Ellen II (or Sis)

[Specky]

Spot the difference...

The upper wishbone is different...

Will Lotus stop playing and fine tunning their suspension...

TTFN

wonder why they changed it..
to save weight?save money?or improve the handeling?

It's gotta be a case of all three, my Superstition is they eventually realised the handling had changed noticeably and put it back on...






Moving on last night under the influence of much alcohol.... the better half said she would help remove the two spining bolts... "result"...

What a pig of a job... There's very limited access to try and get a 17mm spanner on, especially with the cage that overides the nut..

But all credit to the old girl, "she manned up" and undid the two boot bolts...

They were comedy tight and she used every sound effect in the book to express her effort...




I'm also after a bit of advice...

I've undone one of the two seized footwell bolt, but the other is corroded and has begun to round off...

The question is this, how would you remove it?

I was thinkinking of grinding the nut and cage off, this would allow the bolt to be totally removed

or remove the gage and try and split the nut (17mm square nut)

TTFN

[clemo]

i know you have mentioned this a few times but..

its quite depressing the amount of rust you have on the tub.....
this will also add to the future amount of elan's going of the road for an area we have known little about.
was this car left outside for most of its life...
or did it do the original "water test" shown in the elan book!
i know a car is a car and should be used accordingly ( something my garage queens don't do)
but leaky elan's and outside storage appear to put another nail in the 20 year life expectancy of the car

as for the question angle grind or drill down into the nut till it so weak that it breaks of when you twist it.

[Specky]

Your're right Clemo...

Sadlly there are so many Elans out there which are about to die...

Eventually I aim to come up with an easy way to structurally check your car over, I've got a few ideas, but I need to try them out on the white one...


On another front I managed to remove the seized nut... I still can't get the bolt out thou , but then again I don't need to....

In theory the tub is ready to lift... I bet that's gonna be fun as I have a rolling Chassis...

So roll on a week sunday....

TTFN

[surfboardfiller]

i know you have mentioned this a few times but..

its quite depressing the amount of rust you have on the tub.....
this will also add to the future amount of elan's going of the road for an area we have known little about.
was this car left outside for most of its life...
or did it do the original "water test" shown in the elan book!
i know a car is a car and should be used accordingly ( something my garage queens don't do)
but leaky elan's and outside storage appear to put another nail in the 20 year life expectancy of the car

as for the question angle grind or drill down into the nut till it so weak that it breaks of when you twist it.

Your first guess was pretty close:
The excessive rust might have something to do with the car being sat in a river for 4 days then left in a yard with a torn roof. Not your average Elan that one.

Sy's old flying cat was written off due to flood damage and has nothing compared to this one. It's virtually rust free!

[Specky]

The excessive rust might have something to do with the car being sat in a river for 4 days then left in a yard with a torn roof. Not your average Elan that one.

Sy's old flying cat was written off due to flood damage and has nothing compared to this one. It's virtually rust free!

I think the corrosion is alot more than the fresh/River water damage... (but it never aided the cause)

After looking at the car.... I'd guess she's been in at least 3 significant accidents and I know she was wrote off once in '96. And like you say Phil, going into the river never helped...

I think the multitude of cracks in the tub and large number of missing floor gromets was by far the biggest factor...

But all these points don't detract from the amount of damage which is pottentially on the horizion... Yep "Ellen II" has had a hard life and I think she was the perfect test bed to see the pit falls and susceptible areas which are around the corner...

On a positive note whoever undersealed the car from day one did a brilliant job, very little corrosion...

In the future I aim to look at the white one and see how she stands up....

but I think I've spotteded a trend.... an instant few point check...


TTFN

[Specky]

Not so much an update as a feel good factor...

Yesterday I received a phone call from Dick Lovett.....(Not a made up name, or a spam email addresse) "Mr Speck your spares are in"...

Result, So I went down to pick them up this afternoon...

The best bit.... the spares department is located within the Ferrari dealership,

So imagine the look of horror as I pull up the trusty stead, parking next to millions of pounds worth of Ferrari's, Bugatti's and Lamborghini's.... in an N reg Volvo 850 layden with heavy dirt and copious amounts of salt deposisted from the winter roads...

