Lotus Europa Community

Lotus Europa Forums => Members Cars => Topic started by: Lou Drozdowski on Friday,February 21, 2020, 04:23:12 PM

Title: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Lou Drozdowski on Friday,February 21, 2020, 04:23:12 PM
The days are getting longer, they are predicting 55f for Sunday and my right foot itches. Time for some apexes!

Is yours roadworthy?...post a recent picture
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Friday,February 21, 2020, 05:21:43 PM
I'm pretty much ready. I was supposed to go on a drive put on by the local Alfa club to a distillery in southern Virginia but we have snow on the ground so it was postponed. Last weekend, me and some of my MG club buddies entered our cars in a show car/hot rod/classic car show (non competitive). On the way home we were videoed by a friend of a friend who sent the video of my car to me.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfSg_94DJ0o).
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: dakazman on Friday,February 21, 2020, 06:43:29 PM
  Okay Lou , how did you pull off that plate ? I love it! Does Pennsylvania require 2 plates?
Dakazman
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Clifton on Friday,February 21, 2020, 06:47:40 PM
In Arizona, winter is the fun season and Autocross. I have two more months until it the 100's start rolling in and the fun ends.

BDA,  The video is too short but your wheels fill in nicely and the stance looks great. Any side shot pics?
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Friday,February 21, 2020, 06:53:17 PM
Thanks Clifton! I'll take some tomorrow afternoon and post them
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Arizona on Friday,February 21, 2020, 07:54:33 PM
In Arizona, winter is the fun season and Autocross. I have two more months until it the 100's start rolling in and the fun ends.
Well up here at 7,000' in Flagstaff I have two (or more ) months until the snow melts so my fun will be starting about the time yours ends. Enjoy.
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Certified Lotus on Friday,February 21, 2020, 08:39:06 PM
Can’t wait for warmer weather!
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Lou Drozdowski on Friday,February 21, 2020, 10:28:47 PM
  Okay Lou , how did you pull off that plate ? I love it! Does Pennsylvania require 2 plates?
Dakazman

https://www.licenseplates.tv/

dakazman...Vanity plate, still need the antique plate, it's under the seat and placed behind the drivers head rest when needed...ld
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: dakazman on Saturday,February 22, 2020, 02:35:25 AM
   Thanks Lou, for the link.
 Someday soon I hope to add a story.

    BDA,
Love the video! , it’s nice to see one moving and not being pushed.  :FUNNY:  I gave it a thumbs up.

Dakazman
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Clifton on Saturday,February 22, 2020, 04:34:39 AM
In Arizona, winter is the fun season and Autocross. I have two more months until it the 100's start rolling in and the fun ends.
Well up here at 7,000' in Flagstaff I have two (or more ) months until the snow melts so my fun will be starting about the time yours ends. Enjoy.

Flagstaff is beautiful in the summer. I need to make it up there when it's too hot down here. I know they have a car show next door in Williams in the summer.
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: surfguitar58 on Saturday,February 22, 2020, 05:11:26 AM
Alas, my car is buried behind someone else's Porsche 356 and a Bentley in a storage garage and wont be available until actual spring. Been dreaming of driving and planning my spring maintenance and a few upgrades.

BDA, nice to see what a proper Cirus White paint job looks like! Mine looks good from 10+ feet, but has a few stress cracks and acne up close. Is the louvered vent to the left of your license plate for an oil cooler? Also, the video shows fuel fill on the sail, like a type 47, yet you have the 2 fills on the rear deck too. I think we'd all like to see more pics of your car, including that throbbing BDA under the hood.

Tom
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: surfguitar58 on Saturday,February 22, 2020, 05:15:25 AM
Lou, what tires are those?
Tom
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Saturday,February 22, 2020, 06:32:31 AM
Thanks everybody for the kind words! There  are more pictures (starting here: http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;pic=16) in the gallery and Clifton asked for a side shot so this afternoon, I'll take some and post them.

My car is not Cirus White but rather whatever GM called the white fo Corvettes in 1995. When I went to get my car painted, I didn't realize that the shop could make sense of the Lotus paint code and I may not have even known what the code was. I saw a pretty white '95 Corvette and asked them to paint it that color.

The fuel fillers are stock TCS units in the stock location. The louvers on the left are indeed for an oil cooler but it turns out that is a bad place to put it so don't copy me on that!

If you click on my name in that video, you can see the only other video I've ever posted which is of my motor idling and a few shots from the accelerator. That video got me my first (and only?) follower!
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Lou Drozdowski on Saturday,February 22, 2020, 07:54:26 AM
Lou, what tires are those?
Tom

Tom...I run 185/60/13 Nexen front, 205/60 Dunlop Sport GT rear for daily diving. For those special days the spare set of gummies are Yokohama Advan 048's medium compound mounted on vintage Formula libre Shelby mags which are from the 70's.
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Certified Lotus on Sunday,February 23, 2020, 09:26:17 AM
It’s sunny and 52 degrees F today in Princeton. Had to take my son to the train station and decided to fire up the Europa. Splendid day for a drive!

Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: surfguitar58 on Monday,February 24, 2020, 08:23:21 AM
Lou, what tires are those?
Tom

Tom...I run 185/60/13 Nexen front, 205/60 Dunlop Sport GT rear for daily diving. For those special days the spare set of gummies are Yokohama Advan 048's medium compound mounted on vintage Formula libre Shelby mags which are from the 70's.

Dunlop denies offering the Sport GT in 205/60-R13. Did you buy them overseas or in some specialty shop, or a long time ago perhaps?
t
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Lou Drozdowski on Monday,February 24, 2020, 04:59:16 PM
I got them about 2 years ago..via ebay from...https://www.carid.com/tires/13-inch/#prod-list

Doubt they are in production now, dot shows they were made in 2016
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Certified Lotus on Monday,February 24, 2020, 05:27:11 PM
I order 13 inch performance tires from the UK all the time. Stupid expensive due to shipping cost so order 5 in order to have a spare.
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Thursday,February 27, 2020, 03:35:18 PM
Clifton wanted some pictures of how my car sits. I finally got around to getting some so here they are.
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Clifton on Thursday,February 27, 2020, 04:45:03 PM
The size looks perfect, 15's ?
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Thursday,February 27, 2020, 05:31:10 PM
Thanks Clifton! Yes, they are 15s. The original idea was to stay close to the diameter of the 185/70-13 so my speedo would be right but then I used an NG3 so that went out the window! The fronts are really a bit wide. Just like an idiot, I ordered the wheels before measuring on the car. The rears are 7" wide. IIRC, I had the fronts narrowed by 1/2" to 6 1/2" and if I get really motivated or have $400 or so with nothing else to do with it, I'll either bring them in another 1/2" or narrow them another 1/2". The company that made them (Compomotive) no longer makes 3-piece wheels so I'd have to get lips and/or barrels made for them. But, they don't bother me enough to worry about them now.

I run 195/50-15 in the front and 205/50-15 in the rear.
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: TurboFource on Thursday,February 27, 2020, 05:33:00 PM
Nice car!   Where did you get the front spoiler?
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Thursday,February 27, 2020, 05:38:13 PM
Thanks Turbo! I got it from Dave Bean. I would expect they still sell them.
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: andy harwood on Thursday,February 27, 2020, 08:02:58 PM
Looks great BDA! I enjoy the 15" size rim also.
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: surfguitar58 on Friday,February 28, 2020, 04:35:53 AM
Your car looks amazing BDA! Lots of subtle, tasteful mods. I bet that passenger side mirror actually works, unlike my OEM mirror.
Tom
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: Certified Lotus on Friday,February 28, 2020, 06:40:36 AM
Love the stance of you Europa BDA!
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Friday,February 28, 2020, 07:22:08 AM
Thanks guys!

You're right, Surf. It used to chafe me that the passenger side mirror was really there for decoration so I wanted big mirrors I could use. They're electric, by the way!
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: TCS4605R on Friday,February 28, 2020, 07:52:17 AM
BDA - where did you source the mirrors - are they convex or flat?

Tom - 4605R
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Friday,February 28, 2020, 09:47:31 AM
Boy, Tom. That was a LONG time ago. There is an outside chance that I bought them from r.d. enterprises. They aren't listed there buy it might be worth a phone call.

The driver's side mirror is flat and the passenger side mirror is very convex - a car way behind me shows up pretty large in it. They are both tinted. I kept the directions for installing them and they are either Tornado or Turbo mirrors. I believe mine are Turbo mirrors. The directions are essentially type written and don't mention the manufacturer but I believe they were made by Vitaloni. I did a few searches and did not find any being sold new retail. I found what I think are a set of the same mirrors (https://www.ebay.com/itm/223273708325). I assure you I didn't pay anywhere near $1800 for them and I had no idea they are "Lamborghini Countach" mirrors! Another place is selling just the joy stick for one mirror for $135 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/333514122127)!! If I had to guess, and I do, I don't think I paid that much for the pair of my mirrors with their joy sticks (there was an option that utilized one joy stick that incorporated a switch to choose the mirror to adjust). All this suggests to me that they are no longer in production. In fact, I didn't see ANY generic electric mirrors (which is not to say that nobody makes them, I just didn't see any).

What might be considered good news is that you can get the same style mirrors, just not electric here (http://www.talbotco.com/talbot_mirror.htm).
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: TCS4605R on Saturday,February 29, 2020, 06:07:23 PM
BDA - thanks for the info.  I’m also looking into cameras for left and right coverage.

Tom
Title: Re: Ahh...Spring is near!
Post by: BDA on Saturday,February 29, 2020, 07:49:43 PM
Good choice!