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Lotus Elise / Lotus Exige. Instruction - part 9

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Lotus Service Notes

Section BQ

It is not generally practical to remove a bonded panel intact, for later reﬁtment. Consequently, when

necessary, the panel can be cut away for better access to the bonded joint. It is not necessary to remove all

traces of sealant from the joint faces on the remaining panels or chassis, but any remaining sealant must be

securely bonded and no thicker than 1 mm or the ﬁt and joint gaps will be upset. It is essential always to follow

the cleaning/priming/bonding operations meticulously if sufﬁciently strong and durable bonds are to be obtained.

Always use the speciﬁed materials.

BQ.7 - FRONT CRASH STRUCTURE

The front crash structure consists of an upper and lower moulding bonded together and supplied only

as an assembly. It is bonded to the front face of the chassis, and is braced by an alloy undershield screwed

to the bottom front edge of the chassis, and to each lower side of the crash structure. The unit also acts as a

ducting for the engine cooling radiator and a.c. condenser (if ﬁtted) which are mounted horizontally on its top

surface in a bolted-on composite radiator housing. Longitudinal tubes formed in the construction are designed

to produce a particular crush characteristic in order to control the rate of deceleration of the vehicle occupants

in a frontal collision.

Operating handle

Compressed air inlet

Vibrating cutting blade

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Crush tubes

Radiator aperture

Crash structure

Airﬂow to

climate chamber

via cut outs

in tubes

Chassis front face

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Lotus Service Notes

Section BQ

To remove the crash structure:

Remove the front clamshell (see sub-section BR.5).

Remove the front undershield by releasing the three screws securing each lower side of the structure to

the shield, and the three screws securing the shield to the front lower edge of the chassis.

Drain the coolant and remove the radiator and pipework (see section KH).

Remove the driving lamps (if ﬁtted) from the crash structure, along with the towing strut, horn, alarm siren

and wiring harness.

Use a seal cutting knife to cut the bond between the structure and the front face of the chassis. For access

to some of the bonding areas, it may be necessary to cut away some parts of the structure, rendering the

unit unsuitable for reﬁtment. Take care not to damage the surface of the chassis when cutting the adhe-

sive.

It is not necessary to remove all traces of old adhesive from the chassis, but a uniform surface must be

available for the new adhesive bead. The remaining adhesive must be securely bonded and be cut with

a scalpal blade to leave an even thickness of 1 - 2 mm.

Prepare the new structure for bonding:

Dry ﬁt the new structure to the chassis, and check that a good ﬁt is achieved. Fettle the structure or remove

old adhesive as necessary until the ﬁt is satisfactory.

Re-activate the surface of the old adhesive on the chassis using Betawipe 4000 (see sub-section BQ.5),

and clean and prime the bonding area on the new crash structure using Betaclean 3900 and Betaprime

5404 (see sub-section BQ.5).

Bonding surface on chassis

Composite crash

structure

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Lotus Service Notes

Section BQ

Apply a bead of Betaseal/mate adhesive (see sub-section BQ.5) to the bonding surface in the manner

shown.

Fit the structure to the chassis and press into position to spread the adhesive. Use several clamps around

the joint ﬂange to retain the structure until the adhesive has cured; This will take approximately 4 hours

dependent on atmospheric conditions, with a longer period required in dry atmospheres.

Fit the undershield, radiator (see sub-section KH.4), front clamshell (see sub-section BR.5) and remaining

parts.

BQ.8 - WINDSCREEN FRAME

The windscreen frame is a single ICSRTM moulding with hollow, foam ﬁlled sections, and incorporates a

forward extending buttress at each side to brace the frame against the front chassis. A separate dash bafﬂe

panel is used to bridge the space between frame underside and chassis scuttle, and provide for the routing of

climate control pipework and air ducting, and other services.

Application of

adhesive bead

Betaseal bead

b279

Windscreen frame

Dash bafﬂe panel

Demist air duct

Face level

vent duct

Chassis scuttle

Heater pipe

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Lotus Service Notes

Section BQ

The shape of the frame is critical to the windscreen ﬁt, and structural repairs to the frame itself are not

recommended. It is not generally economic to attempt to remove the windscreen frame intact for reﬁtment,

as the elastomeric adhesive bonding the frame to the chassis requires cutting with a reciprocating knife, and

access to the joints is sometimes obscured. The recommended procedure is to cut the frame as necessary to

allow its removal without damage to the dash bafﬂe panel. If the sills are to remain ﬁtted, it will be necessary

to carry out some minor work on the screen buttress to sill panel joint, where a panel overlap occurs.

To Replace Windscreen Frame

1. Remove the front wheelarch liners and front clamshell (see sub-section BR.5), and for improved access,

the two doors.

2. Remove the windscreen (see sub-section BR.14).

3. Remove the instrument binnacle and fascia top panel (see sub-section BR.13), and release the ﬁxings

between dash upper extrusion and screen frame.

4. Release the brake hose/pipe connector at the front end of each buttress on the windscreen frame. Release

all harnesses and other components from the windscreen frame buttresses as necessary.

5. Remove the wiper motor mechanism from the windscreen frame.

6. Use a sealant cutting tool to cut the bond between the windscreen frame buttresses and chassis, and

between the frame and 'B' posts, and between the frame underside and dash bafﬂe panel. Remove the

windscreen frame.

7. Cut the adhesive securing the drainage gutter around the front of the frame, to allow transfer to the new

frame.

8. If the dash bafﬂe panel is to be replaced, the clutch pipe and climate control cables must be released and

threaded through the panel before cutting the adhesive.

Primer band on chassis

Heater pipe grommet

Primer band on bafﬂe

Dash bafﬂe panel

Foam strip

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