Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Made it to the show. Another 130 miles with no issues. 2 Evoras and an Elise in our class.

That mirror looks like the same type that my Plus 2 came with and was utterly useless, even on a short mount that spaced it about an inch from the body. It was plastic and the plating was peeling, so I binned it. I've got a pair of Tex mirrors now, which many people don't like but since they're a style that was available in period (and I think were stock items on MGs) I think they look prefectly acceptable on the car. Having one on each side always looks better to my eye but that's where the benefit of two ends as the one on the passenger side is of very little use when mounted in anywhere near a position symmetrical to the one on the other side. Not it matters much anyway; I don't think I've ever experienced a closed car with as close to 360-degree visibility as the Plus 2!

steve lyle wrote:

pharriso wrote:Car looks great, glad you are getting it out & enjoying it.

I think that mirror is going to look awful "Heavy"...

Is "heavy" good, or bad? Asking for a friend.

‘Orrible…

pharriso wrote:

steve lyle wrote:

pharriso wrote:Car looks great, glad you are getting it out & enjoying it.

I think that mirror is going to look awful "Heavy"...

Is "heavy" good, or bad? Asking for a friend.

‘Orrible…

Well, it's a prototype. You're gonna love it when it's done! (or at least I will, or I'll go a different direction).

The Veg wrote:That mirror looks like the same type that my Plus 2 came with and was utterly useless, even on a short mount that spaced it about an inch from the body. It was plastic and the plating was peeling, so I binned it. I've got a pair of Tex mirrors now, which many people don't like but since they're a style that was available in period (and I think were stock items on MGs) I think they look prefectly acceptable on the car. Having one on each side always looks better to my eye but that's where the benefit of two ends as the one on the passenger side is of very little use when mounted in anywhere near a position symmetrical to the one on the other side. Not it matters much anyway; I don't think I've ever experienced a closed car with as close to 360-degree visibility as the Plus 2!

Pics?

I'm up to 600 miles since first getting back on the road. No issues. Although on my first test drive I did run out of gas - but I can't blame that on the car or my, or anyone else's workmanship.

So I guess it's time to close out this thread. 11 months ago I started a project to fix the cracks/crazing in the body, and the door warp. I would have like to have smoothed the transition from the front fender to the upper front edges of the doors, but ultimately decided I really didn't know how to do it correctly, so skipped that. I've heard that others have done it, maybe if I could see one of those cars I'd take that on, but otherwise, hey, it came from the factory that way.

In addition, I wanted to respray the car in my wife's preferred red, lift the body off and do whatever needed doing to the chassis, and convert the engine to Webers. All accomplished.

Some of the chassis work I knew needed doing (replacing the rear struts, which were absolutely shot), and some was a bit of a surprise (rust damage) that couldn't be known until the body was off. I also found a failed glue joint where the dash joins the inner fender. That along with finally tieing the windscreen strut into the header rail has considerably "de-rattled" the car, which is nice. Speaking of which, I took the opportunity to install the new windscreen that's been store in the attic the last few years - so I've got a new, unweathered seal and and locking strip, and better yet, will feel comfortable if I ever have to remove and reinstall it in the future.

Getting the chassis powder coated was inexpensive and looks nice. Having the engine out enabled me to renew the sump gasket and rear seal, both of which were leaking. The car is much more oil tight now. And with the essentially brand new head, goes much further on a quart of oil than before.

All is not yet perfect. The engine compression continues it's decline, and is crying out for new rings and likely new pistons. So this late fall I'll pull it out and tear down the bottom end and do whatever needs doing. That should give me a bit more power, improve the smoothness, and reduce the oil consumption even more. I'm looking forward to that.

I'll also take the opportunity to get the dash out and repair the headlight dip switch connector. My fix to jump around that connector works to enable the headlights, but it costs me the hi-beam indicator light, so that needs to be fixed.

The interior now looks even nicer with the rebuilt visors, A-pillar trims that aren't falling apart, and new leather shift gaiter. In a way that gaiter finally completes the 5-speed conversion from 2021. Maybe I'll have Ben recover my seats and door cards - leather on the seats and new vinyl on the cards, maybe with red piping and stitching to match the paint?

My wheels still have dings where the PO would use a hammer on the knock-off, and invariably hit the wheel spokes periodically. Not a big deal to address - maybe next spring.

