Melted reflector on Euro-Style Grill

[pixlpush]

I was out at willow springs this past Thursday and it was quite hot, 101 degrees. the car ran great but I did have one small problem. The reflector on the drivers side of my sector111 Euro-Style Grill melted! The stock heat shield is still in place but this reflector is really close to the cat. Sector111 is replacing it for me but I think I'll be removing it before any hot weather track days in the future



I just found a source for a direct replacement of these as well, thought I'd add it to the post:

http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs...4019&langId=-1

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A quick update and hopefully a fix. Fellow Elisetalker Mikew came up with this idea and went beyond the call of duty and sent me some cermaic fabric to try it out with. His idea was to build a reflector sandwhich where the reflector is backed with ceramic fabric then a aluminum or stainless metal disc. I did this last weekend and still need to paint the edges black and get it back on the car. Seems like it ougth to fix the problem, I'll let you all know how the hold up. Thanks again for the good idea Mike

The reflector sandwhich components:

<img src="http://www.elisetalk.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1157&original=1" alt="reflector ceramic heat shield" />

The relector sandwhich:

<img src="http://www.elisetalk.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1158&original=1" alt="reflector ceramic heat shield" />

[ekological]

At least yours stayed on! My friend was behind me at the Glen when my reflectors decided to jump ship and skip across the track!

[spider]

It happens on the stock '05 grill reflectors as well. Mine was also the driver-side that melted. Dealer replaced it under warranty.

[peteinsd]

hey Sean,

do you want to pick it up or should we ship it to you?

let me know and i'll take care of it on monday.

pete

[pixlpush]

Oh, if I didn't mention it Sector111 was great as usual. They're taking care of the problem straight away. Just wanted to let everyone know that if your running hard on a hot day you probably want to pull that reflector on the drivers side.

[shay2nak]

what the hell? LOL!

[JnC]

Paging Beanie, Zoomz or Transio.... can you combine the melted euro-grill reflectors with Dali's Persistance of Memory for the next Elise in modern art competition?

[pixlpush]

Originally Posted by JnC

Paging Beanie, Zoomz or Transio.... can you combine the melted euro-grill reflectors with Dali's Persistance of Memory for the next Elise in modern art competition?

I can handle that, I'll call it "persistance of Lotus Heat". This what you had in mind?

<img src="http://www.elisetalk.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1117&original=1" alt="Persistance_of_lotus_heat" />

[pete k]

Now THAT is ART!!!

[marcw]

Pretty impressive with the Photoshop there!

I actually noticed that melted reflector on your car in the pits on Thurs. It was HOT!! If it's any consolation, you should see the little hole my 2ubular single exit exhaust burned into my reverie CF diffuser that day!

[JnC]

Originally Posted by pixlpush

I can handle that, I'll call it "persistance of Lotus Heat". This what you had in mind?

[Jim Itin]

I found out early on that the reflectors on the Euro grills can easily back out of the retaining nut. Probably a good idea to Locktite them before losing
them in the middle of the night / track. Also, a second source of melted
reflectors is shifting of the exhaust tips so that the touch the edge of the
cutout in the grills. When this happens, the grill conducts heat to the mounting bracket of the nearby reflector, which sends the heat thru the
mounting post to the plastic and voila. Dali-disks.
Think I'll get in touch with Sector 111 and try to get three more reflectors
(one to replace the melted one, two for backups in the future).
Jim

[DragonRider1]

Jim, I think you have coined a new phrase for an Elise Mod. "Dali Disks!" I like it! Especially since I have the Larini SE and those panels on order.

[marcw]

But I do have to point out, this has already been done with an NSX:

http://www.daliracing.com/

[Jim Itin]

DragonRider1,
I'll bet that you'll like the new exhaust system when you get it on. By
the way, you might think about getting some extra reflectors from Sector 111
before the run out. I can imagine a run on the inventory once folks start
getting some miles on them. I would think that the British countryside is
pretty well littered with these things by now, too. I'm definitely Locktiting
mine on when I replace the melted one.
By the way, you've got the best backyard in the country for riding down
there. I was on the run last Oct. with Club 111, and had a blast. Beautiful
roads, but the NC authorities are a little too ticket happy for my tastes. Hope
I can get back down there this year.
Jim

[DragonRider1]

Originally Posted by Jim Itin

DragonRider1,
I'll bet that you'll like the new exhaust system when you get it on. By
the way, you might think about getting some extra reflectors from Sector 111
before the run out. I can imagine a run on the inventory once folks start
getting some miles on them. I would think that the British countryside is
pretty well littered with these things by now, too. I'm definitely Locktiting
mine on when I replace the melted one.

