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So I am new to the forum, and new to the world of Lotus. I just purchased a 2005 Lotus Elise the was destroyed in a garage fire. My original thought was to try to strip the frame and cage the vehicle and start rebuilding using used Toyota parts. Upon picking the car up, I no longer think that’s a viable option. What parts are worth saving? I assume the brake calipers can be rebuilt. Car also has an aftermarket supercharger. Also a titanium catback from Arqray. Any thought would be much appreciated.
Toast. In my opinion nothing worth saving. Sorry to say.
I have to ask why you thought any of this was salvageable? This is a glued together chassis where heat is devastating to the integrity of chassis. Not to mention what high heat does to any type of rubber seals.
It might be a candidate for a small (very small) artificial reef. I'm also sorry to be so pessimistic, but I think anything left would lack any structural integrity. I certainly wouldn't trust anything left.
So yes, all the bushings are gone, there is the remnant of a serpentine belt. I had no expectations when I bought it on a whim (also I’m in it for $303) and it was a fun risk. Better luck next time I guess?
i guess since some of the aluminum melted, but the steel did not that the fire temp was between 660-1400 C. thus, i would guess the titanium cat-back metal is fine (apart from a uncontrolled heat treatment). i wonder if it would polish up?
are those a fiberglass filled part? if so, I guess it would probably not survive super high temperature.
I have not pulled the engine yet, but I will keep you posted. Also her is an ad I found that matches my vin. It also matches up with the supercharger and the aftermarket exhaust.
I thought so too, I have to assume Copart is correct on the vin. I assume these cars have a door tag. If that’s the case, I assume it would have fallen outside of the frame when the bodywork melted.
Not only is the aluminum heat treating destroyed by such a hot fire, but the epoxy holding the tub together is as well. On top of that, the ferrous metals have lost their hardening and tempering as well in such a hot fire. I would not trust a structural component of that vehicle without testing after exposure to such a hot fire.
I'll go against grain and say, just from pic, yes, there ARE salvagable items there. Valuable?--can't say. The roll hoop looks to be intact. The A-arms, perhaps. the calipers( as noted). Internal engine parts--I'd bet for sure....but again, worth your time adn effort for the $$$ they might bring ---dont know. The alum frame pieces also might have some value if re-purposed --the alum would clean up and offers some unusual patterns ---possible use in the art+design+fabrication world. There are places in this world that would clean that like a school of piranha---just because there's no value as a reconstituted Lotus, doesnt mean there isnt value.
Agreed...if I recall, there are shims that are worth around $10 each. I remember searching for a bolt once and having to buy a bag of them to get one...
I'd say, treat it like a side project. Tell people where the parts are coming from...and don't reuse anything that might result in catastrophic results. No high stress parts. But I'm with ML1media as long as you take your time and clean up only the parts that don't involve any risk AT ALL.
So first exploration on the car has not been promising. While the exhaust itself is intact, whatever baffle material was used did not survive. Enjoy the automotive archeology.
You know, I saw an episode of Pawn Stars where they bought a shitty car by accident thinking they could make money. But they took it to count's customs and found out it needed more money to repair that it was worth so he turned it into a pool table and they made like $8k. What about cleaning it up, Bolting on some body panels, wheels/tires and making it something like that? Or a kick ass couch for your garage....or a BBQ? Could be fun. Think outside the box! I'm sure you can youtube that episode for the basic idea. I'll mail you a 6-pack if you start that project ^_^
Must have been a very hot fire! Look at the rear wheels, or lack there of. The center of the alloy wheels and a few spokes are there but the rest melted!
Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, I'm not sure that there's $300 of value left in it. I would love to know what you do end up finding of value on the car and what you get for it.
"Galvanized steel is suitable for high-temperature applications of up to 200 °C (392 °F). The use of galvanized steel at temperatures above this will result in peeling of the zinc at the inter metallic layer."
Is it peeling? It looks OK in the video.
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