Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Members Cars => Topic started by: Sandyman on Saturday,May 04, 2019, 06:40:51 PM
-
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
-
Some how the last 2 pictures were flipped. Please stand on your heads to view.
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
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!
-
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.
-
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.
-
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 !!
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Amazon or ebay is your friend... :)
-
Only if I know what I am doing
-
Is there a Canadian Tire nearby? Napa?
Transaxle: Any GL-5 or GL-4 gear oil in the 75-90/80-90 range will work, no problem. Some oils give better shifting. When I switched to Redline MT90, there was a noticeable improvement in shifting. All Renault transaxles leak; some a little, some a lot. Sounds dumb to say it but the one thing they won't tolerate is no oil. Check your transaxle level regularly until you get a handle on how often it needs topping up. Check it at least once at the start of the season and before any long drives.
Engine: It is a classic "flat-tappet" engine and it does benefit from a bit more phosphorous/zinc than you find in most modern oils. Again any oil is better than no oil. Mobil 1 5W50 is usually available at auto parts stores. It has a reasonably level of phosphorous/zinc. Failing that, motorcycle shops are another source of phosphorous/zinc rich oils -- albeit, not cheap. See what the local shops have and do a bit of research. I would stick with oils that have a 50 at the top like 5/10/15/20 - 50. I used Mobil 1 V-Twin oil 20W-50 for a long time. It was perfect and Canadian Tire carried it. But, it doesn't seem to be available anywhere in Canada anymore.
Diesel oils are controversial. Lots of people are using them but, there is always a but, they have additives to suit issues that diesel engines have, not the gasoline engine issues. Some people are quite concerned, some not at all.
Temper it all with the fact that 90% of modern oils are far better than 90% of what was available in the 60s!
The oil filters are standard Ford filters (3/4" 16 tpi thread). You want the really short one. Just ask for a filter for a 1980 Renault 5 and you'll be good. You can also fit a 90° adapter and then fit regular length Ford filters. Not a big deal though as usually pampered cars, like Europas, get twice as many, or more, oil changes than they actually need.
-
Thanks JB, I don't want to destroy the power train through ignorance. Canadian Tire 20 min. away. I will get oil this week.
-
Once you settle on what oil you want, if it's not available locally, you can always order it on Amazon or ebay and probably Walmart, too.
-
Like several other Europa owners I have never driven one! I have only seen one other in the flesh. (last fall at the Canadian Lotus Club fall colour tour.) More of what I got up to last winter when not doing my volunteer Ski Patrol duties. I reassembled the engine, checked the crown/pinion backlash (after replacing output and input shaft seals) and bolted them together. The lotus engineers must have been having a bad day when they designed the door hinges. 2 people and a saws-all to remove the old ones. PO broke the fibreglass holding the latch on the drivers door. I ground and repaired it in March.
-
Wrong picture of finished latch repair on previous post. Correct one here.
-
Hopefully, you can get it together "quickly" (as much as anybody can call it quick) so you can drive it. It is unlike any car you've every driven. A lot like a race car!
-
BDA, I cant wait. The best handling car I have driven to date is a 1992 VW Jetta diesel. I have worn the words off pages describing the incredible fun to be had driving a Europa. Anticipated delivery date of Spyder Chassis is end of June.
-
Well, you have a little time to get ready for it!
-
Canadian Tire carries this oil:
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/red-line-synthetic-20w60-motorcycle-oil-946-ml-0281867p.html#srp
has ZDDP levels is the 2200 range which is just fine. Probably have to order it in.
-
FYI - I contacted the Mobil Help Desk about using Mobil 1 V-Twin in a twin cam engine and received these 2 CONTRADICTORY replies:
1. - Jan 26, 2018
Tom,
I would not recommend using the Mobil 1 V-Twin, rather, I would consider using the Mobil 1 15W-50. It has a slightly lower amount of ZDDP (1300) but it still be about 30% over the recommended threshold for older engines with flat tappet valve trains.
