Attempting to build the fastest road legal Elan in the world
Discussion
stevebroad said:
I have decided, finally, on the paint scheme.
Is it a secret? Pistachio Lime Green over White? That looks so good on an Elan. I saw a FHC in those colours at Goodwood in about 2007 and fell in love.
I had a red over white (Gold Leaf) DHC. My second favourite colour scheme.
Absolutely awesome project, by the way.
MiseryStreak said:
Is it a secret? Pistachio Lime Green over White? That looks so good on an Elan. I saw a FHC in those colours at Goodwood in about 2007 and fell in love.
I had a red over white (Gold Leaf) DHC. My second favourite colour scheme.
Absolutely awesome project, by the way.
Thanks.I had a red over white (Gold Leaf) DHC. My second favourite colour scheme.
Absolutely awesome project, by the way.
The scheme is something that I have never seen on a Lotus. In fact I have only seen a couple of cars with similar schemes. I doubt that many people will like it but I do. Well, I think I do but until it is on the car I can't be sure :-)
Decided to order the polycarbonate for the side and rear windows today. I was pleasantly suprised that it was still available as I had assumed that it would have all gone to make shields and barriers. Well, a lot has and some suppliers are prioritising these uses but I found a couple that can supply with only an extra week added to the shipping time.
Passenger door finally complete and surprisingly stiff now the inner skin is glued on. Now begins the task of making it presentable and ready for paint.
Started work on the driver's door. This has its challenges as I had to raise the bottom corner of the windscreen due to it being low. I discovered this when I was setting the car up in readiness for the roll cage to me made. I got the chassis level and found that the top of the screen was low. I cut the A pillar in order to level it up but this then required the bottom edge of the screen to be adjusted to match.
This resulted in a lift of around 25mm. All looks good but a knock on effect was that the door was now too low. I used the existing door as a pattern for the mould but I have now got to make it fit. The car body was a mess with nothing lining up but is should look OK if you don't look too closely :-)
The window support in the top of the door comprises of 4 parts and I was able to line this up with the new body line. However, as shown in the second photo, the outer skin is a little short so some extra work will be required to sort this out.
Started work on the driver's door. This has its challenges as I had to raise the bottom corner of the windscreen due to it being low. I discovered this when I was setting the car up in readiness for the roll cage to me made. I got the chassis level and found that the top of the screen was low. I cut the A pillar in order to level it up but this then required the bottom edge of the screen to be adjusted to match.
This resulted in a lift of around 25mm. All looks good but a knock on effect was that the door was now too low. I used the existing door as a pattern for the mould but I have now got to make it fit. The car body was a mess with nothing lining up but is should look OK if you don't look too closely :-)
The window support in the top of the door comprises of 4 parts and I was able to line this up with the new body line. However, as shown in the second photo, the outer skin is a little short so some extra work will be required to sort this out.
Filleted? I meant fettled. Also, 2.6kg is 5.7lbs. I put it down to stage fright and no script :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGfi5yq_XI0&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGfi5yq_XI0&fe...
I know you are focused on the 1/4 mile and utterly applaud the work you are doing to achieve this end, but the way this is coming together it would also be a weapon in hill climb events too - still short enough duration to consume the whole tank of nitrous both down the gullet and sprayed over the intercooler. Any interest in corners, or are you eyeballs on the horizon only?
Interested to know how you are going to handle waterproofing of the doors, is all new rubberwork easily available?
Interested to know how you are going to handle waterproofing of the doors, is all new rubberwork easily available?
F1natic said:
I know you are focused on the 1/4 mile and utterly applaud the work you are doing to achieve this end, but the way this is coming together it would also be a weapon in hill climb events too - still short enough duration to consume the whole tank of nitrous both down the gullet and sprayed over the intercooler. Any interest in corners, or are you eyeballs on the horizon only?
Interested to know how you are going to handle waterproofing of the doors, is all new rubberwork easily available?
My main focus is the 1/4 mile. However, the suspension has been designed to handle corners and I have done sprints in the past so plan to tackle those and also climbs. These are just drag races round corners and up hills :-)Interested to know how you are going to handle waterproofing of the doors, is all new rubberwork easily available?
No waterproofing as drag racing isn't done in the wet! Also rubber is very heavy, adding around 4-5kg :-) If I end up competing in wet sprints or climbs then I will get a little damp around the edges. However, there is nothing in the interior that will be affected by rain so not really an issue. I will probably seal the windscreen anyway.
stevebroad said:
My main focus is the 1/4 mile. However, the suspension has been designed to handle corners and I have done sprints in the past so plan to tackle those and also climbs. These are just drag races round corners and up hills :-)
No waterproofing as drag racing isn't done in the wet! Also rubber is very heavy, adding around 4-5kg :-) If I end up competing in wet sprints or climbs then I will get a little damp around the edges. However, there is nothing in the interior that will be affected by rain so not really an issue. I will probably seal the windscreen anyway.
Hi SteveNo waterproofing as drag racing isn't done in the wet! Also rubber is very heavy, adding around 4-5kg :-) If I end up competing in wet sprints or climbs then I will get a little damp around the edges. However, there is nothing in the interior that will be affected by rain so not really an issue. I will probably seal the windscreen anyway.
It's a nice to see the details and craftsmanship you've put into this.
Have you thought about using an alloy block.
They seem to be half the weight and would certainly help balance the car. Big bucks but would certainly be worth it in your car.
M4CK 1 said:
Hi Steve
It's a nice to see the details and craftsmanship you've put into this.
Have you thought about using an alloy block.
They seem to be half the weight and would certainly help balance the car. Big bucks but would certainly be worth it in your car.
Yes, I have thought about that. However, as you say, properly designed units aren't cheap (around £5k) plus the rebuild cost of an unused engine isn't within my present budget. A 20 kg saving would be nice but will have to wait.It's a nice to see the details and craftsmanship you've put into this.
Have you thought about using an alloy block.
They seem to be half the weight and would certainly help balance the car. Big bucks but would certainly be worth it in your car.
Once I have the car up and running and can use all of the present power all avenues will be investigated.
My initial thought was "Aye, good joke."
My second was "WTF would you do that for - there are numerous iconic lotus paint jobs which would look better"
My third was "That is fantastic"
If it comes out looking anything like the above photo it will look brilliant - the madness of it makes me think of the Jeff Koons M3 Art Car crossed with a fairground waltzer.
As above - how do they plan on painting it? Any chance they would set up a timelapse video or something for you - would be fascinating to watch that colour go on.
Are you going to have them weigh the paint?
I love this build - will be an absolute hoot to drive I imagine - a hefty dose of power in something that weights as much as a crisp packet.
My second was "WTF would you do that for - there are numerous iconic lotus paint jobs which would look better"
My third was "That is fantastic"
If it comes out looking anything like the above photo it will look brilliant - the madness of it makes me think of the Jeff Koons M3 Art Car crossed with a fairground waltzer.
As above - how do they plan on painting it? Any chance they would set up a timelapse video or something for you - would be fascinating to watch that colour go on.
Are you going to have them weigh the paint?
I love this build - will be an absolute hoot to drive I imagine - a hefty dose of power in something that weights as much as a crisp packet.
rev-erend said:
No. You really need something brighter to make it stand out from the crowd.
Radium would do that... (safer options exist - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_paint).Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff