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Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 2:49 pm
by alaric
I managed to get some work done on the elan for the first time in 6 months today. I now have a locking driver's side door, which is the first time in 15 years I believe it has had that. I then gave her a quick rinse to get rid of the dust and think the colour comes out quite nicely in the sunlight on the poet's coast. The electric window lifters are next on the list, followed by sorting out the boot lock - I managed to shut myself out of her a couple of weeks ago - luckily the fuel tank isn't bolted in so I was able to reach the catch bolts on the boot lid from inside the car. I also botled the driver's seat down today - now I can use some decent acceleration on our driveway without pulling the steering wheel off :) - seems to take off well from my experiments to date.

Sean.

elan in the sun after a rinse.jpg and
Elan after a rinse

Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 2:05 pm
by alaric
Crikey. The number of insurance companies that I've phoned to try and get cover for my car while I carry it back to the UK on a car transporter - unbelievable. Anyway I finally managed to get one that understood.

Hagerty!

Brilliant. I now have a laid up policy for ?81 that includes fire theft and liability insurance while in transit from Italy back to the UK, with the agreed value that I wanted. No-one else would give me cover! Even footmanjames who I've been with for years turned their back on me. I have an english term for them that I'll leave to your imagination!

Sean.

Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Fri Jun 14, 2013 12:25 am
by AHM
alaric wrote:Hagerty!


... told you so! The relief that you get when an insurer says " yes sir, that is what we expect people restoring cars will need to do from time to time"

did you ask them about keeping it in Italy for 3 months before taking it back? Policy covers 3 months (or longer by arangement) in Europe - worth an ask?

Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:51 pm
by alaric
Yes thanks for the advice - I contacted Hagerty following your post in my other thread but forgot to acknowledge you in this one. Sorry about that. It was emotional especially as the chap I was speaking to understood just what I was planning to do, and that I was prepared to pay for the insurance cover that I wanted.

I have taken the car back to the UK now - it's tucked away in my garage. If anyone was travelling up through Italy and France last Monday night and Tuesday they would have seen the car on the back of a rented transporter van. It drew a lot of attention on the road and at every service station which really surprised me but was great to see. I had a nice chat with a French guy that had a 2CV on a trailer. The lack of air conditioning in the cab of the van really pushed my endurance to the limit. But after 27 hours on the road we arrived.

Here's a pic of the elan on the van ready to go.

elan on van.jpg and
elan on van ready to go


The most difficult part of the trip was getting out of our Italian driveway. It's about 100m long, and goes through a sharp 90 degree bend on a steep hill as it joins a track that goes to the main road. I had not been able to get the van up that bend, and only eventually managed to get up by going further up the track and turning round, then speeding round from uphill. While turning round there was a moment when I only had three wheels on the ground with one hanging over a concrete edge over a stream - the van dropped and tilted to the side of the stream, then luckily rocked back - oops. I applied brakes firmly, straighened the wheel and reversed with lots of revs, which luckily got me back on terra firma. Scary. So coming down the drive with the elan on the van I was a tad nervous of the centre of gravity, and went through a pre worked out set of manouevres to ensure I got round the bend in one piece - it did skid down the hill at one point but I got that under control and all was ok from then on.

loading 1.jpg and
loading


loaded.jpg and
loaded ready to strap down and fit number plate and secure boot lid


I can highly recommend using a van like this if you need to move your car. Clearance was no problem and I drove the car straight up the ramps - or rather would have done had I not lost the ignition key and had to remove the inner to outer column clamp to allow me to steer the wheels by hand despite the steering lock - those two little bolts scare the hell out of me but I was very thankful on this occasion. The car didn't move at all on the journey - 1000miles door to door over very rough motorways. Plenty of power - I cruised at 70mph at times on the French motorways and averaged 32 mpg.

Glad that's over and done with now.

Sean.

Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:23 pm
by alaric
Hi everyone.

Happy New Year.

I haven't been on the forum for some time as my car is in the garage at my house back in the UK while my family is in Italy. I have rented the house (excluding garage). I bought a carcoon for it, and it's snug in a dust free dry atmosphere. Fantastic product. I can highly recommend it. I have popped in to see the car regularly and hope to get access to it to work on in a few months from now, but that really depends on work. I will collect the dashboard and dials etc next week, and plan to get the new loom assembled with dials and new bevels so that I can fit the dash next time I'm able to get to the car.

Ciao for now, and I hope to be able to post some pics of the dash wiring and gauges etc soon.

Sean.

Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Fri Jul 01, 2016 3:34 pm
by alaric
Hi everyone. I've not been on the forum for a while and thought I'd say hello.

The good news is that I am getting my house back in a couple of weeks from now, and will then have access to the +2 again. The carcoon appears to have done its job well, as the car is not even dusty. I'll be working full time back in the UK from September, so should be able to find time to finish the car.

All the best.

Sean.

Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Fri Jul 01, 2016 4:20 pm
by richardcox_lotus
Welcome back Sean !

Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Sun Jul 03, 2016 10:54 pm
by alaric
Thanks Richard. I'm looking forward to getting the car going.

Sean.

Re: Sean's '72 +2S130/5 restoration thread

PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 1:10 pm
by alaric
Hi all.

I'm afraid that I'm going to have to sell my dear old +2. I realise I should post this in the for sale section, but thought I'd put the information here first so that it might be seen by more people and while I'm determining a price. I'll post in the for sale when I'm sure of the correct price to ask.

It's a beautiful car which just needs finishing. There are pics of it earlier in this thread. Since those pics the car has been in a carcoon in the garage in South Dorset.

