Lotus Elan Central

Now the engine has received the attention it deserved, I thought I would start a project thread on the car.

Changes made so far:

New front brake discs (plain)
Re-built front calipers
Dorman rear calipers & Algirdas' hand brake levers
Calipers painted gold (all round) - I have a thing for gold
Ferodo ceramic front pads
Powerstop ceramic rear pads
Samco coolant hoses
Door sill plates
Drilled centre console dials

Changes wanted:

New audio system
Stainless exhaust
New interior (leather, but not sure what colour - maybe tan)
Braided brake hoses (Got 'em, just need to fit)
Stainless 'bones
Short shift
ESM chip

Maintenance needed:

Both front wheel bearings
Exhaust (which ties in nicely with my desire for a stainless one )
Adjust horn position (because it sounds very muffled)
Repair car alarm (which I think was disconnected when head gasket was recently replaced)
Repair drivers door window (it does go up, but needs a little help to go up square)
Drivers seat lumbar adjuster has broken
A post seals
Tidy roof seals
Sort out mirrors so they both adjust properly
New headlights


Some of these are short term, some longer. I am sure project creep will also occur

After all that, it will either be the car I always wanted , or more likely be time to start with some of it again.

Drilling the gauges appears to have worked. No steaming up at all over the weekend.
Before they were drilled, it would have had to be a warm, dry day for them to be clear with the top down.

I don't know who thought of that mod, but

At the expense of being thought of as either a total dullard, or someone who can't be ar$ed to do a search........

....where do i need to drill the holes, and what size bit to use????

Is it an 'in situ' mod, or do the gauges have to come out???

dapinky wrote:At the expense of being thought of as either a total dullard, or someone who can't be ar$ed to do a search........

....where do i need to drill the holes, and what size bit to use????

Is it an 'in situ' mod, or do the gauges have to come out???

The bit I used was about 1mm in diameter, just enough to allow it to breathe.
I took the top dash cover off and drilled small holes in the top of each dial. You can gain access to the top of them with a small modeller's drill
I was worried about swarf collecting in the gauge, but I cannot see any.

My mini-drill can run off 12v, so I can always make up an adaptor to run off the cigar lighter and take to Donny if necessary.

We need to meet up there anyway. I owe you a radiator

I'll give it a few more days of driving top-down to decide for certain whether it was a success, but I drove top-down on Saturday and Sunday without any condensation. Before drilling, I would have expected it both days.

Since you appear to have gained access to the top, do you think I could get a flexible heat pad attached to the bottom of all three gauges by going in from the top?

It's beginning to sound like a gynaecologist's thread.

geoffsmith wrote:Since you appear to have gained access to the top, do you think I could get a flexible heat pad attached to the bottom of all three gauges by going in from the top?

It's beginning to sound like a gynaecologist's thread.

Well?

Well?

I can't believe that is a serious question.

rip wrote:I can't believe that is a serious question.

In that case, let's ignore Geoff

Yes please, if you could take your modling drill, I'd appreciate it - i dont think my cordless will fit between the dash & windscreen - i have got some drill bits for a cordless screwdriver, but i can't remember if they go small enough - I'll try and remember to have a look

Certainly is. Can I fit on of these I wonder. I just happen to have one or two lying around doing nothing.

geoffsmith wrote:Certainly is. Can I fit on of these I wonder. I just happen to have one or two lying around doing nothing.

Getting underneath them was not something I thought about when I drilled. I think you may struggle with the boost gauge but it is still worth a look.
My observations from the weekend indicate that drilling alone appears to do the trick quite nicely.

dapinky wrote:Yes please, if you could take your modling drill, I'd appreciate it - i dont think my cordless will fit between the dash & windscreen - i have got some drill bits for a cordless screwdriver, but i can't remember if they go small enough - I'll try and remember to have a look

Don't worry about bits. I have quite a few. I just need to sort out a power adaptor

Thanks for the info. I hope you've fitted desicators over the holes to stop moisture getting back in.

rip wrote:I just need to sort out a power adaptor

I should have my 12Vdc - 240Vac adapter with me if that is any use.

geoffsmith wrote:Thanks for the info. I hope you've fitted desicators over the holes to stop moisture getting back in.

rip wrote:I just need to sort out a power adaptor

I should have my 12Vdc - 240Vac adapter with me if that is any use.

Not covered the holes, but by the time the weather gets warm again, I may have found that I don't need to. If I did it now, I would only trap damp air in there anyhow.

Yes please, a 12Vdc - 240Vac adaptor will be very useful...especially as I have a variable speed controller on my mains transformer.

If you want to make sue you don't get any swarf in there when drilling then hold a little vacuum cleaner nozzle right next to the drill bit and that should suck it all away before it gets a chance to go anywhere its no wanted

Simon

Just typical.
As soon as I start thinking about upgrades, my brakes fail.
Luckily I was not too far from home & I still had about 10% braking available, so I was able to limp back safely.
I could not see any puddle of fluid on the ground, but I had lost a lot. After a re-fill and pumping of the pedal, I could hear a wheezing from my off-side rear wheel, so I know where to start looking.
Knowing that the Dorman calipers are only 8 months old, I am expecting (hoping) it is the hose or connection which has failed.
I have not fitted my stainless hoses yet , so maybe now is the time for that.

Glad you're OK Rip.

A few months ago a good friend of mine killed his Elan due to a complete failure (he was unhurt). The car was towed away from the scene and he never saw it again, so we still don't know which bit failed.

I'll be very interested to hear what you find the cause to be - it will help the rest of us to keep an eye on ours.

As soon as I find the cause, I'll post it.
I'll have the wheel off on Saturday (unless it rains all day). The pedal went soft as I pulled on the handbrake, so that gives me a good place to start looking. It also meant I was stationary when the system failed.

How lucky was that?

Try to dry your wheel of as much brake fluid as possible or it will strip the paint off.

Glad you're ok Rip, brake failures are scary had one once on my old Elan, a badly routed brake pipe had chafed through until it popped with the pressure.