My good friend Lance called today and was asking about air boxes and backing plates. I don’t have any of the Sprint type so maybe someone else will post some photos of them, Tim may have done so before but I don’t remember it. anyway I am glad I was around as I found more differences than I knew of. THe Stromberg airboxes are totally different but I was un-aware of the early weber boxes and backing plates were different until I looked closely at them side by side. one set is from 26/4020 and the other is a bit of a mystery but I believe that it’s from 45/7334 so take a look and see if you can help with other changes.
Gary
no lable - edited to fix my poor discriptions per Bill in the 3rd post, hope thats better, there is enough confusion around Elans
Thanks for the info, I am not sure when it changed but Road draft tubes probably ended in 1965. So does anyone else have a S2 built in late 65 they can check to see if it had the road draft tube and elbow gromet or the air box breather into the cylinder head?
So a September 66 invoice date, which bit of fiberglass does it have, I am wondering if there was a mix and match happening. Or if the air box cover was type 26 or type 36/45 dependent
Oh yes now that you menton it I remember, never mind.
I looked it up in the Master parts manual for the S1 S2 Coupe dated 1966 and is states the following:
PL35 Backpate (airbox) except U.S.A. 28 S 021 - S1, S2, Coupe
Thats a Lotus Cortina Back plate!
At the bottom of the page is has
Backplate (air box) - U.S.A. only 26 S 714A - S1, S2, Coupe
PL37 Plate Air box cover B26 S 022
so the fiberglass piece seem to be the same till 1966 sometime, no month listed, still need to do some more diging on this…
Roger is your master parts manual any earlier than the internet copy?
Great photos I never realised there were 2 different versions of the oringinal single bolt air box. My Elan 36/8555 had the 2 bolt version and my 73 plus2S 130/5 has the 3 bolt version. I have looked at lots of the early ones but never had 2 different ones side by side to compare.
Thank to Lance I put them there “side by each” to get photo’s. I didn’t know until yesterday and the parts have been sitting in the kitchen for a couple of years right next to each other. Its just amazing the details that I miss when folks don’ ask questions.
Variations? Early air boxes and backing plates read throttle cables are no different than many many many other “early” Lotus parts. (1948 - 1973)
I don’t believe you’ll ever pin down vin number production/part changes, ( based on everything else I’ve read on this site. ) We’re not driving Porsches.
Eric
Hi Gary
Thanks for the Unit number, Location, and name
Hi Eric
So what is on your 64 S1 for air box cover and backing plate, not many folk with early cars here and you seem to have a fairly origingal and stock Elan.
I do have a photo copy of an Elan S1 parts book. Is that early enough for you? I never use it, but I can dig it out later. I also have two sources for the 1-2-FHC book. One I’ve had since 1974, a copy and I have an original Blue loose leaf binder. I also have a Cortina book, which includes Lotus. Then I have an Escort book too, but that’ll be the square corner box.
Hello Gary, my backing plate does not have the tube. I believe my front cover is like the top one in the photo, shorter tube, more crude shape but the deeper version. It’s not on the car, I’ll dig it out tomorrow and see. I assume they’re original but… the throttle cable bracket has two slotted holes instead of one. My backing plate is 5 and 1/16th inches wide on the outer edge in the middle. It’s 15 and 3/4 inches long, outer edge to outer edge.
Eric
S3 36/7502 has the later air box S4 type, Or at least the backing plate is there. And the breather goes head to backing plate. I am looking for a cover for it.
Thanks for reading and letting me know of the early parts manual, some day I will get a copy. At the moment the 1966 online version is all I have as Bill has the S4 parts book for restoration of 36-7502 and its being put to good use.
Hi Eric
Always good to have second source of info, Thank you. I don’t know what is original to each Elan I have as they have been mixed and matched over a long period of confusion (multiple restorations at the same time). 26/4020 is writen on the bobbin inside the box so I am pretty sure of that on the air box cover.
I went to have a look at 26/4045 yesterday and got a couple of photos.
The air box trunking looks to be from 26/4997, but I think the back plate is from 26/4045. Not sure about the air box cover yet, it’s a pain to fit so I think it may be from a later Elan. I need to look at this some more…
1963 would have been all one spec, so about the first 400 S1’s would have the the road draft tube. Later S1’s may have had the later style “if” they were shipped out to the west coast dealer, I still need more info on this, either Dutchess Auto or West Coast delivered S1 Elan’s, If anyone reading this, I would be interested in hearing more from you.
Thanks Again
Gary
more air box stuff
Well must be air box day, yesterday I got an email asking about them and today there it a topic on the forum. I asked some questions to my friend Lance and he sent me this phot of a Lotus Cortina air box cover that he had. It may be a reproduction, I don’t remmber. I do know that the S2 air box did not fit the Cortina Estate when I put the Twin Cam engine and Ultra close gear box in after the blizzard of 78 drown the Elan. My solution was a BFH and I beat the strut tower bulge back into the wheel arch area until the air box fit. I had always wondered about it until Lance straightened me out on that matter.
My cover is similar to the top one pictured in your first picture on the previous page, short straight intake. Mine is lumpy and crude workmanship, fiber cloth texture, not smooth, no bobbin, just a glassed in small metal rectangle with the hole in it. It’s “deep”, three inches across the bottom, a little less along the top, maybe homebuilt?
