"B" Post Caps - ROUND 2

[Brit-Car-Nut]

I am amazed that we didn't have a larger demand for the new replacement "B" Post Caps project that started last year.

Maybe it was because it took quite a while to develop the tooling for both versions and people forgot it was even happening.

The GOOD NEWS is the caps have arrived and are being dispatched to those on the original list as quickly as they send Wayne their payments.

There are caps available for BOTH the early (slip) style and the later (hinge) style.

There are more caps available than have been requested so far. Wayne will start selling them at RETAIL, not the LEC discount price once the LEC demand has been exhausted.

Price for a set (pair) of caps to UK, Europe or other locations except USA is £25.00 + £5.00 postage + £2.00 PayPal fees if you use PayPal for the payment. Contact Wayne if you want to send payment by bank transfer.

For a set (pair) of caps to USA, you will need to use PayPal for your payment. The price is $40.00 + $6.00 outbound postage + $2.00 PayPal fees. That total is $48.00.

I have a few extra sets in the US right now (more are coming), so you could get your caps in a few days if you sign up and send payment to Wayne right away.

So, here is the new list:

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[nhaynes]

Nice job, they look really good. I thought these were still available, SJ Sportscars still has them on their sit for £28.60 + VAT + postage so this price seems reasonable. Can anyone advise if they are still available as a Lotus spare. If not, I might consider signing up to the group buy.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

The late style caps went obsolete at Lotus on 8/8/05 for the left side and 06/07/07 for the right side. The early caps went obsolete in 2000 and 2002 respectively. The caps SJS is selling are fiberglass replacements that need to be trimmed and painted to match. Some of the dealers got an "end of stock" special buy and bought a large quantity but those have all been gone for quite some time. SJS is selling the EACH for £28.60 + VAT. The set Wayne has manufactured is £25.00 for the PAIR. Wayne has manufactured BOTH type caps, the early and late and either set sells for £25.00 + shipping.

[nhaynes]

Appreciate the info - thanks! So my 1991 Elan SE is presumably the early type?

[Brit-Car-Nut]

You will need to look at the hinge mechanism. If it is an actual spring loaded flat hinge that holds it on then it is a later style. If it has a long curved tongue and two coil springs then it is a early style. The early style was used in '89 and '90 but then it becomes unclear when they changed over to the new design.

[Tyger]

Do you still have some of the later version available for shipment to the US?

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Yes, I have a couple of sets left.

For a set (pair) of caps to USA, you will need to use PayPal for your payment. The price is $40.00 + $6.00 outbound postage + $2.00 PayPal fees. That total is $48.00

If you pay using PayPal's Personal: Friends/Family option (you pay minimal fees), you can deduct the $2.00 PayPal Fee.

My PayPal ID is my email address that can be found by hovering your cursor over the envelope icon under my LEC ID on the left of this post.

If you have any questions, please send me an email as my PM mail box is full.

[Tyger]

Appreciate the info - thanks! So my 1991 Elan SE is presumably the early type?

The US "Federal" cars are all '91s and mine has the later type, fwiw.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Actually, that isn't exactly true.

I know of at least FIVE (5) LEGAL FED cars that have the FED front end and a Series 1 tail section including the early type "B" Post Covers and the wide, full width spoiler. Several of the Honey I Blew up the Kids cars were ths design as Lotus didn't have enough full FED cars for Disney. There is one in Peachtree City GA that I visited a couple of weeks ago and another in Michigan - both from Disney's group. Wayne has sold several more early covers to others in the US, so the very early FED car could be either body style. The fronts are all Federal Crash Design with air-bags. I believe they are all noted as '91s but they are realy '90 manufacture dates.

I have both styles here just in case, but only a few sets right now. We also have more Inside Door Handle Escutcheons (surrounding trim).

JC

[Tyger]

Actually, that isn't exactly true.

I know of at least FIVE (5) LEGAL FED cars that have the FED front end and a Series 1 tail section including the early type "B" Post Covers and the wide, full width spoiler. Several of the Honey I Blew up the Kids cars were ths design as Lotus didn't have enough full FED cars for Disney. There is one in Peachtree City GA that I visited a couple of weeks ago and another in Michigan - both from Disney's group. Wayne has sold several more early covers to others in the US, so the very early FED car could be either body style. The fronts are all Federal Crash Design with air-bags. I believe they are all noted as '91s but they are realy '90 manufacture dates.

I have both styles here just in case, but only a few sets right now. We also have more Inside Door Handle Escutcheons (surrounding trim).