Anyway upon entering the dealership I'm met by the hospitally,

A doorman wearing pristinely pressed Pinstripe trousers and an immaculate tailcoat, he requestes my name and escorts me to the parts department, upon our arrival he annonces that I'm there...

On to buisness, we star trawling through new box of spares and begin checking the prices with the sales manager, he informs me that the steering rack should be over a 1000 pound, but if Lotus want to sell them at that price so be it...

Finally the parts are paid for and I'm escorted out. The Sales manager carrys the steering rack whilst I carry the box of spares.....

"Mines the clapped out Volvo over there"

"Thank god for that, I thought you had the MX5"

" What are you trying to say"

A silence soon filled the air..............Then started the back pedalling...

I love picking my spares up there, It's brilliant... Must order some more stuff...

TTFN

[GeoffSmith]

Don't suppose you get that at the Dick Lovett (always makes me titter too) BMW and MINI showroom in Bristol - hell, it's almost worth driving over to Swindon to get some stuff!

[Specky]

So DAY 8 We removed:-

The Tub

Lotus seem to have had a bit of indecision..... I.B.2 I.B.3 I.B.4





What I broke

Nowt

What I hurt

Nowt

What I learnt

How many strange looks can you get from passers by

The bad news

The Chassis is bent

The Good news

Only did a couple of hours work today and the tub comes off quite easy...



Cost:- £01389:92

[Enright]

It looks in remarkably good nick under there - very little rust on the sides and top of the chassis, which is very encouraging for the rest of us.
Hopegully means that just getting under the car and wire-brushing & painting/Waxoyling the visible bits should be enough.

[Specky]

It looks in remarkably good nick under there - very little rust on the sides and top of the chassis, which is very encouraging for the rest of us.
Hopegully means that just getting under the car and wire-brushing & painting/Waxoyling the visible bits should be enough.

And still loads of Wax oil inside the chassis

TTFN

[Monty]

So is this the Track Elan then

and can you get 888 tires to fit those wheels

[Specky]

TTFN

[RichardK]

Pleased to see that the chassis is so well preserved. According to the paperwork that came with my car it had no additional Dinol treatments. Looks like the paint/poly covering on it's own has done it's job very well on SII.

Ordered my KPM instrument cluster today ( South African requirement), I'll be picking it up from Dick's in Swindon....can't wait

Love this thread....

[clemo]

durability...
humm me thinks this may have pounded round the (whats it called) test track a few times ..
and as for what build number to call it !!!

[clemo]

if this car is IB 2,3 & 4 or maybe just 3 is there a pre production "born" date for it ?
if so it could well be prior to the road test bed car on a "D" 85 reg.
this could /must be such an early model from pre 85?

and is this the millbrook pre production " durability" mule
and as my wife who is bored of me dragging here over to look at these exciting pctures has pointed out inital is spelt wrong

[Specky]

I don't think there's gonna be any more markings.....

Unless.... there's one right at the front.....possibly near the heater or behind the silver sound proofing

but that's a few months of yet, as I'm a bit busy...

TTFN

[Specky]

tt

[Nige]

Great stuff Dave .

[Specky]

Advice required please....

Did all cars have Tq dampers fitted which links to the Pongo thingy...

The N/A doesn't have one.... or any mounts or any indication it's ever had one...

TTFN

I have an answer.....

If you got pre-mod suspension...which I have...(Front upper wishbones and such like, not the rear mods we all know about)

The durability testing showed up that the suspension was poor, so they changed the suspension which in turn showed up engine bumb...(Weak engine mounts and need for engine damping)

The poor suspension had masked the engine bump...

More to follow later...

Must boroscope

TTFN

[Specky]

Guess what writing I found inside the chassis.....


Bugger-all...



Clemo...

you got me thinking about Millbrook proving grounds and Durabilitiy

I had a good old rumage and dug out the "bible" and saw a few intresting facts and figures...Pages 123 - 126

My VIN 6102... Reg G 379 GEX

What do you recon the answer to these questions could be...

Could this be the later mentioned N/A....... below the Pic, right hand colum... "Had an N/A and a Turbo"
Has she be ragged stupid?...
Has Miles or shepherd driven this car?
What would she say if she could speak?

I must speak with Lotus again...

TTFN