whats it worth??????
Discussion
Need some idea of what a 72ish Elan 2+2 is worth as a full restoration project?
its been owned by the same guy since 75' it was stripped and a new chassis fitted 10 years ago, body painted to a rubbish standard,
left in a container, im guess most of the stuff is with the car, but its a mess,
ive been asked to make an offer on the car,
Opinions please as to a sensible figure, not trying to nick it, so hence a sensible sum......................
thanks for looking.............
Ive done restoration work all my life, theres nothing on this project that would faze me as its a pretty thick ear simple motor,
but a quite like the fact its small and very light, and as such should be a tad easier to move around and lift etc.........................
Ive always fancied a Europa, but they are out of my price range,
its been owned by the same guy since 75' it was stripped and a new chassis fitted 10 years ago, body painted to a rubbish standard,
left in a container, im guess most of the stuff is with the car, but its a mess,
ive been asked to make an offer on the car,
Opinions please as to a sensible figure, not trying to nick it, so hence a sensible sum......................
thanks for looking.............
Ive done restoration work all my life, theres nothing on this project that would faze me as its a pretty thick ear simple motor,
but a quite like the fact its small and very light, and as such should be a tad easier to move around and lift etc.........................
Ive always fancied a Europa, but they are out of my price range,
bazjude2998 said:
I viewed a similar car,stripped but 100% complete,the asking price was £6k.
From glancing at the photo, and before scrolling down to bazjude's post, I'd plucked a similar figure out of thin air.
Don't underestimate cost of restoration on a Plus 2, though, particularly if you're looking at a decent professional paint job.
cool, i was thinking 5K so not far adrift , painting the car is no real drama, people make a fuss when polyester is involved, cars dont suffer much with osmosis , old rubbish accident damage repairs are and can be a pain, but modern epoxy coatings work very well on glass,
May have a punt
May have a punt
newsatten said:
... painting the car is no real drama, people make a fuss when polyester is involved, cars don't suffer much with osmosis...
It's the prep time that costs money, unless you do it yourself.I wouldn't be so blase about osmosis on old Lotuses, either (speaking from experience).
newsatten said:
been doing this a forty years, lol...............................................
Question is, have you been doing it to 40 (or 50) year old Lotus fibreglass? 
If you have, then I'm surprised at your statement that osmosis doesn't happen much to cars: it is really quite common on '60's Lotuses. In fact, I'd say that more suffer from it than don't, to some degree.
As I said... speaking from experience (I've restored several myself). But you seem confident in your own abilities and knowledge, so I'll leave you to it.
Mainly E's .................................................................... This was the last one i done back in 18, got fed up with the whole restoration business
so walked away, now do it for my own pleasure!......................
ive recently finished a full nut and bolt restoration on my 71' S code RT Dodge Challenger, so looking for another project, and as the Elans are tiny it would be easier to manage!
newsatten said:
Mainly E's ....
...Which I'm sure you noticed are made from metal.I've lost count of the number of old Lotuses I've seen that had a brilliant paint job straight from the shop, but then went on to exhibit defects a few months or years down the line. Usually microblistering, full-blown osmosis, or sinkage where spider cracking has been repaired. The paint shops that did the work invariably don't want to know.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of 'experts' I'd trust with such work in the UK.
Equus said:
...Which I'm sure you noticed are made from metal.
I've lost count of the number of old Lotuses I've seen that had a brilliant paint job straight from the shop, but then went on to exhibit defects a few months or years down the line. Usually microblistering, full-blown osmosis, or sinkage where spider cracking has been repaired. The paint shops that did the work invariably don't want to know.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of 'experts' I'd trust with such work in the UK.
Out of interest who would you recommend ( north of Midlands if known )I've lost count of the number of old Lotuses I've seen that had a brilliant paint job straight from the shop, but then went on to exhibit defects a few months or years down the line. Usually microblistering, full-blown osmosis, or sinkage where spider cracking has been repaired. The paint shops that did the work invariably don't want to know.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of 'experts' I'd trust with such work in the UK.
