I recently noticed some cars with the removable windscreen have two side fixing bolts in the door recess - one to a bobbin and one “free” with
a penny washer. Does anyone else have this modification? (The early windsreens have a more “banana” like side fixing with a single bolt.)
Anna,
On my S2 both bolts go into bobbins and have penny washers, maybe some one has modified yours it to get a little more adjustment on the windscreen frame or maybe the threads in the bobbin were stripped.
I just went for a look at a wind screen frame with 2 bobbins per side, then went and looked at an early S2 (26/4020 and it has a single bobbin and no hole for the second bolt. My later S2 is like Anna’s pictures show. The early cars were lighter… or the evolution of assembly and the methods used.
Hi Brian
Lotus must have had both types of molds for the windscreen frames. I think my other early S2 Elan 26/4045 has the same single bolt attachment. I will look at it later as it is stored a couple miles from my house. Funny thing I was looking and it seemed odd but it just didn’t register that they were different until Anna posted the question and photos. Brian, does you Elan body have 2 bobbins per side also or just the windscreen frame?
Gary, not to sure I understand you, my car has two fixed bobbins per side to mount the windscreen frame, aren’t the frames all the same just some have one bolt and one fixed bobbin at each side in the body? if there are different w/s frames what is the difference?
When I rebuilt my car I had to elongate the mounting holes in the w/screen frame to get a reasonable fit.
…that’s what I like about Elan.net - so many answers, so quick. The windsreen looks like it hasn’t been undone, also the bobbin bolt connection inside looks like resting so for many years. The lattice-frame has been fixed with fussy glass strands, not with tissue like slim sheets. Looks like a rough repair but seems factory option.
Just the colour: it’s not exactly silver… more cold, icey blue - close to silver. Could be a candy type paint. (blue base coat and silver flake clear onto) Still very nice though…
If I ever have to repaint, I’d use it again. I will paint the sills satin black this winter.
I believe that all Roadster “bodies” (S1 and S2) had a single threaded bobbin per side, some screen frames have one clear bobbin and others have 2 clear bobbins per side. The screen frames with 2 bobbins,
one 1/4 20 x 1 1/2" bolt goes into the threaded elongated bobbin in the body threadded bobbin and the other bolt goes through the clear bobbin with the round hole has the penny washer like Anna’s second photo.
Ok, I just came back from looking at 26/4045 and it does indead have the single bolt per side going through a single elongated clear bobbin bonded into the screen frame then into the threadded bobbin in the body. There is no hole drilled in the body for the bolt with the penny washer.
3 out of 5 S2 screen frames that I have are single bobbin, one of these did not come with any of the cars and it was given to me nearly 30 years ago and I don’t know the Elan it came from.
Ps the parts book that incluceds the S1, S2, and Coupe lists it with the
2 bolts per side, one is 1/4 20 x1 1/2" and the other is 1 1/4" with a stover.
Gary, maybe my memory is playing tricks on me and it is how you say but I cannot get to check it as its 6000 miles away on another continent. I am going there in January so I will check and resurrect this thread later.
While we are talking S2’s could you or Anna measure the length of the door/window seal (outside) the one that runs parrell with top of the door and rubs on the window when it is raised or lowered, I am trying to source some seals and need to know the length.
Thanks Brian
Thanks for posting the photos. I think that there was still a lot of changes taking place at Lotus in 1963 and 1964 trying to ramp up production and this kind of thing was fairly easy to do when you are building 10 or so cars a week. The windscreen frames stack extreemly well and I can imagine a stack of screen frames siting in inventory and the latest deliveries just piled on top. Just another first in, last out that seemed to happen back then.
Hi Brian
My one running S2 is missing it side windows, the rest are some what disassembled at the moment.
Has anyone ever found a body number on a screen frame? The rest of the Elan body kits (body, doors, boot lid, headlamp buckets) all had the body number in grease pencil on them, I haven’t seen the body number on the bonnets, front or rear bumpers/fenders either.
PS: I had a look at replacement window horizontal felt strip from Mac Gregor car parts: they are 715 mm long. I’ll have a look at the car tonight and measure again.
PS: the original felt strip is slightly shorter, about 3 mm on my car. So 715mm should do the job.
Hi Brian
I have had a couple hours to kill tonight and I did a search on “body number” at the top right of Lotuselan.net. In reading through much of what I and others have writen before I think that body number is a lot more important in this discussion. My examples that I was using chassis number 26/4020 with body number 3569 and 26/4045 with body number 3691. Do you have a body number for 26/3944? Anyone else following along on this discussion
I probably have close to 100 so far, more are always welcome please include a chassis number so I can list it with its proper i.d.
ps Brian do you know Ian Hebblethwaite? Do you now own his Elan 26/3944
Hi Gary, Yes I know Ian very well although he doesn’t own 26/3944 and never has. He had a DHC Sprint (sold) and now currently has an S4 DHC, a single seater FF (not Lotus) and I think he still has a +2 in the U.K.
I have owned 26/3944 for about fifteen years and am currently in S.A. putting 3944 into storage for about a year (long story)
I said in a previous post the car had two windscreen bobbin mountings per side…well my memory had being playing tricks and it only has one per side.
As regards the body number (on the bulkhead) it got destroyed when I replaced the front after an accident but it has a “22” on the vertical ledge at rear of the engine compartment …any idea what this indicates? also on the other side of the car (exhaust side) it has a series of blind holes (not round but hexagon shaped) have you seen these before?
I will try to attach pics but my internet connection this part of the world is not very good.
Regards Brian
I would consider them unit numbers or prodction numbers
on the S1 1/2
The body is numbered 3424, the chassis is numbered 0837
both chassis and body have seccond numbers 3808 - ( via plate on the body and second number on the chassis