Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: Richard48Y on Friday,March 17, 2023, 07:05:47 PM
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My buddy bought 742R, the red car recently listed here from So Cal.
After going through the "Heck" of arranging transport, running the gauntlet of "Brokers" it will be delivered to me next week.
Running car needing a complete service, paint, tires, bumper chroming, and a few small missing parts.
I will rebuild the Dellorto and do the rest of the service items.
I will also do any needed fiberglass repairs before sending it to paint.
So in less than a month I will finally get to drive an S2 Europa, just not mine!
I will post progress here as it occurs.
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Looking to confirm 1970 or 1971 manufacture?
Tried the knowledge base but it is down.
Another source?
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From the registry, it looks like '70 (http://lotus-europa.com/regs2.html).
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Survived the trip to So. Cal. and back.
Still have to get it unloaded from the truck but that is tomorrows task.
Hoping the spare holds air as the RF does not.
Today I will confirm which Dellorto it has and make a list of other obvious needs to shop for.
Do we know a source for an original muffler in the US?
Need not be stainless.
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Survived the trip to So. Cal. and back.
Still have to get it unloaded from the truck but that is tomorrows task.
Hoping the spare holds air as the RF does not.
Today I will confirm which Dellorto it has and make a list of other obvious needs to shop for.
Do we know a source for an original muffler in the US?
Need not be stainless.
RD has OEM mufflers (I know, because I gave him mine...), but they are NOT cheap. May be better, unless you're stickler for originality, to get a new downpipe and have a muffler shop gin something up. That's what I did....and it worked out ok.
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Doing assessment of what parts and work will be needed to make it a driver.
Warnerford intake and Dellorto DHLA-40, DHLA is to be rebuilt.
Dual circuit MC already fitted so I will not have to make new lines.
Damage to the rear deck lid, someone let the wind take it into the rear of the roof, obvious from the crack location. Just cracked at the edge so not while being towed backward. Bigger issue is that the rear edge has warped upward.
Spare tire is missing so I am looking for one original rim in good shape.
Would like to confirm which PerTronix kit is correct.
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Off the truck and on the ground.
Got it inside and on wheel dollies so I may move it around.
Finally getting a better look, found a crack in the very upper right corner of the windshield. :(
I will be rearranging some engine compartment lines to tidy up.
Lots of details to be cleaned up.
Closing plate is in place so I have not been able to examine the frame head yet.
So Cal car so hoping for a happy outcome.
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First order of business was to remove all the dead leaves and rat dung from the engine compartment, frunk was not so bad, no vents.
Why are cars always parked under trees?
Next was removing the rear deck lid for repair.
Somewhere along the way one of the "Pro" car movers had to have leaned it up against the back of the roof, in the wind. >:(
Confirmed by the location of the break.
Also cracked along almost the entire length of both sides at the corner line.
So this will be a chore but maybe stronger than original when I am done.
I think I will also add some sort of limit straps to prevent it happening again.
Seems there should be a prop-rod from the factory.
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Working on the engine cover today.
I now realize why the cracks along the edge extend so far.
Seems the top surface and edges were made separately then bonded together.
The joint is not particularly strong to begin with and if the side is "Resin rich", AKA too much Gel Coat and not enough cloth it becomes very brittle.
This may be the worst chore of the entire car.
Pulled the fuel drain and nothing came out, poked a wire up and felt some resistance.
But still no fuel, thought it was supposed to have some.
Next is to have a look with my bore-light.
Suspecting a new alloy tank is likely.
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Another day another frustration.
I have never seen another Dellorto that had the mixture screws below the surface of the main body.
Of course this one has apparently been wet and the screws are seized.
Also made of brass, so too soft.
Going to be interesting sorting this out, very open to suggestions!
Hopefully finding out what is drawing 30A when the key is turned on will be simpler.
No smoke, just a major draw even without engaging the starter.
And the starter does not work from the key either.
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Disconnect the ground at the battery and hook up a headlight bulb between them. Turn on the ignition and the headlight will be very bright. Now go along disconnecting circuits until you find the problem and the bulb goes out or dim.
30 amps is a lot. I would start at the alternator. Might be a bad diode.
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Clean the carb thoroughly. Put it in the oven/BBQ and heat it to 250°F or so. Use oven mitts and gently try the screws. Still stuck? Apply a release agent to the screws overnight and repeat the process.
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The headlight trick is new to me, I will try it.
Carb is soaking in penetrant.
