Identify! Exige gets a 2' Identity Disc.

[89Forever]

Being in SoCal and being a ridiculously huge Tron fan, I decided to take on a project for the 30th anniversary celebration and add an Identity Disc to my car.

I decided to start with the Identity Disc I found at The Printable Armory (thanks to a lead from t_bone9600). I up scaled it from 10" to 600mm (about 2') in diameter and then modified the 2D model so that it fit nicely on the card stock.

I like Rinzler and my car is Orange, so I decided to go with that theme if I have time to install some lighting, otherwise I'll use some paint. I also ordered ENCOM VP as a license plate. It would be great if it arrives on time, but plate orders usually take longer than the 6-8 week quote. I think my last plate RECGNZR took 13 weeks. That was for my motorcycle, so hopefully car plates get here sooner.

The back hatch to my car has 6 (well 7 if you include the small one in the center) metal mesh panels. I am hoping to connect the disc in 4 places through this mesh.

I've estimated the following measurements and assumed ring position

I also printed the upper portion of the Disc on regular paper, cut it out (very crudely), and just taped it together to get an idea of the actual disc size. I'll lay that on the car this evening and decide if the disc need to be re-sized or if 600mm is good.

 

[drknotter]

Really cool idea. Interested to see how this turns out!

 

[bugman72]

If you need to do any "painting" or striping on the Lotus as a temporary thing, you should look into using Plasti-Dip spray. There are a LOT of articles and videos on YouTube about using it on vehicles...even spraying an ENTIRE vehicle. Best part...when you don't want the stuff on your car anymore, you simply start rolling the edge and it peels right off. Really cool stuff. I know it gets used a lot on the forum as a sealant for foam, but i wanted to let others know about the other uses for Plasti-Dip. I recently did the wheels on my vehicle and the results were amazing.

 

[89Forever]

@BM72: I was researching something completely different and accidentally ran across a guy who completely plasti-dipped his entire car. seems like a really nice idea. great way to repaint a car if you have a sprayer already. BTW, I'm impressed that you identified the hatch. This model is pretty rare.

So heres the approximate size on the car:

I think this size will do well. I've gone ahead and printed the design on card stock and spent last evening cutting the entire thing out.

 

[third3ye]

Nice to see another Lotus owner here on RPF, in Socal no less :thumbsup

Curious to see how this turns out, you have a lot of balls to do a prop mod on your sports car though :lol Might be some cooling concerns considering the size of that identity disc and the fact that our cars are air-cooled, but you'll probably be fine except on the track.

Best of luck!

 

[89Forever]

You are close! We should meet up. Maybe you'd share a photo on here of your Lotus, i wont complain.

As for heat, I'm really not too concerned, but I do have a good mind to make sure I keep it in the front of my thoughts. The radiator, like most cars is up front and forced through the car. Heres a picture for those who haven't had to deal with the car:

Coolant gets pumped through the side panels just under the doors and makes a big loop around the passenger compartment:

Now Elise/Exige class Loti (plural for Lotus?) do exhaust a significant amount of ambient heat through air circulation. It goes in the side scoops and out the hatch grating. I feel that since the disc will be physically correct in all dimentions, just larger, it'll sit something like this:

which should give plenty of cooling room. in addition the layer of air that follows the contour of the car will go under the back half of the disc which will act much like an airplane wing and pull more air out.

I've gone through this explanation in hopes that more of you will discuss this with me as the 1 hour ride up to LA, if my assumptions are wrong, could be a huge issue.

 

[third3ye]

You'll be fine driving up to LA, heck you can probably drive all the way to SF w/o issues. I wouldn't recommend going on the race track with that thing on the back, notwithstanding your disc will probably suffer major heat damage, but for street driving you'll be 110% ok. As for air flow the radiator is indeed in the front but the air flow going through the side scoops needs to come out of the back past the engine bay.

I won't hi-jack your thread but here's a couple older pics of my car when I was still doing car shows back in the day, still looks exactly the same today. No movie props on it though

 

[89Forever]

I wouldn't recommend going on the race track with that thing on

If there is an official out there willing to let me on the track with the disc on, they are a moron, IMHO.

I won't hi-jack your thread but here's a couple older pics of my car when I was still doing car shows back in the day, still looks exactly the same today. No movie props on it though

A) Its not thread jacking if you've been invited
B) I dont mind thread jacking, If someone wants to say they can do better for cheaper, go for it.lol

She looks good man. I noticed her up on wheel blocks. why is that? I love the rear wheel flair, is that aftermarket or standard for the year?

 

[third3ye]

They're custom flares done by hand, I did a lot of customization to that car over the years.

 

[89Forever]

 

[89Forever]

next up: resin and fiberglass tonight.

 

[faille]

Holy Pep nightmare. I'm already exhausted just looking at those pictures Never would have thought to give my car an identity disc, so I'm loving this thread! Your license plates are cool too.

 

[89Forever]

Lol Thanks. Hey Faille, you are pretty close by, we should meet up some time. I plan on taking the car to a British car show in seaport village (free for spectators) Sunday October 7th. I should have everything fully done and be testing out the disc if you want a preview, come on down!

 

[KidHaru]

Haha were you in Long Beach a few days ago? I swear I was riding my motorcycle down the street and saw your car. I immediately thought "Is that the guy from RPF?"

 

[89Forever]

Its possible. the days all kind of blur together. lol. Things that verify i'm me: Orange, Hatchback, spoiler, flat "T" between my tail lights (I have Kansas plates in my photo, but has since been replaced with Cali plates. Soon the "T" will be replaced with raised "LOTUS" letters and the plate will say "ENCOM VP"

Also if there is a DeLorean or Red Lotus Esprit around, it is definitely me!

If you honk and wave i'll pull off and meet you. i'm always down for meeting new folks!

 

[KidHaru]

I know the feeling. And I'll definitely honk. Haha I love the licence plate on the Delorean.

 

[89Forever]

BTW, post a picture of your bike. I might remember it. or in case i see you on the road again.

 

[third3ye]

We should get a few RPFers to meet for Cars and Coffee sometime, since you're in that area.

 

[89Forever]

i just went for my first time last saturday! great time.

do you have a saturday thats good for you? i'll post something on the forums. theres enough car guys in socal, that it would be great to get a couple of them up. heck even non car RPF'ers would really enjoy the free car show

 

[third3ye]

I've gone more frequently in the past when I was still super into cars, lately not so much. Most Saturdays work for me since it's so early in the morning. Put up something in the Events section and maybe we can get a small group going.