1969 Lotus Elan S4 SE Basket case revival
Discussion
Hi All
Welcome to my Elan project thread. I am afraid this might seem to some to be a little bit controversial.
So what is it?
It’s a little red 1969 Lotus Elan S4 SE Drop Head Coupe which has had one previous owner but has been off the road since 1985. It is only just older than I am and in worse condition than me.
The body is an orchestra of stress cracks and splitting gel coat with a partially and badly repaired bump on one corner. It has been two different shades or red in its time on the road, one of which the car is trying to shed like a snake losing its old skin!
The chassis appears solid but with plenty of surface rust and peeling powder coat.
Steering is good, suspension and braking is knackered.
Interior is not too bad, seats are intact but need new foams. Dash veneer is cracked, carpet is tired and both will be replaced.
There is no soft top frame but 2 soft top skins in the boot, and the hard top roof lining needs replacing.
Knock off steel wheels are rusty and the tyres are museum pieces.
Electrics - who knows at this point!
The gearbox and bell housing is a rusty mass outside the car, I have cleaned and painted the bell housing as I had this for a while for measuring up..
The engine is a collection of bits in assorted cardboard boxes.
Perfect!
So what is the plan?
Body off, strip and paint chassis.
Strip and paint suspension and refresh all suspension and brakes.
Send off gearbox and diff of for overhaul and fit an LSD, then refit with solid UJ driveshafts
Replace engine with Hyper9 120hp 173ftlb electric motor bolted to the bellhousing with a lightened flywheel and clutch.
Refit body and go through the electrics (I fear a full rewire is needed - to be honest 2 fuses seems to be a little spartan).
Strip dash and modify for updated gauges.
Peel off the rest of the dark red paint, sand down to the gel coat and grind out and fill the spider army’s cracks. Then send off for paint to a pro. Mrs and Junior Spunagains have decreed it will be yellow with silver numbers (I agree but put up a small fight to show how generous I am!)
Refit all the cleaned up trim.
Buy and fit a hood frame.
Replace headlamp mechanism with Spyder electric one and new headlamp bowls.
Fit 5 Tesla batteries - 3 in front over the motor, two in boot in place of tank and spare wheel. They will need safely boxing up.
Fit Charger, DC-DC converter to replace the alternator and battery manager.
Convert heater to 120V electric power.
Fit cooling system to stop batteries exploding.
Close eyes block ears and turn the key….
This is of course a bit of an oversimplification It will take me years. (I told Mrs Spunagain a year or so!)
The changes I make will all be easily reversible and I will keep the engine carbs and fuel tank at least until it is up and running.
The plan is that it will weigh exactly the same as the petrol version - 688g so should be pretty nippy and have a sensible range.
The original plan was for the mechanicals and paint all to be done by a Lotus specialist leaving me to buy and fit the motor, batteries and electronics. But once I got the quote for £25k I decided to do it myself (apart from the paint) The savings will pay for all of the electrical gubbins and hopefully leave some change.
This is actually not an original idea - it has been done already but without the clutch by a gent on the south coast - google “Lotus Elon” for more details. I have been in touch with him through the Elan forum and he has been extremely helpful.
Here are some photos of the transplant patient!
As it arrived yesterday:
Some idea of the crustyness
Damage to offside rear quarter
Crusty bum
Interior
Random switches in the glove box - I am guessing one is immobiliser and one is for the hardtop heated rear screen (which dissolved a long time ago)
Underneath
I have given the car a quick wipe down and have made a start on the body-off preparation and pulled out the petrol tank and seats and oil cooler and disconnected the hydraulic brakes.I have given all the bolts I can see a good dowsing in penetrating oil.
The tank is in good condition and is now in the garage eaves. The 25 year old 4* petrol is doing a good impression of Irn Bru and will be used for cleaning or taken to the tip for disposal.
I will try and post as I go along, but this is in real time so posts will be few and far between, but I will try and answer any questions.
I appreciate people may not like what I am planning but this car was for sale for months before I bought it, so you had your chance!
My plan is to map the motor’s torque curve to look like beefy twin cam so it can be driven through the gears like a normal twink powered Elan and will not destroy the drive-train (possibly with a boost mode which releases all the torque for the full EV experience).
I am afraid that I have been interested in the idea of electric cars since the mid 2000s when I saw on line the work done by AC Propulsion – the company Tesla took on to develop their drivetrain. In fact I was saving to buy one of their drivetrains to build my own car when Tesla took over and took them off the market. I would have loved a Roadster but the cost was too high and second hand they are still very expensive with less than 100 on UK roads today. No one else makes a proper open top electric car yet. Making my own I hope will be a lot more fun!
