Lotus Elise, total sill removal

[@johnmorrow7080]

I was a panel beater for 35 years and worked on a few fibreglass cars over the years I would have put a piece in or take a mold and piece that in , good job though looking forward to seeing it finished .

[@D3Sshooter]

Thanks for the comments and view, John, you might have seen how brittle that old so was.. it some smaller cracks in other places and the place to bond new to old ( if I was to put only the tip up) was not accessible at all from the back as the crash cushion is in the way ... foam thingy So glassing would be very hard/ and finally, I had the piece already ( the new sill) ... I guess we all have our own ways and methods in approaching those issues... at the end we apply what we feel most comfortable with...

[@johnmorrow7080]

@canuckguy worried Yep most of the fibrglass vehicles I repaired were electric milk floats wanting done as cheap as possible and a few TVR right offs , few kit cars to , the thing is he never said there was damage further along the panel , knowing that now I would agree replace the whole thing

[@johnmorrow7080]

@canuckguy worried Started a new job back in the 80's and because I was the new lad I got suckered with all the crap jobs no one wanted to do , so when the dairy along the road wanted their vehicles repaired I got lumbered with fixing these en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_float

[@mansfield1971]

Respect to you for going this route and sharing with us. It shows with a bit of patience and time what can be achieved.

[@D3Sshooter]

Mansfeld , thanks for the comments and view.

[@tedwpx123]

From taking pictures of stunning women, working on a Lotus, Old Rusty, tractors … you keep yourself busy. Way to go!!

[@D3Sshooter]

Ted , thanks for the comments and view. , i like to be busy with all kind of things in between my normal daytime job as a network and electronics design engineer...

[@tedwpx123]

A network and electronics engineer also. You are a well rounded person!

[@D3Sshooter]

@@tedwpx123 , that is my profession

[@D3Sshooter]

@@tedwpx123 , I got to do something to make a living :)

[@Tommy_Poole]

This was not the solution I suggested but then I’m obviously not as brave you are. A really interesting video all the same. Good luck with the rest of it and please try to show us as much of the rest of the process as you can.

[@D3Sshooter]

Thanks for the comments and view. Tom , we all have our own ways of doing things. At the end we do what we think is most comfortable for ourself... As I have no experience in making molds etc (I did check a lot of video's ) and I would hav eto buy the products.... it seemed better to replace it all as I had the new sill.... I will show all the cleanwork , as I have a few tricks there , the trial fitting and trimming and the final bonding and assembly... its coming ,,,,, maybe not this week as its to cold in the garage to let the PU bond work and I still need the sill to be sprayed first...

[@danielsweeney6742]

From reading the comments I kind of thought this is what you were going to do. Best of luck to you! I will enjoy watching.

[@D3Sshooter]

Daniel, thanks for the comments and view. Good thinking....

[@onlytheessential]

Well done Steve! You took the right decision; I mean the one that i would choose too… About the screws of the speaker, probably some genius in the past remove the speakers and put back mixed screws. On mine are all the same.

[@D3Sshooter]

Thanks for the comments and view, that is interesting the screws... Lotus is one and all surprise... or those who worked on it before...

[@onlytheessential]

@@D3Sshooter Oh yeah... I’ve seen that not everybody enjoy and love what they do. Probably in her story, you Elise passed from some of those "genius". Anyway, I really enjoy watching your videos and to learn from you. Thanks!

[@bxb590]

Very, very nice. Keep up the good work. I look forward to the next video.

[@D3Sshooter]

Thank you for the comments and view,

[@seancain7305]

Mmm, definitely not the route I'd have chosen. The original factory made / painted / bonded sill was 95% OK. A small repair towards the end of it would have been fine - its not structural. Taking your time to make the repair 100% would have been far less effort & you would have had a car closer to factory build. In addition, it is possible to remove the sill as a whole (undamaged) , so it can be re-used. For this you need more time & used sharp tools / heat to soften the bonding agent. This is what the pro Lotus specialists do - I have too, first time try, under a shady tree.

[@tomallen7299]

Well done Steve, it is definately easier to do on an S1. I wish Id had a fancy cutting tool like that when I was removing the sill from mine.

[@D3Sshooter]

Thanks for the comments and view, that tool is not all that fancy, its great for woodworking and more. Not expensive at all... and general purpose with different blades.. for the final removal of the pieces in the V groove, I used a modified heavy duty soldering gun with a steel blade shaped to the groove... that works like a champ. Its coming up in the next video... but first the temperature has to go up a bit in the garage before I can start to place the new sill (bonding) and I needs to get it sprayed first.

[@TheDaf95xf]

Just fantastic Steve 👍🏻

[@D3Sshooter]

Thanks for the comments,

[@terryatkinson899]

Well done. Good tools helped you alot.

[@D3Sshooter]

Terry, thanks for the comments and view. And indeed tools are importent , without it an ordinary job can become a nightmare

[@terryatkinson899]

@@D3Sshooter thanks for the reply. Good luck with it. I worked in a fibreglass factory and it's nasty stuff with fumes and fibres and dust when cutting, be sure to wear the right equipment.

