headlights

[richboyd]

Jeff,

Fiberglass is a rock-solid medium. Never changes. Especially
dimensionally. I can't understand how a solid car, like the Elan,
could ever need any adjustments to the body.

Rich Boyd


At 01:59 PM 4/24/2006, you wrote:

[s2lola]

Saggy front springs? Incorrectly adjusted in the first place?

-----Original Message-----
From: ***@***.***lto:***@***.*** Behalf
Of Richard Boyd
Sent: 2006/04/24 17:10
To: ***@***.***
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] headlights


Jeff,

Fiberglass is a rock-solid medium. Never changes. Especially
dimensionally. I can't understand how a solid car, like the Elan,
could ever need any adjustments to the body.

Rich Boyd


At 01:59 PM 4/24/2006, you wrote:

[cliveyboy]

Hi Jeff
I remember once an MOT station wanting to adjust the headlamps on my Sprint
as they were too low. I had to explain to them to run the engine so the
vacuum holds the pods up. They were testing them with the pods slowly going
back down as the engine had just been fired up and had not had chance to
pull a decent vacuum.
I now mention it every time it goes in.
If you hear of lots of other cars needing their lights adjusted at the same
station I would ask when was the last time they checked their equipment.
Clive

[steveww]

Find a new MOT station. This is the sort of thing my local guy would do
for free.

Clivey Boy wrote:

[Elan45]

Could also be front springs or rubber mounts settling.



Fiberglass is a rock-solid medium. Never changes. Especially
dimensionally. I can't understand how a solid car, like the Elan,
could ever need any adjustments to the body.

Rich Boyd


At 01:59 PM 4/24/2006, you wrote:

[gjz30075]

--- In ***@***.***, "Jeff@..." <jeff.taylor-
jackson@...> wrote:






Jeff,
Maybe your springs have sagged significantly or your shock towers are
collapsing, causing the whole front of the car to lower. Just a
thought.

Greg Z
'72 Sprint

[jeff jackson]

Greg,
Maybe a case for the Elan, but the daily driver? Toyota Avensis. Never
even had a bulb gone in the five years I've owned it. I'm sure this is
an easy ?10 the guy can make if you are not around to argue with him. I
agree with some of the other posts, and find another MOT station, It was
a short notice job. He won't be getting my business again. Ever.
Regards
Jeff

Greg Zelazek wrote:

[jeff jackson]

Hi all,
A bit off list, but....I have a daily driver that I have owned for five
years. I have also had the Elan for ten years. I have never had any
reason to touch the headlights on both these cars but both have had to
be adjusted by the MOT place. I was wondering how my headlights need
adjusting if I have never touched them, do they change on their own
somehow or is the MOT guy looking to make a few extra quid on top of the
MOT fee?
Anyone else experienced this? Have I got a case with trading standards?
Regards
Jeff 72+2

[bill308]

Rich,

I beg to differ with your statement fiberglass is a rock-solid
medium. I've been working with this material for a long time, mostly
boat and Lotus repairs and refinishing. Fiberglass distorts,
stretches and twists. These are all a result of creep, especially a
elevated temperatures. Just take a look a most elan doors, they
distort with time do to a long term but modest load caused by the
door seals. This is what causes a lot of doors to stand proud of the
body at the rear lower corner.

We see the same thing on the hood (bonnet). On an S2 Elan, the front
springs load the bonnet with a constant but modest load in the
presence of engine heat. Over time, the front edge is pulled down and
bending occurs over a fairly large area. This is cased by material
creep to which Polyester resin appears particularly suseptable. I
suspect epoxies are better in this regard. Also the ratio of glass to
resin is important. It's the resin that creeps, not the glass.

Bill





--- In ***@***.***, "Roger Sieling" <rogsie@...> wrote:

[richboyd]

Re:

Bill, you took my sarcasm as sincerity. I agree with you: Fiberglass
in not rock solid. In fact, that was my point, even though I stated
the opposite.

E-mail is a great medium, but ... there is lots of room for
miscommunication. I'll take credit for this gaff.

Rich Boyd

[Rob_LaMoreaux]

I guess Rich needs to come up with a smiley face for very heavy sarcasm,
since I for one took his statement as being very very sarcastic, not that he
believes that fiberglass is rock solid.

Rob LaMoreaux

A & D Technology Inc.
4622 Runway Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734-822-9696
Fax 734-973-1103
Main Desk 734-973-1111
www.AandDTech.com
Work email: ***@***.***
Home email: ***@***.***

[marcfuller]

Perhaps some tips as to the "rules of sarcasm" would helpful-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4384734.stm


At 12:42 PM 5/1/2006, you wrote:

[s2lola]

Well, if I've written it and the subject matter even remotely refers to my
ex-wife, the Group should understand that that is to be automatically
interpreted as sarcasm........

Cheers.
Bill Tebbutt

-----Original Message-----
From: ***@***.***lto:***@***.*** Behalf
Of Marc Fuller
Sent: 2006/05/01 16:02
To: ***@***.***
Subject: RE: [LotusElan.net] headlights



Perhaps some tips as to the "rules of sarcasm" would helpful-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4384734.stm


At 12:42 PM 5/1/2006, you wrote:

[richboyd]

Marc,

Thanks for the article. One quote, if I may:
"The trick is to use sarcasm intelligently, and sparingly."
Now, about those happy faces ....


For the record: I think fiberglass is a material that changes with time.

Rich Boyd


At 01:01 PM 5/1/2006, you wrote:

[marcfuller]

Rich,

You are welcome. I enjoyed your initial comment. As for GRP changing over
time ... yeah it's like granite!

-Marc

At 02:51 PM 5/1/2006, you wrote: