Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: 4129R on Thursday,January 21, 2016, 10:32:08 AM
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Are there any owners out there who need a new covering for their crashpad, the black plastic bit under the windscreen.
I have taken delivery of the "kit" from Banks which includes the foam and the black cover which need to be trimmed and stuck together before fixing, but I need 5 more covers only, and I am thinking of getting a quote from a coach trimmer to make just the black plastic coverings, now I have the pattern.
To fit the crashpad you have to move the dashboard forward, remove the windscreen, undo the screws holding the vents into the crashpad, and out it comes.
Therefore this is not a small job, but they crack with age and sun, and look awful if damaged.
If there is enough interest, I will see what the coach trimmer can do for a bulk order.
I think they only come in black, like the Model T Ford.
Alex in Norfolk.
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I have just taken the dashboard and crashpad out of 4688R.
It seems the crashpad and the dasboard were stapled and glued together during assembly.
That would explain why I had such great difficulty getting the dashboard in 3089R after fitting a new crashpad.
Therefore fitting the dashboard during assembly would be done before the windscreen goes in, which would make it a lot easier.
Alex in Norfolk.
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I hope you have better luck than I've had in installing the Banks crash pad. Going on four years now and it's still not completely installed. Richard Winters told me that there will be a lot of trimming required to make it fit. Constructed of fiberglass, the crash pad is extremely stiff with almost no flex so the trimming has to be almost perfect. I think I have the contour of the fit against the front area under the windshield pretty close. Unfortunately the fit against the dash is still pretty poor. I haven't given up on the job, just taking a break from it so I'm very interested in how yours comes out.
FYI, there is a write up on the Banks crash pad installation by some one who was successful:
http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/Banks_Crash_Pad_Installation.htm
Joji Tokumoto
Fallbrook, Ca
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Well the time had come to replace the dashboard in 4259R. Not only was it badly rotted, but I am converting to RHD.
Having contorted myself down both footwells to remove the 5/16 nuts holding the bottom to the end brackets, I then removed the 4 chrome cross headed screws in the top, and the two nuts and bolts holding the centre bottom to the tunnel and chassis.
I then removed the steering column, and in theory there were no more bolts holding the dash in place.
Then I remembered the dash is stapled and glued to the crashpad.
So you have to take the crashpad out unless you are very lucky, and the ply comes away without sticking to the crashpad.
To take the crashpad out, you have to unscrew both screen vents, 4 small cross headed screws for each.
To get to these screws, you have to take the screen out.
Getting the screen out has to be done with care, careful prising with wide screw drivers, and cutting the rubber gunge with a hacksaw blade. But I managed to put two cracks in the screen.
If you think about this process, the dash probably needs replacing because the screen leaks, so it would have to come out anyway.
The water leaks were so bad on 4259R that the pedal box bottom plate disintegrated into rust dust, the plate holding the clutch cable to the tunnel similarly disintegrated, and the rod to the brake master was history where it attaches to the pedal with the Y piece.
The car is so badly corroded that I sheared the 11/16 bolt holding the seat belt to the centre chassis. More drilling and tapping threads will be required there.
3089R is nearly re-painted, then 4129R goes to get painted black again, then 4259R will be next in the queue for a yellow paint job.
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Man, 4259R sounds like a real basket case! Kudos to you for giving her a new lease on life!
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Hi Alex, I would be interested in a crash pad cover.
Thanks, Stuart
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I might be in as well , depending on price and appearance.
Dakazman
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The stapling and gluing must have been later in the production run Alex, or perhaps just for cars destined for hotter climates ? I replaced the dashboard in my car years ago and it just came out without needing to move the crash pad or screen. Or perhaps it was a last ditch attempt by Lotus to stop the rattles ? ;)
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As well as the stapling and gluing, the speedo and tacho plastic binnacle were screwed through the plastic of the crashpad with 2 screws at the top.
So the crashpad, the dashboard and the whole wiring loom must have been put in the car in 1 operation.
I have only found this on 74 model cars, 4259R and 4688R.
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Yes my model 74, 1972 TC 4161 is the same. I have fitted the crash pad to the top frame with the demist vents held on with nuts and set screws so it can be removed without taking screen out. The binnacle and glove box are now fixed to dash and cut away from the crash pad. The only place that needs fixing is around the eyeball air vents where I put selftaps where the staples used to be.
Stu
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4129R was not stuck together, so the cut off point must be around 4150 beginning of November 1973.
