Expert advice .Chassis damage?

[p4ilip]

Hi all,
I have been looking for a damaged elise to fix and use as a road car, having never worked on one any info would be great. Have found this little s1 wich looks like it has hit a fence Have been sent some pics, This looks like the most serious damage just behind the drivers door. Just wondered if anyone used to working on their elise could tell me how bad this looks?

[p4ilip]

The fibreglass, body work part looks easy to repair. The chassis looks a bit harder although it looks like quite a light impact and has just dented the main structure as far as i can see.

[Mikie711]

It's hard to tell from the pictures but the chasis rail on an S1 is quit far in. The sill is very rounded and sticks out a lot further than the main structure so will break up long before any damage reach's the side rail. Going by the photo it looks like quite an easy fix but would look very closely at the side rail around the bottom of the door shut and toward the rear. If that is bent or deformed forget it.

[Mr Momo]

That looks like the major part of the bonded structure

[tut]

Stick some gaffa tape on it, good as new. Will not make any difference when you drive it,

tut

[p4ilip]

I am thinking of driving down south to have a look at it on Monday, In the second photograp it looks like there are three parts to what can be seen of the chassis, I had thought that the upper section might be the main box section but what are the two lower parts? Is it the start of the wishbone? Are they meant to be that shape? Does anyone have a picture or know of a link where it is possible to see this part of the chassis without the bodywork obstructing it?
Thanks, Phil.

[Corranga]

This might be of use.

Page 187ish of the parts manual:

http://www.brooke-kensington.co.uk/misc ... ndexed.pdf

[BiggestNizzy]

from what I can see it looks like a bit of undertray at the bottom and a small ding in the chassis. it's impossible to give a proper diagnosis with pictures thou

[Mikie711]

The top part is the chassis rail that supports the engine, the middle is the fuel tank guard and the lower the undertray. Where the impact damage is is the lower part of the firewall/start of the engine bay. It is really hard to tell from those photo's and that's best guess. You need to take someone with you that understands what they are looking at. The Lotus chassis is almost impossible to repair and any damage to the main rails that support everything else means it's most likely scrap. They are made as a single extrusion with everything bonded to them and gives the car it's incredible strength.

From the Lotus manual for the car

" Superficial, cosmetic, or non-structural localised damage may be repaired as necessary, but in the case of accident damage resulting in significant bending, tearing or distortion of the aluminium chassis, such that the specified suspension geometry cannot be achieved by the standard range of suspension adjustments provided, the recommended repair is to renew the partial body assembly, which comprises the chassis and roll over bar together with the jig bonded composite rear bulkhead, body sills, windscreen frame and crash structure.................."

[robin]

There aren't any suspension mounting points here, so I think you'll be OK with this - but as said already, you need to get better photos or get somebody who knows what they're looking at.

Cheers,
Robin

[Jacobite]

If its any help I can get you photos of an undammaged sill in that area from the Honda SC S1 car as the sills are off it, but as other poster said the sills are quite deep there, also the engine mounting area is behind the wheel, roll cage bolts through just 3" in front of the fuel filler ~

Sills are £250 each you can smash them off. the difficulty is around the windscreen surround and getting all the sikaflex bonding compound out of the groves the sills mount in ready for new sills

[p4ilip]

A picture of that would be handy Jacobite, let me know link. Thanks, Phil.

[Jacobite]

Hi Philip
here you go ,if you want high resolution pics just PM me your e~mail
cheers Hamish













Edited because the origional slide sho I posted of these pics was just 20% size

[p4ilip]

I bought it! Thanks for the pics, they helped make my mind up, went and viewed yesterday and bought it today. I need to get the car collected from canvey island in Essex, Does anyone know of a good transport company?

[gorrie]

This guy (Andrew) picked my Elise up & transported to France in the depths of last winter. Deals in a lot of sports/prestige/classic stuff. clicky
Can't tell you what the cost was though, as the buyer was paying
Don't think you find him on google, and no banners on his car or trailer... as he said he tries to keep low key, doesn't like to attract attention due to the price of some of the stuff he's shifting (which is why I've done a hyperlink rather than type the URL out.. so hopefully the search engines don't see it)