Welcome to my Elan project thread. I am afraid this might seem to some to be a little bit controversial.
So what is it?
It’s a little red 1969 Lotus Elan S4 SE Drop Head Coupe which has had one previous owner but has been off the road since 1985. It is only just older than I am and in worse condition than me.
The body is an orchestra of stress cracks and splitting gel coat with a partially and badly repaired bump on one corner. It has been two different shades or red in its time on the road, one of which the car is trying to shed like a snake losing its old skin!
The chassis appears solid but with plenty of surface rust and peeling powder coat.
Steering is good, suspension and braking is knackered.
Interior is not too bad, seats are intact but need new foams. Dash veneer is cracked, carpet is tired and both will be replaced.
There is no soft top frame but 2 soft top skins in the boot, and the hard top roof lining needs replacing.
Knock off steel wheels are rusty and the tyres are museum pieces.
Electrics - who knows at this point!
The gearbox and bell housing is a rusty mass outside the car, I have cleaned and painted the bell housing as I had this for a while for measuring up..
The engine is a collection of bits in assorted cardboard boxes.
Perfect!
So what is the plan?
Body off, strip and paint chassis.
Strip and paint suspension and refresh all suspension and brakes.
Send off gearbox and diff of for overhaul and fit an LSD, then refit with solid UJ driveshafts
Replace engine with Hyper9 120hp 173ftlb electric motor bolted to the bellhousing with a lightened flywheel and clutch.
Refit body and go through the electrics (I fear a full rewire is needed - to be honest 2 fuses seems to be a little spartan).
Strip dash and modify for updated gauges.
Peel off the rest of the dark red paint, sand down to the gel coat and grind out and fill the spider army’s cracks. Then send off for paint to a pro. Mrs and Junior Spunagains have decreed it will be yellow with silver numbers (I agree but put up a small fight to show how generous I am!)
Refit all the cleaned up trim.
Buy and fit a hood frame.
Replace headlamp mechanism with Spyder electric one and new headlamp bowls.
Fit 5 Tesla batteries - 3 in front over the motor, two in boot in place of tank and spare wheel. They will need safely boxing up.
Fit Charger, DC-DC converter to replace the alternator and battery manager.
Convert heater to 120V electric power.
Fit cooling system to stop batteries exploding.
Close eyes block ears and turn the key….
This is of course a bit of an oversimplification
It will take me years. (I told Mrs Spunagain a year or so!)The changes I make will all be easily reversible and I will keep the engine carbs and fuel tank at least until it is up and running.
The plan is that it will weigh exactly the same as the petrol version - 688g so should be pretty nippy and have a sensible range.
The original plan was for the mechanicals and paint all to be done by a Lotus specialist leaving me to buy and fit the motor, batteries and electronics. But once I got the quote for £25k I decided to do it myself (apart from the paint) The savings will pay for all of the electrical gubbins and hopefully leave some change.
This is actually not an original idea - it has been done already but without the clutch by a gent on the south coast - google “Lotus Elon” for more details. I have been in touch with him through the Elan forum and he has been extremely helpful.
Here are some photos of the transplant patient!
As it arrived yesterday:
Some idea of the crustyness
Damage to offside rear quarter
Crusty bum
Interior
Random switches in the glove box - I am guessing one is immobiliser and one is for the hardtop heated rear screen (which dissolved a long time ago)
Underneath
I have given the car a quick wipe down and have made a start on the body-off preparation and pulled out the petrol tank and seats and oil cooler and disconnected the hydraulic brakes.I have given all the bolts I can see a good dowsing in penetrating oil.
The tank is in good condition and is now in the garage eaves. The 25 year old 4* petrol is doing a good impression of Irn Bru and will be used for cleaning or taken to the tip for disposal.
I will try and post as I go along, but this is in real time so posts will be few and far between, but I will try and answer any questions.
I appreciate people may not like what I am planning but this car was for sale for months before I bought it, so you had your chance!
My plan is to map the motor’s torque curve to look like beefy twin cam so it can be driven through the gears like a normal twink powered Elan and will not destroy the drive-train (possibly with a boost mode which releases all the torque for the full EV experience).
I am afraid that I have been interested in the idea of electric cars since the mid 2000s when I saw on line the work done by AC Propulsion – the company Tesla took on to develop their drivetrain. In fact I was saving to buy one of their drivetrains to build my own car when Tesla took over and took them off the market. I would have loved a Roadster but the cost was too high and second hand they are still very expensive with less than 100 on UK roads today. No one else makes a proper open top electric car yet. Making my own I hope will be a lot more fun!
