S1 Interior Chrome Plastic Door trim

[My S1]

The trim is on it's way with some extra to experiment with.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Thanks for the tips.

[My S1]

Just installed the Cohbaines plastic interior door trim.  Thank you Rainer for the tip and link.

https://coh-baines.co.uk/products/plastic-trim-chrome-pt04-1

Because the new trim is dimensionally narrower and shorter in height than original I had to bevel the perimeter edge to almost a knife edge to fit it.  I did so after cleaning up the factor cut outs (I think they might have used a chain saw) by reinforcing the cracked, sloppy corners with fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.  I used a 4" brayer roller to squeeze it into place.  It was a mm by mm arm wrestling match!  I found that the best procedure was to start with the most difficult corner at the front right bottom and work back to the top of the door opening at center.  I had to slowly pre-bend the corners before walking them in.  Do NOT use a heat gun.

[jbcollier]

Looks good.

[Bryan Boyle]

Because the new trim is dimensionally narrower and shorter in height than original I had to bevel the perimeter edge to almost a knife edge to fit it.  I did so after cleaning up the factor cut outs (I think they might have used a chain saw) by reinforcing the cracked, sloppy corners with fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.  I used a 4" brayer roller to squeeze it into place.  It was a mm by mm arm wrestling match!  I found that the best procedure was to start with the most difficult corner at the front right bottom and work back to the top of the door opening at center.  I had to slowly pre-bend the corners before walking them in.  Do NOT use a heat gun.

Sometimes (many times) in renovating these beasts, we have to finish what the factory started...they were built to a price point, and time=money, so, as long as it passed visual inspection...off it went. 

My '74 Elite 503 left the factory with paint issues (I got the original build/inspection sheet from Mike Pomfret back when) that ended up having to be 'rectified' once it was off the ship on this side.  Guess they figured it may get banged up on the way over, so would have to be cleaned up anyway. 

[BDA]

Guess they figured it may get banged up on the way over, so would have to be cleaned up anyway.

They were right. A guy who did fiberglass work on my car back in the day told me that the cars were not covered and it wasn’t uncommon for a heavy wire rope to be dragged on them of other some other sort of violence done to them in transit.

[My S1]

Well stated Bryan.  That is how I look at it as well...'finish what they started'.  I can justify diverting a bit from "as left the factory" because I know what those fellas would have wanted the car to be, given the proper time and budget.  No one back then could foresee that one day fanatical nuts like us would cherish these most superior old cars.  They probably figured that the cars would be driven into the ground and scrapped then the latest model would be bought

[Bryan Boyle]

Well stated Bryan.  That is how I look at it as well...'finish what they started'.  I can justify diverting a bit from "as left the factory" because I know what those fellas would have wanted the car to be, given the proper time and budget.  No one back then could foresee that one day fanatical nuts like us would cherish these most superior old cars.  They probably figured that the cars would be driven into the ground and scrapped then the latest model would be bought

A couple of the old timers from 'back in the day' that I know are half amazed and half gratified (as a whole) that we're keeping these on the road.  There are only a few of these left, in the general scheme of things...never built in massive quantities (but try and find a 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix...one of the prettiest of the general's production that year...long gone and strong price if you do) of fragile eggshell bodies on tinfoil (I'm exaggerating!) frames.  Good thing though...they prove that the bodies don't rust, and frame damage is easily repaired by replacment. Try doing that on a unibody.

I tell folks who are starting out on the road to 2nd gen Lotus ownership to not expect the car to necessarily be finished when they finally find one. Even if it's been babied its entire life. That's what makes owing them 2 parts pride, 2 parts frustration, and 2 parts an archeological dig.  But would never have traded it!