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Blasted Bits

Long overdue update, things are still progressing but not at a rate I’m proud of. Lot happening in life and I really need to get my head down and make better progress and log what’s happened.

More workshop upgrades at home, added a new air compressor (which pops the garage electrics, but that’s a different story) and got a blast cabinet.

Trial run on the exhaust back box mounting tabs.

Works ok, but needed some improvements. More blast media was a big one, but being able to see wtf I was doing and stopping dust and grit going everywhere was a bigger priority. Electrics project box bought, drilled and stuck on over the standard vent on the rear of the cabinet.

Next up, connected to a Draper shop vac I got on discount from ToolStation, via a barbecue ash vacuum box from the Lidl centre aisle.

Then gave the interior a full wipe down and duck taped all the joints. Some of the corners you could see light from inside the cabinet coming through and naturally dust and grit managed to find their way out also.

With the vac running you can’t easily open the cabinet lid and dust is kept much more under control.

Finally, used some spare timbers to knock up a table to sit it on, my toolbox now has an added top box and wanted to be able to get the shop vac etc stashed underneath.

Finished up the exhaust brackets with an etch prime and matt black paint finish.

Lots of parts will be needing put through this, I’m very much wanting to retain as many parts as possible rather than replacing them for the sake of it.

Part 2: Master Blaster

Selection of parts in work.

Couple of the roll cage tubes needed some love. These run from the bottom of the A-pillar in to the transmission tunnel where they bolt through in to the chassis. As such, they’re effectively a foot rest so the paint was pretty worn away. Misplaced the before pics.

Spyder (I think) upgraded tubular front wishbones. The chrome had given up the ghost in some areas but not others, this is a royal pain in the hoop. With the compressor and blast cabinet set up I have, it doesn’t quite have the oomph to smash up electroplating unless it’s already loose. So, good that only the gubbed stuff gets removed, finish it leaves is quite crappy and requires the whole lot to get a dose of buffing with the brass wheel of the bench grinder.

There was actually about a 6 month gap between the first and second batches of arms being done. In that time, the painting on top of sheets of paper on a workbench got on my nerves enough I went looking for a better solution but don’t have space for anything like a spray booth.

Step in £20 of fabric wardrobe from B&M…


Next up working through the suspension components was the rear top spring caps and lotocones.

The steel inserts would probably have been possible to save but the rubber being severely perished means the lotocones will be getting replaced with new. The spring top cups, although scabby, are structurally sound, so;

Blast them

Buff them

Rust converter to stabalise the surface

Etch primer and high build primer

Black enamel topcoat

Vegantune Work

Been a loooooooong time since I did an update so thought I would do a little bit more about the car’s history before we got it (almost from before I was born in fact!)

My dad sent me over a bunch of pictures of the receipts from the main conversion that was done on the car. Notably there’s no mention of engine works which must have been done at a different time.

Totalling in at £12,366.28 in October 1982, that would be £38,845 in 2022 cash.

Running through the invoices in the same order as the receipt, not every line just the stuff that jumps out at me:


The steering wheel in the car appears bigger in diameter than others I have seen so maybe this is why it has been changed. Extra charge for the SparkRite alarm I took great pleasure in binning! Heated rear screen wiring was present but the rear screen looks period and doesn’t have any heating element fitted.

Rear Koni dampers I couldn’t confirm, it’s fitted with Avo inserts as far as we know now. The driveshaft kit I’ve posted about before and it will be getting a refurb, I quite like it for some reason. 2 headlights is interesting as there’s a clear age and manufacturer discrepancy between the two.

Ammeter is one of the additional dash gauges the car runs in a slightly unusual configuration. Sidelight indicator units are Jag E Type variants. Screenwash kit is a bit rudimentary and will be getting replaced. Hopefully the alternator is ok despite being bathed in a fair bit of oil film and grime in the engine bay.

Full wiring loom was presumably to suit the fitment of the alternator and different gauges in the dash. 6×13 Compomotive wheels is interesting, I was sure they were 7×13, will have to check. Antiroll bar to suit wider wheels possibly suggests the bar has been uprated, will need to research thicknesses etc to find out.

Spyder rollcage added at this point and the chassis repaired. Spyder front arms will be kept as they’re in good condition. The sunroof really isn’t popular with purists, which makes me like it even more tbh.

More body modifications and light units and various replacement body parts, leading to…

This one is the biggie. This ties in to a big incident in the car’s history, given away by the first 3 lines.

As I understand it, the previous owner did a bit of sprints and hill climbs, possibly some fashion of racing and had a shunt with the car, sticking the front left corner in to the scenery. Hence the need for Spyder to straighten the chassis and a replacement bodyshell. The bodyshell which has been modified is not the original, it’s a reproduction, most likely made by Boss based near Snetterton.

