460hp Lotus Exige V6
Discussion
A little update:
Both the old clams are now sold, this helps a bit with costs of the new parts!
Rear wing uprights have been tested in wood for position to make sure the clearances are okay. Needed a few tweaks to get the wing position and angle options correct, but I'm now confident enough to send it away to be CNC out of 8mm aluminium sheet. The Lotus Cup R race car uses 6mm sheet, but I am going a bit higher with the wing so I'd rather make it a little thicker and be slightly safer.
Today something rather cool arrived, the Michelin Track Connect kit. The tyres are a little bit behind, and wheels are quite a long way behind that still as they're being made to order, but I thought I'd rather get the tyres ordered while there is stock, and I can keep them stored in my heated garage.
Both the old clams are now sold, this helps a bit with costs of the new parts!
Rear wing uprights have been tested in wood for position to make sure the clearances are okay. Needed a few tweaks to get the wing position and angle options correct, but I'm now confident enough to send it away to be CNC out of 8mm aluminium sheet. The Lotus Cup R race car uses 6mm sheet, but I am going a bit higher with the wing so I'd rather make it a little thicker and be slightly safer.
Today something rather cool arrived, the Michelin Track Connect kit. The tyres are a little bit behind, and wheels are quite a long way behind that still as they're being made to order, but I thought I'd rather get the tyres ordered while there is stock, and I can keep them stored in my heated garage.
A little while since the last update, quite a bit has progressed, although there is a long way to go!
The new rear clam arrived, and therefore I rested it in place to test the fitment. It'll need some shims on the rear subframe, but it fits rather well, as you'd expect for an OEM part.
While the clam was off, I gave the subframe a clean and a light coat of heat proof rust paint to protect it. It won't ever be seen, but better safe than sorry. Garage was quite a mess at this point...
Next up was test fitting the new wing, plus cutting the slots for it. It is mounted direct to the subframe, so these brackets are from a Cup R race car. The mounts above it will be my own design.
I then templated the initial design for the uprights out of plywood. I want to keep the boot/engine lid hinged, so the wing has to sit far back and high. This fits with the look I want for the car with the top mounted wing. Here you can see the uprights being tested, before the wing profile arrived:
I realised that I didn't really have a safe way to winch the car onto the trailer to get it to the bodyshop, luckily I had already bought the 430 Cup towing eye ages ago and had it powder coated. It was an exhaust and heat shield off job, so now was the ideal time to fit it. Also gave me a chance to paint behind the heat shield.
Then parts started arriving... The wing profile arrived ahead of schedule from Reverie. Very happy with the quality of the carbon. I opted for no clear coat so I could decide on matte or gloss later in the build. I think I'm leaning towards gloss. I gave it quick test fit and found a few issues with the uprights which can be addressed in the design before they're made.
From some angles it looks rather silly. I love it.
For those wondering about figures for the wing profile, on the max angle of 18 degrees, which is way more than I will run, it has 1400N of downforce at 100mph. It has 162N of drag which equates to 9.6bhp absorbed. Luckily I have 451hp left...
With that in mind, it was of course important to improve the front end to help with balance of the car. I can adjust the height of the wing and also the angle of attack (from -4 degrees to over 20 degrees).
So incomes this lovely new splitter from Komotec, featuring quite a lot of fun stuff to help reduce lift!
My favourite part is the diffuser tunnels into the front arches which should help create negative pressure.
With more air going into the front arches, it is good to help it exit in a controlled way. I therefore bought the "A-panel" from Komotec which has an open vent behind the front wheels.
The majority of that part will be painted, leaving just the vent in exposed carbon. I also have carbon front arch louvres which are the same shape as the 430 Cup which I will install.
The car is now at the bodyshop ( https://www.instagram.com/ksdautobodyltd/ ) where it will be for some time now. Ken is a genius, and we'll be lots of small details in paint which I don't think many other people could do. It'll be a bit of a waiting game now, we're aiming for completion by the end of the year...
