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59 Posts
Hello Folks-
I have an Elise that I ran into a K wall at Laguna Seca this past Tuesday -- wheelspin + LSD + inappropriate rain tires + inexperienced driver = short day on track. By the book, this is a total. The loss is insured and I could just have the insurance company write me a check and walk away, but I'd prefer to repair the vehicle vs. add it to this list. I intend to keep it -- it's a "sports car" for me, in the literal sense of the word. While it's registered and such, 90% of its miles will be on track.
So, I am looking for a CHASSIS front clip -- We essentially want a clean front end to use as a donor for parts to replace the right front bent bits as shown:



Yeah, I know that Lotus will be doing this: :no:, but I am working with a shop that I know and trust and we believe we can pull it off. (The chassis passes the straightness checks when measured via the tooling holes as described in the Service manual.) Our alternatives are to fabricate replacement parts (since we can't buy the raw extrusions from Lotus directly...) An ideal donor vehicle would be something that has had rear end damage and was totaled and is being parted out. While I do need a front clam and lights and squirrelly bits like that, I'm not currently looking for salvage bits for those items. That's not to say that I wouldn't be opportunistic if the items were available, etc. (but I can afford to buy new and such. Speaking of which, is there a general consensus on the "best" aftermarket replacement front clams -- I *can* buy OEM, but this might be an opportunity to buy lighter/stronger -- what's the conventional wisdom on the revozport stuff? Other suggestions? WRT aftermarket, we're worried that the potential rework for fitment will not be worth the hassle to gain strength, lose weight.)
FWIW, I don't intend to obfuscate the history of this vehicle should I accept the check and buy another Elise. The VIN for the Elise described below is SCCPC11105HL35320. Again, I'd MUCH prefer to stick by this car and resurrect it for my personal use.
Thanks in advance for any advice, thoughts or ideas/references you may all have. If someone's got something that might help keep this piece of art on the road, please feel free to give me a ring at 209-795-4588.
Best,
John
I have an Elise that I ran into a K wall at Laguna Seca this past Tuesday -- wheelspin + LSD + inappropriate rain tires + inexperienced driver = short day on track. By the book, this is a total. The loss is insured and I could just have the insurance company write me a check and walk away, but I'd prefer to repair the vehicle vs. add it to this list. I intend to keep it -- it's a "sports car" for me, in the literal sense of the word. While it's registered and such, 90% of its miles will be on track.
So, I am looking for a CHASSIS front clip -- We essentially want a clean front end to use as a donor for parts to replace the right front bent bits as shown:



Yeah, I know that Lotus will be doing this: :no:, but I am working with a shop that I know and trust and we believe we can pull it off. (The chassis passes the straightness checks when measured via the tooling holes as described in the Service manual.) Our alternatives are to fabricate replacement parts (since we can't buy the raw extrusions from Lotus directly...) An ideal donor vehicle would be something that has had rear end damage and was totaled and is being parted out. While I do need a front clam and lights and squirrelly bits like that, I'm not currently looking for salvage bits for those items. That's not to say that I wouldn't be opportunistic if the items were available, etc. (but I can afford to buy new and such. Speaking of which, is there a general consensus on the "best" aftermarket replacement front clams -- I *can* buy OEM, but this might be an opportunity to buy lighter/stronger -- what's the conventional wisdom on the revozport stuff? Other suggestions? WRT aftermarket, we're worried that the potential rework for fitment will not be worth the hassle to gain strength, lose weight.)
FWIW, I don't intend to obfuscate the history of this vehicle should I accept the check and buy another Elise. The VIN for the Elise described below is SCCPC11105HL35320. Again, I'd MUCH prefer to stick by this car and resurrect it for my personal use.
Thanks in advance for any advice, thoughts or ideas/references you may all have. If someone's got something that might help keep this piece of art on the road, please feel free to give me a ring at 209-795-4588.
Best,
John