Dunc

The UJ joints are landrover S3 propshaft joints and they survive in Landrovers without issue. Our issue is the wider angle of deflection and the shocks that the suspension transmits into the joint. I did some research a while back and a supplier mentioned going for a joint with a thrust washer would help. These joints have been on the left hand driveshaft of my eclat taking punishment for some time without failure. I thought I had finally broken them during our NC500 run last summer, but stripping it down showed the movement to come from a knackered diff rather than movemenmt in the joint. Dunc

I read the "critique" from an engineer owner who had fitted the spyder top link conversion to his elite published his thoughts on the web (his was not a spyder donnington - just an elite with a Spyder top link mount kit fitted, so retained the lotus diff and shafts, but with modified hubs and a CV joint driveshaft from a Sierra). He felt the height of the inboard mount for the Spyder top link on the chassis was too low, and wanted to experiment with welding a "tower" onto his chassis to raise the position of the inboard upper link mount. He described "roll oversteer" and after spending a fair bit converting his car, went back to the standard Lotus setup, noing a vast improvement. I recall he wrote that fundamentally he still believed a top link was the way to go, but wanted to develop it to make it work to his satisfaction before refitting it. I dont think he ever updated the blog again, which was a shame as he was knowledgable and had done a proper engineering analysis/appraisal. I recall Spyder used to produce a number of chassis "upgrades" for our cars, with tubular rear arms offered (I have a pair) and I seem to recall a "wide track" front end conversion allowing the use of a vented disc from a ford. A good friend has recently acquired a Donnington, so hopefully we can have a play with it and find out what its like. He reckons it needs setting up as it doesnt seem to drive very well. I have one of those Laser pointer alignment things that I bought myself for christmas, so I'm hoping we can sort it out and get everything pointing in the right direction. Too many projects... lol On the handling of the eclat v excel - I've owned both and they drive totally differently to each other. Both are undoubtedly fine handling cars, but my prference was for the Eclat. Admittedly my Excel was tired and desperately needed a new set of dampers, so perhaps an unfair comparison, but I preferred the way the eclat drove and handled. Perversely, I also preferred the eclats brakes, being very disappointed in the braking performance of the all round discs of the excel. I suspect the single pot calipers on the excel are the week point in comparison to the triple pots up front on the elite/eclat. My feeling was that some fettling of the standard brakes in the Excel could yield huge improvements - I looked at a Previa ABS twin pot caliper, which gave a bigger clamp area and looked like it would bolt straight up to the carrier, but sold the Excel on to a new owner before investigating further. Dunc

thanks - nothing broken, just muscular tears and bruising I think. I had crash bungs and sliders fitted, so bike not as bad as it could have been. Brake pedal badly bent, abrasion on exhaust, rad shroud broken, mirrors damaged, and sacarficial sliders destroyed, but other than that, not too bad. I have plastic motocross style hand guards fitted, and they seem to have acted as bar sliders, so will replace them also. If nothing else it is an excuse to buy more carbon fibre bits as it is cheaper than buying plastic rad shrouds from Kawasaki.

I commute every day on my Z-1000. I fell off last week and I'ma bit sore... Shoulder a bit unhappy... 😞

Hi Pete, I think adding shims between the drum and flange will add a smidgen of positive camber, but I suspect only by a tiny bit as the radius rods in play. I'm not sure what it will do to toe - widening the track behind a fixed pivot would ordinarily invoke some toe in, but given the radius rod is behind the shaft, the hub will splay towards toe out at the same time? My point was more that you can buy adjustable upper wishbone mounts/links for other conventional IRS cars that make adjustment a breeze, but on the elite and eclat it becomes a proper pain in the @rse....

Well done for taking that one on. I saw it advertised and thought it looked a snip at the price. I would have taken it on myself under different domestic/financial circumstances as it looks like a lot of hard work has already been done. Excellent to see that a car used in adverts has survived! If you want it on the little register I keep, mail me at elite-eclat-register@hotmail.co.uk 🙂

Yep :-) thats why the Elite and Eclat shouldn't be lowered with shorter springs: There is no way of adjusting the rear camber to compensate as the car is lowered, causing a lowered eclat or elite to squat on the inside of its rims. The rear suspension follows a prescribed arc as the suspension compresses, allowing the car to effectively lean over on its outside tyre as the car rolls into a corner. I believe this body roll/negative camber relationship is what provides the Lotus handling magic and if you drop the ride height it upsets the roll angle. We had a breif discussion of this on Charlie Crokers air ride car thread. For it to work effectively, its got to be riding at standard ride height - and for me, that kind of defeats the the point of installing air ride. An excel would have been a better choice for installing variable ride height, but Charlie didnt seem fussed as it was designed for the look, and to be a talking point on the scene, rather than cornering performance.

Lotus Elite/Eclat tubular trailing arms from Spyder engineering. Also known as rocking horse poopie....

Here is a pic of the tubular trailing arms that Spyder used to make for Elite's and Eclats. Might be a helpful reference. (Spyder lost the dimensions years ago and cant make them any more - they are very heavy compared with the lotus box steel ones).

