Lots of trouble, usually serious - hopefully not! My Elise ownership log

Splitter in the style of Verstappen (ca 2022):

Got to identify which type of splitter this is (I do think it's an Exige splitter) and find a replacement.

That's a very generic style that several different people have made versions of. Lowtush is one of the older ones (original?), but Greg would be where I'd go now:  https://www.gregsraceparts.com/collections/aero-exterior/products/grp-elise-front-splitter

Yeah, I was going to source it from Greg and this particular style looks familiar. Good thing that most of the hardware kit is still on the car...

Probably going with the CF version and try not to destroy it again.

One thing I notice on the way home is that I'm getting the typical "shock absorber dead" oinks from the front right. I wouldn't be surprised if the shocks are still the original ones, and I'm not sure if sliding up sideways up a hillside was what did them in, or if it was just the attempt of using the car properly. Either way I suspect that I'll have to replace them sooner or later, but I think it would be a good idea to get the suspension checked over anyway.

Still haven't had a chance to inspect the damage. The splitter was on back order anyway so I'm kinda waiting for that to come in, although there are a few more things that need to be fixed.

Anyway, at least my furry assistant decided to have a closer look:

Still waiting for the inspection report, but at least he didnt' decide to then climb on the roof and take a nap there.

Well, a BRZ it ain't...

In reply to Recon1342 :

Yeah, at least the Toyota part is the drive train this time around and it's the Lotus bits that are causing some headaches.

It might be worth making a pattern from the new splitter when it arrives. That would give you the option of using handcrafted splitters if needed in the future. 

In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :

I kinda like the idea, although the splitters aren't that expensive and handcrafting one would require time I'd have trouble finding. Not to mention that buying replacement splitters would funnel money to an acquaintance's business (Greg of Greg's Race Parts is a friend of a friend).

I guess the other option would be to fix the lose nut behind the wheel that caused the issue in the first place. That might also help with the expenditure on splitters.

Time to catch up a bit - there hasn't been much movement on the Elise as I'm still waiting for the splitter. Looks like there are some delays, but TBF I'm not that fussed as I have more than enough projects at the moment.

Before the recent cross-country trip, I had a few minutes to put the front of the Elise on my Race Ramps and check what the actual damage was. It really looks like the main damage was to the splitter. If you look at the second photo carefully, you can see that there is a small piece of the front clam missing right where the splitter ends. Not sure if that's been there before I had my oops or not, but if that's the only damage to the clam I'm not complaining.

I also noticed that there were a bunch of bolts missing. I think I have to take the clam off to replace the splitter anyway based on how the splitter is bolted on, so I'll replace the missing bolts while I'm in there. Plus I'll probably have a good look at the oil cooler lines and other assorted gubbins that are under the front clam.

While I was under there, I also tried to figure out why the front right suspension seems to be oinking on the highway. It doesn't look like there is any visible damage, but the crusty red stuff probably isn't a good sign. Plus - hard to see in the photos - it also looks like there were some traces of oil on that may have escaped from the shock. Either way, I suspect the shocks are past their best, which isn't a huge surprise given the mileage. Just have to figure out what to put on there - the Sport package Billies (which I think are on the car) aren't known to be that great, and everybody raves about Nitrons or Öhlins. I guess I have to figure out how long I'm planning to keep the car before I open the wallet for more parts.

I also started noticing yellow overspray. Wait, what?

Turns out the overspray I noticed goes really well with the paint that I noticed on the brake caliper bleeder screws. Yes, it looks like someone decided to paint the brake calipers yellow without taking the caliper off the car, and also painted part of the suspension yellow.

Colour me not highly impressed.

Guess I have to clean that up. But really, people, WHY?

As I also had to urgently make space for the 911, I tried to work out if the lightweight crew actually fits into my shop without the use of wheel dollies and the like. It does, but I have about an inch to spare between the back of the Maxton and the garage door, so I actually have to climb over the Maxton to open the garage door. But they both fit.

I love both of these cars.  I drove an Elise once and dream of owning one some day.

Very late to the party here...you mentioned the red stuff on the Bilsteins. That's standard bumpstop foam. Easily recognizeable in many cars: the foam they used for bumpstops is pretty weak stuff and turns to dust with a few hits. 

Seriously disappointed in your previous owner that painted the calipers on the car. Shameful. 

In reply to Mezzanine :

Thanks. I wouldn't mind if they had done a decent job, but I think I may end up pulling the calipers off and try to get the paint off. And off all the other bits under the car.

Hmm, looks like my Elise is getting cataracts. Of course the deterioration on the lens is on the inside so now I get to figure out how to take the lens and the backing off. I think that's not an unusual issue as I believe you can get replacement lenses, and I'll just add it to the list of small fry I need to address on this car.

