The Ecumenical British Sports Car

The Elva Courier  represents the best of british sports car design and contains parts from every major manufacturer.


From MG we get the Engine and Transmission  - and We are official NAMGAR Members (North American MGA Register)
The Front Hubs axles and Steering Rack are MG Midget or more specifically Morris Minor
The Ring and pinion are MG Midget or Morris Minor as well - Lots of factory ratios (3.5 to 5.12)
The steering wheel is TD or TF

The MG guys are uncertain of the mongrel heritage and keep a safe distance



From Triumph we get the front suspension uprights (herald), the steering universal, the heater assembly and a lot of bushings for the Elva designed rear suspension.

The local Portland Triumph club allows us to attend social gatherings - if we bring wine along

From Jaguar we get the front suspension bushings and pedal pads for the brake and clutch XK120 for the bushings - some sedan for the pedal pads

Never really see the Jaguar car show guys, the jaguar drivers come around and share a pint



From Austin Healey - we get the generator with the rear mounted tach drive - It was a good thing in racing to know if your water pump was still turning - and this generator gives RPM and indication of a missing belt (despite the MGA Engine having a tach drive off of the camshaft)

Healey Guys like the car - and the sprite guys share parts



Rootes Group (Sunbeam, Hillman)  We get the Minx brakes and master cylinders (two)  A bias bar system

Is there a Sunbeam Club



We get the rear end assembly from the One point Five (with other parts welded on)

Again



From the Morris Minor we get a bunch of parts - Wiper motor and wipers arms, Steering assembly, switchgear, Ignition and assorted bushings.

I don't know about these guys - I want a Minor so I will have to find out



Shock front and rear are the same as the Lotus Elite (rears are slightly different utilizing a lower bushing mount)

Lotus club guys invite us to track events - very appropriate



There are more parts - but I will have to look to find them on your car

Fuel Level Sender - All Cars - General

Fuel level sending has been the providence of electrical resistance since somewhere in the 1930's when electrification of the automobile hit full stride.  The Ford Model A used a very clever sight gauge so that you actually saw a liquid representation of fuel level - neat design but expensive.

http://www.facebook.com/Fuellevel

Resistance Level worked very well and was easy to understand  -  X Ohms Full - Y Ohms Empty

Simple

And then suddenly somebody decided to add alcohol -  to fuel -

Methanol and ethanol contain soluble and insoluble contaminants.[5] Halide ions, which are soluble contaminants, such as chloride ions, have a large effect on the corrosively of alcohol fuels. Halide ions increase corrosion in two ways: they chemically attack passivating oxide films on several metals causing pitting corrosion, and they increase the conductivity of the fuel. Increased electrical conductivity promotes electrical, galvanic and ordinary corrosion in the fuel system. Soluble contaminants such as aluminum hydroxide, itself a product of corrosion by halide ions, clogs the fuel system over time. To prevent corrosion the fuel system must be made of suitable materials, electrical wires must be properly insulated and the fuel level sensor must be of pulse and hold type (or similar). In addition, high quality alcohol should have a low concentration of contaminants and have a suitable corrosion inhibitor added.

So if you turn to any car chat blog (ANY CAR CHAT BLOG)  - Issues on failed fuel level sensors are driving OBD II cars to the shoulder.

So we need Smiths (Stewart Warner, VDO, Veglia)  to make Pulse and Hold fuel senders for us  - Easy fix

But not really

I have been working on a new non-contact fuel level sensor that I have the patent rights to utilize.

We are applying the sensor to aviation (aircraft, rotorcraft) - In aviation we don't have alcohol,  but we can't put wires in the tank - something about electricity and fuel

Aviation  requires - what cars - all cars using Alcohol mixed fuel need - A non contact fuel level sensor

I have my Morris Minor Smiths Sender above  and the Aviation Sender Unit Below

We use a new concept in our sender called Magnetoresistance - certain materials change resistance in the presence of a rotating magnetic field and they can do this from as far as 3/8" away actually from the dry side of the tank.

