Has anyone else got cracks like the ones in the picture below?
The pictures were taken from in the engine bay looking at the opening behind the head light pods, Just to the left and right of each opening. Most feel like cracks in the paint but a couple feel deeper. Should I be worried? Does it need repairing?
Cheers,
Phil
Cheers, Phil Never take life seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway!
My guess is that the car has been crashed at some point in its life and the outwardly visible damage repaired?
The shell/lamination/gel coat is strong and of high quality (and much heavier compared to early Lotus) and I don't think this would occur from fatigue under normal circumstances.
Or is the area near to the pod pivot points? These can seize and maybe someone has been heavy handed trying to fix the problem?
Also has it had chassis repairs or a new chassis, new radiator etc?
Top photo looks like Gel coat cracking, but the bottom one seems to have down through the matting. Either way - they are indicative of flexing/impact which has stressed the GRP in some way. Gel coat is probably not a major issue (my Westfield has quite a few stress cracks in the gel), but something which has affected the matting layers as well is going to lead to problems with structural integrity. The cracks will spread over time.
Sounds a bit like the damage to the front end of my Excel. Although I believe my front end has been repaired well in the past and I also managed to drop the engine onto it whilst taking it out!
Four foot drop of the engine onto the main front panel, cracked both sides but saved the engine, even though it slid off onto the concrete floor.
Note to self : Do not use any old rope to support the engine, even if it is very thick, chances are its been in the garage 30 years and will snap just when the engine reaches its highest point!
If anyone wants pictures as a demonstration as to how solid the front end of these cars are, email me, or look on the lotus group on facebook.
What I really meant was; if the car had been fitted with a new chassis or radiator then this added to any other evidence that the front end had been crash damaged.
I didn't mean that fitting a new rad per se would cause the cracking...sorry for any confusion. I've fitted a new rad to mine with no problems. It's a straight forward job really.
