Just your typical Elan

[mnemonix]

Having previously owned a Seven S4 and had the opportunity to drive a number of Europas & +2's, the M100 Elan is my favourite so far, I'm loving its performance and sure footedness, coupled with the sheer practicality and solidity compared with some of its more fragile brothers & sisters.

She's currently not the smartest example on the block, but she's no dog either. *Everything* works right down to the mirror heaters, and mechanically I wouldn't hesitate to take her touring tomorrow, but of course she wouldn't be a Lotus if she wasn't also a project car of some description, and I want the best from and for her into the future. My taste is for original appearance where possible, with inconspicuous & solidly engineered solutions where improvements and upgrades are possible. No bling or pointless add-ons thankyou! She already has an Elan chip & switcher + Peco exhaust.

So where to start ? The following are what I feel are needed at the moment, I'm sure there'll be more to come in the future:

Handbrake - adjustment or refurbishment, it currently pulls to the top of it's travel with minimal effect.

BOV - currently vents to the outside. I don't know about sounding "chav" but to me it sounds like a bus, it's annoying and conspicuous so it either has to go completely or be replaced with a recirculating type. Bailey or the Forge equivalent.

Running - I'm in the queue (I hope) for an ElanScan interface, but she seems to be running rich to me. I know this is usual for Elans, but the sooty exhaust and maybe excessive popping on the over run suggests I should check it out.

Front brake upgrade - essential given the power she now has. Put off by some of the reports of Hi Spec, but AP are soooo expensive...

For the future:

Gear change is currently good, but if and when it does go bad, an AB cable set seems sensible to me, with a short shift kit if I get the chance to try it first and like the result.

Partial respray - I don't want or need concourse, and she'll be used regularly, no doubt picking up new stone chips, but the bonnet, front bumper and front wings resemble a teenager with a chocolate fetish atm. If it's possible, the NS panel gaps between the headlight pod, bonnet and body could do with some adjustment. The rear bumper seems to have suffered from a slightly missaligned exhaust and will actually need some cracks repaired. I can live with the rest.

Seat retrim - While the carpets seem to be immaculate, the seats are a tad tired. I'd like to keep the original appearance but have the accents done in blue rather than red to match the car. It occured to me that using magnolia instead of grey might lighten up the drab interior, but I'm not sure if this is a change too far from original spec for me.

Any comments, suggestions or help are welcomed of course!

[GeoffSmith]

Running - I'm in the queue (I hope) for an ElanScan interface, but she seems to be running rich to me. I know this is usual for Elans, but the sooty exhaust and maybe excessive popping on the over run suggests I should check it out.

You are in the queue and I've had some more hardware arrive this morning, but you'll have to wait until I get my wheel/CVJs/heater valve sorted out.

The exhaust is normally very sooty and after fitting the Peco, I got a lot more popping on overrun. It's probably not anything to worry about but it would be worth your while checking the base timing as everything is based on this being correct.

Glad you're enjoying it so far.

Geoff

[John_W]

mnemonix,
Sounds like a sensible plan.
If you stick your abode in your profile, maybe somebody who lives near you will let you have a go at the feel of a short-shift kit.
If you have a V5 switcher chip, it's probably time to upgrade the brakes, or at least perform regular overhauls on those you have fitted.
John

[tweetdriver63]

It sounds like you don't want to spend big bucks, whenever you can avoid it. Pretty sensible. If you need to re-trim your seats/door cards, have a look at this thread. Installing the seat skins isn't all that difficult a DIY job (which will save some coin), and just takes an afternoon. Many of us can vouch for the quality. I got Napa leather and Alcantara Suede, but you can get pretty much any style/material combo you want. I paid 400 GBP even, delivered to my door in the US.

If I were you, I wouldn't wait for a gear change cable to go. I'd go ahead and get the AB cables. If you don't, you may well find yourself stranded somewhere.

Oh yeah, show us some pics.

[mnemonix]

Oh yeah, show us some pics.

The day I picked it up. More glamouress and technical pictures to come.

A good cross country run to Cambridge to shake the car down at the weekend still hasn't revealed any devastating issues, and provided a very entertaining drive through Rutland.

I do have the dreaded window rattle with the passenger side door, so with some trepidation, I'll be rebuilding it soon.

Tyre wear is a little uneven so I'm thinking of getting a geometry check done as a safety measure when next I'm near a Lotus garage.

Oh and before anyone comments, the Lotus wheel centre caps are in the post!

[Paul.P]

and provided a very entertaining drive through Rutland.

We might be small, but some good roads & no speed cameras , should of called in for a cuppa

[Dave Eds]

We might be small

[rip]

Changes/upgrades are often a matter of taste. Yours sound pretty reasonable to me.

BOV: I am not a fan of the whoosh sound either (but I can see the attraction). I have a Greddy re-circulating BOV on the way & am hoping it will be quiet.

Gearchange: I have an AB kit on the longest setting. I believe this is the only shortshift still available & is a huge improvement on the stock setup. You won't be disappointed.
I have heard the AB cables are very stiff when new.

Interior: I have heard the the blue stripe looks a lot better than the red stripe on a PB car.

Handbrake: I have new rear calipers which have been re-adjusted by a Lotus-trained mechanic. I still think the handbrake feels rubbish & travels right to its top before holding. It passes the MOT though.

Front brakes: I don't know if there are any 15" Wilwood kits left. These would be the ones to go for.

[tigerdog]

I have heard the AB cables are very stiff when new.

