Either you have comprehension issues or can't admit when you are wrong.
Hahaha... I'm the one who is supposed to write that to you.
By the way, is there any narrations from Prophet (saw) or your imams stating that Elyas was the imam before the coming of our Prophet (saw)? Or you just found that out in your dream?
A
There are narrations that state every Prophet has with him twelve captains and there are narration that every Prophet has a family who are special and there is hadiths that the earth is never without a proof or leader or guide and there is hadiths that the guide is a witness who sees the people's actions. And Elyas was only guide that is reported to stay alive other then Isa and Isa is said to be a witness only while among them. While there is hadiths about Simon succeeding what we see how disciples addressed are noble and high they are not fit to be chosen leaders by how they are recalled aside from the limit of 12 sucessors who ruled bani-Israel.
I took your answer as NONE. Not a single narrations showing that Elyas (as) was the imam before the Prophet (saw) despite a number of narrations about him (as) in your books.
On top of that, nobody that I know of (neither your imams nor your scholars including the earlier ones) used Elyas (as) as a precedence to justify the existence as well as ghayba of your 12th imam. Instead, the comparison goes to Isa (as). If Elyas (as) were the imam before our Prophet (saw), he (as) would be the most perfect example since he (as) was the imam and the guide as well as hidden, exactly like your 12th imam.
That, in itself, really beg a big question mark on top of our head. Why was the comparison made to Isa (as) who was hidden but not as the guide and not to Elyas (as) who was the guide as well as hidden? That certainly doesn't make sense unless Elyas (as) was not the guide himself before Prophet (saw).
Another possibility was that your scholars forgot to fabricate narrations about him (as) being the hidden guide!