Author Topic: New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!  (Read 2601 times)

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Offline 2766R

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New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!
« on: Tuesday,September 29, 2015, 09:09:06 AM »
 :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   



 


Offline Rosco5000

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Re: New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday,September 29, 2015, 09:28:14 AM »
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.
1974 Europa Special
1969 Europa S2
1970 Lotus Elan +2
1978 Austin Mini - 1275, big brakes
1991 Ford Explorer - Lifted on 33s, custom lift and radius arms
2005 Chrysler 300C - chipped, lowered 22s
2011 Cadillac Escalade - Stage 3 cam, Headers, CAI, 2,600 stall converter

Offline BDA

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Re: New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday,September 29, 2015, 09:39:59 AM »
 :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!

Offline Bainford

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Re: New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday,September 30, 2015, 08:40:04 AM »
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:
The Twin Cam plays the symphony whilst my right foot conducts the orchestra. At 3800 rpm the Mad Pipe Organ joins in.

Trevor

Offline 3929R

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Re: New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!
« Reply #4 on: Thursday,October 01, 2015, 07:14:25 AM »
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!
Mark
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Offline 2766R

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Re: New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!
« Reply #5 on: Thursday,October 08, 2015, 08:28:26 AM »
 :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/Europa51714?authkey=Gv1sRgCLDVuMG__bmZ1gE

« Last Edit: Thursday,October 08, 2015, 09:36:07 AM by LotusJoe »

Offline BDA

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Re: New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!
« Reply #6 on: Thursday,October 08, 2015, 09:44:52 AM »
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:

Offline 2766R

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Re: New member, long time owner, want to get back on the road!
« Reply #7 on: Thursday,October 15, 2015, 10:06:36 AM »
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