QUESTION
I have a 1973 Elan Plus 2 S130/5 Speed. Someone previously put a competition clutch in it and the clutch is too heavy for the wife to drive.
I see you do CNC machined slave cylinders, so would it be possible to do a one-off with a 1 inch bore instead of the normal 7/8 inch bore?
H.R. - Austria
ANSWER
It may be possible to machine up a 1.0" bore slave cylinder but there are two CNC machines needed to produce the slave cylinder
Both machines need programming, cutters installed and set, plus a fixture is required for the final milling operation
In addition to this a custom stainless steel piston would also need to be machined to match the slave cylinder
The set up operation times for both machines is significant and has to be amortised back into the component cost
Lotus Marques manufactures 100 cylinders at a time to be able to offer Elan owners a high quality part at the current price
Unfortunately it is not economical to manufacture just one component
Heavy duty clutches cause numerous problems and can only be successfully installed with a custom eccentric slave cylinder fitted inside the bell-housing
If you do not change the clutch then the excessive pressures cause hidden problems
From experience the clutch fork will eventually break across the single pivot hole leaving you stranded
Other problems include - accelerated wear on the pedal box components, including the clevis push-rod, clevis pin and the clevis pin hole located at the top of the clutch pedal lever
https://www.lotusmarques.com/info/technical/32-lotus-elan/1424-diagnosing-and-rectifying-pedal-box-wear-problems-part-1
I would recommend you replace the existing clutch and fit the correct Borg and Beck component so as to restore a light pedal action
Copyright © 2019 Lotus Marques
I have a 1973 Elan Plus 2 S130/5 Speed. Someone previously put a competition clutch in it and the clutch is too heavy for the wife to drive.
I see you do CNC machined slave cylinders, so would it be possible to do a one-off with a 1 inch bore instead of the normal 7/8 inch bore?
H.R. - Austria
ANSWER
It may be possible to machine up a 1.0" bore slave cylinder but there are two CNC machines needed to produce the slave cylinder
Both machines need programming, cutters installed and set, plus a fixture is required for the final milling operation
In addition to this a custom stainless steel piston would also need to be machined to match the slave cylinder
The set up operation times for both machines is significant and has to be amortised back into the component cost
Lotus Marques manufactures 100 cylinders at a time to be able to offer Elan owners a high quality part at the current price
Unfortunately it is not economical to manufacture just one component
Heavy duty clutches cause numerous problems and can only be successfully installed with a custom eccentric slave cylinder fitted inside the bell-housing
If you do not change the clutch then the excessive pressures cause hidden problems
From experience the clutch fork will eventually break across the single pivot hole leaving you stranded
Other problems include - accelerated wear on the pedal box components, including the clevis push-rod, clevis pin and the clevis pin hole located at the top of the clutch pedal lever
https://www.lotusmarques.com/info/technical/32-lotus-elan/1424-diagnosing-and-rectifying-pedal-box-wear-problems-part-1
I would recommend you replace the existing clutch and fit the correct Borg and Beck component so as to restore a light pedal action
Copyright © 2019 Lotus Marques
