Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Good morning and best wishes for a happy Friday to everyone.

In a previous topic you all were kind enough to help me get my head around reinforcing the boot floor and after doing some trial work with fiberglass I am ready to dive in and make this repair. I do hope to get some coaching from you all first, however, on how you like to prepare the surface for an additional layer of reinforcing fiberglass.

I have cleaned it well but I?m not sure if I need to lightly scuff it with a DA or sandpaper ( clearly cleaning it really well after any sanding if necessary).

Any best practices I should be aware of?

Thank you.

Hi abrasion is not really nessesary because resin will stick to pretty well anything and everything as long as it's clean.

I used cellulose thinner to clean the inside of my boot and body shell before repairs and it worked really well. There are a few points to consider
1st the type of resin. You can get either polyester or epoxy, the original is polyester but epoxy is stronger and bonds better

Then the type of glass matting, because matting intended for polyester does not wet out in epoxy

My choice was epoxy but I'm sure others might have a different view

Steve

Have done numerous composite repairs on our Climax Elites and Elans and more.

Happy to walk you through the simple process.

Easier to convey the information the old fashioned analog way, so, if you wish, give me a call: 510-232-7764.

Mornings are best. Cheers. Mike Ostrov , in Richmond, CA (near Berkeley) and just returned from Los Angeles to offer some advice and counsel on three Elites and one S1 Elan.

Concrete-crusher wrote:Hi abrasion is not really nessesary because resin will stick to pretty well anything and everything as long as it's clean.

I used cellulose thinner to clean the inside of my boot and body shell before repairs and it worked really well. There are a few points to consider
1st the type of resin. You can get either polyester or epoxy, the original is polyester but epoxy is stronger and bonds better

Then the type of glass matting, because matting intended for polyester does not wet out in epoxy

My choice was epoxy but I'm sure others might have a different view

Steve

Thanks Steve - is cellulose thinner basically the same as acetone?

Thank you Mike, will try to call in the next day or so.

Hi no acetone is a different product which can also be used to clean old fiberglass resin

My boot area had old tar like carpet adhesive all over it and it was cellulose that removed it, also its really cheap

You also use it for cleaning spray guns

Steve

tdskip wrote:

Concrete-crusher wrote:Hi abrasion is not really nessesary because resin will stick to pretty well anything and everything as long as it's clean.

I used cellulose thinner to clean the inside of my boot and body shell before repairs and it worked really well. There are a few points to consider
1st the type of resin. You can get either polyester or epoxy, the original is polyester but epoxy is stronger and bonds better

Then the type of glass matting, because matting intended for polyester does not wet out in epoxy

My choice was epoxy but I'm sure others might have a different view

Steve

Thanks Steve - is cellulose thinner basically the same as acetone?

Thank you Mike, will try to call in the next day or so.

Skip,

On our side of the pond, cellulose thinner is called lacquer thinner I believe. Our cars were originally painted with cellulose (lacquer) based paint.

Regards,
Dan

Ah, thanks gentlemen

Sorry - should of asked if Acetone is OK to use as prep or do I NEED to use Lacquer thinner?

tdskip wrote:Sorry - should of asked if Acetone is OK to use as prep or do I NEED to use Lacquer thinner?

I would avoid acetone, it will attack and soften the resin that is already there and likely weaken the floor.

When I repaired mine years ago, I simply used gasoline to remove the black coating and grime. Make sure the fumes are fully cleared before you stick your head in there and start using a sander.

StressCraxx wrote:

tdskip wrote:Sorry - should of asked if Acetone is OK to use as prep or do I NEED to use Lacquer thinner?

I would avoid acetone, it will attack and soften the resin that is already there and likely weaken the floor.

When I repaired mine years ago, I simply used gasoline to remove the black coating and grime. Make sure the fumes are fully cleared before you stick your head in there and start using a sander.

and wear a good mask and eye protection when sanding!

Thank you for the follow up. I?ll spring for the $4.99 container of lacquer thinner.