Inter-series Elans?

[Craven]

Shape of the doors is completely different in the top front wing area. No chance a S2 door would fit S3 body. Electric windows on S3 require the chrome frame surround.

[DreamsOfA26R]

Well y'all, I have yet to be able to go check the car but at this point I've been convinced that the car has had an S3 body put onto an S2 frame. Thanks so much for all the details that helped lead me to this conclusion! Aside from the trunk (boot) lid extending all the way to the edge, the other details point to it being an S3. The doors are S3, the light buckets are the same distance from the bumper, the doors are S3 with the window frames cut off, and the speedster style windshield is mounted on a flange that as y'all are saying wouldn't be present on an S2.

Thank you all so much! I love investigating these kinds of things. I'll try and see what car the body would have come off by checking the cowl later today if I can.

[englishmaninwales]

I’ve alway referred my early S3 Cooue as a S2.5!
Boot lid hinges as above
Vin 36/5712
The wiring is very much S2 with electric windows added on.
The floor is ribbed.

[DreamsOfA26R]

I have 2 discoveries!

The first one is that, simply put, I’m stupid!
The second is that my car is not an S2 with an S3 body, but actually not a 26 and all. Rather it’s a 36 that’s had the roof cut off and the Fiberglass repaired where the material was removed! It appears that my car is actually 36/5546 and not 26/5546! Suffice it to say that I’m much less confused about my car than I was previously!

I’ll send an email to Andy Graham very soon to establish more info on the car’s life before it was a race car. This thread is still interesting to me tho, because the body now has 2 features that have become indicative of an inter-series car. Firstly the car does seem to have the S2 boot hinges based on the pics posted here and elsewhere on the internet. Also the headlights are different distances from the bumper as indicative of an early mould front end. Does anyone with an early Type 36 have misaligned lights?

I’m slightly bummed only because this new info seems to mean that I won’t be able to add a windshield to the car through a simple, bolt on frame like the early cars. I’ll have to revisit that much later when becomes relevant again. There’s plenty more for me ti worry about short term, like getting a drivetrain, or wheels!

[Elan45]

My experience w/ inter-series Elans is that I am restoring my FHC which is 10 numbers prior to your car. But when I bought it in 1978, I wanted a red FHC. It'll be a beautiful car soon. So I'm a little prejudiced, but I'd find a way to put a FHC top back on it, thus solving your windscreen issue and giving you a beautiful Elan. Side window frames and glass will come.

My next Elan to restore will be a S3 DHC that the original owner had converted to 26R back in period. I will leave the windscreen in place, but one thing I've toyed with is replacing the side window frames w/ fabricated aluminum ones constraining Lexan side windows. It'll be a few years out, if I've got that much time.

Roger

[2mAn]

What a fun thread! Love hearing the knowledge but even more enjoyable about the random quirks to the point that we find OPs car had its bloody roof cut off! That’s certainly one way to make a racecar more aerodynamic haha

[The Veg]

What a fun thread! Love hearing the knowledge but even more enjoyable about the random quirks to the point that we find OPs car had its bloody roof cut off! That’s certainly one way to make a racecar more aerodynamic haha

Well, less actually, but who's counting?

[DreamsOfA26R]

Oh definitely less so! It is potentially a little lighter in this configuration...

[pianoderby]

Does anyone with an early Type 36 have misaligned lights?

I recently acquired 36/5376. I just went out and checked and it does indeed have misaligned headlights.