19

Now to strip out lights and fittings. The side lights have two screws holding on the lens, then two under the lens that hold the light unit to the body. Undo them and lift the unit away.

20

Head light units come out of their pods by releasing the screws holding the rims in place, then undoing the screws that this exposes. Rear light units are unbolted from inside the boot.

 21

Bumpers need to be unbolted from the front and rear. To get to the front bumper fixings, reach into the air intake. The rears are much easier, unbolting from inside the boot. Replacement bumpers are available.

22

For a really good respray, you need to remove the roof trims. They're held in by tiny philips screws. The side vents and bonnet vents should also be unscrewed at this stage.

 23

On the chassis, there is little to keep. You'll need these extension pieces on the ends of the steering rack arms. Spyder uses a modern Rover steering rack rather than a recon Herald unit.

 24

What you will need is 90 degree speedo drive from the gearbox. You'll also want the four-way brake line splitter from the front of the chassis and the three-way splitter from the rear.

PROJECT PROFILE

THE PLUS 2 was the Lotus company's attempt to build on the success of the two-seater Elan, by adding rear seats and a few luxurious touches. The backbone chassis of the Elan was lengthened and the glassfibre body was all-new.

The new model emerged in 1967 and sold well. However, it's never been as popular as the two-seater Elan and many have been abandoned as beyond economic repair, even though the bodies are usually still good.  Spyder's Zetec conversion addresses this, being cheaper than a restoration to original specifications.  The resulting car is also significantly faster, more reliable and better to drive.

Our car had been laid up for years, with a rotten chassis and worn mechanicals. 

COSTS SO FAR

Car: £1000 (£1600 purchase, minus £600 for parts sold) 
JOBS STILL TO DO
Part 3: Building a new chassis
Part 4: Converting and installing engine
Part 5: Repairing and painting body
Part 6: Putting it back together
Spaceframe chassis: £1875
Rear disc conversion: £1081
Front disc/ball-joint conversion: £1110
Steering rack conversion: £276
Zetec mounting brackets: £112
Differential mounting  brackets: £112
Driveshafts (pair): £223
Anti-roll bar kit: £223
Propshaft: £164.50
Gearlever kit: £229
Engine/gearbox isolators: £41
Differential isolators: £94
Gearbox output flange & bolts: £66
Handbrake lever & cables:£135
Brake hose kit: £47
JOIN THE CLUB: Club Lotus, Lotus Drivers Club (see Club Guide, page 174)
READ THE BOOK: Lotus Elan, the Complete Story, by Mike Taylor.  Crowood. ISBN 1 86126 011 3.
WHO'S INVOLVED: Spyder Engineering is a fabrication company, specialising in automotive work.  The Lotus connection came about in the mid-Seventies, when the demand for replacement Elan chassis outstripped the Lotus factory's supply.  Spyder improved upon the design, with a spaceframe-type design and the option of an upper rear wishbone to improve strut location.

The company later developed chassis for other Lotus models.  The Spyder chassis (for Elan and Plus 2) will now accommodate the original Twin-Cam or the Zetec, and the original four- or five-speed gearboxes, or a modern Ford five-speeder.

Spyder is in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire.  Call 01733 203986 or 205639 or go to the website www.spydercars.com. 

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PRACTICAL CLASSICS MARCH 2003