Searching upper windscreen trim... Where to search????

[Jorge E]

Hello!

My Eclat is at the workshop, front windscreen off because a crack.

The trim has been damaged on removal. I've buyed some pieces at SJSportscars. Unfortunatelly, the trim on the upper border of the windscreen does not fit. I'm searching for a new (or good used) one.

I'm affraid there are no more trim available. SJSportscars and Mark at LotusBits are out of new trim. So my question:

- Where can I find the upper border trim of a Lotus Eclat/Elite windscreen?

Any help would be very much appreciated! Thank you!

Jordi Mir

 

 

[PedalSpeed]

Joe had some windshield trim parts for sale:

https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/92286-1974-elite-parts-for-sale/

You can also try Derek at Sports Car World. He had Lotus Elite trim parts when I reached out to him last year.

http://www.sportscarworld-lotus.com/

[Jorge E]

Thanks a lot,  David!

[PedalSpeed]

Third option:

Ray seems to have his pulse on where you can get odds and ends for the Elite.  He knows where I can get Windshields, Rear Windows, etc., in the States. https://www.rdent.com/

If you run into a dead-end, I used to know where there were 2 cars being sold that were only good for parts. I can try and find those cars for you, although they may not still be on the lot.

[Jorge E]

David, I save your kind help. Thank you!

[PedalSpeed]

[silverfrost]

Did Mike at lotusbits not have something to do with the remaking of these items ?   I am sure i remember something about him getting them made new by another company ?     

[Jorge E]

Dan, I triyed at them. Mark at Lotusbts told me the company who are making their new windscreen trims are really struggling to get the profile 100% perfect... They have been trying now for over 1 year, without success. They have not given up but they are running out of options. Mark is trying to re-discover how the trims were originally made, he refuse to believe that a process followed in the 1970's cannot be followed today!!

So I'm on searching a new or re-conditioned trim...

Jordi.-

[silverfrost]

I wish Mike well,   And yes i cant understand why they cant reconstruct the way it was produced,  should be a simple case of a large press taking into account the shrinkage during the forming and a correct  profile ?  

I am sure Mike will get to the bottom of it,  for a lot of Elite and eclat owners sakes,  as everyone always seems to be asking for this part 

[PedalSpeed]

The guy I bought my Elite from was a machinist. He has a big barn with a lot of fabrication equipment near Altoona, Pennsylvania, and he had expressed an interest in doing any fabrication I needed for the upcoming restoration. He works on small scale fabrication. My window trim is complete, but dinged up, so I've often thought about replacing it if pieces became available, or seeing if a metal worker could remove the dings.

If someone is interested in providing the templates, I'd be glad to send his contact information so someone can see what the cost would be , provided he's able to do the work.

One other option is to 3D Scan an existing trim-piece, and then to upload it to MFG.com to get a quote from a supplier. I don't follow the Additive Manufacturing process too much, but I would assume there are 1000s of suppliers out there with the equipment and putting the project up for an RFQ should be free.

3D Scanner:

I believe Iralco is the original manufacturer of the Type-75 chrome trim bits, according to Oliver Winterbottom:

https://books.google.com/books?id=a20JDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA46&lpg=PA46&dq=Lotus+M50+windshield+trim+manufacturer&source=bl&ots=H00xEXH5Vs&sig=FHQhvgugg-gFcmPo0V6tClgextg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyyLv95fvYAhVEq1MKHeuADIkQ6AEIRjAG#v=snippet&q=Trim&f=false

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Aluminium_Company

I'd be very curious to see what Iralco did with the original stamping dies. Sometimes, manufacturers just move the dies into the corner of a factory or warehouse, indefinitely, because they're costly to move and dispose of. Sometimes, they got pushed into Ards Bay, Galway to be used as Fish net boundaries.