The engine runs - restored by QED. The car can be driven up and down the driveway. It needs the dashboard fitting, and then nuts and bolts on the suspension tightening / checking, and some fettling to get the radiator into the right position - it's an aftermarket ally rad and I installed it too far forwards. The car is very clean, so the remaining work should be a pleasure to whoever picks up the project.

It has the important mods; 5 speed sierra gearbox, CV joint driveshafts, Brise starter, full width rad, hall effect contact breakers amongst some that I've probably forgotten.

To summarise the car:

1) It's a 1972 Elan +2S 130/5, manufactured in Oct 1971, and tax exempt.
2) Bodywork restored by SES painted in Lagoon Blue cellulose paint.
3) Voigts 5 speed Sierra gearbox with concentric clutch slave cylinder.
4) Engine restored and dyno tested by QED, with power curve showing 140bhp.
5) CV jointed driveshafts from Sue Miller.
6) K&N air filter - the single cone type that sits up in the nose.
7) set of 4 new alloy rims, in addition to the original alloy rims on the car. The original ones could be restored as far as I can tell.
8 New dashboard which came with the car but has never been fitted.
9) all dials and new set of bezels present including original correct clock and external temp guage (working)
10) sunroof was removed as part of the body restoration; it had a Britax originally
11) full set of carpets from Christopher Neil
12) Two front seat covers from CN
13) Brise pre-engaged starter motor from Paul Matty, fitted and working with no issues.
14) Stainless steel exhaust manifold and system
15) Higher spring rate clutch assembly - can't recall the details of that but I'll have the receipt
16) windscreen replaced as part of body restoration - no delamination.
17) new engine bay wiring loom, dash wiring loom and boot wiring loom.
18) powder coated suspension components.
19) Galvanised chassis from CN.
20) copper fuel line running down chassis tunnel threaded through a rubber fuel line i.e. not the original plastic fuel line.
21) Braided steel fuel lines running from mechanical fuel pump to the carbs
22) Dellorto carbs last rebuilt Dec 2012 and engine ran beautifully after. These carbs are not the progressive type - if I recall correctly there are two types, with an 'economy' type that has more fuel outlets for progressive throttle opening - mine are the ones with fewer holes near the butterfly valve.
23) interior - seats, new carpets, new centre console from CN, underdash trim, map light etc., coat hook bolts.
24) New stainless seat belt mounting plates, not fitted.
25) New galvanised sills, fitted.
26) I have the original radiator and cowling, with the brackets powder coated, and the original electric fan.
27) Ally full width radiator with no filler cap, with temperature sensor fitted.
28) I forget what it's called, but I have fitted an aftermarket thermostat housing with intergral temperature sensor and filler cap.
29) Two Kenlowe fans to be fitted with the Ally radiator.
30) Window frames re-chromed and quarter light channels are stainless & fitted.
31) New ally fuel tank from Andy Wiltshire, with new rubber filler neck and locking filler cap.
32) Original rear heated screen fitted.
33) Doors fitted and aligned with chrome trim and windows fitted
34) New when fitted front brake calipers, although they were fitted 20 years ago by previous owner.
35) refurbished rear brake calipers, all working, new pistons and seal fitted.
36) Powder coated pedal box, with new when fitted clutch and brake master cylinders.
37) Hall effect contact breaker; an insert in the original distributor which replaces the original contact breakers with a magnetic device, and drives the original coil; all working.
38 Re-chromed front and rear bumpers; front bumper fitted, rear not.
39) New roof lining and re-covered rear interior side panels.

Work to be done to complete the car:

1) fit the dashboard, wiring and dials.
2) complete fitting of the weather trim to the doors - see some of the posts in this thread; I have all the parts but was struggling to see how they go together.
3) lap in the offside rear hub - currently the bolt is tightened, but the taper was not lapped in so this may need to be done before the car is driven on the road. I had to take the hub apart after damaging the inner flange that bolts to the driveshaft when I was fitting the Sue Miller shafts. I fitted an new outboard half shaft - the shaft that runs through the bearings in the hub.
4) Interior trim; I have all the original parts in addition to the new ones that I acquired over the years - carpets and seat covers and centre console were all purchased from CN. Door trims are all present and complete but need fitting.
5) Complete fitting the full width ally radiator and Kenlowe fans; it's in place now, but is too far forwards and can come back by an inch or so quite easily. This will give room for the air intake duct to run into the nose with the bonnet shut. Currently it's squashed by the rad. Oops. The operation of the fans has been tested with the thermostatic switch etc. All works fine, but needs fitting in the right place.
6) The boot lock mechanism needs sorting out. It's currently the original but is worn, and one of the bars from the remote boot open linkage is missing.
7) The clutch and brake master cylinders should be overhauled before the car is driven on the road, because the car has been sat for many years... This is important, not difficult, and must not be forgotten.
8 Re-thread the 5 speed gear knob to fit the Voigts gear lever.

I have most if not all of the receipts for the car since I bought it, and have many photos of the car before and during the restoration.

If anyone can PM me with suggestions of how much the car might be worth that would be appreciated. If it was on the road with MOT I would expect it to be worth around ?20k and have just seen that something similar is on ebay now, but as it is I appreciate that it's worth considerably less and am looking for offers. I don't want to split it for ebay, that would be a shame. Although actually I can see a 5 speed gear knob on there for ?125 - I've got one of those too, just needs re-threading to fit the Voigts gear lever.

I'm proposing to sell everything that I have for the car in one go. I'll also want to sell the carcoon - a brilliant product.

If anyone's interested in taking a look please let me know via PM - I'm in South Dorset.

Sean.