Elite/Elan MK II Automatic

[Mike Ostrov]

Hi, Bill.
A few seasons ago, I placed an Elite (Type l4) body onto a stretched
(4.125 inch) Elan chassis with suitable re enforcements per AVO with two
additional changes: the upper two inch wide engine bay flange has a one
inch box tube welded under it and the excess removed and the lower
flange has a l/8 by one inch angle iron from front to rear. This
allowed the removal of the upper and lower cross bracing. Total chassis
weight at 98.5 lbs. and sand blasted and POR l5 sprayed.
Heim joints on the outboard rear arms and a sway bar from an Elan +2
(.75 inch) suitably altered with modified +2 front and rear springs and
externally adjustable SPAX shocks at all four corners with adjustable
ride height coils, help keep the balance.
The powerplant is a l725 cc Twin Cam (Stromberg head, high European
balance tubes, l0.3l to I static compression ratio, using a standard
Lotus block which was sonic tested for a minimum of .090 at the bottom
and .125 top cylinder wall thickness, new Ford SVO l600 crank, standard
TC 125 rods, pistons from Bean at 84 mm), Pertronix ignition, oil
cooler and many other mods.
All this, so I could mate up a vacuum controlled C-4 automatic gearbox
from a l98l Pinto Estate Wagon.
3.55 Elan diff with my standard l5 inch wire wheels provides 3400 rpm
cruising at 72 mph.
Runs all day at 75/80 C and 48 psi oil pressure at speed and 35 psi
at idle.
Not a rapid level of acceleration, as the tare weight was l925
lbs, but most comfortable on the motorway.
If you are out in the San Francisco Bay Area, I am 6 miles from
Berkeley and all the cars (Standard Elites, Sevens and another
Elite/Elan MK I with Coventry Climax and 280zx 5 speed) have full petrol
tanks for your driving enjoyment.
Just ring me on (5l0) 232-7764 when in the neighborhood.
Cheers. Mike.