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Lotus Europa Forums => Technical Articles and DIY tools and tips => Topic started by: John R on Sunday,December 20, 2020, 08:33:32 AM

Title: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: John R on Sunday,December 20, 2020, 08:33:32 AM
I'm in the process of restoring the Europa special and but i'm having a problem locating a good photo of the original inside arrangements (servo, spare wheel etc) under the bonnet/hood. Can someone help? Many thanks
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: Dilkris on Sunday,December 20, 2020, 09:07:32 AM
There are a multitude of photo's on this forum which will satisfy your requirements - just get comfortable and surf through it - you will learn so much on the way.

Not wishing to show favoritism in any way - the following may help you in appreciating what is ahead of you - as advised above, there are many other similar photographic records you can find on the forum     

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOF7peFDeR7jZ1MnMiV-2qiuefDwlLuCurNiAeMoWI5qnzmWu4Aoc3ebsGNKFGAWw?key=R3BVUElCcTVjZzVFYTVSTEczaV8tUk1UT3UtVThn

Hope it helps - get ready to be asked for photographs of your build - the forum loves photos.  :Welcome:
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: EuropaTC on Sunday,December 20, 2020, 09:09:53 AM
I can't help with the photo because I've not owned my car from new, but I can help with the suggestion that perhaps the Brooklands series of road tests on the cars might help ?  They don't scan so well but with an original you might be able to make out enough detail to get an idea.

Brian

(I've bought them all over the years, the best in terms of reproduction is probably the latest one, "Lotus Europa Gold Portfolio" which I think also includes some of the articles that appeared in earlier issues)
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: BDA on Sunday,December 20, 2020, 11:47:11 AM
The spare tire goes down in front of the front trunk on the left side. On my car, there is a threaded bobbin on the floor that accepts a long bolt with a big washer. The wheel goes in upside down (you'll end up viewing the back of the wheel). When the bolt was tightened, the washer engaged the center of the wheel (alloy). The owners manual shows a different arrangement (http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/tcowner/index.htm). The first one has the picture of the spare in place.

I finally found a decent picture of where and how the boosters are mounted - see below. Most people either go with a smaller master cylinder or use the more modern Lockheed boosters. I have those boosters but I mounted them behind the rear wheels.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: SilverBeast on Sunday,December 20, 2020, 12:02:07 PM
If it's a UK Special, it will have single circuit brakes and a single servo/booster, fitted in the same location.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: John R on Monday,December 21, 2020, 12:01:38 AM
Thanks to all for the assistance.

As I have a UK Special, I will relocate the servo to the front if that's where it was originally.

Cheers
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: lotusfanatic on Monday,December 21, 2020, 12:47:03 AM
Hello John R

 :Welcome:

Mark
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: EuropaTC on Monday,December 21, 2020, 12:49:09 AM
Thanks to all for the assistance.

As I have a UK Special, I will relocate the servo to the front if that's where it was originally.

Cheers
Whoa there ! 
The servo should be in the engine bay, these guys are all talking about the spare wheel and other junk. This photo is from 1989 where I mounted the replacement on mine, the same place as the original Girling was.

If you mount the sero in the front you've got a longer run for the vac. tube and although it's a pure guess I think it might reduce the effectiveness or speed of response ?
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: SilverBeast on Monday,December 21, 2020, 01:40:49 AM
As EuropaTC said (and I implied above). UK Specials had the Servo mounted in the rear of the engine compartment in front of the luggage tray. There is a picture of my engine compartment in the halfway down the thread here-->http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=3253.msg33085#msg33085 (http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=3253.msg33085#msg33085)
The servo can be seen in the bottom left of the shot. I believe the layout is pretty much original - just some different colour choices from the previous owner.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: John R on Monday,December 21, 2020, 08:12:44 AM
OK it's going back in the engine bay!

