Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I'm still reading and learning here and after a search for this topic, what I've not been able to find is the cost, in labour, to replace a chassis if supplied by myself.

I'll be calling a few likely traders and specialists but does anyone know roughly how much, say, Spyder cars, would charge for the work, if I supplied the chassis.
I've assumed that the cost they display on their site is for the chassis alone and not the fitting.

Thanks,
Mike.

Hi Mike - the Spyder advert in the latest Club Lotus magazine says from ?2000 for a chassis change.

David

As Above....

Club Lotus magazine you say...off to see about getting that.

I'd take that as being ?2000 for the labour + the cost of the chassis they supply, right?
Given the cost of their cheapest Elan +2 chassis at about ?1,600, they'd surely charge more than ?400 odd to fit it right?

Grizzly wrote:As Above....

Well that does look like an all in price doesn't it. That's good then

One finds the cost of the chassis is only a part of the cost.

Not gonna keep those old bushings are you?
Donuts seem pretty natty

Project creep as they say.

I would think Spyder get pretty good at changing a chassis, and if you did resist the temptation to change everything, it could go off pretty quickly

carbs off
steering column
remove rear seatback
knee trim
2 brake lines
fuel line at tank
ground strap
reverse switch wiring
parking brake
clutch line
radiator hoses
heater hoses
seatbelts
speedo cable



a few odds

then what 12 bolts?

with a lift,up she goes

suspension corners come off as units
engine tranny as a lump
diff, driveshaft
rack

installation is reverse of removal.......

The question is how long do you think a swap would take? A week (8 hours a day x 5?) if you assume they charge about ?60 an hour that would be your ?2k gone just in Labour.

Personally having removed and fitted a chassis, with a ramp etc taking your time 3 days is not a ridiculous amount of time.... but you would be still into ?1500ish and if you add vat to that would be ?1800.

So the moral is best ringing Spyder and asking in my opinion.

The body must be fit to the chassis by marking and drilling holes. First observe the possibility of requiring shims at the front mounts to allow clearance for the valve cover to bonnet. I know of one Spyder conversion where the shimming was not done and once the project was completed the bonnet contacted the valve cover when closed. That owners solution was to elongate the engine mount bolt holes and lower the engine. No word on the altered driveline / driveshaft angle.

Bob

Grizzly wrote:So the moral is best ringing Spyder and asking in my opinion.

That's going to happen anyway, I was just trying to get an estimate.
I fully understand that it's unlikely to be a straightforward process with nuts and bolts not coming undone and various items breaking along the way. I've been around the block a bit so it won't be a surprise.

I'd say that was from ?2k+vat on top of the chassis cost as that seems to be what they mean by 'services' normally.

Cant see they can do it in 10 hours @?40 an hour and I bet they are more than that an hour.

As much as I'd like it to be 2K + VAT etc all in, I think that figure is just for fitting and 'from'as mentioned.
That's still fine, if it needs doing then so be it. I've not the time nor inclination to do it myself

I have heard Spyder is pricey so it would not surprise me that 2k is labor only, but if a group of guys who basically do this all day could not have the body off of the chassis in 4 hours, with a lift and air tools, unless one had to cut every rusty bolt.....

IIRC 6 clear holes 6 tapped holes

I found that on my car the nose had drifted down from flex in the rack mounts and rotten towers so that unless I wanted to crack it I shimmed at the front floor ~3/16"

But if you did this would you not have special extended drills and taps to do the dash bolts? The rest you just drift pick the body back up on the lift and drill away. Would you not have gauges to tell where you should shim it?

I imagine on every car there is some piece of BS that costs half a day, and there is where the extra money goes

I'm sure they could have the body off in half a day, or at least one day. That's 8 hours gone.

It would be swapping over all the rest of the parts with their corroded/seized bolts and all of that which I reckon would soon eat up the rest of the week.

40 hours at ?50 per hr and you are at the ?2k.

If it is fixed price and they get it done without coming asking for more then it seems fair to me.

If it is fixed price and they get it done without coming asking for more then it seems fair to me.

I'd go along with that.

I know of one Spyder conversion where the shimming was not done and once the project was completed the bonnet contacted the valve cover when closed.

I may know of a second?