Thank you for choosing Mobil,
Jake Ackerman
Mobil Help Desk Team Lead
2. - Jan 29, 2018
Hello Tom,
This can be an excellent match for applications requiring an SAE 50 with high ZDDP content. Nothing about the fact that it is compatible with wet clutches will interfere with your engine’s performance.
Kind regards,
Luc LeBlanc
Americas Technical Help Desk
ExxonMobil Lubricants Technology
-
Thanks so much JB! Will do asap.
-
Great job Sandyman. I’m abit late but I noticed that one of your steering rack mount bolts refused to budge as well. I think it’s actually the same one as mine! I replaced my chassis too. Much nicer to start with a clean sheet.
Good luck!
-
Thanks Sandy for asking the question and JB for answering so throughly.
I too would have been asking the same questions.
JB,
I just pulled my gearbox off the shelf what should I go over to prep it or should I just tear it down and inspect everything, mind you it will be a first.
Dakazman
-
The transaxles are pretty tough but there is one Lotus-induced weakness: output seals. In the Renault set-up, the half-shaft CV joint encloses the output stub axle with only the roll pin holes letting an occasional smattering out. Lotus changed that and fit just a small seal-run/spacer and then applied a load through it.
The Lotus set-up leaks, sometimes just weeping, sometimes quite a bit.
That leads people to change the seals trying to stem the leak. And this is where the problems arises. The seals are pressed into the large threaded seal holders from the inside. You have to remove the nuts to change the seals. The nuts not only hold the seals, they set the diff carrier bearing pre-load, and the ring and pinion free-play. It is not very easy to remove and replace the seal nuts to EXACTLY the same position. This affects the ring and pinion clearance, which affects the contact pattern and whether the diff is quiet or not. Lots of Europa transaxles have a whine to them, either on or off throttle. Run it noisy long enough, and the ring and pinion may wear such that it is not possible to set it up properly again.
So, long story short: any unknown Europa transaxle should have the bell housing removed and the free-play of the ring and pinion checked. If adjustments are required, then fit new output seals as well so you can seal things up properly during the adjustment.
-
Heaven forfend I have to do it again but, next time, I would buy new seal nuts and have them machined so I can change the seals from the outside. Then there is no need to disturb the diff when changing the seals.
-
Bodzer, Thanks for the input. When did you get your Spyder Chassis? Did you assemble it yourself? Any input, re putting it together?
-
Hi Sandyman,
I went for an original style chassis from Richard at Banks so cannot offer you any advice. On reflection a Spyder chassis would have been a better choice for my needs. Nothing against the original chassis. The rear independent suspension would have been much more suited to my project (in whispered tones: an electric conversion). I have used Spyder products before on my +2 and found them to be well made and sturdy. However, they need to be fettled to fit. Not a drama but don’t expect holes and mountings to line up exactly. The same goes for anything Lotus.
-
Thanks for the quick reply. Should I be prepared to move and re fiberglass the mounting bobins?
-
I believe the answer to that is no, don't move the mounting bobbins. I have two original S2 chassis and, from memory, the mounting holes at the outer ends of the front T piece don't match up between chassis. So those holes were probably drilled after the body was positioned on the chassis. My best guess is that you line up the two bobbins at the base of the dashboard with the corresponding threaded holes in the chassis. Then deal with the four corners. I have a metal L shaped piece at each of the two rear mounting points that could be replaced or repositioned as necessary. Once happy with the position then mark and drill holes in the chassis for the front mounting points. I'd bet the three holes beneath each seat were drilled after the rest was lined up.
But don't take my word for it. I'm sure Spydercars can tell you exactly how to go about fitting your body shell to their chassis.
-
Agreed. No need to move bobbins. I have a spyder chassis for my Elan. They come undrilled and untapped. The same goes for a normal chassis.
-
Richard makes a twin link rear suspension that is pretty nice. I understand he also has an A-arm rear suspension. I have the twin link and it's a nice kit. I know nothing about the A-arm kits except they are listed in his catalog. I really don't know enough about Richard's or Spyder's frames to compare them, but the rear suspension options for both are good.