[@nickhill3362]

Steve you did the right thing like the introduction to the vid 😁

[@D3Sshooter]

Nick , thanks for the comments and view. I try and I am very happy that I took this approach... it was so easy as you could see ( removal)... next up is the cleaning and trial fit... then I need to get new sill sprayed before installing it.

[@joewilder]

Worked out great. Happy for you.

[@D3Sshooter]

Joe , thanks for the comments and view. yep

[@kerrygleeson4409]

Great work Steve thanks for sharing 👍

[@D3Sshooter]

Kerry , thanks for the comments and view.

[@kentuckycowboy2]

By looks of the video I think you made a wise decision also and one that you will be much more satisfied with when you're job is completed. And the experience you have gained will be worth every ounce of effort you put into as well. Thanks for sharing.

[@D3Sshooter]

Thanks for the comments and view, I am already that I removed it... so easy..

[@seancain7305]

But overall, great progress with your Elise re-build. Hope you get it on the road soon

[@richardtaylor2449]

Thanks Steve again great job and from your amazing big farmhouse Looking forward to next vlogs' :))

[@D3Sshooter]

My pleasure....Thank you for the comments and view,

[@PsYr0n]

Awesome job, great video

[@D3Sshooter]

Thanks for the comments and view,

[@otsegobob]

Now is the best time to check/replace that pipe, it will be very difficult to fix anything inside once the sill is on.

[@D3Sshooter]

Indeed , Thanks for the comments and view,

[@glenseigers3917]

Where dit you get the sill from?

[@D3Sshooter]

From Lotus direct

[@harald.370]

Hoorah! You chose wisely, Steve-San 😉👍

[@D3Sshooter]

Harald, thanks for the comments and view. I know that you would have done the same as you made several statements before. And guess what ? You were right, this was the right thing to do... in fact it was easy and I can sleep peacefully . Else I would always have wondered why I didn't do it the way I did it now. Wondering if the patchwork would hold...

[@ShaunCymruDS8]

Happy for you Steve that you went for the full sill - I know you wanted too by was hesitant. Goes to prove that sometimes having a little bit of confidence in yourself pays off. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would have been checking, rechecking, getting the new sill, measuring, checking again (repeat at least 3 times) until I made that first cut.! Looking at some of those tight spots that the sill is hiding in made me wonder are you planning on having it painted before fitting as it looks like it we be quite hard to get full coverage once fitted?

[@D3Sshooter]

Shaun , thanks for the comments and view. I checked , and checked and checked ( but that does not show in the video) , checked also with a Lotus tech etc... doing that first cut was like cutting open my child... But once , I got going it became very easy. I need a bit more cleaning before I do the trial fit ( video is coming) and when all the little trimming is done, I will get it painted first before fitting as the same reasons as you stated

[@alfredodino825]

This approach certainly makes the most interesting video for us all and a great resource for the future. Good on you!! 3.5? hours to remove all that and clean it up seems very reasonable, so why did Lotus not recommend full replacement - there must be some other reason?

[@tomallen7299]

Probably due to the original sill only being slightly damaged. It would have been a simple job for the bodyshop to graft a new tip onto the sill.

[@ericvandomselaar8420]

My God a lot of work.....

[@D3Sshooter]

Its not that bad, once you started it

[@rolfdiensten8381]

Great video, thanks

[@apricusstainedglass]

It seems like cutting off a foot when only the toenails need clipping but what the heck, you can, so why not? 😊

[@D3Sshooter]

Yes indeed, but at the end I had the part anyhow and no experience in Fibre glas moulds etc...

[@markdavies9765]

serrated knife heated with a gas torch, cuts through the bond like butter ;)

[@D3Sshooter]

Thanks for the comments and view, indeed Mark that is what I have done later. Its in the next video.... its the soldering gun based on gas used in the old rusty video part 16... I added a steel blade to the large copperhead and used it to cut the old PU ... works like a champ as you stated....

[@sb-ant6457]

Enjoy your dinner :)

[@D3Sshooter]

hmmm , I did... a lovely curry

[@estpst]

the body seems rather brittle.

[@justaddafan]

Fiberglass. Easy to crack but can take little bumps without damage.

[@apricusstainedglass]

Yes, the S2 is very brittle. The S1 Elise and S2 Exige are traditional hand laid glassfibre and are quite robust. The S2 Elise is injection moulded polyester resin. The amount of glassfibre seems less and there is no gel coat.

[@D3Sshooter]

Yes indeed Tango, a special approach on the S2 to make it lighter but more brittle. P.S If you buy a new front clamshell from lotus today you will have a problem as they are thicker and cause issues on the wind/ window frame.... I have seen two new both having that same issue.

[@D3Sshooter]

itsjustme , thanks for the comments and view. And indeed as the friend s explained already....