I will mount it in my Vertical Mill to hold it for drilling before an "Easy-out" attempt.
Fearing I may have to replace the main body.
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Any 12 volt lamp (not a led) will work for this method. Can be a huge time saver.
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It works best with a high wattage bulb if you are looking for a significant draw.
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"New" used blower motor arrived today.
Now to test it and do a bit of clean up.
EDIT: Runs fine, so a change of brackets and good to use.
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On stands, wheels off for painting and new tires.
Chassis does not look "New" but is OK, no rust out visible.
Some flaking paint but that is relatively simple to fix.
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Just realized we do not have a specific body-paint topic here.
About finished stripping the engine cover for repair and paint prep.
The repairs are a bit of extra work since the last person to paint it applied a thin layer of Bondo® to the entire underside.
The soda blaster removed that very well but used more Blasting Soda than I would have liked. $1.00 per pound in fifty pound bags.
It was not as effective on the top side, whatever paint was used is tough.
It also shrugged off Clean Strip paint remover without effect.
Too bad it was also flaking and cracking in several spots.
But I found that it is a bit brittle so a single edge razor removed it pretty quickly while leaving most of the primer/sealer.
Whatever High-Build primer was used had poor adhesion to the fiberglass in spots and did not prevent spider cracks eventually coming through.
Where I have removed paint appears too smooth, the paint is not really bonded well.
So I guess this gets stripped to bare 'Glass.
If shipping were not so expensive a new rear deck would make more sense.
When this one was laid up the Gel-Coat was too heavy on the corners and it has shattered over time.
I will fix it to better than new but it will be a slow job.
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When I started stripping my TCS, I swore off Bondo, and scraped off literal pounds of it from various bad PO repairs. I mixed milled glass fibers into resin for a more fiberglass filler, which works great. Then I found Bondo Glass, which is resin with milled fibers already mixed correctly. The stuff also works great, sands easily, cures in 30 minutes, so I can continue the same day. But, I haven’t painted it and lived with it. Does it crack off if the body is bumped by a cluefor’s door for instance? So, for more exposed repairs, I covered the BGlass repair area with veil, as a more continuous sheet of glass. For your over gel coated edges, you might Bondo Glass, then cover with veil.
I also found a grey layer that laughed at the Safest Stripper. I think it was something Lotus used, but never identified it.
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First of the repairs laid up.
Star cracks and breaks near the hinges.
This should stabilize the breaks enough to work the bottom side.
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As usual it was not Lucas at fault.
A white wire that looks to have been scabbed in runs to the red/black of the radiator fan.
Seems someone wired the fan to be on anytime the ignition is on.
But the fan is nearly completely seized, it is the original, complete with backward blade.
Anyone need an original fan for their concourse car? ;)
It can probably be fixed.
For now disconnecting the incorrect wire is the answer.
The headlight trick worked pretty well.
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Got the fan to work.
Of course it was wired backward and now I am unsure if it is actually original as it has a plastic blade.
In any case the blade is clearly shaped wrong for max efficiency.
To work best it wants to be a puller.
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I know I opened the passenger door at least once before.
But now I have joined the "Opening a stuck door" club.
I got the inside latch loose but pulling the rod does nothing.
Now trying to carefully remove the door card.
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Attempts at powder painting the stock wheels in original silver failed.
So now they are "Chrome" and it does look good.
One issue with powder painting is that you do not get to fill any pitting and it does show when finished.
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Attempts at powder painting the stock wheels in original silver failed.
So now they are "Chrome" and it does look good.
One issue with powder painting is that you do not get to fill any pitting and it does show when finished.
My powder coat guy filled in the major pitting with weld and then ground down before coating. Looks fine to me. Did the same on 693R, and they turned out just fine.
Just getting back (when I get back to PA...) a set of steel wheels; going to go retro on the TCS with the OEM steelies and a set of NOS hub caps I've been hoarding for almost ever.
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Experimented with fans today.
Ran an original R16 fan, pulls air decently but only gets louder while pushing almost no air when reversed to push.
Tried out the bulky fan that came with the car and it is pretty much the same story but pushes a little more air.
Both are very doubtful for Nevada summers.
I am back to looking for a source for the Mercedes fans that were recommended.
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Happy with compression test results.
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Engine cover is finally fully stripped of all old primer.
Soda blasting worked very well and I am sure the gelcoat is no longer slick.
In the pic above those bare spots are where the old primer did not adhere well.
They are also where it seems the gelcoat may never have been sanded, still absolutely slick and shiny.
Of course getting the last of the primer off revealed more Bondo® to rework.
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Engine cover is finally ready for primer or veil.
I would prefer veil despite the extra work as it should take care of any exposed fibers pretty much permanently.
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Hopefully finding out what is drawing 30A when the key is turned on will be simpler.
No smoke, just a major draw even without engaging the starter.
And the starter does not work from the key either.
Do you here the solenoid engage at all with the ign switch?
Dakazman
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Got the starter working a while ago but it was very lazy.
For now I have put my high-torque starter in.
That allowed a compression check which came up as good.
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I've been applying synthetic veil to the engine cover.
Not a quick job but I do like the result.
The main panel is done but I still have some edge and edge return work to do.
I did learn that I will want the adhesive spray on hand before doing more of this type work.
Also that a spreader is better than a brush.
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Trying to get the passenger side door to open.
I got the door insert out so I have access to the rods.
No matter what I do the release lever at the latch will not move.
I am certain it is not locked, unless the lock is jammed in some way.
I have spare doors I will be removing a latch from to verify it all works as I think it should.
I notice a small lever at the top of the latch, not sure how to get to it but I do know it needs to be Down.
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Glad you’re coming along with the veil.
Other than stating the obvious of using the key to unlock or reset the child lock lever .
Can you remove your door pin ? If so you can loosen the catch in door jamb from the wheel well area which might get you enough space to reach the arm on lock.
Dakazman
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Applied penetrating oil as well as I could last night.
Hoping it helps.
Without being able to reach the cotter pins I cannot take out the hinge.
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I checked my child lock tabs and both are in the up position. Off
I’ll check again!
Dakazman
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They had better be DOWN!
Finally got the passenger door open, and sure as Heck the kiddy lock was UP.
Might not have been such an issue but the rod for the outside release had fallen out of the hole in the lever.
The retainer is cheap plastic!
I plan to cut these redundant locks off, just FYI, there is no access to that mechanism from inside the door.
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Got my annoyance for the day.
Has anyone EVER been able to make the Chinese silicon hoses fit?
I hesitate to start cutting them down for length as I do not see that correcting the wrong angle/collapse at the bend issues.
Nothing on any of them to indicate where they allegedly go.
If the fit were decent simply offering them to the location should sort them.
If anyone has had success I would love to hear how, pics would be great.
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I can't help you with your hoses. I've always thought it strange that they are all over ebay but only for the S2 (and S1?) and not the TCs. If you are roadblocked by them and want good ones, Lotus Supplies sells them in a few different colors. I would trust that they fit. (https://www.lotus-supplies.com/part-category/cooling/hoses/)
I've been critical of them with regard to responding to my inquiries. I think they have a very specific business model. You go on their website and go to the item you want, then click "Request Item." One of them will then email you about availability, etc. and you make arrangements from there. At least that's the way it would seem to work for me when I "requested" a few items. I haven't purchased them yet so I don't know the full drill.
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Fuel tank that came in this car was very rusty.
Today I pressure tested the steel tank from my car and painted it.
Now to put it in.
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"New" fuel tank is finally in place.
Now maybe I can put the Weber back on.
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Richard ,before you put the weber on, do you have a wedge engine? if so disregard.
The wedge needs a extension on the two center manifold studs especially when having headers and the hermes intake.
dakazman
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This one is a Wedge, the intake is a Warnerford.
I never removed the intake.
Time to assemble the Dellorto 40 and put it back on.
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Aughh, I haven’t drawn this up but in order to reach under carb to tighten the lower two shared manifold of the exhaust and intake. If we can weld a short threaded stud to a short extension on a bolt with a welded flange to pull the two to head .
Just thinking out loud and can draw it up better. Another way of adding a heat shield I would be a plus , I just left it off my 45 Dcoe carb .
Dakazman
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Warnerford has a coolant passage in the manifold.
A heat shield still might be helpful.
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DHLA 40N rebuild is essentially complete.
Just need to stake the throttle plate screws before putting the chokes and Venturi's in.
May wait until the engine mounts are exchanged for new before fitting.
A little extra room around the engine cannot hurt.
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Getting a bit closer to being a runner again.
I managed to get two of the Chinese silicon hoses to fit up front after shortening them at both ends.
Originally far too long so they kinked when fitted.
The other two hoses may fit a TC but are useless for an S2.
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DHLA 40N ready to go back on.
Castings were stained from water, even after soda blast.
