Hello Ray,
Thanks for the note. I didn't chronicle the little jobs, just the major
milestones so as not to take up too much space on the list. I was actually
quite busy many weekends. I felt like I had two jobs!
You said:
"my big work stoppage usually occurs when I've done some work and it hasn't
quite worked out, or I've messed the car up somehow. In this neck of the
country, we call it Lotus burnout."
Exactly the same here. This restoration had more frustrating moments than
the first, which simply involved overhauling the parts, refinishing them
where needed, and reinstalling them. I installed racing "goodies" this
time, and sometimes they didn't fit easily. When I fitted the new 6-inch
26R wheels to the rear hubs for the first time, the lower A-arm ends
interfered with the rim in a major way. After a wait of a few hours to
account for the time difference, I called up the English supplier, and he
said "they always did that, and they always will." Solution was to cut away
the bushing shells at the end of the A-arms. That exercise set me back a
couple of weeks, spent mostly mustering the energy and will power to start
the work again. Then there were the larger front discs that interfered with
the rack ball-joint ends ...
The car seems to ride as well as before. There is more suspension noise and
road feedback due to the nylon bushes, and some jangling from the rear
springs - probably the solid, sherical bearing topmount (replacing the
Lotocones) for the springs. I am still waiting for the suspension to settle
before I adjust ride height again.
Acceleration seems brisker, due to the 4.1 axle. The first race is on
November 22. I hope I don't get tire clearance problems with the wheels and
CR65 Dunlops. Will let you know how the car fares.
Incidentally, just an observation on the current doscussion on Hondas,
Mazdas, etc on the list. A friend left his new Miata with me for an
afternoon last Sunday. I hate to admit it, but it feels very much like an
Elan (but with airconditioning). There is a kit in Japan that replaces the
bumpers, etc., on a Miata, and at first glance, it really looks like an
Elan! They even painted it BRG.
Good luck on the two Elans. You're racing one of them, aren't you?
Regards,
Andres
MSCC Manila
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