Really interesting project ! I'm have mixed feelings about that conversion, because the Twincam is really part of the experience. It's a brilliant and capable engine.
I haven't seen a hardtop for a S4 in a while.. Do you plan to keep it ?
I haven't seen a hardtop for a S4 in a while.. Do you plan to keep it ?
Edited by HawthornBowTie on Friday 22 April 15:41
Cheers all!
Hi HawthornBowTie, the hard top is really nice with a glass rear screen but sagging roof lining. it seems to have been Tigersealed to the top of the windscreen surround so will be interesting to get off once I figure out where to store it! The car was assembled by the 1st owner so it may note have ever had a folding roof fitted!
I do plan to keep is as I plan to try and drive the car as much as possible all year round and the hard top will make that much nicer in the winter.
Hi HawthornBowTie, the hard top is really nice with a glass rear screen but sagging roof lining. it seems to have been Tigersealed to the top of the windscreen surround so will be interesting to get off once I figure out where to store it! The car was assembled by the 1st owner so it may note have ever had a folding roof fitted!
I do plan to keep is as I plan to try and drive the car as much as possible all year round and the hard top will make that much nicer in the winter.
Based on what I am removing and then adding back the rough weight is close - based on a few bits I have weighed and guessed.
It does not include everything but gives a good idea:
So now 32kg over original
I may have to lose a few kilos - I could ditch the battery boxes but my work safety history will stop me doing that, that and Mrs Spunagain got rear-ended 3 times in her Midget through no fault of her own!
In terms of what I have done before - I admit this is a big stretch for me. Back in the 90s I restored a basket case Reliant Scimitar so I have some experience of the mechanics. Re the electrics I have a degree in Electrical and Electronic engineering and the various drive and charging components are pretty well documented.
Lots to do!
It does not include everything but gives a good idea:
| Boot Before | Weight in kg |
|---|---|
| Spare wheel | 12 |
| Exhaust | 5 |
| 45.5L fuel | 35 |
| Fuel Tank (guess) | 6.0 |
| Total | 58 |
| Boot after | Weight in kg |
|---|---|
| Battery 2x Tesla 5.6kWh bricks | 50 |
| Charger | 7 |
| Battery box | 16 |
| Dc-DC | 1 |
| Total | 74 |
| Front before | Weight in kg |
|---|---|
| Radiator | 4.7 |
| Ancillaries | 25.5 |
| Oil and water | 12 |
| Engine head | 22.8 |
| Engine Block | 41.5 |
| Iron bell housing | 10 |
| Crankshaft | 10.8 |
| Exhaust manifold and down pipe (guess) | 20 |
| Total | 147.3 |
| Front after | Weight in kg |
|---|---|
| Battery 3x Tesla 5.6kWh bricks | 75 |
| Motor | 60 |
| Battery box | 18 |
| Adapter plate | 5 |
| Aluminium bell-housing | 5 |
| Total | 163 |
So now 32kg over original
I may have to lose a few kilos - I could ditch the battery boxes but my work safety history will stop me doing that, that and Mrs Spunagain got rear-ended 3 times in her Midget through no fault of her own!
In terms of what I have done before - I admit this is a big stretch for me. Back in the 90s I restored a basket case Reliant Scimitar so I have some experience of the mechanics. Re the electrics I have a degree in Electrical and Electronic engineering and the various drive and charging components are pretty well documented.
Lots to do!
Edited by Spunagain on Sunday 15th May 11:53 to update with latest weights
Edited by Spunagain on Sunday 15th May 11:54
I have spent a bit more time preparing for the body off since last time
The hardtop came off - just 4 bolts, oh and the PO had fixed it it onto the windscreen header rail with a devil's mix of Tiger seal and black silicone sealant so that was a bit of a pain.
Removing Tigerseal.
Roof off for 1st time in 35 years!
The vacuum headlamp lifters came off with help from the impact driver which were both rusted through. All the vacuum piping came out too - oddly the pipes to the valve switch on the dash were completely worn through-I have no idea how they could have ever worked.
The Spyder lifter kit has arrived and looks fairly straightforward to fix although some of the instructions are comically vague with instructions like “Fit mounting bracket to car” but no clue as to where to drill holes and fit it - do I use one of the holes from the old vacuum system? Hopefully it will become clearer once I get into it! The headlamps and lamp pods came out without a fight.
