70 S2 0044Q

[Sandyman]

Hello fellow Europa owners and fans. I have been on this site for about 6 months and thought you should see what I have and what I am doing. Some 40 odd (very odd) years ago I saw a Europa In the suburbs of Toronto. It was love at first site! Last September the stars aligned and I found my baby, a 1970 S2 7001.020044Q originally all Carnival red . A 6 hr. round trip drive (North Bay ON) with a rented trailer and she was home. It appears I am the 3rd. owner. Lotus records show the car being shipped to Hamilton ON mid 1970. It was bought and registered as a 1971. My Europa has not run since 1978, when it was put into storage. It appears to have had some off road adventures. Bad fibreglass repair and hole on passenger side under door, bent lower front suspension from tow chain and a replaced right side rear radius arm. 40 years of sitting has not been kind. Rust, rust and more rust. Body is in fair shape. More later on the restoration

[Sandyman]

Some how the last 2 pictures were flipped. Please stand on your heads to view.

[EuropaTC]

Some how the last 2 pictures were flipped. Please stand on your heads to view.

 

That's the sort of thing I do as well......

Now there's some serious welding needed on that crossmember, I can see you're going to be busy. It would probably be quicker to replace the whole chassis, I suppose it comes down to cost and whether you like a project or not.   I welded up my old chassis mostly because I had time and it was obviously cheaper to buy steel and welding wire. Although mine wasn't as extensive as yours, most of my rust was around the engine mounts where I had some spectacular holes (how did the engine stay in place ?)  and at the rear fork where the central spine meets the rear  "V" sections.

Have you started the job yet or are you still making lists ?    I can see your summer is accounted for......   

Brian

[Sandyman]

Thanks for the input Brian. Upon crawling under the car and seeing the rust issues I did indeed have some thinking to do. First I decided to take the body off and get a better idea of what I was dealing with. Not having any welding ability or equipment, finding a local welding shop was an option to repair the chassis. All the Suspension and brakes were broken/rusted beyond what I considered savable with my limited abilities. Research lead me to Spyder Chassis. One is now on order. Hoping it will arrive in June 2019.  In an attempt to make the Europa as safe and stout as possible I am upgrading to their front and rear suspension, 4 wheel disks and a duel reservoir master cylinder.

[Certified Lotus]

Smart move on replacing the chassis and suspension. You will never regret making that decision. Now you can focus on the engine, cooling system, transaxle and braking system.

The fiberglass work is an art form. Lots to learn but many have been very successful in their home shops. (I went the body shop route because I didn’t want all the dust all over my garage and I don’t have a paint booth).

Nothing better than doing a full restoration in your own garage. You learn an awful lot about your car, friends will be amazed at your new hobby and there is a personal enjoyment of completing each and ever step of your rebuild. After 4 Lotus restorations I still smile at the end of the day at my small incremental accomplishments.

Like you Sandyman, I saw my first Europa 40 odd years ago and was awestruck. I wanted one in the worst way. Amazed it took 40 years to finally acquire one and two years of restoration work. Hope to be on the road this summer!

Keep us updated on a regular basis (with photos). We all like looking over the shoulder of a fellow Europa enthusiast to help along the way. It’s been an invaluable resource for me, all the guys on this website.

[dakazman]

 It’s amazing how our stories all start about 40 years ago. Love at first site, it’s contagious for this unique automobile. A rich racing history is also a bonus. Keep your paint scheme, it’s a real icon.
Keep posting , with pictures of that new frame and suspension it will be awesome.
Dakazman

[BDA]

The Spyder frame is a good choice: improved access to everything, more advanced rear suspension, and support for pretty much any tranny. I suspect that after paying a local welding shop to repair yours, you could have been pretty far down the road to paying for a Spyder and not have the advantages. I hope you get it soon. Until then you can do body work and clean up parts. Fiberglass is pretty easy to work with. I think I would take all the paint off and have the same scheme repainted on your car. A random orbital sander and a lot of paper would get you going.

Good luck and post lots of pictures!

[Clifton]

I commend you for taking on such a project. You have a lot of work, stay on it. You'll like the dual master. You can get a nice pedal pressure with the bore options and easily adjust bias.  The pic on the trailer kind of looks like a type 54. Keep the pics coming, we love seeing them even if we don't comment.

[Sandyman]

Thanks for all the encouragement. My Europa is a type 54 with the 1.5 L engine(697-04) and the 4 speed (336-56). Certified, I will have blown my budget once I get the car on the road, repaint will have to wait a couple of years. Spyder is also supplying stainless steel coolant tubes so all I have to source is a new aluminum rad. (Ebay has some good options.) The PO had started to work on the car. He managed to get the engine running. The car only has 29,000 miles on it so the Engine and transmission should not have to much wear. When I got the Europa home I wanted to run the engine for myself. Topped up the Coolant and turned her over. Yes, she runs! Just like a happy puppy she pee"d all over the place. Coolant mostly but some oil as well. Upon draining the coolant it looked more like chunky chocolate milk well past its best before date. Transfer tubes rotted through in many places, gaskets leaking or missing. no thermostat. no option but to strip her down. pull the power train and start fixing.

[jbcollier]

Before starting it the next time, re-torque the head bolts and reset the valve clearances.  Following the torque pattern, loosen and re-torque one head bolt at a time.  Mark each bolt head and it should at least go back to where it was.  Make sure you fill and bleed the cooling system properly.  These engines are very tough but DO NOT TOLERATE BEING OVERHEATED !!

[Sandyman]

Thanks JB, your knowledge about these cars is incredible and greatly appreciated! Having read most of your posts and replies I see what a great asset to this forum you are. This last winter I did as you suggested and re torqued Head as per manual, re set the valve clearances, re torqued the main and con rod bolts (allowing me to inspect the bearings, all good ) and change the main crank seal. The fly wheel was sent out to be polished (not resurfaced as per manual). Rusty oil pan was also sent out to be braised.

[jbcollier]

Asset?  More ass-hat as I'm getting old, grumpy and repetitive!

I really, really like the Renault engines.  They are very sweet-revving and love to be driven hard.  Not powerful (especially these days where every mini-van mom has 200+ hp) but respond well to simple tuning (carb and exhaust).  The engines are also ridiculously light and the crankcases very stiff even so.  The engines are a jewel of engineering.

[Sandyman]

JB, I have lots of questions. What do I need in an engine oil? Is there a Canadian source for oil filters? Is 75W90 NT the right oil for the transmission? I can get lots of oil for an Massey Furgison diesel, not much in performance oils without a 2 hr drive. Need to stock up as I plan to run the power train in the old chassis to flush it and set timing.

[BDA]

Amazon or ebay is your friend... 

[Sandyman]

Only if I know what I am doing