The new rear clam arrived, and therefore I rested it in place to test the fitment. It'll need some shims on the rear subframe, but it fits rather well, as you'd expect for an OEM part.
While the clam was off, I gave the subframe a clean and a light coat of heat proof rust paint to protect it. It won't ever be seen, but better safe than sorry. Garage was quite a mess at this point...
Next up was test fitting the new wing, plus cutting the slots for it. It is mounted direct to the subframe, so these brackets are from a Cup R race car. The mounts above it will be my own design.
I then templated the initial design for the uprights out of plywood. I want to keep the boot/engine lid hinged, so the wing has to sit far back and high. This fits with the look I want for the car with the top mounted wing. Here you can see the uprights being tested, before the wing profile arrived:
I realised that I didn't really have a safe way to winch the car onto the trailer to get it to the bodyshop, luckily I had already bought the 430 Cup towing eye ages ago and had it powder coated. It was an exhaust and heat shield off job, so now was the ideal time to fit it. Also gave me a chance to paint behind the heat shield.
Then parts started arriving... The wing profile arrived ahead of schedule from Reverie. Very happy with the quality of the carbon. I opted for no clear coat so I could decide on matte or gloss later in the build. I think I'm leaning towards gloss. I gave it quick test fit and found a few issues with the uprights which can be addressed in the design before they're made.
From some angles it looks rather silly. I love it.
For those wondering about figures for the wing profile, on the max angle of 18 degrees, which is way more than I will run, it has 1400N of downforce at 100mph. It has 162N of drag which equates to 9.6bhp absorbed. Luckily I have 451hp left...
With that in mind, it was of course important to improve the front end to help with balance of the car. I can adjust the height of the wing and also the angle of attack (from -4 degrees to over 20 degrees).
So incomes this lovely new splitter from Komotec, featuring quite a lot of fun stuff to help reduce lift!
My favourite part is the diffuser tunnels into the front arches which should help create negative pressure.
With more air going into the front arches, it is good to help it exit in a controlled way. I therefore bought the "A-panel" from Komotec which has an open vent behind the front wheels.
The majority of that part will be painted, leaving just the vent in exposed carbon. I also have carbon front arch louvres which are the same shape as the 430 Cup which I will install.
The car is now at the bodyshop ( https://www.instagram.com/ksdautobodyltd/ ) where it will be for some time now. Ken is a genius, and we'll be lots of small details in paint which I don't think many other people could do. It'll be a bit of a waiting game now, we're aiming for completion by the end of the year...
Looks fantastic - been following the transformation on your Insta and YT and can't wait to see the result. If I'm honest, I'm pretty 
on the wing as it looks right now but you've clearly got a great eye for design - I'm sure it'll look a lot better as an end product.
Just please God don't paint it all pink.
Best of luck with it - for many of the projects I follow on PH it seems to be the bodyshop/paint stage where things go slow/wrong with alarming regularity. Sounds like you've found someone you can trust so fingers' crossed for you.
on the wing as it looks right now but you've clearly got a great eye for design - I'm sure it'll look a lot better as an end product. Just please God don't paint it all pink.
Best of luck with it - for many of the projects I follow on PH it seems to be the bodyshop/paint stage where things go slow/wrong with alarming regularity. Sounds like you've found someone you can trust so fingers' crossed for you.
My new wheels arrived! They're from HRE in America, they save 6kg over the OEM Lotus forged wheels. They weren't cheap, but the quality is second to none IMO. The finish is called "stone clear" and it's a textured metal finish, but with a clear coat over the top. From a distance they just look silver, then up close you get to see the texture.
Since the lat post quite a lot has gone on with the car...
First of all, the new wing uprights were CNC. I'm very happy with how they've come out, and they've since been anodised black which makes them a bit less in your face
Wing still looks ridiculous
At the bodyshop, it's been steady but good progress. The preparation for paint is the biggest part of the job and you can't cut any corners here. Here is the rear arch which had to be repaired.