I'm looking forward to them getting in. The only trick I have right now is that the car is up on jack stands with the four wheels out being powdercoated. I had hoped to get the exhaust in at th same time since to put the car on stands I already had to yank the rear diffuser.

My question to the group: How the heck do you get the rear licenseplate/grill off? Does the exhuast have to come out first? I found the 3 bolts inside the trunk, got the two through the heat shield on the lower side, but it's still hung up somewhere on the top...? ARGH!!!
<sigh>

Originally Posted by Jim Itin

By the way, you've got the best backyard in the country for riding down
there. I was on the run last Oct. with Club 111, and had a blast. Beautiful
roads, but the NC authorities are a little too ticket happy for my tastes. Hope
I can get back down there this year.
Jim

I love this area! It's the first chance I got to move to where *I* wanted to go. We have so many wild roads around here and even some less wild but with great scenery that it's hard to get bored. A lot of great people, a few new friends every other weekend, and plenty of things to do outdoors. At least when you can keep yourself below a medium-well temperature anyhow.

As for the NC police, I agree. Then again, the NC state troopers gave me my first EVER speeding ticket in 21 years of driving on Memorial day...and it was the only time during that entire day I even got close to, much less over the speed limit. From what I gather they wrote over 170 tickets between two troopers in that area in a 12-14 hour shift. "If you went down that road, you probably got a ticket. If we have to work on a holiday we are damned sure going to let the people know we were out there workin." This was at court, no less... <sigh>

Granted, I *was* getting rid of some pent up frustrations at that point and 70 in a 55 was very fair when they clocked me in excess of 100 on a roughly 1 mile straightaway in the middle of nowhere...

[TOPGUN750]

Originally Posted by marcw

Pretty impressive with the Photoshop there!

I actually noticed that melted reflector on your car in the pits on Thurs. It was HOT!! If it's any consolation, you should see the little hole my 2ubular single exit exhaust burned into my reverie CF diffuser that day!

How did the diffuser get burned from an exhaust that exits over the diffuser?

[marcw]

Originally Posted by TOPGUN750

How did the diffuser get burned from an exhaust that exits over the diffuser?

The rear lip of the diffuser comes up at about a 45 degree angle, and the exhaust tip is horizontal, so there is hot exhaust blowing into the very upper edge of the diffuser lip, and radiant heat from the tip itself just a few mm from the CF surface. Solution was to dremel out a small area of the upper diffuser lip that otherwise sits right under the exhaust tip. Funny how things like this happen at the track that are not a problem on the street!

[Jim Itin]

[QUOTE=DragonRider1]
My question to the group: How the heck do you get the rear licenseplate/grill off? Does the exhuast have to come out first? I found the 3 bolts inside the trunk, got the two through the heat shield on the lower side, but it's still hung up somewhere on the top...? ARGH!!!

FragonRider1,
It's been more than four months since I installed mine. Age being what it
is, I've forgotten some of the less fun details of the rear panel removal. It's
possible that there are two fasteners through the heat shielding into the back
of the license plate panel. If so, you should be able to see them when you
pull the stock exhaust out and look at the heat shielding from the engine side.
You probably already know that the new Euro panels attach to the license plate panel using pop rivets. They're not too difficult to drill out.
One thing to consider is leaving all the heat shielding in place and just paint it flat black so that it's not so visible through the reaar panel. I did this
using brush on header coating (from Eastwood), and prefer the look. And be
sure to really tighten down on the clamp at the exhaust to cat tube connection. If you don't it will eventually creep and allow the exhaust tips to touch the rear panel, with the resulting reflector meltdown.
Jim

[DragonRider1]

Jim, thanks for the help! I have found what appears to be all the primary bolts including the two on the heat shield. For some reason it seems the L bracket that attaches to the three bolts inside the trunk is toward the back, and another piece of heat shield is toward the front forming a T that won't clear something inside. Guess I'll wait for the exhaust to get here and go ahead and pull the entire section out unless there is something simple that I'm missing?

Btw, pop rivets? I can happily drill those out, but I have nothing resembling a rivet gun around here so that's going to be another complication. Can you use a regular bolt/washer set-up or do I have to figure out who around Knoxville may have a rivet gun?

I do like your idea of painting the back heat shielding black. Pete at Sector 111 already gave me a heads up that it would be a bad idea to remove it unless I was running the rear eliminator kit.

Thanks again for the help, and by any chance might you have a pic or two that shows the finished look with the painted heat shielding behind the grill?

"More MODS!!!!"