BOOT RELEASE CABLE PROBLEM

[TonyT]

On my Elan + 2, the boot lock release cable mounting in the driver's door frame is starting to break up thus not allowing me a strong enough pull on the cable to release the boot lock.
Does anyone know of a company who would reinforce the fibreglass around the mounting of this cable either by building up the glassfibre on the inside by accessing it via the removable panel in the offside wheel arch or alternatively know of a company who could make up a strong aluminium concave plate which could be bonded to the fibreglass again on the inside of the body where the cable comes through by accessing it via the offside wheel arch.
Any help with this problem or any alternative solutions would be gratefully appreciated.

[jono]

Is there any reason why you would not do this yourself - fibreglass work is really very simply particularly for the job you describe?

(I would happily do it for you, gratis, but I am up in Cumbria)

[Donels]

I have recently done the repair you describe myself. However, if you are not experienced working with GF it's not an easy repair to start with. Access is limited and the panel you’re repairing is curved making the repair tricky. A good body shop experienced with GF could do it for you relatively quickly or you could do the metal support you suggest.

[h20hamelan]

Does your +2 have the access from the rear wheel, through body?
Detaching the cable if rusty may be difficult. I would want it fully out of the way.
Use glass fibre, very easy.

You should wear gloves for handling the glass, and cover any exterior body floor of garage etc as to make clean up easy.

[TonyT]

Is there any reason why you would not do this yourself - fibreglass work is really very simply particularly for the job you describe?

(I would happily do it for you, gratis, but I am up in Cumbria)

Hello jono,
Thank you for your reply.
I do not have any experience of making Glassfibre repairs and I think it should not be to difficult to do, but with the limited access to the area to be repaired I felt it might be prudent to get an expert to do this repair. Also, Thank you for your offer to do it for me - it is pity that I live in West London and you are in Cumbria

[TonyT]

I have recently done the repair you describe myself. However, if you are not experienced working with GF it's not an easy repair to start with. Access is limited and the panel you’re repairing is curved making the repair tricky. A good body shop experienced with GF could do it for you relatively quickly or you could do the metal support you suggest.

Hello Donels,
Thanks for your reply.
The reason for posting this problem on this site was I agree that it would be tricky to effect a permanent lasting repair in an area with limited access - I also do not have experience working with Glassfibre - so I was hoping to get some names of companies that would do this repair for me within a reasonable range of West London. I have done a Google Search for a Glassfibre Repair company within a 50 miles range of West London and it did not give me any results.

[TonyT]

Does your +2 have the access from the rear wheel, through body?
Detaching the cable if rusty may be difficult. I would want it fully out of the way.
Use glass fibre, very easy.

You should wear gloves for handling the glass, and cover any exterior body floor of garage etc as to make clean up easy.

Hello h20hamelan,
Thank you for your reply and for all your advise on how to do it myself.
My Plus 2 does have a removable panel in the offside rear wheel arch as I have in the past replaced the Boot Release Cable and I don't think that it is rusty. My only concern is that I don't have any experience with working with Glassfibre and together with the limited access to the area to be repaired and not knowing how many layers of Glassfibre to use to effect a strong and lasting repair, I thought it prudent to get it done by an expert - hence my request for names of any companies who could do this repair for me. I live in West London and I have done a Google Search for any such companies within a 50 mile range of my home without getting any success in finding one.

[AndyWhite]

Hi Tony,

I grew up in Ashford, I refute it is West London!
Anyhow I digress. You are in a reasonable position if you don't want to attempt it yourself, although I would. Get everything clean cover it in resin, slap on a precut layer of glass, stiple it in with plenty of resin , throw on another layer soak again, walk away. Come back an hour later and voila.

It is hidden so even if you make a total cods up of it there is no disaster. HOWEVER... if you want someone else try thinking a bit more laterally. I would contact the boat repairers in St Aines, Laleham, Shepperton, Chertsey and see which ones do GRP repairs on fibreglass boats and see if one of them can help you. That would be my first port of call if I was in your shoes. One of them will and that's 5 miles not 50.

Good Luck with it

Andy

[jono]

I would advise grinding the rear of the aperture as much as you can with the arch closer panel off to take off the top layer of resin back to a clean surface - wash down with acetone or brake cleaner. Don't worry about the cracked or broken bits - leave them in place at this stage. If you form a larger hole, make a temporary form on the other side with aluminium tape or some layers of masking tape formed into a bowl shape.

Then lay a large circular piece of chopped strand mat over that, say 125mm dia, well soaked and stippled in, then subsequent layers in reducing diameters of the same mat, 4 layers in total should do it (cut them all first and do this as a single operation so that the resin does not 'beat' you) with the last being, say, 35-40mm dia.

Allow this to cure then go in from the door jamb side and carefully grind back the indent to a feathered edge using a small flap wheel or similar then lay up a couple of layers of matt on that side too. When cured rub it back to de nib and put on 2 heavy coats of resin - flat that back when dry then drill your hole for the pull cable. If necessary you can fine shape it with fibreglass paste or body filler.

This will be a very strong repair and, honestly, its not hard - it's fun even!

I'm presently restoring a Plus 2 shell and doing all of the glass repairs myself and its actually rather enjoyable - I'm self taught on this project but it's really just common sense and understanding that you need to spread the stresses outwards from the load point by using reducing layers of mat - a bit like map countours.

