I?ve never quite understood the idea that without the Rotoflex couplings the shock provided by CVs will somehow wreck the transmission of an Elan. The differential is standard Ford, as is the gearbox, and no Ford has Rotoflex couplings. They are bomb-proof assemblies even in the much heavier cars, and are amongst the last components to fail…
You?re also not obliged to drop the clutch at the lights or snatch the gear change at every opportunity, so providing no shock to the transmission in the first place.
The Rotoflex couplings were installed as a cheap option, and surely a CV drive shaft is a better engineering solution? They are also a darned sight easier to fit than the Rotoflex.
All that said, my Elan has Rotoflex couplings, and I do like the feeling of the slight surge given by them in the 2 seat car, but that can get a bit more pronounced in the Plus 2.
Although you ask for comments aside from cost, have you seen the cost of a set of couplings and bolts today? The whole lot is not far off the cost of a pair of CV drive shafts.
A final thought is the durability of the modern ?repro? Rotoflex. There was a time, up until only a couple of years ago, when they started to fail after just a year or two and with very little mileage. Some of this was put down to the glue between the rubber and the metal, and some down to the rubber itself. I?ve heard they are better now and last longer.
If they were half the price or less of the CV drive shafts then I would probably take a punt and put new ones in. But given the price, the ease of fitting of the CV shafts and their longevity, I will probably fit the CV shafts when the time comes.
That is unless someone comes up with some evidence that installing a solid driveshaft, like just about every other car made, harms the transmission!