The brake servo was a complete pig to remove which needed all 3 nuts in the front wheel arch to be Dremelled through to get them out.
Fuel filter, and solenoid came out with no problems.
I intended to remove just the handbrake cable but could not figure out how to disconnect it from the handle so pulled the lot out. The handbrake cables seem to be hard to get in the right size so I will clean up the handle and patch up the flaking sleeving, the cable itself seems to be ok.
The ignition coil was another impact driver job to unbolt.
Rear lights- the chrome is a bit pitted on them so need to decide clean or replace but they are rare and over £200 each! Front indicator lamps, again these look pretty ropey and will probably replace them.
Horn - motor stripped and cleaned and pump section cleaned up but not a sausage - it draws current but not movement. I think I will buy a new air horn - they are not expensive and swap over the old trumpets to get the original tone.
The wing indicator lamps are putting up a bit of a fight - this is what I am dealing with!
Washer bottle and motor - stipped and cleaned up and ready to go back in, but once tested the motor drew current but again no movement. One of the list of parts to buy!
Various brackets will be sent off to the powder coaters once I get the suspension out.
I also have removed all the carpets, the rear firewall and sill covers, and have been pleased to find the steel zig zag reinforcements in the sills are all solid. I have also learned to wear a mask when removing 52 year old carpets.
All the body bolts and seat belt bolts are out, some needing many days soaking with WD40 and two needing the rattle gun. A friend recommended the Ryobi ¼ inch battery impact driver and it has been fantastic, unlocking seized nuts without excess torque - it is like magic!
So a big pile of freshly removed bits - most of the parts on the front left are not going back in my pile of ancillaries to Ebay/chuck is now 25.5kg!
I have been following the body removal guide from LotusElan.net and have got through all the preparations apart from one which is to disconnect the steering rack from the steering column. This is proving tricky, I have unbolted the steering column mount under the dash and unbolted both spline clamps on the coupling attaching the column to the rack but they are both stuck fast in car. The rear one looks like it is also welded! I drowned the front one in WD40 for a week and tried again with no luck. Ice water followed by boiling water also failed. I will try unbolting the next coupling up next.
I also removed the boot lid and headlight pods to save a little more weight. I will leave the doors on to give the body a bit more structural rigidity during the lift.
Finally I made up the dolly. I cut up some old timber left from our loft conversion and bolted some castors on with some M8 bolts.
And a much emptier engine bay, you can see the dolly in the background.
The gearbox and prop-shaft have arrived but no sign of the keys yet - the dealer has promised me a new lock set if he can’t find them. Also I seem to be missing a gearstick and gearknob so I have set up an ebay search up along with a search for the roof frame.
The paint for the chassis has arrived - Jotamastic 90 Aluminum 2k epoxy mastic paint used for oil rigs so should last a while on the Elan. Not original but I have ordered it in white, partly as a nod to my old Chimaera and also to make it easy to see everything else going on and any rust appearing in the future. I also ordered some acetone to clean up the old carpet glue from the cabin and a couple of litres of Noxudol 3100 Sound Deadening Compound to roller on in the cabin to help with road noise and vibration.
So, last thing to do before the lift is to disconnect the steering rack and finally invite the boys over for the body lift and BBQ!
On the EV side I have got a source for the battery boxes and the batteries - I am going for the 5.6kWh ones to balance cost and range and the ability to buy boxes to house them. The 100d packs (£2500 more expensive for a total of 2.1kWh more) are a different design so the off-the-shelf boxes don’t fit.
I was going to modify an old PC power supply to use as a DC-DC converter but opening it up revealed a rash of bulging capacitors so that was binned. I will order a 500W Elcon DC-DC converter.
Finally I ordered some seat warmer elements and will drop the seats off for refurbishing tomorrow.
The hardtop came off - just 4 bolts, oh and the PO had fixed it it onto the windscreen header rail with a devil's mix of Tiger seal and black silicone sealant so that was a bit of a pain.
Removing Tigerseal.
Roof off for 1st time in 35 years!
The vacuum headlamp lifters came off with help from the impact driver which were both rusted through. All the vacuum piping came out too - oddly the pipes to the valve switch on the dash were completely worn through-I have no idea how they could have ever worked.
The Spyder lifter kit has arrived and looks fairly straightforward to fix although some of the instructions are comically vague with instructions like “Fit mounting bracket to car” but no clue as to where to drill holes and fit it - do I use one of the holes from the old vacuum system? Hopefully it will become clearer once I get into it! The headlamps and lamp pods came out without a fight.
The brake servo was a complete pig to remove which needed all 3 nuts in the front wheel arch to be Dremelled through to get them out.
