S2 Hardtop To Body Holding Brackets.

TheS2 elan was originally supplied with a soft top, the hardtop was an optional extra. The S2 elan featured here has never had a soft top, so the simple way to treat this dilemma was to use the hardtop during the colder winter months, and remove it for the summer months.

But if a long trip was envisaged, then on went the hard top, there is no other option, unless one chose to go sans top, but then there’s the risk of a change in the weather, I’d rather be dry than wet in a lotus any day.

The original brackets that secure the S2 hard top to the body are of poor quality. Below we show the alternative fixing solutions. But bear in mind that no matter how secure the clamps are made, the hardtop will still squeak and produce minor rattles when driving, but the better the fit is to the body then the less likely hood there will be of strange untraceable noises, but they are a 1960s sports cars, they were far from being perfect, and never will be.

So when the hardtop is a good fit to the body, how does it look.

The groove along the top of the window frame is designed to accept the return flange or lip of the hard top.

The rear of the hardtop runs quite close to the boot hinge. Not all S2 hardtops have the strengthening rail, and the alloy fuel cap is not standard, but look very nice.

The hard top can be made to be a snug fit to the body, but it requires lots of careful grinding & profiling to get it right. To guard against damage to the rear of the body where the hardtop rests a thin piece of high density foam cut and glued to the underside of the hard top will do the job, but there will always be scuff marks, it is something one has to live with having a hard top on a sports car.

How Best To Secure The Hard Top To The Body.

The photo above illustrates the rear hard top holding clips and brackets.

This is how the brackets are attached on the left and right hand side. Knurled thumbscrew applies pressure to secure the rear of the hard top to the body.

The front of the hard top is held with three small rods and brackets held with thumb screws. The small threaded rod is a “T” bolt arrangement, and bonded to the underside front of the hard top.

Above shows the middle holding bracket, the hard top holding system is secure, and it is very easy to undo the thumb screws and remove the hard top, the job can be completed in just a few minutes.
Fabricating the brackets and setting them up is best done during a restoration or rebuild. The job shown here was done about fifteen years ago, and has worked brilliantly. Three brackets are required at the front, one in the middle and two outer brackets, which are all the same design.

Take note also of the rear mirror support rod/window frame tension device, this has also been beefed up, no longer a wimpy bicycle spoke but a substantial 3/16″ Dia chromed steel rod with proper brackets, ferules and lock nuts top and bottom to secure to the frame and body. I always examine small original components originally supplied by lotus, because some are of very poor design, and if they can be improved I will do that.