I wasn't really looking for a project.....
..... Angie wasn't really looking for another Elan.....
...... but fate got involved, and I do hate to see cars getting broken up when they "just" need a bit of fettling.
This one needs some work, but is remarkably good for a car which hasn't turned a wheel in anger for 6 years (MOT expired March 2017). I "could" just do the bare minimum to get an MOT, clean it up a bit, and say "that'll do".... but I can't do that.
At less than 80K miles it is the lowest mileage elan I've had (and actually low by almost any standard for a 31 year old car) - but common sense says that a new cambelt should be fitted before I even consider turning the engine.... even if the battery wasn't flat!.... so that means a new water pump, probably hoses, certainly oil/filters..... maybe plugs leads, coils etc etc ....
..... so, whilst I'm in the engine bay I may as well do the vacuum hoses, wiggle the wastegate, clean everything up and see where we are.
Then the brakes - oh dear - well, they will need a coat of 'looking at' to start - the rears are no problem to me - they are OE and I understand them fully.... the fronts are a shiny set of Hi-Specs, so that will be a learning curve (until I decide that OE ones will be good enough and swap them out - just kidding, now I have them, you never know, I may convert to the "Dark Side" and become an advocate for brake upgrades).
There is also an 'Air Con' issue - the issue being, I've never had one with AC, and now need to re-learn the angles of approach to anything where there are new bits in the way!
Inside the car was a pleasant surprise - okay, it had a 'damp' issue - BUT it wasn't the mouldy swimming pool that I would expect from a car sitting outside for many years - a good clean will help, but that won't do, oh no, not at all! - again, common sense says that the whole interior needs to come out to check the outriggers, perform any repairs needed, and/or future-proof it with cavity wax..... then sort the seats out (heaters needed) and see if they will need some new diaphragms, some new foam and a bit of a re-colour. - they are the later type with the perforated 'Raven Grey' leather - not the striped ones. So, it has grey carpets as well (at the moment!)..... Whether they stay that colour (or get replaced for something else) is a choice that Angie will make, and I will implement in due course - but not yet.
Hood needs a new back window.... or maybe just use the hardtop, which happens to be the right colour.... certainly for now.
Bodywork could do with some work - but nowt that can't be addressed..... did someone say colour-change?????
The wheels needed some freeing-up to roll the car about and onto the trailer - no nasty creaking noises from the jacking points, and RNS rotated with a bit of force, but ROS needed some more effort and a tap with a hammer - no more issues than that - again, for a car that has been sitting outside with the handbrake on, it was a nice surprise..... front brakes not binding, no idea how free they are, didn't want to push the pedal and risk making them stick!
Tyres have loads of tread, but they are a bit old now, and had lost a bit of pressure (unsurprisingly!) - a foot-pump got them to the stage where the car would roll - and when i got home I set the pressures properly with the air-line - the rears were down to 10psi but looked okay at first glance (no weight on them, really).
I'm sure my "to-do" list will increase greatly, and there will be lots of project creep along the way.
I shall be approaching it in the same way as I usually do - rip it apart to see what needs doing, then do something else whilst I'm distracted!!!! (nope, inside structure, brakes, suspension, engine, running gear, interior, cosmetics....... and by the time I get to it, maybe she'll have decided what colour it will be!
A final public acknowledgment note to Jon - the car is a credit to the way it has been kept in the past, I knew it was a project vehicle and needed lots of work, there was absolutely zero attempt to "hide" anything, and in fact, the pictures posted originally showed the car in a far worse light than I was met with when I arrived to collect it. Thank you, and I hope you will follow this thread and gain some satisfaction from seeing it's return to glory.
Yes, you will get first refusal should it ever be sold, but don't hold your breath
(all the best to Jon), I suppose the Elan community is getting smaller .