Fuel filter, and solenoid came out with no problems.
I intended to remove just the handbrake cable but could not figure out how to disconnect it from the handle so pulled the lot out. The handbrake cables seem to be hard to get in the right size so I will clean up the handle and patch up the flaking sleeving, the cable itself seems to be ok.
The ignition coil was another impact driver job to unbolt.
Rear lights- the chrome is a bit pitted on them so need to decide clean or replace but they are rare and over £200 each! Front indicator lamps, again these look pretty ropey and will probably replace them.
Horn - motor stripped and cleaned and pump section cleaned up but not a sausage - it draws current but not movement. I think I will buy a new air horn - they are not expensive and swap over the old trumpets to get the original tone.
The wing indicator lamps are putting up a bit of a fight - this is what I am dealing with!
Washer bottle and motor - stipped and cleaned up and ready to go back in, but once tested the motor drew current but again no movement. One of the list of parts to buy!
Various brackets will be sent off to the powder coaters once I get the suspension out.
I also have removed all the carpets, the rear firewall and sill covers, and have been pleased to find the steel zig zag reinforcements in the sills are all solid. I have also learned to wear a mask when removing 52 year old carpets.
All the body bolts and seat belt bolts are out, some needing many days soaking with WD40 and two needing the rattle gun. A friend recommended the Ryobi ¼ inch battery impact driver and it has been fantastic, unlocking seized nuts without excess torque - it is like magic!
So a big pile of freshly removed bits - most of the parts on the front left are not going back in my pile of ancillaries to Ebay/chuck is now 25.5kg!
I have been following the body removal guide from LotusElan.net and have got through all the preparations apart from one which is to disconnect the steering rack from the steering column. This is proving tricky, I have unbolted the steering column mount under the dash and unbolted both spline clamps on the coupling attaching the column to the rack but they are both stuck fast in car. The rear one looks like it is also welded! I drowned the front one in WD40 for a week and tried again with no luck. Ice water followed by boiling water also failed. I will try unbolting the next coupling up next.
I also removed the boot lid and headlight pods to save a little more weight. I will leave the doors on to give the body a bit more structural rigidity during the lift.
Finally I made up the dolly. I cut up some old timber left from our loft conversion and bolted some castors on with some M8 bolts.
And a much emptier engine bay, you can see the dolly in the background.
The gearbox and prop-shaft have arrived but no sign of the keys yet - the dealer has promised me a new lock set if he can’t find them. Also I seem to be missing a gearstick and gearknob so I have set up an ebay search up along with a search for the roof frame.
The paint for the chassis has arrived - Jotamastic 90 Aluminum 2k epoxy mastic paint used for oil rigs so should last a while on the Elan. Not original but I have ordered it in white, partly as a nod to my old Chimaera and also to make it easy to see everything else going on and any rust appearing in the future. I also ordered some acetone to clean up the old carpet glue from the cabin and a couple of litres of Noxudol 3100 Sound Deadening Compound to roller on in the cabin to help with road noise and vibration.
So, last thing to do before the lift is to disconnect the steering rack and finally invite the boys over for the body lift and BBQ!
On the EV side I have got a source for the battery boxes and the batteries - I am going for the 5.6kWh ones to balance cost and range and the ability to buy boxes to house them. The 100d packs (£2500 more expensive for a total of 2.1kWh more) are a different design so the off-the-shelf boxes don’t fit.
I was going to modify an old PC power supply to use as a DC-DC converter but opening it up revealed a rash of bulging capacitors so that was binned. I will order a 500W Elcon DC-DC converter.
Finally I ordered some seat warmer elements and will drop the seats off for refurbishing tomorrow.
Edited by Spunagain on Sunday 15th May 11:57
Edited by Spunagain on Monday 16th May 08:56
After a lot of hammering with a drift and purchase of a ball joint separator from ebay, I finally got the steering rack off the steering column.
And today the big day happened - the Lotus lift and barbecue!
Six of my friends and their patient other-halves came round to help me out and eat overcooked meats.
It took a couple of attempts, but once we realised the body needed to be lifted rear end first, it lifted off easily.
The chassis does not look too bad and before putting it away I wire brushed off the loose under-seal and rust, hoovered and it looks very solid underneath.
Next step is to get all the suspension off and get it sent off to be sand-blasted and then paint it.
Talking with one of the Lotus car part suppliers, she suggested I send the body off to be painted while it was off the chassis so I shall start looking into that as apparently there are some long waiting lists.