JC

I never said all '91s were the one type, just that mine is a '91 (as officially all the Feds are) and has the later type. As for some '91s being built in '90, I believe there are some "2015" cars being built right now in 2014 too.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

I understood and agree but most everyone thinks all FED cars are type 2 bodies with the Fed crash structure in the front and that isn't really true, so '91 Fed cars can have either early or late B Post Covers. The model year doesn't define the style and the VIN isn't much help either. Lotus used what parts they had on hand the day they built the cars. Several of the body panels on my car have different VINS noted. I checked with Andy at Lotus and he confirmed that they often "borrowed" parts between cars to get them out the door. It was documented in his records that my fuel door was from a different car as was the r/s headlamp pod due to shortages.

[Jon]

I have just fitted Waynes replacement b post caps (late style) - brilliant product!

Wayne has designed them how Lotus should have!! To screw in.... Really simple to install and look great.

The most difficult bit was to remove Lotus' original rivets holding the old post in - I'd intended to drill them out but the heat from drilling cause them to melt their retainer in the original b post caps (and once they were out they just spun round in the hinge.

Anyway, a little persuasion with some pliers and a hacksaw saw the end of them....

[Elanlover]

Appreciate the info - thanks! So my 1991 Elan SE is presumably the early type?

The US "Federal" cars are all '91s and mine has the later type, fwiw.

I know of at least one Fed car that was listed by Lotus as a '92 with a manufacture date in March '92. Can't be too many of those though.

[abmunro]

So, here is the new list:

1. A B Munro - will let you know which style when I get home

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[Brit-Car-Nut]

I know of at least one Fed car that was listed by Lotus as a '92 with a manufacture date in March '92. Can't be too many of those though.

That is very interesting. Andy G at Lotus sent me a cover letter saying the LAST FED car VIN was 8603. I have 8600 in the registry and it was one of the two Black models from Colorado. Those cars were both listed as 1991.

My car left the assembly line on June 3, 1991. The vin is 8019 and according to Lotus was 108th from the last and 11th from the last NYM

It would be nice to know the VIN of the car you are describing. When I worked for dealers in the early '70s, Dealers were allowed to re-label left over cars to the next year so they never had a NEW prior year car for sale. I thought that process had been eliminated with title paperwork becoming standardized.

During the process of getting my "salvage car" titled, I could have changed just about any history I wanted and the new title would have reflected whatever I wanted it to. My title doesn't even identify it as a salvaged car although a Car Fax would show that right away. I might give Andy a call and ask him if there were any 1992 Fed cars as I thought I rememberd him saying they were ALL 1991 models.

Blair: If you can remember where you saw that car or any other details, please let me know.

JC

[Elanlover]

Off topic but.........

It was a yellow US car (had the mph speedo) that was for sale here in Toronto about 4 years ago. It was in bad shape with the prongeron missing, the roof didn't fit and the respray was awful. They advertised it as a '92 and claimed that it came from the US originally. One of the members looking for one at the time asked me to go look at it for him (and he subsequently passed on it fortunately). The first thing I challenged them on was the model year and they showed me their documents, the various labels in the engine bay, etc. and gave me the VIN (which I don't have a record of anymore) which I then looked up when I got home. Sure enough it was a '92. I can't say if it was a European version (and not FED) but they were adamant it was a FED car and it certainly appeared to be so. It was apparently sold to "someone out on the west coast" (B.C. perhaps?) when I stopped by the somewhat sketchy dealership last year to enquire if they still had it thinking that I might buy it cheap and break it for parts.

[Tyger]

As a follow up, based on B-C-N's registry, looks like mine is a fairly early Fed car, 6860, and it does use the later-version end cap.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Well, like they said, Lotus used whatever parts they had available to get the cars built, including swapping parts from one car to another to get one finished and on the dealer's showroom floor.

[L8apex]

I'm curious, has the "B" post cap been prone to breaking? I haven't
given this part much thought but now I wonder about it.
It's obviously in an area where it's very visable.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Pretty much, YES.

Lotus used pop-rivets to attach the spring loaded hinges to the later caps and the squeezing of the rivets cracked the plastic under-shelf and the breaks just took off from there.



We redesigned them to use a modern, embedded brass nut system like what is used in electronic gear. We added a 3rd mounting stud between the original holes to create a complete shelf area for the hinge, to allow the entire area to become a monolithic area for support and "just in case" we needed more support for the hinge attachment.


It turned out that the extra attachment was not needed, so no mods to the hinges are necessary.

Hopefully, the new "B" Post Caps will last the remaining life of the car.