Lotus Elan Central

Someone else used that word today & I have not thought of a better one. Too bad it comes with negative connotations. If someone else can think of a better one or is offended by this pray, let me know. I suppose no name could top "Smokey the Renault." Kind of says it all, don't it?

I feel like crap cuz I overdid it and just worked 5 hours straight on the car. Found & fixed the coolant leak plus cleaned the car both topside and underneath. Everything is great & original & undamaged, really nice... I forgot to reward myself with alcohol and have just opened a beer. It's not that I like the stuff but apparently my current "hard work" limit is 5-hours, following 2 back surgeries last year. It's weird how your leg can feel fine then hurt like Hell the next minute.

One big question: The "drain" inside the petrol-door is clogged. I know that with compressed-air this would be an easy fix, but I don't have that. Has anyone cleared this drain using any other technique?

I have a long road ahead moving 5-years of parts, stainless bolts, etc. over. But I have to admit that when squeaky-clean, white looks great; regal almost. Plus the car (if you're looking for a bone-stock Elan) is completely reliable and ready for a long road trip. Enough crap for now, Matt.

Congrats on getting another Elan, Matt!

try some draino on the tube

"Whitey" just makes me laugh -- so many funny pictures you can take about that. How about "Vanilla Ice"

BTW I'm keeping the 3rd (middle) brake-light on this car instead of removing it this time. Before I washed it I removed 2 opposing screws, and loosened but re-tightened the other 2 opposing screws just to make sure they were not rusted in position. You need a 3mm-hex-key to do this. The bolts are (two-each) M5 x 40 & M5 x 16, both button-head. I am getting stainless replacements & to doubly assure against "rust-stick" am switching to a normal hex-head & washer which can handle much more of a torque-load. Also you can get to them easier by using your socket-wrench along with a normal socket.

Someone posted a few months ago a cheap place to buy the bulbs for this & where to get them. Does anyone remember or have that posting? Also I am not getting these polished as you cannot see them. Is there any group-buy sentiment (USA only, obviously) for these bolts?

You Nitro, trade ya! I've got an extra set of 3 halogens. I bought 6 just in case. Never installed them because, oops, the bolts are all rusted! Why bother removing when I don't have stainless replacements, right?
So, get me the bolts, I'll send you the bulbs and a cheque for the bolts. Deal?

Just the bulbs for bolts will do nicely, I don't need a check. Thanks, Matt

Matt, with regards to the petrol drain pipe, i took out the rear covers ( above battery & fuel tank, then you can get at this pipe, which has a 90degree bend just as it comes from behind the filler cap. Mine was held on with a clip, which i removed, removed the pipe, cleaned & re-installed. Its a bit fiddly, but easy really.

So the fun begins (again)

Congratulations Matt - now get polishing!

Matt,

Welcome back to Elan ownership, shiny, shiny!

Mat anything you may need let me know,

Very happy that you are back active upgrading!

Costas

Matt,

After a year (one year, three months and 25 days) of ownership I can see why so many people return to Elan-dom after parting with (in any manner) an earlier car. Even found myself lazily wondering what colour to get if/when I return to the UK (got to swap the left footer for a proper car when I have Cotswold lanes to drive again)...

Can't wait to hear how Project Whitey develops!

Ian

Matt, I've found your new car project logo. No need to send money for thanks.

Thanks for all that help getting things off on the right foot, D-o-u-g.

Swapped over the fuel-filler mechanism from the red car as the one on the white car (not whitey, just the white car, D-o-u-g) stuck and had to be pulled open. Great Lotus quality-control there. Included all (new!) polished stainless bolts & washers too. Now it pops right open & looks sharp. The polished stainless on white looks even better than it does on red.

Putting the old sticky one on the red car allowed me to remove the plastic-catch, since it is no longer needed to keep the fuel-door shut. This part already broke on me once in the past, so it's a good spare to have.

I was going to remove the cable too, and I think you have to remove the interior-side panel to do so. Can anyone who has done this job tell me where all the fasteners are? I got 3 of them off then called it a night.

Oh yeah, if you've a spare spinal-column please send it FEDEX next-day-air, COD.

Congrat's on your latest aquisition (CHALKY?), I look forward to following the transformation into Mattmobile II
Best of luck with it

Just love white Elans, i think its one of the few cars that white really suits, really brings out all the curves in the body, & quite rare as well !. Good luck with it Matt.

There's no accounting for good taste

Best of luck and Good choice.

TTFN

The nice thing about white is that it makes for a good base coat so you can re-spray the car red

Just having some fun. Actually I almost bought a white Elan years ago in SC, the owner had moved to CA but left the car in SC. I think white Elans really look wider

nitroman wrote:Oh yeah, if you've a spare spinal-column please send it FEDEX next-day-air, COD.

Whats that? may be able to help....

Costas

Costas wrote:

nitroman wrote:Oh yeah, if you've a spare spinal-column please send it FEDEX next-day-air, COD.

Whats that? may be able to help....

Costas

I guess something got lost in the translation

There are 31 segments of the spinal cord and 33 bones (vertebrae) that surround these segments. There are 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral and 4 coccygeal vertebrae in the human body.

That's the one; need a loaner.

Two surgeries in the L3/4 area last year. Best advice I can give is that if you have part of a disc removed give it as long as you possibly can to heal, as it takes much longer than they tell you. When he says 8-weeks later "return to your normal activities", don't; or you'll injure it even worse as it's not had time to reform a fibrous outer containment structure yet.