This week I also ordered a new horn compressor, washer pump and replacements for all the knackered lights, as well as LED replacement bulbs which worked well in the TVR.
I also ordered these LED headlamps which should reduce current, increase light output and reduce weight.
While working on labelling up the headlight and horn relays (also knackered and replacements ordered) I saw some cracks in the wiring insulation, so I need to also replace the loom - I was fooling myself that I could keep the original, but another one for the list to buy!
While dropping off the seats I got another quote for the body work to do all the stripping and painting - £11k! So I plan to order a DA5 6 Pro and some sanding pads to start the stripping myself.
I have cleaned up and painted the insides of the rear lamps for the Elan - and ordered a new lens to replace the cracked one. The lights all work perfectly but chrome is pretty badly pitted so I will think of the best approach to tidy it up. Possibly sand and fill it flat and respray either black or try one of these Chrome paints.
And today the big day happened - the Lotus lift and barbecue!
Six of my friends and their patient other-halves came round to help me out and eat overcooked meats.
It took a couple of attempts, but once we realised the body needed to be lifted rear end first, it lifted off easily.
The chassis does not look too bad and before putting it away I wire brushed off the loose under-seal and rust, hoovered and it looks very solid underneath.
Next step is to get all the suspension off and get it sent off to be sand-blasted and then paint it.
Talking with one of the Lotus car part suppliers, she suggested I send the body off to be painted while it was off the chassis so I shall start looking into that as apparently there are some long waiting lists.
This week I also ordered a new horn compressor, washer pump and replacements for all the knackered lights, as well as LED replacement bulbs which worked well in the TVR.
I also ordered these LED headlamps which should reduce current, increase light output and reduce weight.
While working on labelling up the headlight and horn relays (also knackered and replacements ordered) I saw some cracks in the wiring insulation, so I need to also replace the loom - I was fooling myself that I could keep the original, but another one for the list to buy!
While dropping off the seats I got another quote for the body work to do all the stripping and painting - £11k! So I plan to order a DA5 6 Pro and some sanding pads to start the stripping myself.
I have cleaned up and painted the insides of the rear lamps for the Elan - and ordered a new lens to replace the cracked one. The lights all work perfectly but chrome is pretty badly pitted so I will think of the best approach to tidy it up. Possibly sand and fill it flat and respray either black or try one of these Chrome paints.
What a fantastic project. My dad had an Elan roughly 45 years ago. He had to sell it when I was born, and I'm not sure he ever forgave me.
As for the engine swap, much as I like a revvy twin cam, I'm really interested to see how light an EV can be can be done while retaining a useful range.
Will you be doing much to modernise the brakes and suspension?
As for the engine swap, much as I like a revvy twin cam, I'm really interested to see how light an EV can be can be done while retaining a useful range.
Will you be doing much to modernise the brakes and suspension?
I am aiming to keep it all pretty stock. The weight should be pretty much the same so I will go with standard (but new) springs and dampers.
For brakes I will probably upgrade the disks and pads but with standard calipers as there are quite a few people seem to are happy to race with them on original calipers. While this is going to be predominantly a road car, I will try nearby a track day if the circuits allow it, as quite a few certainly were nervous about electric cars.
For brakes I will probably upgrade the disks and pads but with standard calipers as there are quite a few people seem to are happy to race with them on original calipers. While this is going to be predominantly a road car, I will try nearby a track day if the circuits allow it, as quite a few certainly were nervous about electric cars.
Not without butchering the car. I will not be modifying the chassis in any way so the car can be returned to petrol power if needed in the future. The whole conversion will be "bolt on". The aim is to keep it handling as much as possible like an Elan.
I do plan to map the motor to behave much like a twink, though a veteran of EV conversions has promised me that will last right up until I try it at full torque across the rev range and then it will stay set like that!
I do plan to map the motor to behave much like a twink, though a veteran of EV conversions has promised me that will last right up until I try it at full torque across the rev range and then it will stay set like that!
June 2022
Small change of plan! My original plan of attack was to remove body -> clean up the chassis -> put the body back on -> paint.
However after speaking to Sue Miller - one of the Lotus Elan parts suppliers, she strongly recommended that I get the body painted while it was off the chassis. Around the same time a friend of mine recommended a fibreglass specialist who had a slot available to do the body starting late July, but would like to pick up the body in late June so the team can get started as they finish their current job, so after that call I had 3 weeks to strip the body (now 2 weeks!).
So I have cracked on and got going!
Boot locks came out easily. The electric antenna came out with a little drilling, some quality electrics going on!