As far as im aware this particular car has never been used as a boat, so im not overly concerned regarding antiflowing/water or osmosis ,
and yes i was aware E' are primarily made from ferrous metal, however in my experience most are constructed from a mixture of polyester body filler, masking tape, and ten layers of paint,
Once this is removed, the body is then repaired and prepped for paint, ironically pretty much the same as a glass car, but instead of mig/tig
its matt and resin,
as i said before the drama people make regarding glass cars makes me laugh ,
We've done Esprit 's that have been burnt, Elites and Eclats that have been lauched, TVR's and about 10 Sting Rays!
I dont do it as a job anymore just for my own pleasure,
Talking of Osmosis my brother still has a Champman Built MoonRaker, about 78' vintage, she was pulled about 2 years ago, pressure washed,water blasted , then surveyed , very little water rot, quality boat..........................................................
Proper old skool twin Sabre Diesels, a true go anywhere cruiser.
and yes i was aware E' are primarily made from ferrous metal, however in my experience most are constructed from a mixture of polyester body filler, masking tape, and ten layers of paint,
Once this is removed, the body is then repaired and prepped for paint, ironically pretty much the same as a glass car, but instead of mig/tig
its matt and resin,
as i said before the drama people make regarding glass cars makes me laugh ,
We've done Esprit 's that have been burnt, Elites and Eclats that have been lauched, TVR's and about 10 Sting Rays!
I dont do it as a job anymore just for my own pleasure,
Talking of Osmosis my brother still has a Champman Built MoonRaker, about 78' vintage, she was pulled about 2 years ago, pressure washed,water blasted , then surveyed , very little water rot, quality boat..........................................................
Proper old skool twin Sabre Diesels, a true go anywhere cruiser.
newsatten said:
As far as im aware this particular car has never been used as a boat, so im not overly concerned regarding antiflowing/water or osmosis.
Neither had any of the (many) old Lotuses I've seen suffering from osmosis.But you clearly know everything there is to know, so good luck and it's your funeral.
Equus said:
For the Midlands, Option 1 at Bromsgrove.
The default choice price being no obstacle.I almost used them 11 years ago and even then they were quoting 'about' £7,500 for strip, prepare and paint (with a very wide scope for 'extras') . I got a small time 'shed' painter to do it broadly following the Option 1 process and 'controlled' him - it still cost almost 6k then but 10 years later no blisters or stress cracks emerged. Followed the Miles Wilkins book but added 3 layers of tissue to the entire shell before primer and paint.
2 years ago my pal approached Option 1 for a price to do the JPS Plus 2 that I sold him - £13.5k was the quote. He eventually went with SMS and it finally nudged £7.5k but the work is very good.
OP - 5k to 7k seems to be the going rate for Plus 2 projects in complete condition but needing paint and a rebuild.
Engines can get expensive if you use a specialist but as you say they are really very simple (gearbox and FD are too) and only the head needs a skilled/familiar machinist who perferably understands them - many heads have been skimmed to to death and as a consequence may look good but are effectively scrap and waterway corrosion can be an issue too. A new head casting can however be bought for around £2,500.
Trim parts can be hard to find (notably rear bumpers and front grille surround) so make sure it's all there or else negotiate accordingly.
I'm chasing a couple of early ones at the moment - I prefer them, more pure somehow.
They are a fantastic and severely under rated car in my opinion but that's good for those in the know - I prefer them to the Elan and the lower price is a bonus.
Engines can get expensive if you use a specialist but as you say they are really very simple (gearbox and FD are too) and only the head needs a skilled/familiar machinist who perferably understands them - many heads have been skimmed to to death and as a consequence may look good but are effectively scrap and waterway corrosion can be an issue too. A new head casting can however be bought for around £2,500.
Trim parts can be hard to find (notably rear bumpers and front grille surround) so make sure it's all there or else negotiate accordingly.
I'm chasing a couple of early ones at the moment - I prefer them, more pure somehow.
They are a fantastic and severely under rated car in my opinion but that's good for those in the know - I prefer them to the Elan and the lower price is a bonus.
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