I’m new here, so please excuse the vagueness of my questions. I have a couple;
I am currently driving my fathers (1972) Elan Sprint. It has a very unpleasant habit of the back end squirming around under braking & acceleration, this has improved with use (it has been laid up for 2 years or so) but it still shows this rather alarming tendancy. It isn’t so bad in cornering, but is still noticable.
Any suggestions?
I am a long term FWD fan having owned a series of Minis, Cooper’s & S’s. But having driven the Sprint for a while, I don’t think my life will be complete without a Series 2 DHC to call my own.
Any suggestions as to where to look and how much to pay. I am not aversed to a bit of graft and have a decent workshop to play in. But something running with MOT would be a better starting point than a basket case.
If I do find a DHC, can I get a bolt on (or other solid) hard top for bad weather, I am not too impressed with the canvas roof
Mark, the squirming sounds like knackered wishbone bushes (The rear wheels are trying to steer) - assuming of course the rear tyres aren’t nearly flat
Look in the “For Sale” section - a S2 WITH a hardtop!!
On the subject of your proposed Elan, you should be able to find an aftermarket hard-top (Lenham used to make one for the Elan) the other possibility would be to go for a later car S3 or 4 and buy a fixed head.
Price of Elans depends on condition. Sprints and very early car seem to carry a bit of a premium (Sprints I understand but IMO S3/4 cars are much nicer than the S1/2)
The cheapest seem to be in the ?5-6,000 bracket but at that price you are going to need quite a bit of time/money to arrive at a good Elan. The best cars are up to ?20,000, with every permutation of price and condition in between the two
Mark, as John suggested, its most likely the wishbone bushes but while you’re under there, check the torque rod mountings on the diff and frame and the diff mountings in the trunk/boot.
Compared to Minis an Elan is a lot more nervous in the rear end. A lot of horsepower and narrow track and short wheel base in a RWD drive car makes that inevitable.
However it sound like something is wrong in the Sprint your driving such as rear bushes or bearings or rear alignment. Front bushings and alignment can also cause the rear to move around under braking.
I would have a good look at all the suspension components and wheels and tyres and check all the alignments for both front and rear supension before concluding what needed fixing
Mark,
I’m probably wrong here but you are not confusing the way an Elan “feels” because of the rubber drive couplings? they are somewhat vague in that area due to wind up in the couplings. I note you say it is under braking and acceleration, check that the couplings are in good condition as it can lead to expensive damage.
The drive couplings were replaced first as we were aware that this was a common problem, and all the bushes LOOK, OK. I am starting to wonder whether one of the wishbones has been damaged and repaired (not quite right), I will investigate more this evening and keep you posted.
Thanks for all the input.
Oh, BTW, Although I am a confirmed Mini driver, and love the precise all be it slightly bumpy handling of the little beasts, even with 120bhp + There is definately something WRONG with the Sprint, nothing major, but if they all handled as badly as this one, Mr Chapman would never have sold any And all the contemporary reviews would have said "Handles like a badly behaved Blancmange!
Perhaps stating the obvious, but have you checked the tyre pressures?
They may be too high
I once tried my car at the tyre manufacturers recommended pressure of 32psi and the car handled as you described. Almost swapped ends on me under braking
For what it’s worth- try the tyres. Had a similar sounding problem on my car and I imagined all sorts. The tyres looked perfect but I’d had them on the car for some 10 years. It turns out the sidewalls were perished/softened even though there were no visible cracks.
Mine felt like the rear was squirming- mostly under acceleration or braking but also felt vaguely unsettled in a straight line. Quite an experience in the wet too!
Merely putting on a new set cured the problem without doing anything else.
Whomever replaced the donuts, did they get installed correctly? If they are not installed with the high boss the correct way, the car does exactly what you are experiencing.
I know, I did it in my early Eland days, who needs a book!
As far as the driveshaft couplings were concerned, they were replaced with some “Carlos Fandango” after market replacements that are designed to stop the wind up. These were recommended by a reputable Lotus specialist. Unfortunately I didn’t have the work done and don’t know the exact details.
Regarding Tires & pressures, what do you folks recommend, both in type and pressure.
I was searching for uprated rubber couplings for light competition and found some listed by Paul Matty. When I enquired I was advised that they had been withdrawn because of a number of reported problems. Can’t confirm any details but it is worth replacing with conventional doughnuts to see if it makes a difference.