It must have been quite a shunt, aside from the engine, gearbox and differential, everything else was either repaired, upgraded or replaced!

Aside from rifling through old receipts, I’ve also managed to score some wheels which we can use to get a rolling chassis again whilst sorting out relacement inner wheel barrels.

Five 5Jx13in Minilite centre lock wheels, with one spare which has been run on the rim but will make a good airline reel or somesuch thing. Couple of them are in need of a refurb so will probably get the whole set done.

Gave them a quick scrub up before stashing away in the garage.

All the Errors

So I was just cruising along when…

Error! Error! Error! Error! Error!

Cruise control fail, ABS fail, stability control fail, pedestrian impact warning fail, rear impact warning fail, tyre pressure warning fail.

Immediate thought was actually something electrical had crapped out and it was shutting down systems but did a code scan and found the real culprit.

ABS sensor, front right.

This was on the wheel that had an advisory for a noisy wheel bearing last MOT, it possibly only needed the wheel bearing replaced to allow a better pick up but not doing the job twice so replaced both.


Front brakes were last changed during the car’s stint away for the EGR cooler recall. 3 years & 27k later, feel the prep of the flange face could have been better. Thats actually quite a lot of corrosion and the discs needed twatted with a hammer to release them.


Discs are serviceable but the back faces are suffering.


Inner hat on the discs got set about with a brass brushwheel on a drill before refitting.

Recess on the hub and bearing mounting face also given some wire brush love before reassembly.

After re-assembly & test drive everything showed fine on bimmerlink and no error messages.

Had a little deep dive in to a couple of menus whilst I was bothered.

DPF supposedly has 68k miles left in it. Hoping to improve that now I’m doing more regular commuting etc to help with natural burn off.

Battery at 57% isn’t a huge surprise, auto stop-start is very seasonally dependent on the car and I’ve long suspected that’s due to a slightly weak battery.

Some Horrors

Now, at various points during the strip down, there were moments of WTF.

Particular ones that spring to mind include where someone had rammed a self tapping screw through the radiator supports to stop the radiator being able to rattle around, the number plate light “bracketry” and the electrical tape around the vacuum T-piece.

But all of that was trumped by the rear suspension.

I know the wheels are far wider than stock, but they’re also 3 piece split rims. You can specify and adjust the offset pretty comprehensively. Instead, someone has elected to fit overly wide inner barrels and take a grinder to the bolt heads where the bearing carrier bolts up to the wishbone.

Clearance up top has been achieved with some blacksmith style “heatin’ and beatin'”

The spring platforms on both sides, comprehensively remodelled, despite doing what they could with some custom “spacers.”

Yup, penny washers on the drive pegs!

I don’t have many pics of the engine removal process, was a little busy/involved with the process of getting it out to pause for pictures.

Will need to get my act together and pull a video together as I know I have some footage, certainly the bit where I rattled my head off the engine crane was captured!

With the engine and box removed, there’s not a hell of a lot left. Having only really worked on far more modern machinery prior to this, the overwhelming thought when working through the chassis and suspension was just how dainty everything is.

The steering rack on the Elan is mounted forward of the front axle line. The tie rods and rod ends will need replaced, rubbers weren’t perished but felt very old and will be replaced at the same time.


Front double wishbone set up has been modified, the wishbones look to be Spyder manufactured tubular steel items, where original Lotus ones were made from steel plate. The front damper assemblies are height & damping adjustable Avo units from the mid-late nineties.

The exploded diagram from the workshop manual shows nicely how it all goes together.


The chassis tubes show some evidence of being modified. I don’t recall this area being a particularly tight fit with the gearbox but that’s the only reason I can see for doing this alteration.


The rear wishbones feature zero adjustment for alignment, so a lot of faith/importance in the chassis mounting points. What I would call the hub is known as the bearing carrier in Lotus world. The lower damper tube is pressed in to the casting, the brakes mounted inboard. Up top there is a “Lotocone” top mount, essentially a rubber mount designed with a bit of give to allow the angle of the damper to change through the compression stroke.

Now came an interesting mission, removal of the knock off wheels.

There was of course the rubber mallet which lived in the car’s boot, not even close to budging them. Just knocked lumps off the mallet! Next up, bit of wood + 2kg club hammer. One smashed up piece of wood.

Gave up and ordered a tool off eBay, highly recommended by the Elan forum. Then I took the hump and really wanted them off, so one last try with a meter long section of 2×2 and an assistant to hold it so I could proper swing for it and not risk thumping the face of the wheel.

Success, just! Stopped at just getting them loosened off slightly, saved fully removing them for another day when it would be going on to axle stands for the suspension to be stripped.

Here’s an overview of the suspension I figured would be interesting with the Elan having such a reputation for handling