Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Members Cars => Topic started by: Nick74R on Thursday,December 21, 2017, 01:31:00 PM
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Here are a few pics of my current project.
Hope you enjoy...
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Wow Nick, outstanding! Please give some description to your work and details.
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Beautifully done, Nick! You seem to have some features of S1s and TCs that I think work well.
Can you tell us more about your car? Mods, purpose (presumably at least a part time track car)? Did you build it? Just anything!
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Well, I just found your other post so I have some of the particulars but I know I'm not the only one who'd like to know more about this car!
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Thanks for your interest. Yes I did the whole thing myself bar painting and welding which I leave to the experts. I'd better sit down and compose the whole story, but not in a way to the extent of becoming boring. It has just been featured in a 5 page article published in a UK magazine called TKC (Track Kit and Custom). Very briefly I've incorporated a 47 seat shell, highly modified!, roll cage, 220bhp on the rolling road, rear rocker arms suspension fabricated by ex Lotus 79 engineer (just happen to have one within a few miles of home as you do!) front and rear fuel tanks, Titan dry sump system etc etc. Car is more at home on the track than the road. More details anon...
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Nick...Remarkable, truly outstanding, a very lovely piece of kit...welcome to the group.
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There is is, right on the cover: "Orange Crush"! Incredible job!
Too many questions to fire off one at a time. Can't get the mag here in the states, but would love to hear details about your build. :coolpic:
Tom
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Very impressive build Nick, my complements! Yes, please provide a lot more insight. This group will devour all the details.
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I'd better sit down and compose the whole story, but not in a way to the extent of becoming boring.
Not possible, Nick! I don't think there would be a single detail that wouldn't be of intense interest to everyone here - maybe especially the members here are in the middle of some their own very interesting builds!
I'm not sure how much you can relate about the article about your car given copyright concerns, etc. but whatever you can tell us would be great! Don't forget we love pictures! ;)
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Very impressive equipment, and fitted to a very high standard. You do excellent work. For sure one of the nicest Europas I've seen. Thanks for posting.
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Hi Nick, and :Welcome:
As the other folks have said, that's a pretty impressive build with both imagination and technical work showing in there.
Serious question - why do some cars arrange their suspension with a cantilever design like your rear suspension ? I can see at the front it might cut down on drag but are there other tech reasons for it at the rear or is it just an available space issue ?
Brian
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Hi Brian,
Thanks for kind comments - certainly rocker arm at the rear is better for it keeps the spring/shock out of the air, is more adjustable with addition of the push rod (LH thread one end, RH thread the other), plus it keeps the thread for the spring seat on the shock a lot cleaner if it's not subject to all road/track grim that could otherwise be thrown at it. Because my alloy rocker arms are not concentric, ie the centre of the shock bolt is near to the pivot bolt than the push rod bolt, the shock travels less distance in its movement under compression/decompression. On steel shocks the thread tends to be much finer and the adjustable spring seat can seize (unless liberally coated with copperslip or the like). Plus it looks good too!
Nick.
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Because my alloy rocker arms are not concentric, ie the centre of the shock bolt is near to the pivot bolt than the push rod bolt, the shock travels less distance in its movement under compression/decompression. On steel shocks the thread tends to be much finer and the adjustable spring seat can seize (unless liberally coated with copperslip or the like). Plus it looks good too!
Ahh - I didn't get that from the photos, but I can see where it comes in.
I wondered if it was just about resolving the loads which does look an advance over the OEM set up but I hadn't picked up on the suspension movement options. That's a cute idea compared to the original where the damper reflects the wheel movement at the same ratios. I can see where that might come in for a track or race car. Thanks for the explanation.
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Very pretty and the quality of the work looks excellent!
Serge
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Welcome to the forum Nick.
I’m all most at a loss for words because so many questions keep coming to mind .
You excelled at bringing this half century old car a modern but retro , clean, machine.
We hope you take some time to share your details . We will not be bored.
Dakazman
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Some more pics of my Twincam restoration in reply to Skippopotamus' question on Nigel's thread...
Firstly, the arrowed area you have highlighted is the lefthand blanking panel I made out of GRP to cover the end of each sill area (did this on both sides) and you can see this in the first picture where it has been refaced (white) and then rubbed down. To achieve this I first cut a piece of GRP sheeting and trimmed it to fit each end of the rear sill, and with the smooth side polished and facing outward, glued them into place using a hot glue gun. Next step was to lay up 2 layers of 400g GRP matting and let cure. Then I cut the large hole in each the size of the rubber bung. This bung incidently is the one originally fitted up the front on top of the tunnel to cover the handbrake arm. The next bit was the fiddly part as it was a question of separating the new matting with the original glued on GRP piece, then breaking that up into pieces to retrieve through the hole.