On the elite and eclat, I dont think it does Filip.... When your cranking - the key is turned further in the barrel, and the coil on a ballast ignition car gets its voltage from the link wire to the starter solenoid. I think the ignition key only gives power to coil through its ballasted pink high recistance wire when you release it from the spring loaded "start" position to the normal "run" ignition position. I had a car which would only fire when I released the key from the "Start" position. It would wind over and over with nothing, then kick into life when I released the key.

Absolutely this.... Unless it is a 520 4 speed, or an automatic, dont tune the engine for more power, just build it back to stock. Electronic ignition is worthwhile if its an early car on points due to the location of the 'strib making servicing hard. Other than this - keep it stock.

I think on the 1990 excel the later dash is curved rather than flat like the earlier elite/eclat. I've never owned a later excel with the later dash, and have only re-veneered the flat panels on an eclat, but I think making a new panel shouldnt be beyond the abilities of a half decent woodworker if you supply the originals as templates?

Good skills Clive - car looking good. It'll be nice and cold when you get back to Scotland and an awning may be needed, but for different purposes....

Although based on the same basic engine architecture the 911 is substantially different. It has two big long strengthening studs than run through the block that are absent on the 907 & 912. Sump and cams also differ. There are a myriad of differences between 907's depending on spec - esprit 907's have a full face bearing and a cross drilled crank - others have the solid crank and a lubrication channel through the bearing shell (which reduces surface area, increasing load). I've only ever had one 911 engine and I didn't strip it down (I swapped it with Mike Taylor for a 912), so I'm not sure which bearings/crank the sunbeam block used. I wouldnt be surprised if they were full face given the application, but have no direct knowlege - just flagging as an example of the differences that exist in Lotus engines with the same code. According to lore sumps were sold to match the crank cradle and shouldnt be mixed and matched - not too sure how much faith I would put in that however. An easy solution could be dry sumping an fitting something almost flat to clear the crossmember.

Come on Justin..... £1K for a waterpump and cambelt on an excel....?!? Thats just not in the spirit of this room of TLF - get the spanners out! Less than 2 hrs on a Saturday morning to a man of your calibre!! 🙂

I went on holiday with my mate in an 1100 in 1993. (I was 17). It was at least a VDP on twin carbs with a heady 55bhp. It started to overheated in the balmy scottish summer at an indicated 82mph on the M9, so we had to back off a bit... Happy memories 🙂

I'm not sure the Zinc would have been damaged. Its been an engine bay fire and heat rises. The chassis is pretty low at the front. My first eclat died in a fire and the fibreglass damage was MUCH worse than that one. The galv chassis on it seemed fine.

A breaker in Lincolnshire has taken in a fire damaged Elite S2. Seems he has cut the chassis up to remove components... Somewhere a village in Lincolnshire is missing its idiot... The rarest, most valuable component on the car written off with a few swings of his stihl saw...🙊 Words fail me...

^ This is what I have. Fan runs thermostatically, but I have the option to overide witht he manual switch.

Welcome to our little section on TLF George! Well done on saving an S2 eclat! Where about in Australia are you? TLF's wedge section seems to have a growing Australasian membership :-) From memory, the fuse map is on a sticker on the underside or adjacent to the fuse block, but I cant recall - I will have a look on my car and take a photo next time I'm near it. Power drain is likely to be those sodding lights in the door/interior light circuit. Take the bulbs out and see if it goes. The power steering rack is a ford item, and seeing as you got Capri's, Escorts and Cortina's locally, your probably easier getting the one you have rebuilt locally. Original S2 steering wheels are hard to obtain. An aftermarket Mountney and boss kit will see you right. MB019 if memory seves - spline shared with midget and early range rover. The ignition barel is a Waco item. I'm not sure how easy to find they now are. Have a look at the parts interchangeability spreasheet on here as a sticky - its a great resource. best wishes Dunc

If your happy that you have no vacuum leaks, your ignition wires are all measuring correcty, and that the dizzy cap and rotor arm are fine, try this one from leftfield: try richening it up a bit. Although this sounds stupid for countering a high HC score, if you've gone too lean on a cylinder, it wont catch at idle, resulting in unburnt mixture going down the exhaust. Also, check that the choke is returning properly.

Interesting. As most will know, there is now an Ultra Low Emissions Zone charge thats live in London charging vehicles (including motorbikes) £15 a day to visit central london. Historic Vehicles are exempt. Whilst my current bike sneaked in after a battle, I was thinking of the possibility of a classic bike for the daily London commute. Seems it might be viable.

Good luck wiht the haggle. I agree with the above - shipping a Salisbury 7HA from the UK would be a lot easier than trying to fabricate a new arrangement to take a different diff. It has been done before, with Dan's race using an Atlas diff and Spyder grafting a Jag IRS in, but Spder chanegd the entire chassis to achieve this. Keep it standard with a Salisbury. :-)

I have a fabric towing eye that I will fit on the front outrigger....not done it yet, but will soon.

the weapon of choice for putting kids in an elite or eclat is the Britax Prince. This is quite a narrow seat that sits inside the sculpted bucket and its certified for use with a lap belt as well as a 3 point belt.