Most of us see this everyday in the compass on our smartphone

There is no pivot or contact resistance,  so the float can be smaller and the range can be larger (fuller fulls and emptier empties)

Picture below shows the little magnet next to the pivot pin

Neat thing is that the  output of this sensor  can mimic a resistive sensor - only issue is getting vehicle power to the sensor chip.

Hey if you find this interesting let me know

scott.philiben@ciescorp.com

SU Carburetor Woes

British Cars with SU Carburetors are alleged to be finicky

I don't know - i went for years without touching mine until they leaked fuel and air

So I sent them out to be bushed and rebuilt them

No issues

Well then I rebuilt the engine  - Yes lots of mods

Flowed Head, Manifold and Exhaust thanks to Sean Brown www.flowspeed.com

I believe I still need work on my rocker arm geometry - Winter Project or when I am bored or tomorrow

We did a lot of revised lightening/balancing of the reciprocating assembly (crank, flywheel, rods, pistons)  - the engine has no issue running 5000 rpm for extended periods. 60 miles for example

But I bolted my rebuilt carbs to this new motor -

Rich - even with the jets adjusted full up (H4 Carbs)

So started on leaner needles AO in my case -  the MGA lean needle

Better but not great

Asked the advice of an expert - someone who does this often

Removed the dashpots - Jets not even close to the bridge - We have a culprit

So I took out all my spare (junk) carb bodies and rebuilt the jet assemblies with parts at the lowest range of size to obtain the best result - I should have taken pictures - revised a few washer thicknesses to obtain exact match between (read sanded them on a surface plate)

Anyway - better - a little more tweaking but an overall better performance - leaner less loading on the plugs still with AO needles

I am working up to the In Car Video

Somewhere West of Laramie

It has been said that - LBC's are not good cross country vehicles.

And I agree that I have enjoyed the traditional sports car pass time -

The car seemed perfectly suited to drive from small midwest town to the next  - a real thrill and a chance to recover and walk around

But just like cross country on a motorcycle - a LBC can be a stunning way to see the West (USA)

The views are amazing - the air is  fresh - and the roads clear and the vista's large

Yes it can be uncomfortable, noisy  - but if every hour, you get out and stretch - take a few pictures
it can be more than fun

it may  even turn into an adventure -

I would have have been thrilled to drive this road in my twenties when the car was new to me - and it did feel like I was 20 yr old for a few hours

I am however recovering from the thought and action

Elva Courier Walk Around Video

Elva Courier Walk Around Video

Got the car out today

Mk 1 - Mk 2 - Mk 3 - Mk 4

Like the Lotus Seven that was spanned at the same time the Elva Courier went through several configurations and model changes

The Mk 1  came about in 1958 - The cars were made for export to the US - they used the 1500 B Series BMC Block and a variety of states of tune - MGA being the preferred  - but beggers can't be choosers.

The suspension being Elva designed utilizing a variety of British components  - Triumph, Morris, Hillman

Some of the first cars carried trafficators

The car carried a ladder frame underslung at the rear (Rear Drive over the frame  and the most distinctive characteristic a split windscreen - like the Jag XK120  -  not a real issue they were removed for racing

The Dash contained an open glovebox

These were the first 50 or 60 cars

The Mk 2 carries a few improvements - first the chassis was reinforced with several additional tubes -
The dash layout was revised to move the instruments to the center and provide an enclosed glovebox
The windscreen was curved
The front indication and running lights moved beneath the bumper

Cars were now offered for domestic consumption as well as export

The Mk 2

Represents the epitome of the Elva Courier car design  as:

It was still built by the race car company - exceptional build quality
Used proprietary suspension and fully adjustable suspension
Uses the MGA 1600 engine
Engine was located amidships
Proprietary copper radiator
Car was well set up at the factory

