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sammyb

Luke Skywalker
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Elan crash up-date

My Father is finally out of shock over the whole Elan accident. The tow truck came to pick the Elan up and take it over to Randall Fehr's Lotus restoration shop in Seattle. It was the same tow truck driver who saw the accident happen, and he mentioned to my dad that he saw the Elan do at least two spins. Makes sense. (You have to love a tow truck driver who pulls over to help even when he already is towing a vehicle.)

Randall looked the car over and confirmed that the wheel and suspension were all bent, but luckily all parts are available. It appeared that all the damage was contained to the front corner, and despite the cracks and tears, all the fiberglass is still there, which makes fixing it easier.

More importantly, Randall was able to do an estimate and believes he can get the whole car done in around a month. (With maybe a couple weeks in the case of surprises.) That's outstanding. Given how busy he is, we were expecting to lose the car for the whole dang summer.

So things are looking much brighter, and my dad might even take the opportunity to have Randall just paint the whole dang car to make it show quality.

I'd hate to see the whole estimate, but Randall said that he's never had a single problem dealing with Hagerty.

So things are looking up.
 
Re: Elan crash up-date

HooRay... glad to hear that. I've had mine pranged a couple times, just remember to sweep up all the bits and drag it home to glue it all back together again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Once had a Caddy install itself half way into my trunk. THAT one was ugly. I had to replace the gas tank. I *insisted* they also buy me a trunklid, so now I have two. But the car looked just fine after the repairs (DIY; I can't in good conscience allow others to fix MY cars). FWIW, the Caddy did sustain grill damage. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif
 
Re: Elan crash up-date

Considering the number of projects I have here at my house right now, and my horrible attention to detail, this is one I'm happy to outsource. Plus Randall Fehr is nationally known for his Lotus restorations. You should see some of the cars that have come out of his shop.

Actually -- here's the link to his web site:
https://www.seanet.com/~rsfehr/restorations.html
 
Re: Elan crash up-date

Understandable. It's in great hands.

My proclivity is aught but evidence of an ill-spent youth. Now it's too late for me to change. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Elan crash up-date

Sam - glad it is getting repaired. Just a shame that the person who caused this, and according to you, was truly at fault, doesn't pay a nickel.

Bruce
 
Re: Elan crash up-date

Elan (and all other Lotus back bone frames) are notoriously easy to bend. Be sure to check that out. Frames are not suposed to be straightened, so they say. I know people who have fixed them instead of replaced them though. both Lotus and Spyder still make frames, as far as I know. You can get Spyder A arms, as well. I can't think of another car where it is common practice to replace a frame.
 
Re: Elan crash up-date

Fehr's guys will know ~exactly~ what to look for.

18-gauge mild steel. Unless it's really "pretzel'd" it can be fixed. I've "repaired" mine in the past and expect to fix the current problem as well. I'll do the Thompson mods then, too and back on the streets.
 
Re: Elan crash up-date

Randall has already checked the frame, and said it was still perfect. (And original, which is nice up here, since there aren't many rust-free original framed Elan S1s around here.)

It was a fairly light blow, so it appears to have just bent the rim (which Randall said are extremely easy to bend) and the front suspension was just a little off. Other than that, it's just fiberglass fixing city.

And Bruce and James, yes you're right. He probably didn't even see my dad, and didn't see him spin. When my dad pulled off to the side, he contemplated calling the highway patrol, but really just wanted to go home, rather than stay by the side of the road. My dad didn't even really get a good look at the guy who ran him off, so there wouldn't have been anything to tell the cops.
 
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