-
Richard's rear a-arm kit is for his space-frame chassis. They don't fit onto a standard chassis. His twin-link kit is for the standard chassis.
-
There you go! I had forgotten that Richard had a space frame chassis!
-
BDA, I have ordered both front and rear Spyder suspensions. Fully adjustable, so lots I can play with. Thanks all for your feedback. Sean at Spyder is slow in responding to my questions.
-
[...] In the Renault set-up, the half-shaft CV joint encloses the output stub axle with only the roll pin holes letting an occasional smattering out. Lotus changed that and fit just a small seal-run/spacer and then applied a load through it. [...]
Yep . . and I’ve wondered why Colin used that spacer instead of a longer UJ yoke on the output shafts.
Maybe longer yokes weren’t available at the time, but I doubt that.
I looked into this ages ago and found a likely suitable GM yoke.
The GM yoke would have required shortening. No big deal, but drilling that slightly offset roll pin hole would be tricky.
-
In the Renault set-up, the half-shaft does not carry suspension loads. The roll pin just holds the half-shaft in place. There is no load on the roll pin.
In the Europa, the half-shaft takes the suspension loads and it needs to be carefully shimmed so the yoke does not bottom on the output stub axle which would then feed the loads inside the diff rather than to the large diff carrier bearings. Nominally the roll pin still does not take any loads if it is shimmed absolutely perfectly. In practice, it is not uncommon for there to be a slight load on the pin as it is not easy to get the shimming perfect. This results in the pin eventually shearing but, as long as the shims stay in place and not too stressed, everything is still ok.
The Lotus design is quite clever with one minor and two major issues. The minor is that the set-up will weep oil. The major are that the weeping oil will lead owners to change seals unnecessarily and, most likely, incorrectly; and, that owners do not check the half-shaft shimming often enough. It is to be checked at EVERY service. So, every 3000 miles/5000 km.
This is a common theme to early Lotus car design. Clever, well-thought-out, race designs not making a good transition to a road car application. Race engineering bears little application to road car design. Load bearing half-shafts have been successfully used in other applications (Corvette as one example) because they were design by engineers conversant with road car applications. Not just trying to make some money on the side to fund the race team.
None of the above is a criticism. You just need to be aware of what you are getting into when you buy an early Lotus.
-
Thanks for the response, JB.
Yes, I’m aware of the difference between the Renault set up and the Europa.
On further thought, my longer splined yoke idea might be less advantageous because any need to re-shim at a later date would involve pulling the yoke off and thus, upsetting the O-ring.
That, and the fact that the shim pack would determine the position of the O-ring.
-
Hi Friends, I have been able to get some things off "my to" do list. Driver side quarter glass installed. Good weather today. I was able to untarp and move the body into the barn and put the chassis out. The original chassis/suspension is going to be saved so the next owner has the option of restoring the car to stock.
-
Really nice work on the stand and window. Saving the frame is a good idea if you have a place in the rafters for it.
Dakazman
-
Congratulations on your progress, Sandyman! The first step can be the most important!
-
Thanks guys, I was talking to a good friend who is a Land Rover restoration expert (also owner of the engine lift I had borrowed), I was showing him the butchered wiring harness and all the spade connections that I needed to clean and make sure are working. He talked me into buying a new harness. (not from him). It has been done. I also looked at the license plate and found the date the car was last registered. Tomorrow is wash and buff time. Holiday Monday (Queen Victoria Day up here) finish assembling driver door components. I also have to design a pulley system to raise and lower the body alone so I can fit and drill the chassis when it arrives.
-
All progress is good progress!
-
“1978”
“1978”
What’s the rush...lol . As far as your harness goes,you called it right. I remember a tip from another member is to have the schematic blown up and laminated. Lots of pictures to for routings.
Dave
-
Finally some great weather! The wheels on my body dolly were not up to the job. Our version of Harbour Freight had a sale on small garden trailers. I got one and had my friendly welder guy rebuild it (exchange for ski lift tickets). It now works great. One more modification to put a hitch on so I can move it with the lawn tractor.
