Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Members Cars => Topic started by: 2766R on Tuesday,September 29, 2015, 09:09:06 AM
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:newhere:
I'm contemplating restoring my ’73 Europa. I have owned it for 36 years. It has been off the road for 30 years and stored in my garage (Massapequa Park, NY) with the intent of restoring it at some point.
Since I'm limited on time to work on it, I'm considering farming out the work to at least getting it mechanically ready for the road.
Ragtops & Roadsters, http://www.ragtops.com or Briarcliff Classic and Imported, http://briarcliffclassic.com/ seems to be the best choices in my area. Any thoughts / recommendations?
Now for the statistics for the Europa:
Model Special
Chassis No. 72102766R
Transmission No. 22892 type 352
Engine S28040 Twin Cam, Big Valve
Color Yellow (Code: L07)
Condition fair (not running)
History: To the best of my knowledge, I am the third owner. It was originally purchased in NJ. I purchased it from PO in 1979, Plainview, NY.
The only modification at that time was the removal of the air box / air cleaner. Two pancake style air cleaners were fitted to the Zenith-Stromberg carbs.
Modifications I have made (1982-83): Engine build at Joe Stimola’s Race Engineering. Bored .020, steal billet crank, sprint cams, Dave Bean headers, DB water pump Gilmore drive,
modified oil pan w/side wings and baffles, replaced distributor (w/o vacuum advance), re-jetted original Zenith-Stromberg carbs. Engine dyno-ed to 150HP w/open headers.
I fabricated the air box and air filter mounting. The velocity stacks were found in a motorcycle shop and adapted to the Zenith-Strombergs.
Suspension modifications: Carrera shocks w/adjustable spring perches, adjustable rear lower links (Dave Bean), slotted front upper links at ball joint (for camber adjustment).
I autocrossed very successfully with this setup (ran A/prepared w/slicks: many BTOD).
Thanks ahead of time to all those who will help me in my endeavors with 2766R!
Gerry Short
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welcome to the forum! I haven't been here long either but there are a lot of knowledgeable people here! Good luck with the restoration.
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:Welcome:
That looks like a great project and underneath it all, it sounds like it will be a great engine when you get it started! It sounds like the suspension is probably in good shape, too.
Sorry, I don't know any of the shops in your area, but there's nothing that special about a Europa Special :FUNNY: (sorry, I couldn't resist!)
Probably a good foreign car shop would be able to take care of anything you need. After that, it's paint and interior. If you're looking for new carpets, I got mine from AutoMat (http://www.autointeriors.biz/). They have a huge variety of carpets to choose from. A good interior shop should be able to do any upholstering you want done.
Dave Bean is a great place for good parts and advice. r.d. enterprises (rdent.com) is good, too, but since Dave just lost a lot in a wildfire, I might default to getting stuff from him.
Good luck and keep us up to date!
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Welcome to the forum, Gerry. Nice looking Europa, and I like that particular shade of yellow. Looks like a great candidate for a restoration, and the engine mods must really increase the fun factor. Glad to have you aboard. Cheers :beerchug:
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Yours a bit like deja vu all over again, but mine was in storage on the other side of the country. What put yours into hibernation and what will it take mechanically to get it on the road? Are you considering a full restoration?
Mine was stored due to California's emerging (at the time) emissions testing, life events, then the brake MC failing. I've done what has been necessary to get it running well but by no means a true restoration.
To add to what's been said about finding a mechanic, a skinny/small one can be a good thing for some tasks!
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:coolpic: Sorry I haven't responded to any of replies to my original post. I thought some pics from last year might be interesting. Nothing going on yet but hopefully in the near future.
I just want to get it road worthy first. Than I'll make a dissension on how extensive the restoration will go. Enjoy:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102937341831950753115/1973EuropaTCSpecial?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSl5s-5l92rSQ (https://picasaweb.google.com/102937341831950753115/1973EuropaTCSpecial?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSl5s-5l92rSQ)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QuATacWJg2w/VhaA3xqEkbI/AAAAAAAABNo/HzKY1XmYdGQ/s640-Ic42/016.JPG)
https://picasaweb.google.com/102937341831950753115/Europa51714?authkey=Gv1sRgCLDVuMG__bmZ1gE (https://picasaweb.google.com/102937341831950753115/Europa51714?authkey=Gv1sRgCLDVuMG__bmZ1gE)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mORryVL9V4o/VhaAfX73GOI/AAAAAAAABN4/o0jKL_9ONW8/s640-Ic42/IMG_0247.JPG)
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It looks like you've got some nice bits on your car and it looks like the foundation of a nice restoration! Let us know what your plans are and keep us up to date!
:lotus:
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I believe I've finally lined up a mechanic to start working on my Europa! Still in the planing stage. In the mean time, I've finally posted a video on YouTube from an old VHS-C of me autocrossing my Europa back in the day (No HD or Go Pros back then!). It's unedited with others competing, but hopefully interesting enough for the fans here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN0tqJAcmMI