Hey Guys,
First and foremost, thanks for the support. Captain and Ted congrats on getting the system installed!
I'm not offended by Zammy's request and I would have responded earlier had I not been in a marathon meeting this evening...
I think the first run on the instructions was decent, but they do need a little work and thanks to the first 15 for giving me some feedback so that I can make some amendments for future installers.
I'm just a touch guarded about sending the instructions out to the masses as I've already had warnings about those that want to knock the kit off (Not the "big 3" though, so no drama there
)... We worked our tails off making these things and I guess the "it's my baby" aspect hasn't quite worn off just yet
.
As many know, anything that we make is done out of pure enjoyment of working with our hands and 'chinery along with my enthusiasm for the marque. We simply hope to cover our expenses and make small profit to help pay for motorsports. This business is not the bread and butter, and producing a quality part and standing behind it is paramount to us. The vendors and fellow enthusiasts/friends that carry or have purchased the stuff we make will vouch for that... I'm happy to visit on the phone or via email about any specific questions if you're truly interested in purchasing the kit. Once-more, if you buy the system and don't like it, send it back. No hard feelings...well maybe a little
, but I'll still give you a refund. It's just not the big of a deal and certainly not worth getting in a tussle over...
Regarding fasteners. I did mention in a previous post that the we stuck with a very Colin Chapman type solution utilizing thumb bolts to secure the clam down. There are some additional modifications we make to them but they're otherwise quite simple. WE use OEM grade nylock nuts where needed and metric CAD plated flanged bolts in places where bolts are used. There are a total of 4 holes drilled in the clam and aside from those 4 holes, everything can be returned to stock. As others have mentioned, installation is not hard, it's just time consuming. No special tools needed.
Operation. As I've mentioned, the operation is good and smooth, but the clam is not designed to be opened every time you check the oil. Open the clam in a controlled environment, out of the wind, et cetera. It takes just a couple minutes from soup to nuts to tilt the clam on the Elise and 20-30 minutes to get the clam up on an Exige. We know the latter thank to LordZ, as he took the plunge and figured out how to install the system to his Exige
. I'll incorporate his Exige specific instructions to the manual along with a few suggestions from the Elise crew... Thanks guys
I hope that helps to clear things up. I personally think it's a super fun mod and I use my hinge system ALL THE TIME--probably more than I should, but it just makes everything so darn accessible!
Best,
Phil