-
It's great to have a friendly welder guy!! :beerchug:
-
Who ever said 13 inch wheels are too small can now do a reset.
-
Finally got some Europa time, nice to have a long weekend. Bought 2nd aluminum rad off Ebay, this one arrived undamaged.I am now test fitting. I had to adjust the mounting holes and will acquire some sealing foam to close off air gaps. I would like to protect the wheel well side of the rad from stone damage and provide maximum air flow. Any thoughts/solutions? The right side metal cone that holds the headlight was bashed in at its back so the original rad would fit. Is this factory?
-
I read where getting the radiator in and out required either bashing in the headlight bucket or taking the headlight out. That's not my experience. I swapped my brass radiator for my aluminum one with no problems and didn't have to take the headlight out.
There's supposed to be a screen that covers the radiator on the fender side. I saw that SJ Sportscars lists them but I would expect r.d. or Dave Bean has them. If not, it should be pretty easy to make one or inexpensive to have one made.
-
Your local metal supplier will have SS screen. Trim it with thin aluminium or truck door edging.
-
Thanks John, I will check out the metal superstore in Barrie ON. On another topic, I to am adding a battery cut off switch like Califkid. I am thinking of mounting it between the seats just above the chassis box. Never having been in a functioning Europa will this cause an issue with my right elbow when shifting? All comments and suggestions welcome.
-
I have a cut-off switch and I use it for winter storage and if it is parked outside at night -- that and taking the steering wheel off makes for a peaceful night's sleep. You want it somewhere you can reach moderately quickly but is also out of sight. If someone can see where it is, it's fairly straight forward to jump a cut-off switch. I would suggest behind the passenger seat as there it is also close to the battery.
DO NOT USE THE CUT OFF SWITCH TO STOP THE ENGINE. Doing so may fry the alternator. Shut the engine off and then use the cut-off.
-
Thanks for the info JB. A new Auto Sparke wiring harness has arrived. I have never replaced one before. All help and input would be greatly appreciated.
-
Nice job on the car dolly👍👍
The harness is centered in the dash area then routed forward and aft.
I would start all connections to the gauges , amp - temp then work the harness outwards to both sides separately and slowly. Then run the wires thru to the forward section.
Then aft .
The harness may be rolled up in this manner try not to unroll.
Iff it is coiled up , uncoil to the center and coil it up again in reverse.
Dakazman
-
Thanks Dave, good advice.
-
One more thing, trace the routing of the old harness behind dash. Of course take pictures.
Dakazman
-
Thanks again. Have you dried out yet?
-
Yes , not much of a storm. We got more rain from the normal afternoon thunderstorms the weeks before. Glad it didn’t rain much since the retention ponds are overflowing all ready. Thanks for your concerns.
Your radiator looks good too! I haven’t yet decided if am switching out the original. It pressure tested good . I’ll check it’s capacity and compare the two. I’m adding ac so that is a factor.
What’s your next item on the must do list?
Dave
-
3 week trip out west. Do wiring harness. 2 or 3 more fiberglass repairs. Continue to email Spyder chassis in hopes that they reply and give me a delivery date. Insulate work area. Do first aid training for ski season. So, not much.
-
As a bonus my tech savvy brother printed the wiring diagram so it is on 4 8 1/2 × 11 pieces of paper. I am going to get them laminated this weekend.
-
Great news! Thanks to some prodding from a fellow forum member the Spyder chassis is due in Toronto mid October. I need to clean up the work area and put the body to bed for the winter. Can't wait.
-
Yippee!!! Congratulations, Sandyman!! :beerchug: What options did you get? NG3? A-arm rear suspension?
Post some pictures when you get it!
-
BDA, I am sticking with the original 1.5 L engine and the 4 speed transmission for now. All new Spyder supplied front and rear adjustable suspension, discs on all 4 corners and 175-65 R 14 tires all around. (Using cheap all seasons untill I get the setup right).
