New member - Excel SA

Restoration threads may be posted here. I can move them from any other topic if you wish.

Moderator: Board Moderators

User avatar
Hawaiis0
Senior Poster
Posts: 4130
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 18:39
Model: Excel SA (No 3); Elite 504
Colour: BRG; Dirty White
Year: 1986
Location: West Oxfordshire

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Hawaiis0 »

Pete Boole wrote:
Mon Oct 17, 2022 15:59
.... Can't wait to see it at Lotus In The Peak!! :lol:

Pete
singular - Table Mountain?
Nothing is fool proof. Fools are clever!

Pete Boole
Senior Poster
Posts: 3710
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 21:28
Model: Elite
Colour: Monaco White
Year: 1974
Location: Nottingham

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Pete Boole »

Hawaiis0 wrote:
Mon Oct 17, 2022 18:12
Pete Boole wrote:
Mon Oct 17, 2022 15:59
.... Can't wait to see it at Lotus In The Peak!! :lol:

Pete
singular - Table Mountain?
Now there's a plan!! :lol:

Pete

User avatar
Excel SA
Senior Poster
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2020 06:11
Model: Excel
Colour: White
Year: 1987
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Excel SA »

It's a very long drive to get to Table Mountain!

The car is progressing - slowly, but ever onwards.

Neil.

User avatar
Excel SA
Senior Poster
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2020 06:11
Model: Excel
Colour: White
Year: 1987
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Excel SA »

Bodywork fibreglassing continues....

I ended up re-cutting the the joint between the top and bottom halves of the body just above the front bumper as there was a large variation on the "thickness" of that front edge that irked me! You can see below if you look closely that the edge is inconsistent. Have glued it all back together, now needs finishing off - will take a pic when I get the car out the garage again.

Image

There was also a hole in the rear, right hand side wheel arch - it had never previously been repaired and was simply covered by the interior insulation, below is the hole as seen from above after grinding away the edges:

Image

I also cleaned up the underside, and then laid a layer of heavy cloth inside the wheel well - it was stiff enough to self-support and give a reasonable approximation of the curves. I then filled the hole from above with a mixture of resin and filler material as well as more cloth. After a bit of a clean up this it what it looks like - it's fairly horrid to work in there as the side of the car body is close and there's not much space further down. Will still need some more work on the underside.

Image

Whilst in that area, there was another repair that needed doing - the joint between the rear bulkhead and the body had split - the "S" shaped line in the picture.

Image

I removed the rivet (with some effort...) and ground out the joint with a dremel - pic below is before I applied the standard resin adhesive - I also applied it under the lip and put in a new rivet.

Image

The thinner panel rising vertically is siliconed to the body panel - this joint has also split, so will redo it and make sure it's sealed properly, some of the old, black silicone is just visible.

The holes in the "A" pillar trim on the outside needed repairs, with the capping rail in place I test fitted it, but the fit was very poor - no surprise there.....On closer inspection of the "A" pillar trim I saw a layer of chopped strand matt on one of the inner surfaces, removing the layer revealed a split that looks to have been cut previously - possibly it's a replacement part and needed fettling before??

Image

The split is getting an overhaul - widened in places so that the final fit will line up with the rest of the body panels - the windscreen and the top of the door. The joint between the "A" pillar trim and the capping rail is also very poor.....I hope the passenger side is better :lol:

Neil.

Pete Boole
Senior Poster
Posts: 3710
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 21:28
Model: Elite
Colour: Monaco White
Year: 1974
Location: Nottingham

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Pete Boole »

Good work! It's hard working at the back of the headlight recesses - I've done that as well! On my Elite I had to remove the entire panel between the passenger compartment and the boot as it had become unstuck - had to cut it in half to get it out!

Pete

User avatar
AndrewWebber
Regular Poster
Posts: 193
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2021 14:21
Model: Elite S1 503, Plus 2, Europa '
Colour: Gold
Year: 1979
Location: Kent

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by AndrewWebber »

You've all got me thinking: one day I'll be sitting on the road having fallen through an Elite body that's disintegrating around me.

