I'm back working on my S1
My other Elan rebuild project, a 1969 Elan S4 has had me distracted all winter and not finishing up the balance of the work I had intended to do on the S1. This past weekend I found some time to pay attention to my S1 and get the long overdue front coil spring replacement and front brake rotor replacement.
- 26R Chassis with new adjustable coil overs
I drove my S1 last summer with 8 inch 140lbs coil springs on the front shocks. Although I really liked the stance of the car and the handling was very good, there was not much room in the wheel wells for the tires and the bottom edge of the front fenders were very close to the top of the tire, just waiting for a hard bump to make a nice big crack in the fiberglass. I had made several adjustments to the springs and got the stance higher, but the handling suffered a bit as the springs were now too compressed.
- 8 inch 140 lbs springs mounted on AVO shocks
I ordered new 10 inch 150 lbs coil springs from Dave Bean (where I got the first set of front shock and springs) and had them sitting in my garage all winter. I also had new front rotors from TTR sitting in my garage since last summer and figured I would tackle the springs and rotors all at the same time. And while I had everything apart, media blast the parts I took off and repaint everything.
- 8 inch 140 lbs springs and 10 inch 150 lbs springs
The new 10 inch springs provided a lot more adjustment options.
- 10 inch 150 lbs springs mounted on AVO shocks
Took apart the front hub and rotor assembly and found that 50 years of being bolted together took some effort to get apart. On the hydraulic press it went and came apart without issue.
- removing hub from rotor
Media blasted all the parts removed and painted with a couple of coats of flat back primer with black semi gloss as the final coat. Reassembled both sides.
- Finished install with detail paint to be completed
The rotor's need some finish painting to get the black circles on the inside of the rotor just right, which I will do next week as painting it while turning the hub and rotor mounted will be the solution. Just need an extra hand to spin while I paint
Next is a road test to settle the springs in and then back on the lift to make adjustments to the right height.