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4129...So are you saying the crashpads are different for an s2? I have not shopped for this yet.
See attached . I will need one in the future along with a new console, rugs etc.
I see someone has a vendor listed for rugs in the gallery.
Dakazman
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That looks the same as a TCS, but until you compare them side by side, you won't know that they are exactly the same.
It is the fixing method of the crashpad to the wooden dashboard that is different on 74 models.
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I have just spent all Sunday trying to bolt the crashpad and dashboard into 2520R.
There are just 4 x 1/4 UNC chrome bolts at the top, 2 x 2 x 3/16 UNF studs to the side brackets, the two vents held in with 4 x self tapping screws, then the two earthing bolts to the chassis just below where the ashtray sits.
I had to use a scissor jack to push the dashboard up to align the 4 top screws.
Now the injection moulded crashpad is too high so the windscreen won't fit.
Has anyone fitted a plastic injection moulded crashpad? (Available from SJ Sportscars)
I am thinking of borrowing my wife's hair dryer to warm up the plastic, and press it down, so it aligns with where the windscreen meets the fibreglass surround, about where the chassis number plate is pop riveted in place.
Has anyone used this method to change the shape of moulded plastic?
Fitting the dashboard has to be the hardest part of a restoration. First you have to get all the wires attached, then the washer tubes, then the oil pressure pipe, then the speedo, only then can you start bolting it in place. I had to extend 3 wires (fuel gauge, temp gauge and heater fan) by 6" to fit them before the dashboard was pushed into place. I held the dashboard 3" away from the crashpad with 2 wires through the demister vents so it was all nearly in place while I connected the oil pipe, the speedo cable and all the wiring.
This is as much for me for the next 3 I have to do, as for anyone else.
Note to self, don't rush it, take your time, double check every cable pipe and wire connection, the left side bracket goes in the higher of the two door switches and take care not to hit the wiper drive with the speedometer. Remember the two earth to the side brackets, and the earth on the bottom of the wiper motor. Use long super screws with chrome cups to hold the vent plates in position. Paint those screws matt black after they have been fixed.
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BIG THANKS 4129 :trophy:
I'm not quite there yet but thanks for posting. its an excellent post on assembly procedures and pitfalls.
dakazman
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I am using the 1969 crash pad. It was badly cracked and a little warped I used a rubbery epoxy product (I cou8find the na8) to fill cracks and help contour problems. It was still very fragile so I put one ply of 4 oz. Fiberglass on then covered with nauga hide. Result ok I could do pictures.
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I used the banks crash pad (fiberglass) and after trimming, it worked fine. My only advice is to fit clip nuts to the fiberglass which fastens dashboard with four 1/4-20 bolts.
putting those nuts on is a nightmare.
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im looking at the sjsportscars.com crashpad ...any comments on quality and fit?
dakazman
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Both ends need trimming very carefully to fit.
The demister vents need to be cut out.
You need to cut all around the instruments to get the dashboard to fit closely to the crashpad. This must be done with the instruments in place but no wiring.
You need to cut all along where the screen fits so it goes up to the joint but does not stop the screen fitting.
All this must be done with the screen out.
After all this, it is still a pain to fit, but so is the Banks foam one, which you have to glue the cloth black trim to as well.
Both very labour intensive.
I reckon the SJS one is slightly easier to make fit, but both are very time consuming.
A great deal of patience and measuring is required for both. Not for the faint-hearted.
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I installed the Banks crash pad. Below is a post I did in May, 2018
Sherman
I finally got around to writing a brief description of my Banks dash pad installation. I originally posted this on the Lotus Europa email group, but thought I would add it here too. I hope it helps.
My Europa is a 1973 with only 24,000 miles. It was last driven in 1980 and then parked in a barn in Buffalo, NY. It is extremely original, it even had the original Exide battery. I don’t know why the car was stored so long, but at one time it must have had a leaking windshield. The top of the windshield trim was covered with a very messy coating clear silicone sealer. This leak must have destroyed the dash top as it was missing (the rest of the interior was as delivered by Lotus). I therefore had to replace the dash top and as the windshield trim was original and in good shape I did not want to remove the glass. Before I get the car on the road I will have to figure out how to make sure the windshield is sealed. I ordered the dash top kit from Banks and a new dash from Prestige Autowood. I reviewed the article by Jerry Rude on replacing the dash top without removing the windshield http://gglotus.org/ggtech/europa-crashpad/europa-crashpad.htm and the article by Michael Hilt on the dash top replacement with the windshield removed http://www.lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/Banks_Crash_Pad_Installation.htm
I used a combination of both articles along with an idea or two of my own (at least I think they were my own) on how to attach the dash top with the windscreen in place. I am indebted to Jerry Rude and Michael Hilt for their articles. They made my job much easier.