The front clam ended up needing more work, here are the holes we cut for the new carbon front arch louvres
These were then bonded in from behind
Then they were filled from above so that they'll fit flush. Ken the painter will then mask the edge of the carbon so it is nice and neat.
While Ken was repairing bits, I asked if it was possible to enlarge the size of the front intakes slightly. He likes making things custom, so jumped at the challenge! I also asked him to flatten out the indentation where the front badge was.
New ducts for the front clam arrived from Lotus. Painfully expensive...
Here you can see the front clam looking closer to finished. It still had a few days of work after this photo... Crazy how long it takes to do the prep properly!
On the rear clam, I got Ken to remove the rear numberplate lights. I've always hated the look of these, so will use small (removable for photos) LED lights instead
So overall I'm happy, the car is making progress, although with the prep stages an awful lot of work goes in, while it doesn't look like much has been done. I'm hopeful that in January the car will get to the paint stages, then it can come home for me to rebuild it...
First of all, the new wing uprights were CNC. I'm very happy with how they've come out, and they've since been anodised black which makes them a bit less in your face
Wing still looks ridiculous
At the bodyshop, it's been steady but good progress. The preparation for paint is the biggest part of the job and you can't cut any corners here. Here is the rear arch which had to be repaired.
The front clam ended up needing more work, here are the holes we cut for the new carbon front arch louvres
These were then bonded in from behind
Then they were filled from above so that they'll fit flush. Ken the painter will then mask the edge of the carbon so it is nice and neat.
While Ken was repairing bits, I asked if it was possible to enlarge the size of the front intakes slightly. He likes making things custom, so jumped at the challenge! I also asked him to flatten out the indentation where the front badge was.
New ducts for the front clam arrived from Lotus. Painfully expensive...
Here you can see the front clam looking closer to finished. It still had a few days of work after this photo... Crazy how long it takes to do the prep properly!
On the rear clam, I got Ken to remove the rear numberplate lights. I've always hated the look of these, so will use small (removable for photos) LED lights instead
So overall I'm happy, the car is making progress, although with the prep stages an awful lot of work goes in, while it doesn't look like much has been done. I'm hopeful that in January the car will get to the paint stages, then it can come home for me to rebuild it...
Yesterday I popped over to the bodyshop as I wanted to test my wheels with my brake callipers on to check clearances are okay. I had checked on my friend's 430 Cup and it was very tight. My brakes are a larger diameter with a spacer to move the calliper out, so I was worried it could be an issue. Luckily it was okay, but it's still a little closer than I'd like.
While there I wanted to see how the front clam looked with the splitter and was happy with the look. You still need some imagination to see the finished product, but it feels like we're getting close now.
While there I wanted to see how the front clam looked with the splitter and was happy with the look. You still need some imagination to see the finished product, but it feels like we're getting close now.
Still making steady progress forwards. I went to the body shop today to see the front clam get painted. I thought the process was super interesting and will show more in the video at a later date, but after the primer stage above, Ken block sanded the whole clam to get it as smooth as possible, then did the following stages yesterday:
- mask up carbon louvres
- clean up body using lint free cloths and some alcohol sprays
- same, but with a water based spray that stops static and dust being attracted to the body
- primer in dark grey. We chose a dark grey vase as it was similar to the carbon colour so when doing blends etc it would be a closer match
- let primer cure for 20 minutes and mix up the body colour paint
- wipe down again to make sure there’s no dust
- paint two coats of the body colour, then a dust coat
- remove masking on the louvres and then do two coats of clear lacquer
This took quite a while, and with most paint jobs, you’d let it bake, then polish it. We’re going above and beyond to make this paint job really special though, so the next stages are now:
- block sand the lacquer to get it as flat as possible, remove any dust specs (there aren’t many, but this is a good time to sort)
- back into the booth and clean it all ready for paint
- airbrush on front logo (yellow, then black)
- tint carbon louvres
- clear lacquer
- cure
- polish
And that’s just for the front clam…
Here is a B&W photo of the front clam at the moment (I don't want to show the colour until the full car is done). That's the finish straight out of the gun and we're not done yet, which shows all the hard work Ken put in with the prep stages were worth it! I can only imagine how good it'll look with the extra stages and then a full detail.
