Getting harder for me to get out of 3291R; messed up left leg a couple years ago in a motorcycle accident (was t-boned by a blue hair coming out of a strip mall in Somerset MA which laid me out on the tarmac with the bike resting on my ankle..) and just can't easily or comfortably hold the clutch down at lights, so thinking of letting 3291R go to the next owner.
Readers will know, based on past experience, that a lot of work has gone into her so far (not like my red S2!) and have accumulated many parts to continue...but so far, have:
1. Upgraded and rebuilt OEM distributor with Pertronix kit and set timing; new cap, wires, rotor, and 1-grade warmer spark plugs to get her running. Hot 40KV Pertronix ignition coil installed. Tach rebuilt with Spyida RVI kit and calibrated to electronic ignition.
2. Rebuilt strombergs, removed secondary throttles, and set mixture, balance, and idle.
3. Reupholstered seats and installed new floor carpets.
4. Overhauled and powder coated OEM steel rims, and 4 new tires (alloys and good rubber stored and would go with car.) and OEM hubcaps and stainless nuts for alloys.
5. Overhauled front suspension, lowered front end with used spax shocks and 125lb replacement springs (have new shocks, see below).
6. Overhauled trunnions, new upper ball joints, torqued to spec. Repaired sway bar.
7. Resealed oil pan, installed new RD header and muffler can. Have a spare uncracked cast OEM header and downpipe in usable condition if you want to go back to original. Link pipe to silencer on order from SJ in the UK.
8. Overhauled gear shift with lower bronze bushings and fresh ball joint, shortened shift lever, new bushing and top hats in tranny pivot.
9. Wet sanded, buffed, and compounded original paint. Leaving as is. It's only original once, right?
10. Replaced US tail lights with Euro-spec (separate directional/running/brake) tail lights, eliminating the DB10 relay from the circuit.
11. Upgraded headlights to high-quality Koito headlights, instead of sealed beam units with freshly rechromed bezels.
12. New clutch cable installed with on-block mount to eliminate bucking tendency from frame-mountd cable sheath end.
13. Overhauled front calipers with stainless pistons, seals (including quad seal between halves), EBC greenstuff pads, new flex lines, bearings, etc.
14. Removed power brake vacuum units and replumbed bundy pipes.
15. Installed bluetooth capable FM radio and FM modulator to plug in i-whatever.
16. Purchased, but not installed, new aluminum chassis cooling tubes.
17. Have new rear Spax shocks and lower rear arm poly bushings.
18. Replaced leaking OEM master cylinder with .7 diameter Triumph spitfire cylinder; have a .75 cylinder to go with car if brake response is not to your liking and a couple original .875 that can be rebuilt.
19. Installed dual cylinder rear deck lid prop assembly. No more broom handle!
20. Upgraded to high-torque starter.
Now, what's still on the shelf, and would go with car is a shimmed and overhauled cylinder head, top end gaskets (you have your choice of the 3 different ones I've collected), new throttle cable, all the bits to renovate the clutch (pressure plate, driven plate, throwout), rear lower link poly bushings, right side engine-to-mount assembly, rear arm front donut mounts, 2 engine mounts, 2 rear tranny mounts, 1 potential useful master cylinder, flex brake lines for the frame to trailing arm, a new dashboard in 95 point condition, new upholstered 'eyebrow', and the "Special 142" badge for the dash, 2 freshly painted fuel tanks (insides need to be derusted, but they're solid) and a new sender/gasket/retaining ring, and a sorted parts bin with lots of useable parts accumulated over the decades. I'll throw in a brand new, never mounted Pilkington windshield just in case. Fresh set of Spax front shocks and new #115 springs, and complete set of rear Spax shocks, new springs.
Oh, yeah, complete service records back to the original dealer invoice from Lotus East, Wilkins' TC book, Service Manual with TC addendum, and parts manual printout from the archive, and all my invoices from parts suppliers...Oh, yeah, an original tool kit and jack.
I'm willing to entertain best offers (please don't insult me...been in the Lotus world for over 40 years...it's driveable, passed safety inspection, in decent shape, but needs paint...hey, it's a survivor and personally I'd leave it as it is) as she sits in my garage in Massachusetts...the more you try and play let's make a deal the more firm the price becomes. It's not perfect; could probably stand to be aligned, tires road force balanced, donuts at front of trailing arms replaced, and probably a list a mile long of other things (it IS a Lotus, after all). First thing I would do, though, is the head gasket...it's not making mayonaise, but, it does weep a bit down onto the starter.
I'm just throwing this out there...but...who knows? If you're looking for a good base to start from...here it is. Want more photos? Let me know, and I'll post them for you. Would rather it goes to someone who loves the car...but not unwilling to test the waters on the auction sites at some point. Happy to trade for a late running Elite with some cash...but leaving this here for what it's worth. It's a survivor (which means something), it's as original as 51 years on can be through multiple owners, and there are fewer and fewer turning a wheel as time goes by.