I can corroborate this. A bit of grease on the transmission end fittings helps, as does about 2000 miles of driving. On mine, cross-gate was much stiffer than fore/aft. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade.

[mnemonix]

If this thread's not worthy of "major" project status I hope the mods will move it... if not I'll plow on, while it's not a total rebuild, i meant it to document my progress as I poke, prod, dismantle, learn about and in some cases, repair, every part of the car.

Big thanks to Neil ( Enright) who while looking over my car last week, dove into the handbrake issue, removed the centre console, adjusted the cables to restore some balance between left and right and left me with a fully functioning handbrake.

Also last week I attempted to set the base timing but discovered, after packing everything up, that my timing gun had 20 degrees of advance dialled into it. Whether I knocked it as i was packing up or not, I didn't know, so this week I did it all over again. This time without having to refer to a guide, which was a nice feeling. As it turned out it was more or less right, but at least I've confirmed it for myself.

The other job was to attend to the rather poor fitting of the Peco exhaust. One of the U bolts had been fitted pointing straight down, loosing me an inch of ground clearance, but worse, the tail pipe was signifigantly off-centre causing it to contact & rub against the bumper resulting in some minor damage. Loosening all the U bolts joining the bits together allowed me to tug, and hit it with a rubber mallet until it was pretty much in the right place before tightening the bolts up again. I think I read a few others had experienced this kind of fitment issue with the Peco ?

While I was under the back of the car, I gave the wishbones another once over and decided they needed attacking with a wire brush and painting with Hammerite. I say decided, they remain to be done, but I hope to make a start on that tomorrow, unless anyone would advice me on a superior method of protection for them ?

Both of the above jobs required the removal of a wheel, and while driving around afterwards I noticed the development of a clonking sound to the point that I was getting quite concerned. It seems despite having torqued the wheel nuts up to the right amount with a torque wrench they had slackened off quite considerably during the trip, so this time I really leant into them. Perhaps my torque wrench needs checking for accuracy ?

I've also booked the car into GST Performance in a few weeks time for a geometry setup, the front tyres have worn unevenly and as I'll shortly be putting some new Michelin Pilot Exaltos on I don't want to kill them prematurely. It makes sense to me to have this done at the start of any Lotus ownership as a safety precaution anyway - no point in having one of the worlds best handling cars if it's not spot on. They're conveniently located on my route back to visit my parents so I hope to learn as much as I can from them during my visit, they were great to talk to on the phone and by all accounts are booked up for a year in advance with work which is a good sign.

Chris.

[Dave Eds]

You won't go wrong with GST.

[Enright]

You won't go wrong with GST.

Or me!

Nice Elan - a very "honest" car (obviously helped by it being in the best colour)!
I was a bit surprised at the Peco - my exhaust has a smaller silencer which I thought would be less efficient, but it was quite a bit louder than I expected.
Even more surprising was how far off centre the rear bracket was, which had caused damage to the rear valance and even started to dig into the boot floor.
Still, glad it was easily sorted.
As was the handbrake really. And I was rather jealous of the fit of the centre-console compared to mine!
Yes, you definitely need to treat those wishbones before the weather gets any worse.
Oh, nearly forgot - if you take out that T-piece that runs to the activation pipe of the BOV and plug it straight into the plenum, I have an upper hose you can borrow until you get a recirculating one. It will at least "de-whoosh" it!

[mnemonix]

Thanks Neil, I might take you up on the offer of the hose. I've disconnected the BOV for now anyway. It seems GST are another specialist who are in two minds about the benefit of a BOV, and they mentioned it's as likely to be harmful as beneficial because the pressure differential could cause bearing wear.

In the meantime, the rear wishbones are now Hammerited and good for the winter.

The squeak has been cured - an oil cooler pipe was rubbing on the chassis where it enters the OSF wheel arch.

GST have also done a 4 wheel geometry setup on the car, the front tracking was way off and I've put a pair of Pilot Exaltos on to replace the worn Toyos.

So what next ? A seat swap with the passenger side and some attention paid to the old drivers seat I think... and another road trip up to Scotland next weekend, I did buy it to drive afterall!

[mnemonix]

A small winter update. Knowing my brake pipes will need attention before the MOT next year, I've decided, along with replacing them throughout, to carry out a minor brake upgrade with stainless braided hoses and Pagid Blue pads. I can't justify the price of a complete caliper/disc upgrade at this point, and am assured by GST that I'll notice a huge difference while retaining the original feel, and is their recommended option unless the car is going to be tracked heavily.

[Blue_Bullet]

Changes/upgrades are often a matter of taste. Yours sound pretty reasonable to me.

BOV: I am not a fan of the whoosh sound either (but I can see the attraction). I have a Greddy re-circulating BOV on the way & am hoping it will be quiet.

Gearchange: I have an AB kit on the longest setting. I believe this is the only shortshift still available & is a huge improvement on the stock setup. You won't be disappointed.
I have heard the AB cables are very stiff when new.

Interior: I have heard the the blue stripe looks a lot better than the red stripe on a PB car.

Handbrake: I have new rear calipers which have been re-adjusted by a Lotus-trained mechanic. I still think the handbrake feels rubbish & travels right to its top before holding. It passes the MOT though.

Front brakes: I don't know if there are any 15" Wilwood kits left. These would be the ones to go for.

Handbrake on mine worked wicked this year doing skids in the snow!

[HJ2]

Thanks for the Peco tips!
I'm experiencing the same problems here, but now are confident how to solve them
Yes, it is loud especially without main Kat and an empty pre-cat.