Elan Body Mount Spacers?

[EricB]

Hi, just watched a You Tube Video from Malcolm McNab entitled "Lotus Elan S4 Body Mounting Spacers". I was surprised to see how many of the mounting positions had fairly thick (ie made up from 4 -6 washers) spacers for his S4 FHC.

It was a long time ago for me when I took my S3 DHC off of its chassis and I don't recall any spacers (or at least my notes don't say so). Don't know if mine had been apart before.

My question really is whether it is common to have spacers between the body and chassis or do you do add them only if there is space between the body and chassis?

[RichardHawkins]

Eric,

My car is an S4 FHC. When I took it apart there were spacers (penny washers) in many locations, some were in stacks, all were rusted. When I put the body back on the new chassis I had gaps in many places. Rather than use washers, I measured the gaps and made spacers from grey PVC round bar. I may have to alter these spacers to ensure that the carburettors do not foul the air box and the cam cover does not rub on the bonnet.

My body changed shape during the painting process. I have not been able to find definitive advice as to how this happens, but the consensus seems to be that even old fibre glass is not fully cured and will change shape in a paint oven.

Hope this helps,

Richard Hawkins

[512BB]

In an ideal world, there would be no spacers anywhere from body to chassis, but we live in Lala land. In other words, Lotus world, and the fit is very often not perfect. But we need to make it as perfect as we can, by adding spacers, and the more rust resistant the better. If you do not, then you are just pulling the body down onto thin air, and that aint good.

There could be a number of reasons why the fit between body and chassis is either good or poor on different cars, from a poor body mould, to maybe the body was removed from the mould before it had fully cured, etc. Who knows.

Sometimes it is necessary to add spacers at the rack mount position to give some more clearance between the cam cover and the bonnet.

I have made spacers out of round nylon bar for under the fuel tank, to stop it rocking.

Out of curiosity, who painted your car Richard?

Leslie

[berni29]

Hi

I come form Plus 2 land, and our chassis can be a bit here and there even if geometrically correct at the suspension mountings. And I include Spyder ones in this. Add in body inaccuracies and movement and you have a recipe for many spacers. I like the idea of making larger ones out of plastic. I shall do that when I refit my body.

All the best

Berni

[512BB]

Richard Hawkins wrote 'My body changed shape during the painting process. I have not been able to find definitive advice as to how this happens, but the consensus seems to be that even old fibre glass is not fully cured and will change shape in a paint oven.'

In case you missed my question Richard, who painted your bodyshell?

Hope you can help.

Leslie

[RichardHawkins]

Leslie,

My body was painted by SMS.

Richard Hawkins

[PaulJ]

Every one is different

I only have 5mm of spacers on either side of front footwell mounts, Rest are all zero

Painting process should not affect shape as bodyshells should not be subjected to temps greater than around 34 - 40 Deg and certainly not baked, This can cause many problems

If you want your doors to fit then door reprofiling should be done with the shell on the target chassis, Its easy to build in twist by incorrect spacing of shell on chassis

Paul

[alan.barker]

My Lotus and TVR cars always painted with Body fixed to Chassis.
I always tell the Paint Shop no more than 25°C and leave in Paint Booth 48 hours .
No problem.
I just had a Hardtop painted for a TVR 3000S and i fixed some tempory braces inside it to stop any chance of movement during painting.
Alan

[512BB]

Thanks for coming back on that Richard. I seem to remember now, that you said it was SMS in a tread that you started about your body being painted? Can you point me in the direction of that thread please. I want to have a read up, as I plan on getting another one of my cars painted.

The old SMS as it was before the split, painted a car for me in 1993. Still looks as good today as when they did it all those years ago. There are a couple of issues, which I am sure do not surface in their repaints today, but we were all young then. Happy days.

Leslie

[RichardHawkins]

Leslie,

I have gone back through my posts and I think the post you are looking for is the one I started June 11 2019.

Richard Hawkins