Well I?m happy to say that my ?67 Elan DHC restoration is moving along. So far I?ve had the frame straightened and media blasted. I repainted it with POR-15. Then I ran new copper alloy brake lines with fittings from Fed Hill, and new brake hoses from DBE.
I had quite a job coaxing the pistons out of the calipers, and for the two rear calipers the only course of action was to split the calipers, lock a vise grip on the piston, capture the vise grips in a bench vise, and twist the caliper body until one of us gave up. I haven?t rebuilt the calipers yet, but I do have the rebuild kits. That?s one of the next projects.
I replaced the bearings and races in the front hubs and reassembled the front hubs. I decided to stick with my original front shocks as they were in good shape when last driven, and the mechanism is mostly enclosed. I replaced the upper ball joints, steering tie rod ends, and steering boots, along with the steering rack ?clamps.?
The rear hubs are out at a machine shop having the bearings replaced. I have new shocks for the rear, which I will install when I have the hubs and stub axles squared away.
The differential seems to be in good shape, but I?m replacing the seal prior to reinstalling. Seems like an easy precaution against a whole lot of work in the future. I?m going to stick with rotoflex couplings now, saving my money for the engine rebuild.
Speaking of the engine, that?s a big piece of work upcoming. The block was submerged in Sandy in 2015. The pistons are out, but don?t seem usable. The cylinders have some rust, but I?m hoping they can just be honed. They were bored 40 over. So it?s either honing, boring 60 over, if the cylinder walls cooperate, or C?est la vie.
I also need a head. I have all the other parts, but the head disappeared many years ago. Part of the reason this restoration has taken so long to reboot. I?ll shortly start to look for a good used head. Someone out near Trenton, NJ had one listed a few months ago, but I need some guidance about what to look for when examining/assessing condition.
So that?s where I am so far. At least it?s starting to resemble a car again! I?ll post some photos soon.