Well I have to say I feel somewhat better that no one has said “Oh my God she is ruined”. That, and having just read Sean’s postings where he takes a power hacksaw to his car for sport. The vinyl striping is an idea, I had wondered about that when I put the racing tape over it to hide the injury. And knowing water getting to it won’t immediately ruin the fiberglass. Next I am going to cover over the destroyed Lotus badge with a plastic Lotus sticker.
Ahhh, that’s nothing.
Quick way to see if it damaged anything would be to check the radiator below for marks. They mark really easily if pushed with fingers so you would know.
Still, have a new one installed and keep that one
A new development has occured. I had checked out the radiator, couldn’t see any telltale damage, but it overheated today as I started out to drive it crosscountry to the dealership, fortunately still close to home. The overflow bottle for the radiator was empty, so I assume the radiator is leaking or a clamp has come undone. The temp meter went up to 245 degrees pretty quickly and I pulled it off the road immediately. Now it will be going the three hour trip to the dealer in my enclosed trailer. And I hope the engine isn’t cooked.The other fellow’s insurance company only offered to “tow it to the nearest service station.” I think I will bill them for the trip.
The temp meter went up to 245 degrees pretty quickly
Is that a typo? I’m no expert but that sounds a very high temperature. Have you checked under the vehicle for the telltale signs of coolant leakage?
Dropped the car off at the dealer Thursday night late. Spent the weekend at the track. Talked to the dealer yesterday to check on the car. They are going to replace the clam, and the radiator is toast. Apparently they have a new clam and radiator in Atlanta so the wait shouldn’t be too long for it to be put back to new condition. And I will fashion the old clam into a Gran Turismo gaming console in front of the big screen tv!
It had rained the night it was run into, and probably had a slight leak in the radiator (I haven’t seen it yet)and drained the rest of the coolant out on the way home. No red lights came on (is there one for overheating? I couldn’t find this in the manual). The temperature flashes when it gets in the warning range and the coolant is designed not to boil until 248 degrees. The coolant is orange in color and might have been visible if it hadn’t been damp on his driveway and quite dark out. And I certainly wasn’t expecting the scrape to involve the radiator.
The technician says that they have removed the feature of being able to download engine information from the onboard computer, so it may be impossible to tell if the engine was overheated. Does anyone think this will be a problem, running the temp up momentarily to 245 degrees?
245F right ?? so about 110C which is pretty high really, but it depends how long it was up htere
However, not much you can do about it now, so I think you should just get it all back together and keep a close eye on everything. I’d think there was a better than evens chance that you will be fine.
I’m with Roxx, no use worrying about it now, just keep you eye on things when you get it back.
That looks fine. Reading the thread through I was expecting to see shards of damaged clam etc… but that really isnt a problem if the sum total of allthe damage is whats in the picture. If there was damage anywhere else to the car, the clam would have cracked in a big way.
It’ll need a proper repair because the surrounding area will get a honeycombed effect over time due to the flexing of the clam. Thats the nature of fibreglass. But that isnt a new clam.
Taking the clam on and off isnt THAT hard if you want to do a crap job of it. But you dont want to do it lightly. Its a two man job and doing it properly can take time. By the way the clam isn’t glued to the chassis. its bolts and spacers.
The fibreglass crash structure (which hasnt been touched here) is bonded on and they are designed to take impact from the front. You’ll be suprised just how much they can take. I would say you are a long way off of this being a big problem.
As stated, the insurance company has agreed to replace the clam ( and the repair shop is going to give me the old one). There was more damage than shows on the pictures, as it caused the radiator to fail (I am not sure how yet, they hadn’t taken the clam off). And I would think I could sue his insurance company for the possible future damage to the engine, as it is a real threat, that might not be seen until later. Unless 245 degrees for a few minutes (under 5 the first time-I didn’t notice the thing flashing until I got into my driveway, and immediate shut off the second).
Hopefully I will know more this week when they take the clam off and look at what’s underneath.
Car is back in order. New clam installed. Brackets holding clam had 2 bolts push through the radiator, piercing it. That also had to be replaced. And over $1000 for the headlight. Total $9800 repair. And I’ve got an extra clam now. Took it to Road Atlanta last weekend and it is running fine. The insurance company also offered $2500 as a gesture for the devaluation of the car.
The insurance company also offered $2500 as a gesture for the devaluation of the car.
bloody hell - never seen that b4!
Good to hear u r back up and running
The insurance company also offered $2500 as a gesture for the devaluation of the car.
bloody hell - never seen that b4!
Good to hear u r back up and running
hohlee… , must be an american insurance benefit, can’t imagine uk insurers doing that… nice one
how much do you pay for insurance?
We only pay $1200 per year, but have about 5 cars on the policy so we get a discount.
The old clam makes an interesting stage for our home movie theatre. I’ll try to post a picture of that.
Exige theatre web page