The big problem is going to avoid "while we're in there"-itis. Mmmmm, carbon fibre and LED headlights...

took mine out yesterday to celebrate 16 years together

about 150 fun miles

missed her

hope you are well, my friend

mr2s2000elise said:

took mine out yesterday to celebrate 16 years together

about 150 fun miles

missed her

 

hope you are well, my friend

Thanks, as the Norwegian saying goes, "vertical and complaining" .

I realized that I haven't driven this car since November last year when I took it to the inspection. I really need to get cracking on this car before it becomes a garage ornament that I'll end up selling.

So, as a starter I had to renew the registration anyway and decided to replace the wirewheel.com license plate frame with the one I bought from my favourite car magazine back when they were selling off the first run of them:

And because I can't leave anything stock, I of course had to modify the license plate frame. To be fair, that was mostly so the sticker was completely visible.

Because I was too lazy to type up what's happened with this car, I threw together another video.

And yes, my shop is a mess.

video looks good

i just smogged, registered, oil change on wed this weekon mine 

cant believe my elise ownership will be 17 years in a bit 

Wow, I'm just not a collector.  I couldn't bear to have a car not move for ~10 months, I'd sell it long before that.  I was driving the corrado and 911 here and there but that still triggered me and I sold the corrado.  I still don't drive the 911 as much as I'd like but it's pretty much a "forever" car for me...

No kidding. I didn't drive my Cayman for 10 days and I felt guilty. 

Well, I do need to admit to myself that I have Dollar Store Leno tendencies when it comes to vehicles (and guitars, and cameras...). Get 'em before the hoarders do and all that.

That said, I don't drive that much anymore due to WFH, and sometimes it's a struggle to keep the wheels on all vehicles turning. So theoretically I probably should sell a couple of cars, but then again I own most of them for a purpose. Like this thing being mainly there for track use, which is why I bought a high mileage one in the first place.

I'd still have to replace it with something else, because I can't afford to walk away from the 997 if I suffer a similar incident of running out of talent. To be fair, I can barely afford to bin the Elise, too, but it's going to hurt less than the 997.

The other reasons for the pause was that driving and Elise with a broken collarbone sucks a bag of Richards (had to do that to get it inspected last November) and after finding the issues I showed above, I pretty much lost motivation.

I guess I need to go dig up some extra motivation and get cracking on the Elise, either to try and find out that I want to track it without scaring myself again, or to sell it on and get something this old fogey's lack of talent is better at handling.

Selling the Elise pays for an awful lot of track insurance for the 997.  Just saying....

Whenever the urge to buy an Elise strikes me, I go read about how fragile they are.  I personally have witnessed two totaled at an autocross.  One was hitting a pole at some speed centered on the front, but the other was just an off into some dirt and small rocks.  I still want one.

In the mean time, my MSM is mostly sitting unused.  Then there's sorting a TR6, refurbishing an FJ Cruiser, and an old Triumph motorcycle that needs, well, everything.  So I get where you are right now.

Must be an epidemic of malaise going around- took my 71 Norton commando out for a ride Sunday for the first time this year. God. I still want an Elise and a 4c. I promise I'll turn a wheel at least once a week!

"The government" basically forced my hand and I finally had to take the Elise for a spin. Dramatic opening aside, it was time to get the annual inspection done so I inserted myself via the letterbox slot that pretends to be a door and got it inspected before the current inspection sticker expired at the end of the month.

Took the long way home - well, after going home first, because while I've got two keys for the car, I've only got one for the gas cap, and if you guessed that I took the key ring without the gas cap key you're correct - to get some fresh fuel. The fuel in the tank was a bit old and fortunately the long way to the gas station allowed me to burn off some more. The good news is that it's less hard on my various shoulder ailments than the Maxton, which is just murder on my right shoulder. I actually finally enjoyed driving it again after the mishap.

Plan is to put it on axle stands in the next week or so, pull the suspension apart and send the A-arms to Inokinetic for a refresh including refreshed bushings. The car has 70k-ish on it so I think I'd rather start with a clean baseline. I'll stick with rubber to get a bit of compliance, though, as I'm not planning to go full track pocket monster with this car. Depending on what else I find I'll deal with the repair/refurbish as needed and try to figure out a good set of coilovers for the car. As usual everybody has opinions, so I get to sift through those and probably talk (ewww) to some people to get advice to the best setup - which depends very much on either me installing a rear swaybar or leaving the basic suspension like Lotus intended (with comparatively stiff rear springs to make up for the lack of ARB). I'll also likely make some smaller cosmetic improvements, and address the fact that the light covers are oxidising on the inside. I suspect there will be a bunch of matte carbon fiber in the future as well.

Speaking of which, I just put my first (small) order in with Greg's Race Parts for some parts that I know I will need.

Oh, most importantly I have to figure out how to get the paint of the brake calipers that some genius tried to paint yellow while they were still on the car (see above). Not only that, they also kinda sorta glued the bleed screws in because those got some extra paint.