So this one got painted with HD #98606BY Silver Bead Blast Acrylic Lacquer.
It has had plenty of time to cure.
It is now on the car.
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Purty! :beerchug:
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Yes, it really shames the rest of the car.
But this in not supposed to be another years long frame-off job.
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Still, I think we’d like to see some pictures!
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Minor progress today.
The Warnerford manifold features water heating for winter.
I had to replace one fitting in order to plumb it.
I will be redoing the throttle linkage as what was there is a hack job.
Biggest issue of the moment is finding a decent way to plumb the swirl pot to the transfer tube.
Original hose probably does not want to clear with the side-draft Dellorto and air cleaner.
This should be very similar to an Else setup, anyone have a handy solution?
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I would disable the coolant flow to the intake manifold. First, you are getting plenty of heat off the exhaust manifold already, too much heat in fact. Second, carb icing is not really an issue with Europas given how warm the engine compartment gets. My crossflow had no issues all the way down to -18C (close to 0F) and it didn't have exhaust heat under the carbs.
Can't help with the return hose. I haven't yet seen a simple, clean-looking solution to that problem.
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A little more done.
The old throttle cable bracket was terrible.
I drilled and tapped the intake where it was already dimpled for the purpose and bolted on a new fabricated bracket.
Much cleaner in my opinion.
Now I just have to make a proper cable end.
Also a pic of the Chinese hoses after cutting them shorter.
Aluminum radiator and the honeycomb screen too.
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6' of 304 stainless tube incoming.
Plan is to use the bender to create another transfer tube up to the swirl pot.
Then only inexpensive short strait sections of hose will be used to finish up.
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OK, one strait and one short 90º rubber hose.
Almost starts now, cranking a bit slow even with the high torque starter.
Going to replace the cheesy home made ground straps after cleaning the contact areas.
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I got into sorting out 742R engine compartment wiring today.
Removed several wires that did not belong in there and corrected the grounding.
I will make wires to the electric fuel pump more logical and shorter.
Also got rid of the :-X wing-nut battery connections, I really hate them.
It spins over better now.
Once I get the timing set it should start.
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Richard, you are planning an inertia switch or other fuel pump relay so that the pump doesn't work after an accident, right?
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Yes, once it is running.
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:pirate:
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After cleaning up some excess wires added by the DPO the engine compartment is much more tidy.
Relocated the battery ground to the engine block and the starter spins faster.
Also added a fresh ground strap and cleaned the factory ground point.
Pulled the dust cover from the transaxle so that I could find TDC for static timing.
Set that and got it to fire up at last.
Only ran for a moment as I am still working on the cooling system but I now know it will run. ;D
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:beerchug: Richard,
That’s a great feeling for sure .
Dakazman
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Got the trailing arms, hubs, axles nearly removed.
Will clean all that up since I am replacing the mounts anyway.
Engine mounts are looking to be a bit more difficult.
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:pirate:
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Small progress today.
Figured out the non-standard timing marks.
Red for up to 15º advance and yellow for up to 15º retard.
So I'm guessing this car has an aftermarket flywheel.
Also got the water pump to transfer pipe hose replaced with a correct part.
Much nicer than the ugly flex hose that had been on it.
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A little more progress.
Got the trailing arms off and apart.
They are in excellent condition but I will have to rebuild the brakes.
Naturally doing U-Joints as they are too much of a pain to ignore them when it is already apart.
With the trailing arms off new engine and trailing arm mounts should be simpler to replace as well.
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Prepared both trailing arms for the electrolysis bath to remove any inside rust.
They are actually very good but I will remove all rust spots before repainting inside and out.
I cut a couple of pieces of steel rod, then cut squares of plastic to go around them so that the steel will not contact the arms.
An electrolysis bath works best with a direct path from the piece being de-rusted to the anode.
With the prep done tonight I will get them cooking in the morning.
Battery charger for the power source.
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Got the arms cooking.
Hard to see details in the pic but I have a mild steel rod down the inside of each trailing arm.
They are insulated from the arms by square plastic spacers I cut.
I could have used some heavy mesh on the outside but proximity makes a difference and it is the inside I need to clean.
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Are you going to plate the afterwards? Is that a vinager solution?
Copper , zinc or nickel anode?
That’s a big vat btw.
Dakazman
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Are you going to plate the afterwards? Is that a vinager solution?
Copper , zinc or nickel anode?
That’s a big vat btw.
Dakazman
I'm thinking plain iron, and the solution is washing soda (sodium carbonate).
https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-remove-rust-with-electrolysis/
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Yes, mild steel rod and washing soda.
