I just had a 4 wheel alignment check done on my Elan at jigsawracingservices.co.uk/ The mechanic did a very thorough job and noticed that one of the suspension bolts was a tad loose
The good news is that my Elan is straight and that I got the toe in spot on using string
When I got back to my workshop I went round all the suspension with my torque wrench and found a number of other nuts were also a tad loose Driving the Elan after torquing everything back up is a revelation (excuse the pun) it feels so much tighter and secure on the road, that feather light touch is back again, the detail in the feedback, I have fallen in love with driving it all over again.
Obviously the suspension had loosened up over a long period of time and a few thousand miles, such that I did not notice the change I strongly suggest that you include torquing the suspension as part of your service routine, I certainly have put on my service schedule.
Had a similar experience last month,took my car for annual service and the garage found a couple of loose nuts that made a huge difference to the handling…
Talking of loose nuts, I just went to investigate a smell of petrol that’s been getting more obvious over the last few days, to find the banjo fuel fitting on one of the carbs barely finger tight and a lot of fuel round about. If at all suspicious, check !
Steve, Do you stick by the torque settings in the Manual? The reason I ask, is that I just rebuilt the trunnions and replaced the ball joints, tightening all nuts to the settings in the manual. I just drove the car, and everything felt much looser. Steering, wheels… Some of the settings seemed really low: 5 lbs. ft for front hub nut, 12 for upper ball joint to wishbone, 22 for steering arm to vertical link and caliper mounting plate to hub… Are these the settings you’re using? Thanks. Dan