The argument for and against the CVDS conversion on the elan has provided animated discussions between enthusiasts for many years.
For the purist, the decision must be one of pain and torment, pain because every elan owner understands the vulnerability of the Rotoflex (Donut) couplings. If only a small distance is driven during the year, the donuts will probably be fine, but if the elan is driven hard and fast, then a Constant Velocity Drive Shaft conversion is the only way to go if total reliability is desired.
Admittedly, the initial cost of a CVDS conversion is a barrier for some owners, but once the conversion is installed, and the new driving experience hits home, the price is long forgotten.
The torment comes from the fact that the elan owner desperately wants the donuts to last forever, but unfortunately, the reality is that they wont, and then there’s more pain when the donuts let go without notice… Ouch… The fear of that happening out on some lonely back road must weigh heavily on many an elan owners mind, I don’t know about you, but a roadside rotoflex replacement job is not one that you will enjoy.
So where do you sit in the CVDS conversation?
If you happen to be one of our very long list of CVDS converts spread around the globe, then you will most likely have a big smile on your face like the cat that’s just come out of the dairy, you don’t have to wonder any more, because you already know the answer, feel proud of yourself because you have joined the smart set.
Being a convert means you already know the piece of mind that a CVDS conversion instills in elan ownership.
No more will you have worry about blowing a donut while out on the Sunday fun drive, or while driving at high speed down the motorway to the next historic race meeting.
In reality, the change over from rotoflex to CVDS is a no brainer, it is a process which can be achieved over a weekend, unless something goes terribly wrong, and yes, there have been the odd occasion where an S3 elan owner has discovered that the diff output shafts were early S1 parts, why this should be is a mystery, & unfortunately, the bolt PCD of the early S1 elan parts are different to the S2, 3, & 4… Traps for the unwary.
elantrikbits.com AKA Croucher engineering (Australia) has been building and supplying CVDS to elan owners around the globe for more than two decades, in fact it is now twenty five years since the first CV conversion was built, but during that time, the design has been changed & refined many times, each small change has brought about an improvement to the product, and that is what makes it the bullet proof world leader in CVDS conversions for the lotus elan it is today.
A quick read of the many testimonials sent to us by our global customers is proof of that, but let’s back track a little to when this intriguing product & engineering story first began to unfold.
About the middle of 1988, I received a phone call from fellow Australian elan owner, Rohan Hodges from Melbourne, he approached me to ask if I could manufacture a CVDS conversion for his S4 elan Sprint. Rohan had the details showing the general layout. But the main parts required were the adapter plates and the intermediate drive shafts.
At that time the CVDS product was all very new to me, I had heard of them, but knew little of their make up, but looking at the details, it quickly made sense of what was required…. the adapter plates at that time were of a full circle design, not the unique triple eared design we have been using for many, many years and which I first designed with a simple hand drawn sketch, the triple eared adapter plate design is unique to Croucher engineering – elantrikbits.com Australia and don’t let anyone else try to persuade you otherwise, we still posses the original hand drawn sketches before they were drawn to CAD by our local engineer draftsman.
When Rohan approached us to build, my first questions was “What do you want to do about the intermediate drive shafts? “How do I make just two pairs”? The quick answer was to cut and shut a pair of VW Beetle half shafts…. “You’ve got to be joking” I said. His answer,”no”, So that’s what we did, we knew the correct length, so a cut and shut was done, followed by proper welding guidelines and techniques and we produced a pair of half shafts.
It was a very lengthy process to prepare & weld together, and even more time to get them to rotate true, even though they were jig welded in the lathe, this was interesting engineering, but don’t laugh, because Rohan tells me they lasted for many years under the strain of racing before one axle succumbed to the strain.
Would we do that today? No we wouldn’t.
Every batch of intermediate shafts we manufacture today are CNC machined and spline cut for perfect tolerance and fit, yes, times and technology have changed.
The actual build process begins with the CNC laser cut mild steel adapter plates, that job is contracted out to a local precision engineering firm, they do an absolutely superb job, and provides the excellent base to begin the production of a CV drive shaft conversion… and who knows, maybe the next conversion we produce will be for your elan, or + 2. (Order Now and have a conversion in around 3 to 4 weeks)
The manufacture of the intermediate shafts is also farmed out to a specialist engineering firm for batch machining and CNC milling of the special splines, this is a tolerance critical operation and requires absolute precise machining so that the axles mate correctly with the inner drive cone of the CVs.
The CVs are a proprietary brand GKN Lobro imported from Europe, we dismantle each CV and then machine the outer cage to reduce the rotating mass, the ball races, when required also receive careful hand polishing via a high speed electric die grinder to provide smoother operation, and a reduced run- in time.
The elantrikbits CVDS conversion is a world class product, and with 2014 we celebrated twenty five years since the first CVDS shaft conversion was built by the same bloke (Yours Truly) in the same Australian workshop. Believe me, you are getting amazing value and super reliability for your money.
Your CV DS drive shaft conversion is delivered fully assembled – The CVs are packed with the correct grade of high pressure grease, everything is double checked throughout production, the only thing left for you to do is to install, and to help you with that, we also provide complete written instructions and email backup if you need it, but it is generally quite straight forward, the normal tools you have in your workshop will probably be all you need to carry out the installation.
We deal direct with our customers both local and export, we do not have supply agents in Australia or overseas, we’ve been down that path before, and much prefer to deal customer direct.
Would you like to convert your elan from rotoflex to CVDS?
All it takes is one click on the link below to get the ball rolling, delivery time from order placement date to delivery, ranges between three to four weeks, so if you want your conversion fitted and running by a certain date, please get your order in early.
Place Your Order Here – Your Passport To A More Exciting Elan Driving Experience.
Engineering Excellence – A Metal Work Of Art.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.