DO NOT USE STAINLESS ROD! TOXIC!!!!
When this set is done I will do my own too.
I've thought about doing a light galvanize afterward.
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Got the rest of the rear suspension completely apart.
Brake backing plates are stripped, cleaned, bead blasted and painted.
Axles are apart for all new U-joints, I did mark them for orientation first.
Many small parts are soaking in Evaporust.
Strange that someone in the past had painted the suspension white.
Why would you want it to stand out?
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Lot of parts now cleaned, paint stripped, bead blasted and painted black today.
Got the uprights apart and bead blasted too.
I like the look of the bare aluminum but doubt the porous surfaces would stay nice for long, so will paint them in aluminum color.
Paint will surely clean up easier at the car wash.
Pulled the trailing arms from the electrolysis bath and rinsed them.
All the loose scale and crud is gone but they are still spotted with light rust.
So back in the dunk for another go.
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Four runs through the dunk looks pretty good inside.
No loose scale at all.
Not shiny inside but clean.
I've gotten the outside blasted and did as much blasting as I could inside.
Primer before paint, and the insides will also get treated with the Chassis Wax kit I have.
Also got the brake adjusters apart and cleaned up today.
Painting the hub carriers as I so not expect porous surface aluminum to stay clean very easily.
By the weekend I should be able to begin reassembly of the trailing arms and brakes.
Need to order wheel cylinders and rubbers too.
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Time for a progress report.
Trailing arms, uprights, stub axles are back together.
I will install the brakes after the suspension is done, makes the arms lighter.
A comment was made some time ago about never seeing a clean install of the tube from the swirl pot to the transfer tube on S2 single Weber conversions.
I am a bit disappointed this stainless tube did not bend smoother over about 40º but happy to get it done in one piece.
I was even able to use some of the blue feeBay silicon hose that had been left over.
This passes under the Weber with plenty of space.
Due to bend radius limits I did have to use a 90º rubber connection at the swirl pot end.
I will post an installed pic once it is in place.
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Nice job! :beerchug:
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Decent enough I suppose.
Been wasting some time trying to find a more malleable stainless to make my own transfer tubes.
Found some hints that 301 annealed or 1/4 hard might be the ticket, but no clue where to buy any of it reasonably nearby.
There are also annealing services, far away, and the cost of shipping is truly insane.
Need my MM PU on the road so that I can just drive to the industrial area of LA to pick it up.
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New trailing arm mounts, done.
New engine mounts, done.
New transmission mount, ordered months ago and just shipped so still waiting.
Not the worst jobs to do once the correct tools are figured out.
Access inside the frame is 'Interesting' and I will never reuse old bolts and nuts.
Now to make myself a tool for removing springs from shocks.
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I used an exhaust flange I had laying around to Fabricobble one ….
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Cutting a slot and a couple of holes in a piece of heavy plate I have.
Holes in some square stock at the bottom.
Threaded rod to compress.
Only expect to use it for this one set.
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Great idea guys, I’ll put this in my bookmarks.
Dakazman
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Got both the old SPAX shocks apart and one is junk.
So now on the hunt for replacements.
Not certain AVO are currently available.
Protech have no listing on their site.
No luck finding GAZ part numbers.
Which seems to leave SPAX as the only readily available option?
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I got my Protech shocks from SJSportscars and I like them. They are kind of pretty to put them under the car! The front shocks take 1.9" springs, same as the rears.
I had Spax before and didn't realize they were providing no dampening till I took them off and compressed them by hand. I don't remember how long I had them (but they were old enough that the Spax tech support people couldn't tell me how many clicks of adjustment they had) so I can't say that Spax are bad. If you want to go the Spax route, r.d. sells them. If you plan on using the stock front springs, r.d.'s Spax have the spring perches for the larger springs. They can also be had with perches for 1.9" springs (maybe from Dave Bean?).
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Are you using original springs or shorter so that ride height may be adjusted?
SJ says to use SJ046D0004 for S2's but does not seem to have them as an option for their cart. :confused:
Price seems significantly less than SPAX.
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Keep in mind I have a TCS. I'm running 10" front springs and 14" rear springs. All my spring perches are all the way down. My ride height is a bit higher than I would like but it's not objectionable (and certainly not worth the cost of four new springs at least at the moment). Of course, my only adjustment would be to make the ride height higher which I don't want and that is my only complaint with these springs.