Windshield trim bits seemed to be in short supply, even during manufacturing:

 

[silverfrost]

Cheers for posting Dave,   The witchcraft with the scanner and 3d printer is always good to see    The M50 video was fantastic,  the more i see of the elite, especially in this video of it been thrown round the test track and the great photo shoot for the marketing,  

Just makes me think,  how can these cars still be low priced ?   The are stunning,  low, sharp and full of retro goodness  

[PedalSpeed]

10 hours ago, silverfrost said:

Cheers for posting Dave,   The witchcraft with the scanner and 3d printer is always good to see    The M50 video was fantastic,  the more i see of the elite, especially in this video of it been thrown round the test track and the great photo shoot for the marketing,  

Just makes me think,  how can these cars still be low priced ?   The are stunning,  low, sharp and full of retro goodness  

There are three other videos on 3D scanning and printing automotive trim pieces on Jay Leno's Garage.  I wanted to add that if it were me, I would have the trim piece scanned, printed with a composite material, and then covered in a plastic-chrome material. That might be the simplest and easiest way to produce a trim piece that does not expand or shrink much, looks accurate, fits accurately, and is inexpensive to produce. 

[mikeeech]

I think the problem with the profile is that it is t shaped in cross section and extremely thin and, in aluminium, extremely fragile. Getting it done in stainless would help a lot I reckon but then the shine would not match the rest of the anodised trim. 

An alternative method would be to produce a flat strip that is bonded in place since the trim clips for the windscreen are no longer available either.

I could do with a new strip on mine also.  I had the anodising stripped from my trim and the trim repolished and not reanodised. My rational is that I could use brass laquer to minimise the amount of repolished required and the laquer would not have to stand the wear and tear that it was designed for with a daily driver. Stainless then matches.

[PedalSpeed]

3 hours ago, mikeeech said:

I think the problem with the profile is that it is t shaped in cross section and extremely thin and, in aluminium, extremely fragile. Getting it done in stainless would help a lot I reckon but then the shine would not match the rest of the anodised trim. 

An alternative method would be to produce a flat strip that is bonded in place since the trim clips for the windscreen are no longer available either.

I could do with a new strip on mine also.  I had the anodising stripped from my trim and the trim repolished and not reanodised. My rational is that I could use brass laquer to minimise the amount of repolished required and the laquer would not have to stand the wear and tear that it was designed for with a daily driver. Stainless then matches.

Somewhat close to you is a guy who built Delorean body pieces using Stainless Steel and a wooden buck:

As a one-man effort, it might work:

http://delorean.ie/vintage_works.html

[Berend72]

On 27-1-2018 at 22:25, Jorge E said:

Hello!

My Eclat is at the workshop, front windscreen off because a crack.

The trim has been damaged on removal. I've buyed some pieces at SJSportscars. Unfortunatelly, the trim on the upper border of the windscreen does not fit. I'm searching for a new (or good used) one.

I'm affraid there are no more trim available. SJSportscars and Mark at LotusBits are out of new trim. So my question:

- Where can I find the upper border trim of a Lotus Eclat/Elite windscreen?

Any help would be very much appreciated! Thank you!

Jordi Mir

 

 

Hello, I just bought the complete trim for my windscreen from Bauke here in Holland. I remembered he had some more on stock. 

[PedalSpeed]

1 hour ago, Berend72 said:

Hello, I just bought the complete trim for my windscreen from Bauke here in Holland. I remembered he had some more on stock. 

 

Awesome!

[Jorge E]

I'm in touch with Bauke; he has some trim... not new or as new I'm affraid... still searching.

Thank you anyway, Berend!!

[Berend72]

OK, nice! good luck! 

 

[Painterdave]

I've seen a t plate eclat on eBay in Leeds looks to have a trim on the screen ?  Dave

[PedalSpeed]

Bob Rickner in Vermont has NOS inventory, including trim.

I believe he bought out someone's NOS inventory for Elites/Eclats and he has about 7-8 cars in sheds.

RHRFLYER@hotmail.com

802-310-2172