Many thanks
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: BDA on Monday,December 21, 2020, 08:43:08 AM
You didn't really want to run a vacuum line from the engine to the front of the car, did you?
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: John R on Monday,December 28, 2020, 08:55:43 AM
The photo album is very useful. Even found one showing that the longer engine support bracket goes on the LHS which saved me having to ask the question. Many thanks
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: Sparkrite on Monday,December 28, 2020, 01:00:01 PM
Would you mind posting that photo is it's what I am looking for and couldn't find it.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: John R on Tuesday,December 29, 2020, 02:49:00 AM
Here you go....
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: Pfreen on Thursday,January 21, 2021, 08:23:26 AM
FYI, I have a Federal TCS and I mounted my Lockheed boosters in the left front trunk under the left headlight.  I ran a 3/8" ss line from the engine to the boosters.  It has worked great for twenty years.   I have a filter and check valve feeding the 3/8" line at the engine manifold vacuum port.

I could never figure out an elegant way to mount the Lockheed boosters in the same place as the Girling boosters, so I came up with this solution.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: BDA on Thursday,January 21, 2021, 08:34:04 AM
Every picture where someone mounted the Lockheed boosters where the Girling boosters were looks pretty bad IMHO. I mounted them in the area behind the rear wheels so you don't even see them. Of course, I was building the car from the frame up so I could route the brake lines any way I wanted. Doing that on a running car would be a bit more difficult.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: Dilkris on Thursday,January 21, 2021, 11:56:47 PM
Every picture where someone mounted the Lockheed boosters where the Girling boosters were looks pretty bad IMHO. I mounted them in the area behind the rear wheels so you don't even see them. Of course, I was building the car from the frame up so I could route the brake lines any way I wanted. Doing that on a running car would be a bit more difficult.
:I-agree: This seems to make sense BDA - do you happen to have a picture of that ?
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: BDA on Friday,January 22, 2021, 07:31:20 AM
Here you go.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: EuropaTC on Friday,January 22, 2021, 09:20:33 AM
That's a neat idea, do you have two servos for a dual circuit with a matching servo on the other side or are you on single circuit ?

Brian.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: MRN I J on Friday,January 22, 2021, 01:38:49 PM
Here you go.

I think that is where Else fitted them on the S2
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: BDA on Friday,January 22, 2021, 02:14:01 PM
That's a neat idea, do you have two servos for a dual circuit with a matching servo on the other side or are you on single circuit ?

Brian.
Thanks Brian!

Yeah. I have twin boosters. I kept the Federal brake circuit so of course I had to adapt it for the different locations for the boosters. The other is behind the other rear wheel. The plumbing didn't come out as neat as I wished but it is hidden by the trunk so I only care a little bit. Doing it this way allowed me to but a panel of electronic stuff where the boosters were. It holds a rev limiter, a fuel pump relay, a GPS antenna, some fuses and the emissions plaque  :) . The picture is old and I have a Pertronics rev limiter now and maybe another small change or two but you can get the idea.

I should note that just as the original boosters mounting points are backed up - originally there was a piece of sheet metal on the other side of the fiberglass where the boosters were mounted - I did the same thing.
Title: Re: 1973 Europa Special restoration help
Post by: Quebec_Europa on Sunday,January 02, 2022, 04:16:18 AM
There are a multitude of photo's on this forum which will satisfy your requirements - just get comfortable and surf through it - you will learn so much on the way.

Not wishing to show favoritism in any way - the following may help you in appreciating what is ahead of you - as advised above, there are many other similar photographic records you can find on the forum     

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOF7peFDeR7jZ1MnMiV-2qiuefDwlLuCurNiAeMoWI5qnzmWu4Aoc3ebsGNKFGAWw?key=R3BVUElCcTVjZzVFYTVSTEczaV8tUk1UT3UtVThn

Hope it helps - get ready to be asked for photographs of your build - the forum loves photos.  :Welcome:

Wow, so much usefull pictures and videos. This will so much be of help for my retauration purposes :).