Hello,
While the body of my +2 is going to the bodyshop for a new paint I am going to transfer the running gear , engine and g’box from a 80’s Spyder chassis to an original almost new Lotus chassis that I purchased in the mean time.
On thing that I also consider doing is discarding the sturdy-but-ugly Spyder rear uprights for cast aluminum Lotus replica ones. I’d feel more like I have a real Lotus after that Look and bad conscience are about the only reason why I would discard the Spyder upright because otherwise they are unproblematic. Well… actually I got bashed from TTR after I sent them a pic of my rear suspension when discussing springs and dampers, which did not help me enjoy my Spyder uprights
Would anyone give me a good reason to keep my Spyder rear uprights or convert to the cast aluminum ones ? I need a little push from the community !
Given their price, I would at least like to be sure that the aluminum ones are not fragile to the point they could fail under driving conditions (I know fitting and exchanging bearings needs good tooling and care).
bravo Francois,
fit the Lotus Chapman Struts will go well with the Lotus Chassis.
On my Sprint i still have original Chapman Struts no problem.
amicalement
Alan
If you change your Spyder rear bearing holders, I’d be interested. My aluminium ones are completely out of order. The bearings are held in place with Epoxy glue and 3x M4 screws.
And as you already know, my car isn’t even close to a modification !
If the Spyder ones incorporate the A frame lower arm and the Chapman strut to the lotocone ( or similar) and are working perfectly well, then unless you crave originality and have loads of money, why not keep them and spend the money on other things to make your lotus run well and be reliable?
If they are the double rear wishbone set up then I understand your desires.
Indeed, I have the original Chapman strut setup. Most probably the double wishbone setup is illegal in Switzerland because this is not how the Elan +2 was inspected and certified back then. You are right the aluminum rear uprights are a bit pricey, and so are the Spyder steel ones, but I already have those!
With one push in the Aluminum direction and another one in the steel one, I’ll have to decide myself
Already got them on both cars including the abominational top links, they never wear out, so no spares needed
There are other people out there who would love to buy them no doubt. There’s no shame with going back to original apart from it being a shame to downgrade.
Francois,
To go back to your original question on whether you should change to original or carry on with the Spyder uprights.
The original uprights, there’s nothing wrong with them if they are in good condition, so new ones from Tony Thompson will be fine and give you many years good service. The problems that people have experienced over the years are due to age related wear and tear and ham fisted mechanics damaging the circlip grooves when changing bearings etc etc. So when the time comes to needing new ones, there is a choice of original pattern or Spyder, you already have Spyder and I can’t see the point of you changing them, but that’s my opinion, just do what you feel most comfortable with and enjoy your car.
I am restarting my Plus 2 rebuild after a number of years and have a spider chassis with full front and rear spider suspension. I would really appreciate it if you could share (or point me at) a couple of pictures of the buddy brake pipe routing and mounts from the Callipers to brake hoses front and rear.
Hi Brian,
I have the body off, so I can easily take pictures of the brake hoses and tubes routing. It’s just that the car (or what’s left of it) is 20 minutes from home. I’ll swing by sometime this week.
Cheers
François
Look and bad conscience are about the only reason why I would discard the Spyder upright because otherwise they are unproblematic. Well… actually I got bashed from TTR after I sent them a pic of my rear suspension when discussing springs and dampers, which did not help me enjoy my Spyder uprights 