I will replace it with a simple whip antenna to save a few grams- it weighed over half a kilo!
The windscreen came out easily by prising out the beading and gently pushing it out. While it is delaminating a bit, I will not get a new one yet, as first I will see a screen with a heating element is needed once things are up and running.
Bumpers next, which was a pig! One bolt on each bumper rounded off and only freed after many soakings in plusgas and delicate persuasion with mole grips. The front bumper is badly cracked and it will be cheaper to buy a new one than repair so I will get a lightweight one.
Door trim pads next, followed by locks and door handles. The locking mechanism is horribly complicated and I am sure I have not taken enough photos. Here’s one:
The locks’ fixing nuts were rusted solid and it took several days of soaking in Plusgas and big mole grips to get them out.
Next up: window motors, I bought a battery for the car and tried them out before removing them and miracle of miracles, both sets of windows worked! The motor fixings were less co-operative with one of the bolts needing to be drilled out.
Next up we’re the window frames which lifted out fairly easily once I had undone all of the bolts including the inset ones not mentioned in the service manual! They will need cleaning, greasing and the inside de-rusting and painting. The chrome is quite pitted so I will look at getting a quote to re-chrome them.
This is what is left!
The garage is getting a bit cluttered now!
So next up is: dashboard and heater out, clean the remains of the soundproofing from the cabin, remove the clutch and brake master cylinders and strip out the old wiring loom. Oh and drill out the roof mounting strips and gutters on the windscreen surround.
Small change of plan! My original plan of attack was to remove body -> clean up the chassis -> put the body back on -> paint.
However after speaking to Sue Miller - one of the Lotus Elan parts suppliers, she strongly recommended that I get the body painted while it was off the chassis. Around the same time a friend of mine recommended a fibreglass specialist who had a slot available to do the body starting late July, but would like to pick up the body in late June so the team can get started as they finish their current job, so after that call I had 3 weeks to strip the body (now 2 weeks!).
So I have cracked on and got going!
Boot locks came out easily. The electric antenna came out with a little drilling, some quality electrics going on!
I will replace it with a simple whip antenna to save a few grams- it weighed over half a kilo!
The windscreen came out easily by prising out the beading and gently pushing it out. While it is delaminating a bit, I will not get a new one yet, as first I will see a screen with a heating element is needed once things are up and running.
Bumpers next, which was a pig! One bolt on each bumper rounded off and only freed after many soakings in plusgas and delicate persuasion with mole grips. The front bumper is badly cracked and it will be cheaper to buy a new one than repair so I will get a lightweight one.
Door trim pads next, followed by locks and door handles. The locking mechanism is horribly complicated and I am sure I have not taken enough photos. Here’s one:
The locks’ fixing nuts were rusted solid and it took several days of soaking in Plusgas and big mole grips to get them out.
Next up: window motors, I bought a battery for the car and tried them out before removing them and miracle of miracles, both sets of windows worked! The motor fixings were less co-operative with one of the bolts needing to be drilled out.
Next up we’re the window frames which lifted out fairly easily once I had undone all of the bolts including the inset ones not mentioned in the service manual! They will need cleaning, greasing and the inside de-rusting and painting. The chrome is quite pitted so I will look at getting a quote to re-chrome them.
This is what is left!
The garage is getting a bit cluttered now!
So next up is: dashboard and heater out, clean the remains of the soundproofing from the cabin, remove the clutch and brake master cylinders and strip out the old wiring loom. Oh and drill out the roof mounting strips and gutters on the windscreen surround.
So a few more bits got added to the remove list and ticked off. I removed the door check straps, their mounting plates and the door switches, both of which needed screws drilling out. I then unscrewed the windscreen gutters and drilled out the aluminium strip used to hold on the roof, which was made easier by grinding down the tops of the rivets with a dremel grinding stone.
The clutch and brake master cylinders unbolted easily enough but they look pretty bad, new ones I think, along with new sidelights!
The dashboard was a pig to remove and some worrying surprises like horn switch cables worn to the copper next to the steering columns, and lots more twisted together wiring! Also found a new mystery switch - a 3 position standard rocker switch on the dashboard to the right of the washer switch - any ideas? I will trace the wiring to find out!
The bonnet release catch on mine is on the dashboard, which means every time I want to remove the dashboard I have to remove the whole bonnet release assembly . To avoid this I have cut a slot to allow the bonnet pull to be removed without pulling out everything else - I suspect I will be pulling the dashboard out a few times in the future!
Part way out
I labelled each wire as I unplugged it to use as a reference when I get the new looms.