My advice would be to get 8" front springs and 12" rear springs so that you'd be able to have some adjustment. As I say, Keep in mind I have a TCS. IIRC, up to some year (through type 54?) the ride height had not been bastardized for headlight height requirements.
You didn't mention spring rates... That is a whole 'nother conversation. I will say I have tried 250F/130R and did not find it terribly harsh. I'm running 160F/115R now and I find it pretty comfortable. I tried another set but I don't remember them off hand. And then there is the stock rates (truth be told there are all manner of rate combinations you might want). Nobody ever complained about the handling of a Europa with stock springs. The 160/115 I'm running now feel good to me and a bit more relaxing than the 250/130 I've run in the past but were not as stiff as they sound. I think if I change anything from here, I'd keep the same rate and get shorter springs.
Since there is no further description for SJ046D0004 other than S1 and S2 spring, I expect that is the stock spring with the stock rate. There are lots of places in the US where you can order springs by length, rate, and diameter if you want something other than stock (hint: search for something like "1.88 inch racing coil over springs").
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Shocks are a delay item, so on to other task for now.
I have new seals for the transaxle output shafts but it seems I also need an O ring set and maybe a couple more shims.
Another delay. :headbanger:
I will see what I can do for a nut driving tool too.
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4WD socket works …also fits retainer for fuel level float unit
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Already have the output seals but today I ordered the O rings and some more shims.
Also took a sample ring from my junk trans to buy a driver at O'Rielly.
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Oops!
Forgot about the output shaft protruding.
Hopefully they will have another version that is longer.
EDIT: Exchanged, and even got some cash back.
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After install pics of the swirl pot hose going to the transfer tube.
It does clear the air filter no problem.
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1270 socket clears output shafts …
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Yep, that is what I exchanged for.
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New transmission mount installed.
Cheated and bought new nuts and bolts.
Simplest task ever so far.
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Output shaft seals and O rings replaced, re-shimmed.
I had been a bit concerned with this after reading several threads where folk were having issues.
But beyond awkward access and the nuts taking a bit of force to break loose it was not bad.
I did use a little Hylomar on the threads, so maybe next time will be easier.
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Got an "Otter switch" that fits the aluminum radiator properly but the matching plug seems to be impossible.
No biggy, I will solder on a couple of wires to make a pigtail to connect to the originals.
Ohm meter does not show any connection from either terminal to ground.
Since it is just a switch I expect no polarity.
But I do note a significant difference in wire gauges at the original harness.
So, is there a polarity issue or did Lotus have some other reason for the light and heavy wires?
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Drop it into a cup of hot water and you’ll see continuty the heavy wire should go to the bat on relay. Don’t submerge it !
Afterwards, Just jumper the terminals to test the circuit.
Dakazman
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The water needs to be very hot, pretty much boiling with the later "Otter" rad fan switches. Wiring tail is available from British car parts suppliers. The same switch was used on late MBBs for one.
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Original switch cannot be used with the aluminum radiator.
I did get the trailing arms and SPAX shocks back under the car.
Still have to get the new roll-pins in and the lower links.
Then I will assemble the rear brakes.
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Hmm, Rear trailing arms and shocks are in place.
Offered up a stock lower link and see that it does NOT naturally align between the trans mount and upright.
Checked the book, no spacer at the upright is shown. So the bushes would be under a lot of twist.
In order to use an adjustable lower link a spacer is required to clear the shock.
My car had short spacers, looks like these will have to be a little longer.
My preference would be no spacers.
But that puts the arm of the lower link at more of an angle and will not clear the SPAX shock.
I will try to get a pic after assembly.
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Hmm, Rear trailing arms and shocks are in place.
Offered up a stock lower link and see that it does NOT naturally align between the trans mount and upright.
Checked the book, no spacer at the upright is shown. So the bushes would be under a lot of twist.
In order to use an adjustable lower link a spacer is required to clear the shock.
My car had short spacers, looks like these will have to be a little longer.
My preference would be no spacers.
But that puts the arm of the lower link at more of an angle and will not clear the SPAX shock.
I will try to get a pic after assembly.
What you want are 'cone washers'. They are used to center ball joints so the ball doesn't bind and can rotate to the limit of the design. See below. What I did on 693R. It's what they're made for and certainly proper use for this case.
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Offered up a stock lower link and see that it does NOT naturally align between the trans mount and upright.
There's a drawing in the workshop manual with relevant dimensions.
I believe TC/TCS links use different pivot angles for the end bushes.