bloodknock's Lotus Elan Sprint restoration
Sprint restoration - End of a long road
Read the full write-up at Sprint restoration - End of a long road ↗
Photo: Sprint restoration - End of a long roadA long-stored Lotus Elan Sprint finally finished by PJS Sportscars
Bloodknock's Elan Sprint restoration ran from the mid 1970s, with the engine and gearbox rebuilt decades before final assembly. After moving house and losing his restoration tools, he sent the finished-but-untested car to PJS Sportscars of Stoke on Trent to sort problems caused by decades in storage, including a seized gearbox, leaking carbs, and a diff bracket thread repair. The car is now home, running and MOT'd, with a repaint by a specialist body shop.
Specs
As stated in the original write-up.
- Engine
- Twin cam, bottom end machined by QED with +20 pistons and bearings on nominal, head made lead-free by Vulcan Engineering
- Cooling
- New three-core 'fat boy' radiator, high volume thermostatically controlled fan with override, Dave Bean cassette water pump timing chest
- Fuel & Ignition
- Twin 40 DCOE Weber carburettors, stripped and refitted with new gaskets
- Gearbox & Drivetrain
- Rebuilt gearbox (stripped, cleaned and reassembled after seized shift mechanism), differential stripped and rebuilt with TTR solid drive shafts replacing rubber donuts
- Suspension & Steering
- Replaced front springs and suspension bushes
- Engine mounts
- Updated TTR engine mounts, ceramic coated manifolds, fabricated copper heat shield around nearside mount
- Exhaust
- S4-style silencer box from new, tatty mild steel tail pipes replaced with stainless steel
- Electrical
- Quality key switch by driver's door replacing original glovebox security switch, interrupts ignition and sounds horns, also arms a hidden tracking device
- Body
- Stripped and repainted by MARC (Melton Accident Repair Centre), doors re-hung and aligned, weatherstrips fitted
Parts used
Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.
Engine 2
- Bottom end machining, +20 pistons and bearingsQED
Machined on nominal during earlier rebuild
In the shops
Bottom End Gasket Set ↗James Paddock Ltd· £11.25 GBP
Bottom End Gasket Set ↗
Bottom End Gasket Set ↗ - Cylinder head lead-free conversionVulcan Engineering
Head modified to run unleaded fuel
In the shopsCylinder Head/Chest Bolt, Long ↗Lotus Marques· $3.95
Cylinder Head/Chest Bolt, Short ↗
Lead-Free 33L Fuel Tank (Mini) ↗Angloparts· €0.00 EUR
Fuel & Ignition 1
- Twin 40 DCOE Weber carburettorsWeber
Stripped, cleaned, regasketed and sealing faces fettled by PJS to stop fuel leaks
In the shops
Carburettors, Weber, 40 DCOE, fast road ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £696.60 GBP
Weber Twin 45 Carburettor Kit for Ford Pinto ↗
C Bradley Motorsport· £1,220.00 GBP
Carburettor Conversion Kit, Weber 3 x 45 DCOE ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £3,104.26 GBP
Cooling 2
- Dave Bean cassette water pump timing chestDave Bean
Replaced original timing case/water pump assembly fitted when engine was out
In the shopsTiming Chest - Standard ↗Timing Chest Back Plate ↗
Timing Chest Back Plate Gasket ↗ - Three core 'fat boy' radiator
Fitted with high volume thermostatically controlled fan to combat overheating
In the shops2-Core Aluminium Radiator - Mini ↗
MGOC Spares· £108.10
Alloy 2-Core Radiator (All Minis) ↗
bpnorthwest.com· $356.26 USD
3-Core Radiator (Mini up to 1992) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $209.89 USD
Gearbox & Drivetrain 1
- TTR solid drive shaftsTTR
Replaced original rubber donuts prone to wind-up and deterioration
Suspension & Steering 1
- TTR engine mountsTTR
Updated mounts fitted to reduce deterioration from heat
Body & Trim 2
- Stainless steel tail pipes
Replaced tatty mild steel tail pipes on the original S4-style silencer box
In the shops
Tail Pipe Assembly, Stainless Steel ↗
Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $420.79 USD - ResprayMARC (Melton Accident Repair Centre)
Body stripped and repainted
Electrical 1
- Key switch
Mounted by driver's door, interrupts ignition and sounds horns, arms tracking device
Photos
22 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from Sprint restoration - End of a long road. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
How it was done
Starting condition
The restoration had been underway since the mid 1970s. The engine and gearbox were rebuilt decades earlier but the car had never been run since. Bloodknock had lost his restoration tools and facilities after downsizing, and could no longer remove the engine himself.
Modifications made during restoration
To address known Elan weaknesses, the owner rerouted the crankcase breather to a catch tank, fitted updated TTR engine mounts with ceramic-coated manifolds and a copper heat shield, installed a larger radiator and high-volume fan with override switch, fitted a cassette water pump, and replaced the crude security switch with a key switch linked to a hidden tracker.
Professional rectification by PJS Sportscars
PJS investigated the car: the believed-missing woodruff key was found in place, but with the engine out they fitted a Dave Bean cassette water pump timing case. The gearbox shift mechanism was found seized from hardened grease and was stripped, cleaned and rebuilt. The Weber carbs had dried gaskets causing fuel leaks, which were replaced. A frozen relay caused minor electrical smoke, and a headlight vacuum pod diaphragm was renewed. The differential stiffening bracket thread was repaired, and the doors were correctly hung and weatherstripped.
Progress so far
The Sprint is now home, running and has passed its MOT, though it had only been driven a short distance at the time of writing. The owner noted the front end was sitting high and planned to monitor it as mileage accrued.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at Sprint restoration - End of a long road ↗
Worth knowing
- Complete a restoration as quickly as possible, since a car left standing in storage for a long time will deteriorate
- Silicone sealants are not effective on timing chest flat-face joints