[TonyT]

Hi Tony,

I grew up in Ashford, I refute it is West London!
Anyhow I digress. You are in a reasonable position if you don't want to attempt it yourself, although I would. Get everything clean cover it in resin, slap on a precut layer of glass, stiple it in with plenty of resin , throw on another layer soak again, walk away. Come back an hour later and voila.

It is hidden so even if you make a total cods up of it there is no disaster. HOWEVER... if you want someone else try thinking a bit more laterally. I would contact the boat repairers in St Aines, Laleham, Shepperton, Chertsey and see which ones do GRP repairs on fibreglass boats and see if one of them can help you. That would be my first port of call if I was in your shoes. One of them will and that's 5 miles not 50.

Good Luck with it

Andy

Hello Andy,
Thanks for your reply and suggestions.
I thought that as I live in Ashford Postcode TW15 reasonably close to Heathrow Airport, that was in the West of London area.
Nevertheless, Thank you for your suggestions and the information regarding the Fibreglass Boat Repairers in Laleham - I hadn't thought of that. Together with your and other peoples suggestions regarding me doing my own repair, I am being convinced this is the way to go. As you rightly said, no-one will see it up in the rear wheel arch and I am now trying to get from an engineering company a metal concave circular plate which I can then fibreglass in place for added strength when the Boot Release Cable is pulled. I don't want to have this problem again in the future.
Once again, Many Thanks for your help.

[TonyT]

I would advise grinding the rear of the aperture as much as you can with the arch closer panel off to take off the top layer of resin back to a clean surface - wash down with acetone or brake cleaner. Don't worry about the cracked or broken bits - leave them in place at this stage. If you form a larger hole, make a temporary form on the other side with aluminium tape or some layers of masking tape formed into a bowl shape.

Then lay a large circular piece of chopped strand mat over that, say 125mm dia, well soaked and stippled in, then subsequent layers in reducing diameters of the same mat, 4 layers in total should do it (cut them all first and do this as a single operation so that the resin does not 'beat' you) with the last being, say, 35-40mm dia.

Allow this to cure then go in from the door jamb side and carefully grind back the indent to a feathered edge using a small flap wheel or similar then lay up a couple of layers of matt on that side too. When cured rub it back to de nib and put on 2 heavy coats of resin - flat that back when dry then drill your hole for the pull cable. If necessary you can fine shape it with fibreglass paste or body filler.

This will be a very strong repair and, honestly, its not hard - it's fun even!

I'm presently restoring a Plus 2 shell and doing all of the glass repairs myself and its actually rather enjoyable - I'm self taught on this project but it's really just common sense and understanding that you need to spread the stresses outwards from the load point by using reducing layers of mat - a bit like map countours.

Hello jono.

Thanks for these comprehensive details on how to go about the repair to the fibreglass around the boot release cable pull-handle. I had just decided on your recommendation to do it myself by following your detailed instructions when I was contacted by my local Lotus Garage and it appears that they will do it for me next week, so instead of having to go out and buy all the required resin, hardener, matting, brushes, mixing containers, acetone cleaner, etc. and work in a very restricted area in the wheel arch, I can get it done at a low cost by people who are used to working with fibreglass.
Nevertheless, I have printed out your instructions on repairing fibreglass for future reference and who knows I might have a go at fibreglass repairs at some future time if necessary.
Many Thanks for taking the trouble to reply to me and I wish you well with your restoration of your + 2 shell and I am sure with your level of competence and enthusiasm it will be a complete success!

[lotusfan]

Tony

I realise you are now sorted but for future reference there is also Steve Williams Sportscars in Maidenhead, not too far from Ashford.

http://www.swlotus.com/

[TonyT]

Tony

I realise you are now sorted but for future reference there is also Steve Williams Sportscars in Maidenhead, not too far from Ashford.

http://www.swlotus.com/

Hello "lotusfan",

Thanks very much for this information - I will keep this in my Lotus File for future reference.

[NedK]

Hi Tony

I'm glad you're going to take the plunge. Fibreglass work was new to me, but I soon picked it up.

I'm not far from you (Twickenham) so would be happy to give you a hand if you like.

Also, if you want professional work done, Lakeside Engineering are Lotus experts, and very near you in Woodham KT15 3TG. I've not used them myself yet, but they have plenty of good write ups on here.

Cheers
Ned

[TonyT]

Hi Tony

I'm glad you're going to take the plunge. Fibreglass work was new to me, but I soon picked it up.

I'm not far from you (Twickenham) so would be happy to give you a hand if you like.

Also, if you want professional work done, Lakeside Engineering are Lotus experts, and very near you in Woodham KT15 3TG. I've not used them myself yet, but they have plenty of good write ups on here.

Cheers
Ned

Hello Ned,

Thanks for the offer for help with the fibreglass repair.
I have had work done on my Plus 2 by Lakeside Engineering and I spoke to Tim Baker who said he would repair my fibreglass. I was just about to start to get the materials to do the job myself when he offered to do it for me so my experience with fibreglass will have to wait.
Nevertheless, Many Thanks for your offer of help and for taking the trouble to reply - it is much appreciated.