Hi all, i recently had to have the front clam off to replace a heater matrix (done by a garage not done by me!!!). the top section is in line with the part below but the gap gets quite large between the front clam and the door (at the top where it joins the window). I cannot remember the gap being this big (i would say its nearly 1cm between the sections) is this normal as i can see the hinge for the door through it. Might have to go back to get realigned if not correct. if this is the case would they have to take the clam completely off again to realign it correctly.
Many thanks
Tanman
1 cm is way, way too big a gap, so the garage have just been incomptetent. Getting the clam alignment right is not difficult, but it does require a fair bit of patience as there is a lot of fiddling about with shims to get it spot on. The clam does not have to come right off to make adjustments, but there are quite a lot of bolts to be undone before you can move it about on its mountings, some of them a bit awkward to get at (most notably the ones beside the door hinge). When I refitted my clam if anything it ended up alinged better than Lotus had managed when they built the car, so it can’t be that hard. You could take it back to the garage and tell them to get their finger out and sort it, but personally I would be inclined to do it myself to ensure it is done right. There is an excellent guide here Lotus Elise Maintenance, How to Remove the Front Clam Hope that helps - good luck!
Mark
Thanks Mark i thought it wasn’t right but thought i’d best ask first. as for me doing it… well i cant even put a nail in the wall straight. i think i will take it to someone who knows what they are really doing.
Cheers
Tanman