Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Have you noticed how many of the new dashboards on restored Elans don't fit flush with the crashpad in the top corners. Either the template is wrong or perhaps badly fitted. I noticed this on some of the cars currently being sold by Paul Matty.

Do you have a picture of what you mean? I have a http://classical-dash.co.uk/ S4 dash (i believe they supply many of the usual suspects) and i thought it fit well imho.

But then i never saw my 2 seater with the original dash in so it could well fit better......

I suspect it's possible the crash pad has curled upwards.

I don't have any pictures. If you look at some of the cars on PM's website you'll see what I mean. As Graeme says, it could be that the original crashpads have distorted with age.

I will try to post a picture of my 66 S3 that had the dashboard replaced by a PO. On the upper right you can see where the dash does not follow the crashpad radius. I've owned the car for about 15 years so the dash is at least that old.

That's exactly the gap I was talking about. My Elan has the original dash and no gap.

The corner of your Crash pad looks pushed up? (maybe the dash-crash-pad holes in the end of the dash are too high?)

I don't have any pictures to hand but my crash pad is pulled down tight on the ends, so much so i found it hard to get the screws in without cross threading them. With that said the wooden dash is a similar shape (it slopes off rather than being very square on that top corner)

I'd be interested to see if you removed the outer screws if the crash pad would pull down any tighter to the wooden dash.

Also what time scale are we talking? my Dash is 12 months old and bought from the people that make them for Paul Matty etc so is it possible the issue has been brought to Classicdash's attention?? (maybe worth asking them)

O i tell a lie the original dash was offered up to my Elan...Here is a bit of a dodgy picture (sorry memory must be going)



Now compare that to this picture i liberated from Paul mattys web page, you are quite right you can see the shape is different in the corner. On their dash you can see the top edge is parallel with the top of the glove box but my original isn't.

Then it looks like the template for the new ones isn't right.

IT may be that the simplest possibility holds the answer? Perhaps the crashpads aren't glued down.

Ok just to confuse every one even more.......... here's one i took on my phone of my original dash (think it was when i was complaining the glove box door was a different colour but i couldn't pick it up on a picture)

Now that does look parallel like the new dash........ Maybe it is as simple as the crash pad is distorted or badly fitted. (just to add my Crash pad is original and had never been removed from the car for fear of damaging the hard vinyl)

Sorry not much help.

elanfan1 wrote:IT may be that the simplest possibility holds the answer? Perhaps the crashpads aren't glued down.

Could also be a Matty replacement Crash pad that isn't the right shape.

Father Dougal mode on/ Careful now! Folk'll want compo off Matty. Mode off

It's the crashpad shrinking. I had this on my car with original dash and sunsoaked crash pad. It was impossible to get the edges to stretch and fit around the top edges of the dash.

My replacement dash fits pretty well apart from the fact that the LH screw hole does not line up? I assume the crashed gets hard and brittle over they year...