Finished off by sanding the inside, refacing the outer and sanding down.
The purpose of each hole is to allow access to the rear of the door striker plate bolts.
A fiddly job, but a very satisfying one when completed!
The other pictures show what I was left with once the old rear end had been cut off and a new section (coloured black) grafted into place.
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I have a complete back end in Norfolk if you need one.
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Hi Nick,
This is a fantastic looking car. I love what you have done with the rear of the frame. Strengthing back to the firewall and the neat and tidy double wishbone rear suspension with the cantilevered springs/shocks looks fantastic! Very well done. I hope my engine conversion with revised rear end comes out half as good! Great work.
Ross
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Hi Nick ,
Great work on the glass !
Dakazman
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Nick wonderful job well done and a great magazine spread
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Can anyone scan and post the article for those of us in the US that can’t buy the magazine.
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I've now got permission from the editor of the UK magazine TKC to republish the article he wrote on my Twin Cam. Hope you enjoy reading it.
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Very nice article about an extraordinary car! I'm a bit sad and disappointed that you're selling it. Mostly because I won't be able to buy it!
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:ttiwwp: Here are some more pictures following this project through from the start to rolling road stage. We all probably take 100s of pictures during the restoration process - I certainly have - so this is only an abridged version of a rather extensive photographic library! Most of them are self explanatory, though one shows an alloy pulley in the centre tunnel. This is for the handbrake cable which in turn is connected to a modified Elan M100 lever. Works a lot better than the original umbrella type which always used to catch my trousers when getting in!
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Very high level of work here Nick. I’m in awe! Any detailed photos of the rear brakes? I’m assuming you have disc’s? If so, who made them?
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The solid rear discs (253mm dia) come from a UK Ford Sierra as do the hubs and calipers and are more than capable of stopping a lightweight car. They are bolted to the Banks fabricated uprights which I bought together with the front and rear tubular wishbones. One can upgrade to aftermarket higher spec items, but probably you'd end up with too much bias towards the rear. Used in conjunction with the AP fronts, the car slightly nose dips when the brake pedal is applied. Also shown are the US Carrera shocks and springs.
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Great workmanship! Are those stainless bolts? Was there a reason to not use grade 8 hardware?
I'm just going to go ahead and ask the question the rest of us are too polite to ask: What price are you asking for/did you get for this magnificent automobile?
Tom
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More beautifulness, Nick! Just stunning! Thanks for the pictures!
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Great pics Nick , I’m on sensory overload.
Dakazman
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Off to Hockenheim next weekend for the Jim Clark/Bosch Historic meeting and had this transfer made to commemorate the accident there in April 1968. If you haven't been to this historic race meeting held every year, I thoroughly recommend a visit - have been for the past 6 years now and meet many like minded Lotus enthusiasts. You tend to see far more Europas there than any similar event in the UK.
Just as I was about to post this thread, heard the sad news of the death of ex Lotus 47/49/62 driver John Miles. Once asked him on his experiences with the 62- his reply was very much not in favour with the car's aerodynamics! Sad times indeed.
Also added a couple more pictures while the Europa is still clean after some spit and polish following its winter hibernation!
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That sounds like a great event! Your car continues to impress!
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That sounds like a great event! Your car continues to impress!
I soundly agree, on both points. Enjoy the meet.
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Off to Lotus 70th birthday party at Hethel this Saturday, so hope to meet up with more Europa owners there. Here's hoping for a good turn out.
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Don't forget to take lots of pictures and post them here!
:lotus:
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Attended the Lotus 70th birthday party at Hethel on the 29Sep where hundreds of Lotus owners enjoyed an excellent and well organised event staged by the factory. Apart from being able to view the production line and current line up of models, Classic team Lotus demonstrated many F1 cars of years past. At the end of the day the track was used to parade as many Lotus cars as possible. A brilliant day blessed with fine weather. A shame only 8 Europas turned up one of which was a very rare beautifully restored S2 Else conversion. 6hrs of film coverage can be found on You Tube.
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Resubmitted above photos which hadn't come out too well when first posted.
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That Else conversion looks to be our own Gmg31's car! It looks like it was a great event!