I checked the valve lash at 500 (actually 600) miles at Barry's recommendation.. Most are close to spec, but a couple of intakes have basically no gap - but I'll address that when I do the other engine work. I don't expect to run the engine much if any before then.

And of course there's the door mirror issue. I'll post an update on that when there's some news fit to print.

Lots learned along the way, (much of that learning coming from this forum), and much thanks and appreciation goes out to everybody who had suggestions and encouragement. There were definitely some low points to get through, especially getting the engine to run with the new Webers and questionable ignition components, and that encouragement really helped.

A great journey Steve! Looking forward to seeing you and the car in Austin.

Congrats Steve, now enjoy her with a smile on your face

So, when does one project end and another begin? IMHO, after 600 miles or so of use.

So it's on to the next project - addressing the engine compression issue. While I'm at it, I'll address one of the Elan irritants - that you can't replace the heater valve without moving the engine. And fix my wiring harness issue that's costing me the hi-beam indicator. And anything else I come across.

So, Tuesday was unbolt all th engine accessories from the top side of the engine - carbs, radiator (drain and remove), starter cable, alternator, heater hoses, etc. Then Wednesday was do the same underneath the car - exhaust pipe disconnect, starter motor. Wednesday was also make the cut to alter the driver's footwell to provide clearance to unscrew the heater valve. After making the cut, I prototyped the repair so I could verify the cut was sufficient. I'll finish up the fiberglass work while the block is at the machinist.

And finally, Wednesday was pull the engine day. This is the 4th time I've done this on the Elan, So there weren't a lot of issues, other than, full disclosure, forgetting to free up the sheet metal bell housing enclosure with it's two little bolts. Did you know that you can't separate the engine from the transmission until you do that?

Anyway, the lump is out. Now for disassembly and assessment. Stay tuned

The engine is disassembled, and the initial assessment is that I'm not wasting my time.

The bearings, both main and big ends, look fine. They look either polished, or have slight wear grooved that a fingernail can feel, but not get caught on. Definitely nothing major.

The pistons, however - another story. Two have broken rings. Another has, I don't know what - it's like the top groove collapsed on the ring, and they're welded together.

So I'm thinking new pistons, maybe one size larger. New shells, maybe polished journals. And bolt the thing back together. Can't wait to see what a fresh twin cam is like.

A couple of progress updates.

Parts were ordered from DBE. Other than forgetting the wrist pin bushings, they got the order right, and everything arrived in a timely manner.

I dropped the block/crank/etc. off at the local machine shop. They have experience with little BMC engines, but this is their first Lotus. I tried to talk them into handling the water pump, but they chickened out.

A buddy in the local MG club has a 20 ton press which he let me use to install the water pump. So now that's ready to go. His wife wouldn't share her oven, so we used a propane torch and UV thermometer to heat up the various female parts. I followed Buckland and Wilkins and common sense and the job was completed without drama.

The machine shop got their job done, so assembly can begin. Other than forgetting to put in one of the oil gallery plugs, they seemed to do a great job. I got a set of 83 mm JE forged pistons from DBE, plus all the other necessary internal parts.

Assembly is progressing. Jack shaft, crank, and pistons are all in as of now. It's pretty cool to turn the crank - very smooth, and makes a cool sound with the new rings.

I neglected to order new rod bolts in the parts order. Don't know why Ken didn't recommend them. So that order will go in tomorrow, and I'll swap them in when they arrive and button up the bottom end. No rush. I'll get main and flywheel bolts while I'm at it. I already have ARP head bolts.

If you have it torn down that far it is well worth your while having everything balanced before you assemble it.

2cams70 wrote:If you have it torn down that far it is well worth your while having everything balanced before you assemble it.

Agreed.

Bit of a story there. I've been going by Wilkins' book pretty closely on this engine project. When I dropped the engine parts off at the machine shop, they tried to talk me out of balancing. They charge $250 for it, which is better than a third of the whole machining bill, and said that they never see 4 cyl's out of balance. But, I'm going by the book, and Wilkins says it should be done - so let's do it.

When I picked it up - they showed me the metal they took out of the flywheel to get it balanced. So, yeah, not a bad idea at all! Thank you, Mr. Wilkins!

Glad you talked them into it. Hope it's not a sign of laziness on their part.