Hi I am restoring a Sprint (S4 bodyshell) that came without headlamps. Has the pods but nothing else. Early elans had two vacuum units (non fail safe) and later ones had a single unit with a cross bar. Anyone know the changeover dates from the twin (non fail safe) to the single (fail safe) units? Thanks.
My second workshop manual dated March 1970 covers S1,2,3,4 and contains maintenance details for both non-fail-safe and fail-safe vacuum lifter/closer, so I imagine that all Sprints had the fail-safe single vacuum pod arrangement.
I thought it was only the Fedral cars that had the fail safe headlights, my Sprint (domestic) does not have fail safe and that is a Oct 72 car.
Maybe the very last of the Sprints had them but like most things Lotus its difficult to pin down a specific change if it was a running change made during production.
My Sprint is a Feb 1973 car [UK] and, as with Brian’s, does not have failsafe headlights.
Richard
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Now that your car is in bits-check for the serial number on the central transmission tunnel and inscribed inside the door moulding.This may give you an idea to the VIN.
Cheers all - checked the vin and manufacture date with Lotus but like all things Lotus They can only give me a year of manufacture nad don’t have records of changes. I think that it is probably right that only the federal cars had the fail safe, so I’m going with the twin vacuum system. Thanks
My Federal S4 came from the factory with the single actuator fail safe system and although it works perfectly, I might be selling it soon. I want to install a radiator in the nose and if the vacuum actuator interfers, I’ll go with electric actuators.
(Frank, if you remove it, IMHO don’t sell it, keep it around so when the car eventually goes up for sale or to an heir, the original equipment is nearby.) Semi-original stickler, Eric
May 72 Sprint… 2 x vac units.