Hello from a new Elf owner

Hi there,

my name's Stephen, and I bought a large pile of bits that one day will become a 1968 Riley Elf. I have just finished building a Robin Hood 2B, but I missed oily hands and bloody knuckles so much I needed a new project, so I purchased Mavis from carandclassic.co.uk for a very reasonable £200.



It needs a bit of work (bit of T-cut and should sail through an MOT), and there were 1 or 2 bits missing (fuel tank and steering column the main parts) which I'll be putting on the wanted section when I have a fuller list.

I'm new to the foibles of Riley/Mini ownership, but have been reading with bemused interest on many forums in the past few weeks, so am confident all my many queries will be answered with good humour and patience.

I'll try and get some more photos on as soon as I can work out how (I work in IT, so it may take a while) and I'll start a new project thread to keep you all up to date.

Cheers

Stephen

Hello and welcome!

The main thing you'll need with an Elf is welding skills! Mechanically they are almost pure Mini so those parts are easy to get; the tricky bits are those unique to the Elf/Hornet.

I have to say that I bought an Elf, 8 years ago now, alongside several other classic projects. The rest have all since departed, one as show car, the rest in various conditions, but the Elf stays and it has rekindled in me a love of Minis (I had a couple when I was younger but didn't appreciate them the same way!)

Welcome to forum. Enjoy and Good luck!

You will need a Hornet/Elf tank as a mini tank will not fit without having some modification done to the filler neck.
Apart from that 95%of mini bits will fit!

best of british luck to you - any probs, let us know and we'll try and help

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Just a thought but why is it that so many of you who have the luxury of a garage seem to store half your cars and their bits on top of the roof?!

i had to be careful when i put bits on rusty's roof - was the only decent panel on the whole car!

elfgirl wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum!

Just a thought but why is it that so many of you who have the luxury of a garage seem to store half your cars and their bits on top of the roof?!

I'm not going to answer that one on the grounds it might incriminate me!

elfgirl wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum!

Just a thought but why is it that so many of you who have the luxury of a garage seem to store half your cars and their bits on top of the roof?!

Cos there's not enough floorspace round it!

Everything piles up and spreads out to fill the available space (a bit like a gas I suppose!) Believe me, I built my garage originally to accomodate a LandCruiser LWB monster. I only just have enough space left to work on a Mini! And that's with two 8x6 sheds, a 8x8 concrete parts shed, a 8x7 tractor shed, and a 8x32 fancy dress "barn"! The loft is full too...

I think I have too much stashed junk...

asahartz wrote:

elfgirl wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum!

Just a thought but why is it that so many of you who have the luxury of a garage seem to store half your cars and their bits on top of the roof?!

Cos there's not enough floorspace round it!

Everything piles up and spreads out to fill the available space (a bit like a gas I suppose!) Believe me, I built my garage originally to accomodate a LandCruiser LWB monster. I only just have enough space left to work on a Mini! And that's with two 8x6 sheds, a 8x8 concrete parts shed, a 8x7 tractor shed, and a 8x32 fancy dress "barn"! The loft is full too...

I think I have too much stashed junk...

Therefore if you limit the available space you limit the amount of stuff.....Just coz "it might come in useful one day" doesn't actually mean you'll be able to find it when you do need it.

I realise I might have open a "hornets / elfs" nest with this one - maybe I should start keeping some of my thoughts to myself

oh to be clutter free!

elfgirl wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum!

Just a thought but why is it that so many of you who have the luxury of a garage seem to store half your cars and their bits on top of the roof?!

Cuz our ladies won't let us store things in the house!

Jase

elfgirl wrote:

asahartz wrote:

elfgirl wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum!

Just a thought but why is it that so many of you who have the luxury of a garage seem to store half your cars and their bits on top of the roof?!

Cos there's not enough floorspace round it!

Everything piles up and spreads out to fill the available space (a bit like a gas I suppose!) Believe me, I built my garage originally to accomodate a LandCruiser LWB monster. I only just have enough space left to work on a Mini! And that's with two 8x6 sheds, a 8x8 concrete parts shed, a 8x7 tractor shed, and a 8x32 fancy dress "barn"! The loft is full too...

I think I have too much stashed junk...

Therefore if you limit the available space you limit the amount of stuff.....Just coz "it might come in useful one day" doesn't actually mean you'll be able to find it when you do need it.

I realise I might have open a "hornets / elfs" nest with this one - maybe I should start keeping some of my thoughts to myself

Unfortunately the rest of the family are just as bad as I am. I recently cleared out my parts shed, so there is/was room to work in there. I say was as my son has since stripped a 998, and left it and his tools "where they fell".
Shed 1 should have been tidy & nearly clear but my wife collected piles of "junk" for selling on a car boot in order to raise money to send aforementioned son to Australia on charity work. It's only "temporary" - but it's been that way for two years! Shed 2 has become full due to wife's rabbit boxes & hay, son's car spares & cycle and hockey goalie gear. The fancy dress barn has been filled with overflow from 1 & 2. The garage has hence had overflow from the others dumped in it. I can't win!

My back garden is 75 yards long. Not easy to limit that space! But I do know exactly where everything is!

I thought very very carefully before I wrote "I refuse to answer on the grounds....Blah Blah" otherwise Elfgirl may have had me for discrimination so I said" DON'T EVEN GO THERE" !
Sorry there is no prize for guessing what I was going to say!

Yes Sarah, I am a bugger and don't you love me for it!?

Ooooo I do like opening a can of worms!!!

Don't panic Tony - you can have a go at me and my OCD that doesn't make you sexist, just picking on me, I can take it (I think)

Asahartz - glad you know where everything is - please tell us your secret - I've spent all week rifiling through piles trying to find the right it of paper!

Oooh, trouble with piles - nasty!

'Ere Elfgel ...

Ooooo I do like opening a can of worms!!!

leave my bruvvers and other siblings out of this!!!

Cheers

Superworm