Also, I got a Liteblox battery from Seriously Lotus. It’s impressive how light it is (2kg), and the app is super easy. I needed a smaller battery than the original OEM as the chassis mounted wing would have had clearance issues. I debated getting a cheaper lightweight battery, but after so much effort has gone into my car, I didn’t really want anything but the best parts for it and the quality of the liteblox is on another level to any other battery I’ve ever seen!
- mask up carbon louvres
- clean up body using lint free cloths and some alcohol sprays
- same, but with a water based spray that stops static and dust being attracted to the body
- primer in dark grey. We chose a dark grey vase as it was similar to the carbon colour so when doing blends etc it would be a closer match
- let primer cure for 20 minutes and mix up the body colour paint
- wipe down again to make sure there’s no dust
- paint two coats of the body colour, then a dust coat
- remove masking on the louvres and then do two coats of clear lacquer
This took quite a while, and with most paint jobs, you’d let it bake, then polish it. We’re going above and beyond to make this paint job really special though, so the next stages are now:
- block sand the lacquer to get it as flat as possible, remove any dust specs (there aren’t many, but this is a good time to sort)
- back into the booth and clean it all ready for paint
- airbrush on front logo (yellow, then black)
- tint carbon louvres
- clear lacquer
- cure
- polish
And that’s just for the front clam…
Here is a B&W photo of the front clam at the moment (I don't want to show the colour until the full car is done). That's the finish straight out of the gun and we're not done yet, which shows all the hard work Ken put in with the prep stages were worth it! I can only imagine how good it'll look with the extra stages and then a full detail.
Also, I got a Liteblox battery from Seriously Lotus. It’s impressive how light it is (2kg), and the app is super easy. I needed a smaller battery than the original OEM as the chassis mounted wing would have had clearance issues. I debated getting a cheaper lightweight battery, but after so much effort has gone into my car, I didn’t really want anything but the best parts for it and the quality of the liteblox is on another level to any other battery I’ve ever seen!
ImDesigner said:
GFWilliams said:
Ken block sanded the whole clam
Good of him help out.Looking forward to seeing the final product
Likewise - looking forward to seeing it done.
Apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs here, but don't forget about wheel balance weights when it comes to caliper clearance!
Podie said:
Apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs here, but don't forget about wheel balance weights when it comes to caliper clearance!
I was actually worried the brakes wouldn’t clear the wheels at all, it’s very close on the inner barrel, but it’s got enough clearance that I think it’ll be okay, and the wheels are very stiff apparently. The wheel weights had to be put further into the barrel, but that was the same on the Lotus Forged wheels too.Update:
Front clam is now fully painted. Ken (KSD Autobody) even painted on the Lotus logo which I think is a really special detail. It’ll be totally flat under the lacquer. All the many stages of paint are now complete and it looks great. Just polishing to go on it now.
One of my favourite new parts is the fully carbon “A-panel” from Komotec. These are the part that goes behind the front wheels and they vent a fair bit of air out (standard Lotus vents are fake). I had a bit of fun with these and Ken did some tinted carbon behind the vent, plus a gradient so it blends into the door nicely.
Roof is also painted, plus some interior bits, the wing and splitter. Getting a lot closer now!
Front clam is now fully painted. Ken (KSD Autobody) even painted on the Lotus logo which I think is a really special detail. It’ll be totally flat under the lacquer. All the many stages of paint are now complete and it looks great. Just polishing to go on it now.
One of my favourite new parts is the fully carbon “A-panel” from Komotec. These are the part that goes behind the front wheels and they vent a fair bit of air out (standard Lotus vents are fake). I had a bit of fun with these and Ken did some tinted carbon behind the vent, plus a gradient so it blends into the door nicely.
Roof is also painted, plus some interior bits, the wing and splitter. Getting a lot closer now!
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