Mk 3

The Mk 3 represents the Trojan takeover
front disc brakes standard
The frame is still ladder but built of square section tubing  - the engine was moved forward
but of a MGA 1622 size
The Triumph Herald front suspension was used complete with A arms
The car gained a hood scoop - actually pretty cool (done to accommodate the forward movement of the engine)

The parts were more off the shelf than the bespoke components or adapted components made for the Mk2

Mk 4
This is an interesting combination - some good and some bad -
The car was redesigned - Triumph Spitfire doors and MGB windscreen   wider mouth
An independent rear suspension designed by Elva -  and used and shared with TVR's
The Engine is the MGB or the Ford 1600 with a few specials leaving with Lotus twin cams

There are several on the web to see

All this being said

There was a lot of transitional cars  - Mk 3's with independent suspension  and Lotus motors
Mk 2's assembled at Trojan et al

Two hard top versions  - an anglia backed and a fastback

You see a lot of variations for racing  - most engines were put back in place  - engines usually run 1622 or 1800 B-series depending in weight carried   ---  front suspension went to Vitesse or to GT6 and then back again for vintage.

Strangely the vintage classes require drum brakes - this is interesting as the car was offered with Disk fronts from 1959 or so  - I suspect a vintage Porsche 356 conspiracy  -  Vee don't have disks  zo  you should not have disks eizer .  However I sold at least 5 sets of original drum brakes to bring SCCA racers down to Vintage specifications

Rear axles may have been swapped out for MGA - or reinforced with race axles and double bearing hubs like MG midgets.

The car is Lotus 7 simple with a body and ideal for vintage racing

But as road car it is not so bad either

What's it like to drive an Elva Courier

Well it is pretty fundamental experience.   It is difficult to get in, yes.  The first thing you notice is the size of the steering wheel - 50's big  and your leg has to bend slightly inboard to clear the wheel.  The pedal box is tight - Heel and Toe happens naturally - you don't have room for anything else.  The dead pedal is perfectly formed just to the right of the clutch.  The gear lever is in the plane of the steering wheel  about 3 inches to the right.    I grouse unceasingly about uncomfortable cars - but I conform to this car to drive it - go figure.  I have to hunker down to get behind the windscreen or I have look over it.   The doors are cut down so that I can easily place my hand on the pavement.  When you drive down the highway the underside of a semi trailer is definitely two feet above you.    You could make that fast and furious lane change under the semi - A mistake however would be your last.

The car is not oh my god fast but is deceptively quick - lane changes happen instantaneously the low weight and low center of gravity put you where few cars fear to tread.  The car is more than adequate to keep up with modern traffic but you are frighteningly small to everything - you are below the average mirror adjustment on any SUV.   A SUV owner on a cell phone is a life and death hazard.

Ok - off the interstate and on to 2 lane - the car comes alive - it accelerates, turns like a go cart.  When you do break it loose (the tires are 4.5" wide)  it breaks the rear tires and swings out sweetly - lifting the throttle and the car comes back to neutral behavior.  The weight balance is 50/50 front to back  and  on the track it encourages a full tail slide drift.  You never feel that the car will bite
I have spun it several times to avoid a James Dean moment  - but it takes an effort

For the midwesterners - The Courier comes alive at Road America after turn 6 into Hurry Downs, Braking hard in to 7 and full throttle through the Carousel into a full drift at the kink and carrying a tremendous momentum  down into Canada corner .

I have kept many a better car at bay in this area (not that I was racing) -  But through the horsepower consuming climb out of Canada - I might as well drum the steering wheel  until I drop back down to  turn 5.  You could see why these cars were raced

In a TSD rally - the car is a surgical knife - 45 MPH through any public road and the effort is in driving 45 MPH - No need for complex calculations to keep you on speed track  - the car will simply stay balanced and poised at any speed you request  - However staying to the course requires different skills - not yet mastered.

Light weight and balanced power make for a good car - the closest modern car to the feel is the Lotus Elise
Our Honda S2000 is a great sports car  - but the litheness and instantaneous of the Courier is missing.


More to come