Free at last
The rats nest beneath
The wiring has been pretty badly butchered to wire in an alternator, radio, radiator fan, rear heated window, battery ammeter and more stuff I have not figured out yet, so a new loom is definitely the way forward.
I have ordered a pair of Focal 13cm speakers to put in the doors so I can drill them before painting.
I also ordered the charging connector which I also want to use to widen the filler cap hole before painting.
The clutch and brake master cylinders unbolted easily enough but they look pretty bad, new ones I think, along with new sidelights!
The dashboard was a pig to remove and some worrying surprises like horn switch cables worn to the copper next to the steering columns, and lots more twisted together wiring! Also found a new mystery switch - a 3 position standard rocker switch on the dashboard to the right of the washer switch - any ideas? I will trace the wiring to find out!
The bonnet release catch on mine is on the dashboard, which means every time I want to remove the dashboard I have to remove the whole bonnet release assembly . To avoid this I have cut a slot to allow the bonnet pull to be removed without pulling out everything else - I suspect I will be pulling the dashboard out a few times in the future!
Part way out
I labelled each wire as I unplugged it to use as a reference when I get the new looms.
Free at last
The rats nest beneath
The wiring has been pretty badly butchered to wire in an alternator, radio, radiator fan, rear heated window, battery ammeter and more stuff I have not figured out yet, so a new loom is definitely the way forward.
I have ordered a pair of Focal 13cm speakers to put in the doors so I can drill them before painting.
I also ordered the charging connector which I also want to use to widen the filler cap hole before painting.
Car wheels are now off and the old tyres removed and wheels delivered to the powder coaters - they actually have inner-tubes!
Heater is out and the fan sort of works but seems to be making the sound of suffering souls in purgatory, so there will be more on the fan later on when I get to it!
Removed the front and dash wiring looms, some of the bullet connectors really did not want to let go - they were really very secure!.
Some of the front looms are not just cracked but are looking worryingly crispy, looks like it was getting close to catching fire! These are some of the headlamp wires:
Also removed the screen-wash pipes and jets,and the dash vents for powder coating (another battle using lots of WD40 - all the Plusgas is gone - need to get more!). I also removed the speedo cable and seatbelts completely so I can clean them up when the body is away. And the last of the poppers on the top of the windscreen needed to be drilled out.
I tested the wiper motor and that is locked solid, so the whole wiper assembly was taken out. I will strip and clean the spindle boxes and the bowden cable later and see if that helps but it does look like more shopping is needed!
I removed the whole steering column to get the bulkhead seal off and the plate for that will go for powder coating too. And finally removed the vinyl trim around the windscreen. - that will be fun to glue back!
Oh and I mentioned last week I bought some Focal speakers for the doors - 13cm is the diameter of the hole and not the outside diameter of the speaker! Idiot - I should have checked the speaker drawings! Oh well - they will do nicely for the rears on the rear firewall - I don’t want anything massive there. I have now ordered some 10cm Focal 100AC speakers which will definitely fit.
Just need to clean up inside the cabin with some acetone and we are ready to have the body picked up!
Heater is out and the fan sort of works but seems to be making the sound of suffering souls in purgatory, so there will be more on the fan later on when I get to it!
Removed the front and dash wiring looms, some of the bullet connectors really did not want to let go - they were really very secure!.
Some of the front looms are not just cracked but are looking worryingly crispy, looks like it was getting close to catching fire! These are some of the headlamp wires:
Also removed the screen-wash pipes and jets,and the dash vents for powder coating (another battle using lots of WD40 - all the Plusgas is gone - need to get more!). I also removed the speedo cable and seatbelts completely so I can clean them up when the body is away. And the last of the poppers on the top of the windscreen needed to be drilled out.
I tested the wiper motor and that is locked solid, so the whole wiper assembly was taken out. I will strip and clean the spindle boxes and the bowden cable later and see if that helps but it does look like more shopping is needed!
I removed the whole steering column to get the bulkhead seal off and the plate for that will go for powder coating too. And finally removed the vinyl trim around the windscreen. - that will be fun to glue back!
Oh and I mentioned last week I bought some Focal speakers for the doors - 13cm is the diameter of the hole and not the outside diameter of the speaker! Idiot - I should have checked the speaker drawings! Oh well - they will do nicely for the rears on the rear firewall - I don’t want anything massive there. I have now ordered some 10cm Focal 100AC speakers which will definitely fit.
Just need to clean up inside the cabin with some acetone and we are ready to have the body picked up!
Edited by Spunagain on Monday 20th June 13:58
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