My book, "The Lotus Chronicles," is now available on Amazon

[thehackmechanic]

Hey, folks. My new book, "The Lotus Chronicles: One man's sordid tale of passion and madness while resurrecting a decade-dead 1974 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special," is now available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998950734?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860. The book—all 510 pages and 470 illustrations of it—describes my buying the '74 TCS with the seized engine that had been sitting since 1979, my feverishly ripping out the drivetrain, tearing down the engine, and trying to figure out how to rebuild it without paying more than I did for the car, then the project sitting for years as I dealt with job loss and career change. It's a deep dive into the passion involved in buying, resurrecting, and owning a car like this, particularly the intestinal fortitude required to bring a 40-year-dead car with a seized boutique engine back into the light, something you folks understand better than most. It's also sophomoric, profanity-laced (as anything about working on the Europa should be), and, I'm told, howlingly funny. I specifically thank this and other forums on the acknowledgements page, as I never would've been able to do it without you.

So, thanks!

--Rob Siegel

[jbcollier]

On its way!

If searching on other Amazon sites, just search for "The Lotus Chronicles".

[TurboFource]

Should I wait until after I get my TCS home to read this ?

[1970EuropaGuy]

Rob,

I just ordered a copy. Looking forward to the read.

[Lou Drozdowski]

Thanks Rob, best of luck on the book.

[Dilkris]

Just this instant ordered also!!
If anyone is interested and has not heard of it - I have just finished reading "Europa Euphoria" by Bob Herzog (ISBN 9780615641195) - it is an amusing story. 

[Dilkris]

Just finished reading it....... if anybody in the UK wants it for £5 plus postage, please send me a personal message.

[lotusfanatic]

I have just ordered a copy!
I'm looking forward to an amusing read whilst sipping a sloe gin or three of an evening....

Mark     

[lotusfanatic]

Just finished reading it....... if anybody in the UK wants it for £5 plus postage, please send me a personal message.

Hello Dilkris,
I have messaged you,
Mark

[MRN I J]

can the book be bought anywhere else but Amazon ?

[1970EuropaGuy]

Hi Rob,

I'm just back from a 2 night camping trip and your new book went with me. I'm presently at page 153 and your dead Lotus still doesn't have an engine. A very entertaining read between picking mushrooms, drinking wine and playing games. Of course, this was repeated numerous times. I did have to explain to a writer we go camping with why some of us like these crazy cars. She says it's a cult, I told her Europa's are better than sex and my wife agreed!

[Certified Lotus]

Ordered your book Rob. Quickly went to the chapters of going to LOG. Now I will start from the beginning. I think you had more trials and tribulations than I did on my rebuild.

[lotusfanatic]

I have ordered a copy too! 

(I just have to wait a week or two for delivery)

[dakazman]

  I was looking into windows 10 problems and what pops up.  Laughing at first then wondering what targeting set this ad off. My Alexa surprises me sometimes with ads my wife and I are talking about.
Dakazman

[jbcollier]

Finally finished the book.  Hey, I know that's a long time.  I got a Lotus.  I'm a busy man ;-)

General comments:  I like the book.  I'd recommend it to anyone contemplating a Europa resurrection.  Pulls no punches.  Difficult decisions and mistakes all round which is how home renovations and car restorations actually pan out.  No holding back on the joy of driving a Europa either.  Just a good even-handed record of a car renovation.

Things I'd leave out:  In dialogue, saltiness can be fun.   On paper, one naughty joke goes a long way.  Keep some but winnow it down, please.  Also, I stopped reading the comments after a short while.  Too much repetitive repartee that gets old in a hurry.

Things I would have done differently: Rob posted mostly to his own page/blog/crew.  Good idea for a BMW build, less so for a Lotus build.  Quite a bit of grief could have been avoided by also posting to a Lotus group.  They would have caught most of it and given more on-point advice.  Lastly, Europas don't need a cassette water pump.  A properly rebuilt stock pump can last up to 60K miles on a Europa.  That's way more than the cylinder head will do.  And most bottom ends as well, given the revs they turn.  If you overhaul the pump and pressure test every time you pull the engine down, it'll be cheap and you'll never have a leaking water pump.  (Note this advice does not apply to Elans)

Things Rob needs to do right now!!!

RE-TORQUE THE CYLINDER HEAD

On engines with an aluminium head, re-torque the head after the first time you fully warm up the engine.  Let it cool first, of course, but things loosen up quite a bit after that first heat cycle.  Again at 500 miles and a final one at 1500 miles.  Especially as he has a multi-layered copper head gasket.  Probably Rob has done this but it's not mentioned in the text.

Congratulations are in order to Rob for the meticulous and careful build.  No oil leaks!  Impressive.