Is it a Sprint??

[pmpsantos]

Hi I found a Elan wich I'm tented to buy, as it is in Frnace, and I'm from Portugal, I would like some of your kindly Help...
The seller tell's me that the numbers are:
chassis: 45G1085 / 73010856G
Engine N? : N28599
It?s a DHC S4, anyone can confirm the autenticity? And, just for know how much worth a DHC Sprint in Europe?
Thanks very much!!
Pedro.

[Jolly Jumper]

chassis: 45G1085 / 73010856G
Engine N? : N28599

According to the Chassis Number it's a Sprint, built in early 1973. The "G" means it's a proper DHC.

As with most other classic cars the value depends on the condition.

Make sure the car is in original spec, this is very important with the Elan. It should have all the correct parts and drive well.

Hope you get the car, the Elan is fantastic.

[Frank Howard]

"According to the Chassis Number it's a Sprint, built in early 1973. The "G" means it's a proper DHC."

And it was built for England or Northern Ireland.

[pmpsantos]

Thank you all!!
It?s really a Sprint and it?s very nice, with the help of Mike Prompfet I notice that the engine is the original one! So...I bought it! It was in France and arrive today! I don?t see it yet because the delivery is only tomorrow...I think I'll don?t sleep today!!!
Now change it to LHD....

Thanks you all for the help!!

Pedro.

[LoTex]

Pedro,

Good luck with your new Elan!

Your note brings up an interesting question for the forum regarding the wisdom of converting to LHD- does that lower the value as it is altered from original?

My Elan is RHD and I have driven her in the states the last 24 years. It doesn't bother me as I learned to drive it in the UK so there wasn't a real adjustment for me to drive a RHD, but it does have a tendency to get some strange looks and comments.

I suspect though that the resale value here in the US is much lower than if it were LHD. I have never tried to sell her so really have no way of knowing just what the resale effect would be.

Any comments on this from the forum members??

LoTex
1965 S2

[mac5777]

Hi LoTex, when I started to look at early elans as the car I would buy, the LHD was the only ones I was interested in. Not that I could not adjust eventaully after driving a RHD for awhile. Mostly my concern was shifting with my left hand. Thought it would be Uncomvertible and I would actually have to think through the shafts. My right hand knows what to do with no brain power.
This attitude may lower the demand for the RHD cars here in the US except for the real enthusiast.

Sarto

[msd1107]

As far as driving RHD cars in the states, quite a few people do so. Here in SoCal. I see quite a few, mainly Mk II Jags, but also RR, AM, Bentley, and the odd older MG.

The Elan is less of a problem, since it is quite narrow which minimizes the problems of being on the "wrong" side.

As far as shifting is concerned, do not worry. I had the opportunity to drive two of Mike Ostrow's Elites back to back, one LHD, one RHD and there was no problem. Actually, left hand shifting felt more "natural" than right hand shifting.

The Elan was designed for RHD, and they didn't do a complete job when converting to LHD. So you will find the turn signal more naturally placed for RHD.

Converting the car to LHD is sure to have its "fun" moments. Maybe someone can pipe up with their experiences.

It is hard to speculate about the resale value of a converted (and thus not authentic) car versus the perceived decrease in value of RHD. Quite a few of the members here have expressed the opinion you should enjoy the car in any way you want, which has much more actual value than any possible future selling price.

David
1968 36/7988

[pmpsantos]

Here it is!!

IT's very nice, some oil leaks, some crack in the painting, the sound of the engine make me forget everything...
It have Delortos carbs, it's original? They are better comparing with the webers?
Best Regards
Pedro.[/img]

[Elanintheforest]

Pedro...the car look gorgeous, but I would think long and hard about converting the car to LHD. Two main issues are going to arise from doing the work:

Getting hold of a LHD pedal set and steering rack.
Potentially having to re-wire the car.

As a minor consideration, you?ll also have to drill through the firewall for a S3, S4 / Sprint for the pedal holes and various other cables.

You may be able to find a pedal set and rack in the US?there?s a guy in California who often has rare and interesting bits on eBay.

When you swap the RHD dash for a LHD one, you?ll find that the original wires behind the switches are very ?bent? to fit behind the dash. As they are over 30 years old, and have sat in a very hot location, the insulation is prone to cracking when you try to straighten out or re-route the wire.

If you kept the original loom, you would have to extend some of the wires to fit over to the other side (speedo / tacho, fuel gauge, oil / water gauge and warning lights). The wiring for the wash wipe and interior / panel light switches, as well as the headlight and cigar lighter would also need to be extended, and now you run the risk of running out of room behind the dash?it?s that tight. The ignition, indicator and dip wiring would also have to be changed on the steering column. I really think that the only option is a new wiring loom.

