I’ve mentioned previously that there are a group of early Elan enthusiasts who have set up the Type 26 Register which focuses on the S1 and S2 Elan.

The objectives of the register are to:
Share Information
Re-Manufacture obsolete parts
Determine originality.

Those of you in Club Lotus UK will probably have seen the regular articles written by the founder, Tim Mees. Tim and his chums were also at Donington this year promoting the register, and offering parts for sale for the early cars.

If you have tried to restore a S1 or S2 Elan, you'll know just how little detailed knowledge there is of these cars even amongst Elan enthusiasts and classic Lotus suppliers. Many of the smaller parts for the cars haven't been available for a long time, so its been up to individuals to get things remade, or to bodge up a fix to make it work.

The Type 26 Register has co-ordinated the efforts of many like-minded individuals, pooled the knowledge, and now has a wide range of previously unavailable parts for sale. They are made as far as possible to original specification, and as I've bought quite a few bits from them, I can vouch for the fit and quality.

The point of this post is that there is a new website for the register:

http://www.type26register.com

It has just been launched with the current list of re-manufactured parts with photographs. It’s early days, and it will be developing with:

Information from the register,
Photos and detail from original cars (for those who wish to ensure originality!),
News regarding new barn finds, restorations, new parts, new information.
An archive of Type 26 register updates that were published in Lotus News,
Links to suppliers who have been recommended.

There will be a Club Lotus parts fair at the The Malvern Showground Worcestershire WR13 6NW UK on the 10th October 2009.

See http://www.club-lotus.co.uk/news2.php?id=114

The Type 26 register will be there with a stand. At Donington this year they had three stunning Elans, either in progress or recently restored, and the stand was manned by the guys who own them and could talk through the restoration / originality etc..

Many fellow enthusiasts restoring S1 and S2 Elans will be scratching their head thinking of how to restore a cracked original crash pad, or indeed where to find a good second-hand or new version because their restoration project does not have one!

Whilst crash pads can be repaired, the end result is never very satisfactory. These items are a very “visual” component of the car, so they must be “right”.

I was driven to research the remanufacture of crash pads because the three cars I am restoring have badly damaged ones, certainly beyond repair.

Because of the demand for correctly made type 26 (S1 and S2 Elan) crash pads, the type 26 register have looked into this in some detail and have identified the (probably) only company left in the UK that specialises in this manufacturing process. They manufacture crash-pads for virtually all the British Classic Car industry, e.g. E-types, Triumph, Sunbeam Alpine/ Tiger etc, which are sold through the normal specialists for these marques. They have seen my original crash-pad and are keen to have the work.

Issues such as shrinkage are well known to these people, and they use ABS with the correct surface texture. They manufacture by digitising the 3D shape of an undamaged original item, which I have, to produce two tools - one for the ABS and the other for the foam-fill.

So the specification will be as close to the original item as possible, i.e.:
• Vacuum formed black ABS outer with correct grain pattern
• Foam filled, with correct profile at bottom to correctly fit on top of scuttle
• Built-in wooden blocks at each side to correctly secure crash pad to bodyshell

I would make the point that this is a premium product for picky road car restorers, whilst other suppliers offer lightweight ABS shells for the racers and 26GTS folks.

However - the big issue is the large cost of tooling which I would need to recoup over a relatively small production run - compared to an E-type!

So the selling price would be £295. (plus shipping)

I have already had the commitment of ten people, mostly by word of mouth, and I now need another fifteen before I invest in the tooling.

So, I wish to begin the promotion of the crash-pad and get peoples commitment with a £50 deposit, which, of course would be refundable should there be insufficient interest. Assuming I get the necessary commitment I would be looking to have them available during Q2 2010. I will keep everybody up to date with progress by email.

Please contact me by PM or at tim@type26register.com if you are interested in supporting this project.