelli is the P-Zero Nero GT, which took over from the P-Zero Nero, and so on, so even without the exact date stamp (or receipt in the service history) it is often quite easy to 'guestimate' the age of a tyre as they only seem to keep the same name for a few years these days before 'improving' it.

If you are happy with the condition of them, then I'd say keep them for now - but the choice, as with everything, is yours.

[Saltire]

with Dave, and I would also point you to Lotus’ last tyre bulletin for the Elan:

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[Apologies for the print quality, but it’s the best I have]

In practice, most of us operate on the basis that the tyres will be time-expired before they run out of tread, and choose a reasonable mid-priced brand. I’m very happy with my Avon ZV-7s; Dave (as he says) likes Yokohamas; and several people have reported good results with Toyo TR1s.

This very helpful web page tells you more about tyre ages and date codes.

If you’re already on Pirellis, and assuming they’re in date, I’d stick with them for now.

[Edward]

Ok - I think I’ll check the age of the Michelins and then if they’re relatively new I’ll run then and perhaps go Yokohamas as that’s what I seem to remember being really good on a Caterham I had. Slicks with a few slices through them instead of tread....
I have a further question re the high (or perhaps not!) pressure in the cooling system after a run - how hard are the coolant hoses on your cars when you’ve been for say a fairly normal half hour drive? So fully up to temperature.
I realise it’s a bit of a subjective one as not sure how one would measure how hard they are.....
Wish me luck with the head gasket test - another hour or so of work then I get to find out!

[Saltire]

Well, I can’t say I’ve ever fondled my hoses after a drive . . . but I’d expect 30 year old hoses to be a bit firm.

What I - and a number of others - have done is to fit a set of Samco silicon hoses. They fit well, are good quality, and you can even specify them in a colour to match the car

[Edward]

I have to admit, I did struggle with how to word that.....!

[Saltire]

By the way, if you have a specific problem, it helps to put your location in your profile; there may be a member local to you who can help. Click on User Control Panel at the top of the page, then Edit Profile and add something in the Location box

[Rambo]

A keen theme seems to be good tyres and it has an equal tread (5/6mm?) set of four Pirelli P Zeros on it

Ok - I think I’ll check the age of the Michelins and then if they’re relatively new I’ll run then and perhaps go Yokohamas

Am I missing something

[Rambo]

Well, I can’t say I’ve ever fondled my hoses after a drive . . . but I’d expect 30 year old hoses to be a bit firm

I used to a few years ago but have largely stopped these days




safe in the memory that I have new sets of Samco hoses fitted to both my M100's

[TrevorB]

Have emailed Maidstone Sports Cars and just awaiting a response.

Edward, spoke to Will at Maidstone Sports Cars today and mentioned you had sent an email. He should be responding to you.

Regards

Trevor

[Saltire]

Well, I can’t say I’ve ever fondled my hoses after a drive . . . but I’d expect 30 year old hoses to be a bit firm

I used to a few years ago but have largely stopped these days




safe in the memory that I have new sets of Samco hoses fitted to both my M100's

What took you so long, Mark?