Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

hi guys,
im going to have to re spray my car. in doing so i have to remove the windscreens of the car so i get a good spray job.
with regards to the front windscreen, the dash seems to be bonded to he rubber of the windscreen, am i correct in sayin this? the dash has a small crack so i wouldnt mind repairing that, however i dont want to dismantly the whole car in doing so.
Did anyone ever remove the top dash pad only and the windscreen please? as i tried looking for some screws and found nothin at all.
your help is greatly appriciated.
thanks
chris

Hello,

Is your car is a 2 seater? on my S4 the dash pad was glued on top of the fiberglass body, the foam being old (or possibly having expanded and polymerized in place) could hardly be cut away without some damages due to the odd shape. If only a couple damages are to be fixed (screw holes or minor crack) I would do that in situ, plus it's easier with the windscreen off. After a good clean, for small areas one may use black silicone to fill the small holes, shaping a textured surface similar to the surrounding, and trying not to spread silicone more than the hole or crack itself as it is more shiny than the dash material.

regarding the dash/windscreen relationship, on my car the dash was just tucked below the gasket (or rather the gasket seated on top of the crash pad end).

good luck !

Plus 2 I think so some have the bonded screen. Can't offer any advice on getting it out sorry - do you have many windscreen replacement companies in Malta as they seem a good bet? Think the crashpad is glued down and should be seperate to the windscreen.

With regard to the dash it's probably a crack in the varnish rather than the dash itself so you might be able to repair in place.

It would help to give a bit more detail about the car.maybe in your profile ( I use the active topic board so it's not obvious this is a +2 discussion). Sorry to divert....
My early +2. Does not have a bonded screen. The dash pad was held in place by the vents and was stapled to the back of the dashboard. I think this was to stop it squeaking and may have left the factory like that. The dash pad and dashboard could be removed together ( there are a couple of mounting brackets at the outer edges, behind the dash along with the 6 obvious screws ). Good luck

hi guys,
my plus 2 is a 1971.
in Malta none supplies lotus parts. im posting a pic of my car here. the windscreen and top dash seem bonded with sealer.i think im going to have to remove the windscreen, but new rubbers, then try remove the top dash after that without damaging the dashboard itself and damaging wires. its best i post pics as i go along.
here is my lotus, 16 twin cam, bought from uk, used to be owned by GTO Engineer owner in uk. very well maintained car, just has a bad paint job, the clear coat spray has bubble up from the basecoat. so i am respraying the whole car. and other then that the dash is cracked. once i fix these two issues, hope she will be ok.
im sorry for not updating my profile il do so shortly.
regards
chris