Lotus Elan Central

I'm not really sure if this should count as a "Major" project, but as it involves the whole car, I suppose it is a matter of semantics, but this will do.

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

Ooh, nice project in excellent colour!

I can't think of anyone better to put this car back on the road
It's amazing where this car came from (all the best to Jon), I suppose the Elan community is getting smaller .
Will you be taking on Bob's car next Dave ?

I knew you would

The new JackoPinko

when i saw the message on facebook talking about a trailer i knew what was happening behind the scenes.

Really heartwarming...another one being rescued...I'm really looking forward to learning from your progress. Well done!

Tuga2112 wrote:when i saw the message on facebook talking about a trailer i knew what was happening behind the scenes.

Well, you beat me to the green NA....... and I need something to keep me occupied

Well done Dave, didn't take much sleuthing!

Possibly beat me to it, but I do have April's delivery to consider, which is what held me back!

I'm sure you'll enjoy the project amongst the cussing and swearing.

That is a stunning color, congrats! Glad to hear it is going to a good home and looking forward to following along on your progress

Thanks for the encouragement - but I hope you are not expecting to see lots of progress quickly - it isn't going to happen yet!

I'm sure I'll have loads of questions...... so here are a couple for starters:-

Joao - what size bit of plastic do I need for the rear window? Did you buy it from http://www.convertible-rear-window-repa ... -vinyl.htm did you go for a kit???

Anyone...... cross-reference for the brake pads in Hi-Spec callipers???? (various mention of Volvo pads, but is there a definitive answer? (are they the same pads as PNM currently offer?) - this is for the front brakes, not the rear...... have they always used the same calliper/pads or do I need to take mine out to see what I have?

Although I have a fair few of the parts I will need (or expect to need), I shall be asking for some bits along the way - I already have a Rockauto basket filling up nicely with the 'usual suspects' for timing belt and rear brakes parts...... but I may even go for the Civic rear calliper conversion for this one.

I don't suppose anyone has a pair of the rear hub adapters that they bought and never fitted, which they'd like to sell????

Alternatively, for anyone who did fit them, do you still have your old hubs/discs???? (mine were re-homed many years ago.... I knew I should have kept them "just in case!")

dapinky wrote:Joao - what size bit of plastic do I need for the rear window? Did you buy it from http://www.convertible-rear-window-repa ... -vinyl.htm did you go for a kit???

i came across them buggers, but their prices on the web page didn't match the paypal links.

I have been intending to call them to enquire and order the kits but the alternator rectifier bridge shenanigans has taken precedence.

the good (and bad) news is that i think i found a suitable replacement part. but the bad news is they only had 2 in stock. (which i ordered one already, and as soon as i confirm it works. i will order the second for my spare repair kit)

i guess whoever gets to contact them first will report here

Dave.. great to see and I'll be watching your progress with envy. Well done (but still not forgiven!) cheers M

Joao - what size bit of plastic do I need for the rear window? Did you buy it from http://www.convertible-rear-window-repa ... -vinyl.htm did you go for a kit???


I bought 2 of these - messed up the first, was a bit more successful with the 2nd - tried fitting without taking the whole hood off....but flappy and loose.
So got whole new hood....

To be honest, the rear window is a very low priority - I was only asking because I know Joao broke his recently, and sought info whilst it was fresh.....

.... that said, there is no such thing as bad experiences - they all help the hive learning process. I have a spare (complete with frame) hood so fixing it loose on the table, or still on the car isn't going to happen! - I never use the hood on my car, so this one will probably be the same - if it tips down with rain, it may get put up for the drive back to the garage, or whilst parked up if we are out and about - but generally it won't get used. The one on the project is very discoloured, so we;ll approach that job as and when - and if all else fails, I never got round to painting my hard top when I changed my car to Empire Green, so I still have a Pacific Blue one!

dapinky wrote:Anyone...... cross-reference for the brake pads in Hi-Spec callipers???? (various mention of Volvo pads, but is there a definitive answer? (are they the same pads as PNM currently offer?) - this is for the front brakes, not the rear...... have they always used the same calliper/pads or do I need to take mine out to see what I have?

Alternatively, for anyone who did fit them, do you still have your old hubs/discs???? (mine were re-homed many years ago.... I knew I should have kept them "just in case!")

I think this Dave.... "or do I need to take mine out to see what I have?" When I bought mine I was offered Mintex, Greenstuff, or "standard" but no specific part numbers on any. Also...I assume its the same calliper and therefore pad no matter which size disk....but is it? I had 294mm vs 275mm disks which were also on offer.

As for my old oem rear hubs...they went the way of Spuds lock up cache - but that was in another life so no doubt long gone unless you know different.

Cheers, Mike - I am just collecting info for the (ever lengthening) shopping list of stuff I know I'll need before starting! Rear brakes are OE, so I already have what i need - except for the proportioning valves (I'll do the same as I have on the green one)..... I believe that there are only 2 types of pads for the various billet-4 callipers (according to the Hi-Spec website), but common sense says that by taking them out and simply measuring them I can find the correct X-ref and then get the right pads in my preferred compound.

Rear hubs may or may not be any good - but a previous (old!) MOT suggests that they were corroded, so I'm expecting the worst, and anything better is a bonus.

I fitted HiSpec 4 pot calipers in 2015, they are 283mm x 24mm variant. The kit came with a box of EBC DP143 Ultimax2 pads (which are listed for Volvo 120/140) but I think HiSpec modify them slightly, their invoice listed them as PADDP143, I have a feeling that they machine some of the fibre off to prevent them from overhanging the disk, but not 100% sure.

Ken, thank you! - that was the part number I had "assumed" it to be, having looked at the HiSpec website it shows a number of different callipers, in the 'Billet-4' series, but only lists 2 types of pads, - the 143 and the 108 (the numbers refer to the pattern shape/size/dimensions) in various compounds from various manufacturers - all preceded by the PAD designation..... now, whether this actually means that they have modified them, or whether it is just their way of marking up their inventory, I don't know.....

....unfortunately, both pad 'numbers' fit certain Volvos. so although the 143 fits lots of different ones, and the 108 only fits a couple, it *could* have still been either....... but far more likely to have been the 143.

Your post has given me the confidence to just splash out on a set of pads whilst I'm shopping!

Edit:- Set of ceramic pads from Rock Auto @ £17.89.... bargain!

Hi Dave, just tried looking at the HiSpec web site but the Lotus section is down for maintainance, in 2015 they had 2 sizes of disc for the elan, I cannot remember if the 283mm discs that I went for were the small or large variants. Might be worth checking your disc diameter is 283 before going for the DP143?

Hi Ken, from this web page and your info above, I decided that the 143 is the right part (or, at least, I'm prepared to take the risk while I am ordering other stuff from RA anyway!).

The PNM website shows the 283mm fits the 16" wheel, and a 175mm disc fits the 15" wheel - however, both kits use the same calliper, and same pad (with PNM part numbers to stop people like me finding cheaper alternatives )

The website says that this calliper uses the 143, and the bigger one uses the other pad.....

Anyway, when PNM want £140+ for a top-notch set of pads, and I can get them in the same box as my other bits from USA for under £20, it is worth a gamble.