The bonnet lock and the handbrake will also have to be re-located, with the subsequent re-routing of the cables?not an easy job with the handbrake cable.

The steering coluumn, rack and pedals are simple to do, just requiring new hydraulic pipes for the master cylinders.

It?s a good few weekends work, and you?ll end up with a non-original car that would be worth a fair bit less than an original LHD, and a lot less in the RHD markets of UK, Japan and Australasia.

I?ve converted a couple of XKEs from LHD to RHD, and they are very simple by comparison, because the loom is designed to swing over to the left or right. All holes are present in the bodyshell, and it?s just a case of swapping over from one side to the other. Where there are differences, all parts are available to do the job, so no engineering or wiring is involved, just a nut and bolt job taking about a weekend.

If the Elan was as easy as the XKE to convert, the values wouldn?t be affected too much as it would be a simple matter to convert back if required.

Keep it RHD and enjoy the difference
Mark

[garyeanderson]

Hi Pedro
I have done this before. Change from RHD to LHD and it not a trivial matter but its not as difficult as Mark makes it out to be. You will need a rack, pedal assembly, dashboard, throttle cable, glove box. The harnesses are the same but as Mark has said they may be hard. The gauges are the only ones that will need to be bent the oposite way(maybe), the center switch area should be nearly the same. On S1's through at least the S3's the holes are there for the brake masters and pedals except for the pedal assembly to firewall bolts. My 70 S4 SE needed all the holes drilled. You will also need to drill the hole for the throttle cable. If it were me, I would drive it for a while and see what else it needs so that when you have it apart you can look into the other issues that it has.

Gary

[Frank Howard]

When you swap the RHD dash for a LHD one, you?ll find that the original wires behind the switches are very ?bent? to fit behind the dash. As they are over 30 years old, and have sat in a very hot location, the insulation is prone to cracking when you try to straighten out or re-route the wire.

If you kept the original loom, you would have to extend some of the wires to fit over to the other side (speedo / tacho, fuel gauge, oil / water gauge and warning lights). The wiring for the wash wipe and interior / panel light switches, as well as the headlight and cigar lighter would also need to be extended, and now you run the risk of running out of room behind the dash?it?s that tight. The ignition, indicator and dip wiring would also have to be changed on the steering column. I really think that the only option is a new wiring loom.

Pedro,

This has not been my experience. First of all I do not consider behind the dash to be a "very hot" location. Under the bonnet near the exhaust perhaps, but not behind the dash even when the heater is on. The wires are wrapped in electrical tape and the insulation is plastic, not rubber. If the electrical tape has done it's job, you'll find the wires to be in good shape and you'll find them to still be quite flexible. The original loom was designed for both LH and RH steering. It enters the interior on the left and goes to the center of the dash where it connects with several switches. The rest of it continues to the right if it is a RH steering car or it makes a "U" turn and returns to the left if it is a LH steering car. Using the original loom, you should not have to extend any wires to go to the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, oil/water gauge, warning lights wash wipe and interior/panel light switches, headlight or cigar lighter. The present wires should reach the indicator and dip wiring on the steering column also. It's possible that despite the car being a Sprint, the ignition remains on the dash and is not on the steering column. It is my understanding that steering column mounted ignition was for certain markets only, like the US. You should be able to check that pretty easily! Even if it is on the steering column, the present wires should be able to reach it. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

[Elanintheforest]

I agree it's the same loom, but my point is that in bending large chunks back 180 degrees can break the insulation inside the loom...it's happened to me and the result is a very expensive mess. Extending the cables is a botch to overcome the risk of breaking the insulation. It's such a tight fit compared to other cars of the era that I don't think it's worth the risk of re-routing the original loom, and new ones don't cost a fortune. Also over 30 years there are many cars where some previous owner has hacked into the loom somewhere creating more weak points.

I guess my point is that if you're going to take the dash out you may as well replace the front loom...wish I'd said that in the first place
Mark

[pmpsantos]

Hi!!

As I told you I bought this Sprint and I'm now trying to change it to Portuguese...
I don?t have the original UserManual, and they (the autorities) say that I must have it with the car to ask for the transfer.
Can anyone have one in pdf format and can send me? My email is [email protected], if you can help me...

Thank you very much!!!

Pedro.

[bill308]

Pedro,

I think you mean the owners manual.

If you click on:

http://www.davebean.com/

then click on Specials

then then click on Books

and look in the green area, all the owner's manuals are shown.

Others may have them but Dave Bean lists them on line.

I hope this helps.

Bill

[pmpsantos]

Thanks for the answer, I already send them a email but...no answer!!
Can anyone have the owners manual digitalized??

Sorry, but I need it very much!!!

Thanks,

Pedro.