Author Topic: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018  (Read 69927 times)

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Offline Gmg31

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #390 on: Saturday,March 03, 2018, 12:21:05 AM »
What's that on the sills, is it a vinyl covering or printed aluminium ? It looks good and sets off the "entrance" very well.

Brian

They are a vinyl decal made by “ I say ding dong” what you can’t see is the sill has a simple white carbon fibre sill cover to protect the paint which is edged with gold and then has the Lotus decal.

Offline Gmg31

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #391 on: Saturday,March 03, 2018, 09:31:47 AM »
Finally passed MOT today. Still quite a lot of work to do but I can start getting her ready for the summer. Delighted to finally fit the luggage compartment which I had trimmed almost two years ago.

Offline EuropaTC

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #392 on: Saturday,March 03, 2018, 09:36:39 AM »
Failed on number plates ? Clearly you have an MoT tester who doesn't know very much and as you say, pre '73 the rules are entirely different.   Where I go for my MoTs they are both understanding about the quirks of older cars and also very willing to chat about what they look for, etc. 

I'd be tempted to make an official complaint because the response you've had isn't being thorough or over cautious, it just indicates someone who hasn't bothered to read the rules about what he's testing. That is a bad mark for the profession and should be cleared up.

On the sill covers, they look very good, that decal looks great.  I just have plain black vinyl on mine and something like that would really brighten it up. I've used "ding dong" myself for period stickers, they have done good work before so I think I might drop them an email. Thanks for the info.

Offline BDA

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #393 on: Saturday,March 03, 2018, 09:54:34 AM »
Congrats on your MOT!!  :beerchug:

She's really stunning! You've really done yourself proud!

Good luck on your shake out!

Offline dakazman

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #394 on: Saturday,March 03, 2018, 04:33:13 PM »
 GMG31,
Nice engine compartment and mirror finish on the cover and firewall.
Again, nice job and bye how does it feel to turn heads ??? Lol.
Dakazman

Offline buzzer

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #395 on: Sunday,March 04, 2018, 03:27:14 AM »
Great news on the MOT. I’m getting close now to getting mine MOTD be interesting if I get the number plate issue. I use a local regular guy for all my cars so we shall see. Interesting on mine as it’s early 73 and originally had black numbers on the grill, so we shall see. So when it was new it didn’t meet the UK regs 😱.
Dave,

Other cars. Westfield SEiW. BMW E90 Alpina D3. BMW 325 E30 convertible and Range Rover CSK

Offline Certified Lotus

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #396 on: Sunday,March 04, 2018, 03:43:23 AM »
Absolutely spectacular restoration job! Congratulations.  :trophy: :trophy: :trophy:

It’s a major accomplishment to restore a car in your home garage and take the time to learn about aspects of mechanical systems you never knew or understood.

The first month or two of being on the road is always full of little adjustments and rethinking about doing something differently. But after that you just jump in the car to go for a ride.

By the way, did you ever move to the new house with the massive garage?
« Last Edit: Sunday,March 04, 2018, 04:26:40 AM by Certified Lotus »

Offline buzzer

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #397 on: Sunday,March 04, 2018, 03:54:11 AM »
What reflective film did you use on the inside of the lid and the bulkhead
. Looks fantastic .
Dave,

Other cars. Westfield SEiW. BMW E90 Alpina D3. BMW 325 E30 convertible and Range Rover CSK

Offline Bainford

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #398 on: Monday,March 05, 2018, 08:19:30 AM »
Congrats on the MOT. That is definitely a job to be proud of. The under hood work is very tidy. Outstanding sir. You have done well. :beerchug:
The Twin Cam plays the symphony whilst my right foot conducts the orchestra. At 3800 rpm the Mad Pipe Organ joins in.

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Offline Gmg31

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #399 on: Monday,March 05, 2018, 02:39:15 PM »
What reflective film did you use on the inside of the lid and the bulkhead
. Looks fantastic .

I googled gold self adhesive heat shield. But that was a long time ago and I’m afraid I can’t remember where I got it. It was surprisingly expensive though and I had to think about it for a while.

Offline Gmg31

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #400 on: Monday,March 05, 2018, 02:59:16 PM »


By the way, did you ever move to the new house with the massive garage?

Sadly not,  the owner had an aneurism and took the house off the market. He promised me first refusal if he ever re lists it though.

Offline gideon

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #401 on: Monday,March 05, 2018, 03:13:04 PM »
« Last Edit: Monday,March 05, 2018, 07:36:03 PM by gideon »

Offline Bodzer

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #402 on: Monday,March 05, 2018, 11:50:57 PM »
Great news! Looking good for the summer.

Offline Gmg31

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #403 on: Monday,April 02, 2018, 07:51:34 AM »
Finished the suspension upgrades this weekend after some frustrating issues with ride heights. Terrible weather since I MOTd her so  I’ve still never managed to take her out for a drive yet. 

Offline Gmg31

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Re: ELSE Europa restoration 2015 -2018
« Reply #404 on: Monday,June 18, 2018, 06:54:18 AM »
I've done 1200 miles since "finishing the project" and there are some issues that need to be resolved.  Despite all new oil seals the gear box is still leaking.  I'm going to wait until winter and either upgrade to a 5 speed or just renew the seals (again).  I still have problems with third gear and really struggle to get it going up the gears, much easier going down.

I did a lot of shopping around when I bought my carpets and I'm so disappointed.  I'm ripping them out in two weeks and taking the car to an auto trimmer to make custom carpets.  Some key things that are essential.  Where the carpets meet the door seals they need to have vinyl or leather on the edge so you can rap it over the seam and lock it down with the seal.  The floor area in front of the seats needs to be sturdy or fixed down otherwise every time you get out you twist the carpet and it bunches up.  This is not an area for saving money and I deeply regret getting a carpet set.

The car runs really well but she pinks very badly between 2-3k revs.  Above 3k she just wants to fly and I have to keep a steady hold on the speed.

Really surprised how economical she is.  I'm tracking every mile on a spread sheet and the first two tanks of fuel she returned 37 mpg.  To be fare I was taking it easy as I was gently running her in and the brakes were terrible.  Since them I've added a Servo and I drive her a little quicker and she is still doing 32 mpg.