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 Mass which laid me out on the tarmac with the bike resting on my ankle..) and just can't easily fold myself in half to get in or out easily anymore or comfortably hold the clutch down at lights, so thinking of letting 3291R go to the next owner.
Readers of the Garage know that a lot of work has gone into her so far, and have accumulated many parts to continue...but so far, have:
1. Upgraded distributor and coil to Pertronix combo and set timing and 1-grade warmer spark plugs to get her running
2. Rebuilt strombergs, and removed secondary throttles, and set mixture, balanced, and idle.
3. Reupholstered seats and installed new floor carpets.
4. Overhauled and powder coated steel rims, and 4 new tires (alloys and good rubber stored and would go with car.) and OEM hubcaps
5. Overhauled front suspension, lowered front end with spax shocks and 125lb replacement springs.
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 OEM header and downpipe in usable condition if you want to go back to original.
8. Overhauled gear shift with lower bronze bushings and fresh ball joint, shortened shift lever.
9. 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.
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, 2 potential useful master cylinders, flex brake lines for the frame to trailing arm, a new dashboard in 95 point condition, 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.
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.
I'd be willing to entertain best offers (be realistic...it's a runner, in decent shape, needs paint, but...it's a survivor and I'd leave it as it is) as she sits in my garage in Massachusetts...the more you try and talk down, the more firm the price becomes. It's not perfect; could stand to be aligned, rear donuts at front of trailing arms replaced, and probably a list a mile long of other things (it IS a Lotus, afterall). I'm just throwing this out there...and would need light convincing...but...who knows? If you're looking for a good base to start from...here it is.
Would rather it goes to someone who loves the car...but not unwilling to test the waters on the auction sites. Happy to trade for a later elite with some cash...but leaving this here for what it's worth.