User avatar
Excel SA
Senior Poster
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2020 06:11
Model: Excel
Colour: White
Year: 1987
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Excel SA »

Probably not! Mine is all accident damage that was either fixed badly or not fixed at all! And when you fix suspension damage badly you're just inviting the next crash....

You've only got a vinyl roof issue to worry about :lol:

Neil.

User avatar
AndrewWebber
Regular Poster
Posts: 193
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2021 14:21
Model: Elite S1 503, Plus 2, Europa '
Colour: Gold
Year: 1979
Location: Kent

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by AndrewWebber »

Yes, the roof, still the subject of conjecture. More pressing is a bit of a whiney back end that is getting worse. Going to drop by Lotus Bits in it for an informed opinion on route to the Birmingham NEC show.

User avatar
Excel SA
Senior Poster
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2020 06:11
Model: Excel
Colour: White
Year: 1987
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Excel SA »

So to change things up a bit from all the body work, I've been shopping....

I had a bother-in-law going over to the UK who made the mistake of saying he was coming back with a light suitcase :D

Lotus Bits are fairly challenging to deal with from afar, but I did finally manage to get hold of them via email (thanks Richard!) But then they went very quiet with a Covid outbreak. Anyway, eventually got my order sent, and I finally received it yesterday.

Image

My order had been for the 2 rear shocks which came as expected, a cover for the inside of the drivers door - I got this, but one with a hole cut out of it, as well as one for the passenger side (which I don't need - I would have preferred just one that doesn't need more bodywork.....). I also ordered the inner cover for the driver's side mirror - got that, as well as a passenger one I don't need....

My BIL almost had a heart attack when he received the parcel - the box was much larger than really necessary, so the bits were unpacked and strategically placed in his luggage.

I also ordered some decals from I Say Ding Dong - they were a pleasure to deal with....

Image

Neil

richardw
Moderator
Posts: 2224
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2013 15:06
Model: Elite S2.2 Automatic
Colour: Essex Blue
Year: 1981
Location: Worcestershire

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by richardw »

Great - glad it worked out in the end! I bet he calls you his bother in law now!

Cheers, Richard
Image

Pete Boole
Senior Poster
Posts: 3710
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 21:28
Model: Elite
Colour: Monaco White
Year: 1974
Location: Nottingham

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Pete Boole »

That's another skill you're going to have to learn then - plastic welding to fill the hole in!!

Pete

User avatar
Excel SA
Senior Poster
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2020 06:11
Model: Excel
Colour: White
Year: 1987
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Excel SA »

Ha, didn't see I'd mis-typed brother originally - bet he was feeling bothered when the box arrived :D

Plastic welding is not something I've been successful at before - maybe a soldering iron isn't the correct tool for the job....I foresee a fiberglass patch on that panel in the near future.

With all the body work and paint removal needing doing, I went shopping again and found this on Facebook Marketplace at a very good price - cost me about as a much as a cheap and nasty knockoff:

Image

Should take some effort out of the sanding and speed things up - I have a decent compressor, but it will need to work hard.

Neil.

Pete Boole
Senior Poster
Posts: 3710
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 21:28
Model: Elite
Colour: Monaco White
Year: 1974
Location: Nottingham

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Pete Boole »

You can get tiny heat guns for plastic welding with filler rods to use like welding rods. I've never done any myself either but it doesn't look too difficult. Good luck with the paint prep - hard work :(

Pete

User avatar
Excel SA
Senior Poster
Posts: 515
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2020 06:11
Model: Excel
Colour: White
Year: 1987
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Excel SA »

I did have a quick look this morning, but feared going down another rabbit hole to fix a problem I shouldn't have! I see some systems have wavy staple type wires that are melted into the plastic, and then you have different filaments for different plastics....I will probably fill the hole with a piece of plastic and then fiberglass over it.

Neil.

Pete Boole
Senior Poster
Posts: 3710
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 21:28
Model: Elite
Colour: Monaco White
Year: 1974
Location: Nottingham

Re: New member - Excel SA

Post by Pete Boole »

Gaffer tape!! :roll:

Pete

Post Reply