If you have the old dash top I will have to leave it to you to remove. Jerry Rude said his was so brittle that he was able to break it off. He also posted a picture of a tool he made to remove the screws on the defroster vent. http://lotus-europa.com/mar2004.html
Before the dash top can be removed the dash itself must come out. I found it important to mark all of the wires. I used file labels, but the ones I had were old and some did not stick very well. I suggest making sure each label will not fall off. As a backup I made a list of where each wire went in a notebook and I took as many photos as I could.
The Banks dash top takes a lot of fiddling to get it to fit. I used a belt sander and besides checking the fit about a thousand times it was really not too bad. Since I did not remove the windshield I could not bend the VIN tag up so I notched the dash top to fit around the rivets.
Copying from both Michael Hilt and Jerry Rude I made small brackets to help secure the dash top and the dash. I did things a little different, however. I did not trim the fiberglass tabs (Michael Hilt) and I did not attach the brackets to the dash top (Jerry Rude). Instead I mounted them behind the tabs. I used a bit of body panel glue to hold them in place and when finally installed with the dash screws they are not going anywhere.
I also made a small metal bracket that I riveted to the back of the fiberglass dash top. I could then slide this under the existing rubber dam to help secure the dash top.
When I was ready to cover the dash top I had to decide if I was going to put the vinyl directly over the fiberglass or if I was going to use a foam pad. I decided to use some foam as I thought it would give me some practice in gluing and stretching and it would hide any imperfections in my fiberglass work. I used foam underlayment from Home Depot. The brand is Traffic Master. It is very thin and went on very well. Unfortunately, the Banks Dash top fiberglass has the openings for the defroster vents off by about ½ inch. I also found that I had notched some of the fiberglass a little too much. To correct some of my mistakes I used fiberglass body filler. Once dry, it sanded very easily and fixed most of my mistakes.
For gluing the foam and the vinyl I used Weldwood Landau Top and Trim adhesive. In doing my research on line this seemed to be the most recommended. I just brushed it on, but it can be sprayed.
To attach the demister vents I came up with the following idea. When I purchased the dash top from Banks I also purchased a set of demister vents (RD Enterprises has these listed as Demist Grills. However, the RD Enterprises grills are a little different as the slots go from bigger to smaller ). What I did not realize at the time was these vents are actually for an Elan and not the plastic vent surround (RD Enterprises has them listed as Defrost Bezels) that goes on top of the dash. The Demist Grills are made of metal. What I ended up doing was to turn these upside down (I needed to trim one side of the metal). They then fit inside of the plastic vent surround. I removed the speed nut from the dash top and installed it on the metal vent cover. I then drilled holes through the plastic cover and the metal vent and screwed them together. This way the Demister nozzle can be screwed into the Defrost Bezel from underneath the dash.
As mentioned by Jerry Rude I found that the front of the dash top drooped a little too much. I tried rubber shims as he suggested, but I could not get them to work. Instead I took a length of small wood pieces, painted them black and used them as a shim between the dashboard and the dash top. It moved the dash top up enough that I was happy.
After the dash top was installed I used some piping I found online to fill in the line between the dash and the windshield. Where the piping goes under the VIN plate I used a trick I learned from owning an MG TC. The trick is to open the piping and cut out the plastic cord where it would go under the VIN plate. This allows the piping to lay flat and fit under the VIN plate.
If anyone wants more pictures please let me know.
Regards,
Sherman
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Just completing fitting the SJSportscars injection moulded plastic crashpad to 2420R.
The 4 bolts at the top need extending, so I found 1.5" UNC S/S allen headed screws. I hope they look OK when fitted.
The two end "horns" are too high, and will prevent the windscreen from fitting flush. So I cut 2 pairs of 3/4" x 2" aluminium bar and have used self tapping screws to hold them to the crashpad to make them lip under the fibreglass screen surround, 2 each side.
I thought something quite substantial was needed to stop them curling up and pushing the screen up, as the windscreens are notorious at leaking.
Now I have to paint the screws holding the vents in place matt black so they don't reflect in the screen.
I often wonder how the production line did this. Fitting the dashboard has to be the hardest job in building a Europa.