Kelsport Suspension
Hmm, how can this not be described as "tampering" when back in it's day the Elan was universally praised for it's ride and handling ? Well, I don't know but I did it anyway.
I knew the supposedly OEM front spring/damper units left the car unreasonably high at the front, the wishbones never sat level as the manual showed and I always struggled to re-fit the antiroll bar.
Plus I'd already moved from Rotoflex to CV joints, along with warnings that under full droop the rear suspension could cause these to bind at the limit of the joint movement. Something had to be done.
OEM Front Suspension
A Saturday morning spent on the phone with Pat Thomas as he explained his thoughts on suspension, talked about what I actually wanted the car to do rather than bragging rights in the pub and generally brought me up to speed on how things have changed since the '60s in suspension and tyre developments.
I thought a bit more and then went back to buy on his advice. I haven't regretted it one bit.
OEM perch removed, old brazing still present.
The spring rates have gone from 75lbs/67.5lbs F/R to 175lbs/140lbs F/R which sounds an incredible amount. Feeding the numbers into my old suspension spreadsheet, the wheel frequencies have moved from 1.18/1.34 F/R to 1.8/1.93 F/R, which is a similar F/R balance although not exactly the same.
Because of the CV conversion Pat supplied a modified damper insert with reduced travel, a neat solution to a potential problem area.
I had the option of OEM 3.5" diameter rear springs, or smaller 2.25" with adjustable platforms. I liked the idea of fully adjustable ride height but was concerned over how hard it would be to install the new spring platforms.
Again, Pat talked me through the process and on the day it went without a hitch.
I was surprised to find the OEM perches are just brazed in place and how easily they are removed. The new threaded sections were welded with the bottom slightly lower than the old brazing marks which gives me the option to lower the ride height should I ever desire to. (I haven't)
Because this is a new area for me I've just set it up exactly as Pat told me to, basically with the wishbones and rear frame horizontal. Front tracking is as in the manual, the rear not being adjustable.
OEM springs alongside the Rear Kelsport Conversion
The simple laser level in use
I set up the rear frames using a spirit level, loading the car up and then trial and error with the spring platforms until it was somewhere near right.
At the front I got all geeky and decided on a high tech laser level which casts a horizontal line, for no other reason than I had one ;-)
You can adjust the unit with internal spirit levels so that it's perfectly horizontal and the line is wide enough to cover the full car width, so you can easily see the inner and outer bolts in alignment on both sides.
There was no need for this fuss, I just like playing.....
And how does it work ?
Well, absolutely stunning is the best description I can come up with. The old springs and dampers were by no means worn but the car handles uneven surfaces far better than before and feels glued to the road on bends.
Very impressive, I can't get over the change in the car.