Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I have just bought a nice Elan +2 130s and need to have a look around underneath the car. I have owned Europas before and have always preferred to devise ways of jacking up the front and rear of the car under chassis members rather than relying on the provided 'jacking points' on the bodywork.

Can someone please tell me how best therefore to lift front and rear of the vehicle?. I have both bottle jacks and a trolley jack.

Bill

Greetings, I agree it's best to bypass "jacking points." For my +2 and little Elans I've found that by making a seperate custom rectangular wooden jacking block for between the front vacuum tank/frame and the jack in the front, and a similar square wood block with an exhaust pipe cutout for the rear (which I realize is not the best idea, place it as far forward as possible under the center of the frame). And Then... I suggest dropping the tires onto drive on ramps or use jack stands (properly placed,) then release the jack tension as opposed to crawling under a car held by one or two center jacks. I've done this countless times with one jack, alternating ends, supporting the suspension stabilizes the car.....Good Luck and be careful

I do the same... jack up the front with a trolly jack and a 2 foot long 1x4 placed directly under the front vacuum cross-member to evenly distribute the load. Then I shove a pair of ramps under the wheels, chock the rear tires, and lower the jack.

Gary
'71 Elan Sprint

Thanks for the above two replies - very useful.

The suggestion for the front I easily understand - but I will need to look under the car to understand about the rear.

Where incidently are the best places to put the jacks/stands at the rear to lower the car on to?.

I found the best place in the rear for the jack stands is under the body at the front of the wheel wells, at the outter edge.

Greg Z.

The method that I'm currently using for the rear is a trolley jack and a piece of steel plate 1/2" thk X 3" wide X 10" long. I put the steel under the lower wishbone and jack on that. I keep the steel plate as near to the rear upright as possible, as this is a stronger location than the center of the wishbone. The load is spread evenly across the wishbone and doesn't cause any distortion.

ColinT

Hello Greg Z. I've been reluctant to use your method, but stable support under the suspension also has its drawbacks. What do you put between the jackstand and floorpan? Do you ever hear (un)settling sounds as you lower the car? Thanks, Eric

Eric,
I use a small block of 2x4 between the jack stand and body. Yes, there are creaky noises as the car settles down on them. And I make certain the jack stand is absolutely at the corner and not too far forward nor inward. When all's said and done, I give the car a little shake, checking for stability.

Also, depending on the type of work that's needed, a set of ramps work well, too.

Greg Z.