Diary: April 2006

This is Lotus Engineering appreciation month. I again have to disassembly things to see what is under the skin. This is a continuation of my clam removal exploration.

behind dash in Lotus Elise

I wanted to find out what was under the dash. Removal was a bit more difficult that the removal of the front clam. While I was there I disconnected the passenger side airbag. (See my comments about safety in the steering wheel conversion article.)

polished shift knob

Shift Knob Refinish

This effort is a salute to the EliseTalk community. I posted early on that the edges of the cuts for the gear numbers in the shift knob were catching the skin on the palm of my hand. It felt like the edges were sharp.

One of the more technical members suggested that paint might be just what was needed, as the paint will smooth the edge of the numbers. I painted my knob but found it did not help the top edge of the number cuts. Many of his suggestions were flawed but he still was a well respected member of the community. As always, be careful when following suggestions found on the web. This is especially true when reviewing the suggestions I have included on my website! You never know if the advice you are following is valid or not.

The creator of EliseTalk.Com, Randy, had a avitar that was similar to the drawing by Escher. In photographing my shift knob, I found it provided a similar effect. My knob has been polished and the satin texture removed, making it more mirror-like.

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