-
Sounds like a plan. I think with the Spyder frame, swapping trannies is a much simpler proposition than with the standard frame should you decide to do that.
I'm looking forward to your pictures and progress report!
-
Glad you got a shipping date. That’s gotta feel good. I can’t believe reports of snow all ready up there. Still in the 90’s here. So the only things you need for the frame is brake lines and shifter assemblies?
Dakazman
-
Yes Dave Snow in the west. Up to 25 inches! Glad I was out there last weekend. 5,800 mile round trip drive. I am going to try and reuse the existing shift linkages with new bushings. Brake lines are going to be fun, never having done any before, need to practice on short scrap first.
-
In northern Montana they got 52 inches of snow.
-
Spyder, Spyder in a crate.
Opening this weekend just can't wait.
-
What were the shipping charges?
-
400 British pound. FOB Toronto.
-
That's pretty exciting, Sandyman! Be sure to post some pictures after you open up the box!
-
Considering the weight and size, that’s very reasonable. Exciting times!
-
I’m watching with great interest!
-
That’s a really big early Christmas present 😃😃 . At first I thought it was some Halloween decorations.
Seriously, You saved yourself a lot of work and less headaches down the road.
Dakazman
-
£400 shipping? Amazing. That would be the same for shipping to Ireland! Good luck with the build. It was really satisfying to start from a fresh chassis. Enjoy!
-
Unboxing complete. :pirate: Hope it comes with assembly instructions.
-
Congratulations! I think you scored a great frame! Spyder frames give you added access to stuff like that steering u-joint making taking the rack off a lot quicker and easier than the stock frame. You'll be glad you got it. It looks like you got stainless steel transfer tubes! Pretty slick! :beerchug:
-
Definitely got the stainless steel coolant tubes. The original tubes were totally rusted, leaking everywhere.
-
Do any of you twink owners have the measurements for the location of the front air dam? When I saw it on the S2 Europa that is on the opening page of the Canadian Lotus club I loved it.
-
Looking for your help. As you know, my Spyder chassis has arrived. I unpacked the boxes and was unable to find the assembly instructions. Do any of you have pictures of an assembled chassis I can use?
-
The Spyder website has pictures from the rear and the front. Look here: http://www.spydercars.co.uk/category/spyder-products/spyder-lotus-europa-products/
If that doesn't help, post a picture of the parts your confused about.
-
:trophy:
That frame is a thing of beauty!
What a great start.
Dakazman
-
Put my baby's body to bed today. Now have space to start assembling the chassis as time and temp allow. Also got my vanity plate for when she finally is roadworthy. Apologies to the music group "The Knack"
-
Every thing looks great . I see you used some Egyptian building techniques. Lol. Your rims look look my panasports rims , what size are they and what are they called?
Dave
-
Hi Dave, The wheels are actual Minilites from England. Spyder Chassis sells them as part of the upgrade. They are 14 inch so that I can upgrade to discs all around with a twincam double reservoir master cylinder for safety.
Sandy
-
Man, that snow will sure put a crimp in your restoration time line! Hopefully the weather will allow you to get something done before Spring!
I had to chuckle at your vanity plate. When I finally got mine on the road, I planned to have a vanity plate that said something like HANDMADE but it had been taken. So I went back to work and came up with a list of six or seven. When I went back the next day, all of them had been taken too! The cleverest thing I could come up with was MYLOTUS! Sheesh! Since then I got antique plates so it just has numbers.
Good luck with your build. I can't wait to see her go together!
-
I see you get eight digits to work with on the vanity plate. We only get seven here in NS. When trying to come up with a clever vanity plate, that extra digit can make a huge difference.
-
Well, I am going from memory here and we might only get seven too. You do what you can do!
-
Hi Bainford, yes lots of options with 8 digits. We can go on line and search for unclaimed plates. Both 70 Europa and europa70 were taken.
-
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Big wind storm last night. Should have bit the bullet and bought a shipping container.
Body is safely back in the barn.
-
Bummer!! It's a good thing you have that barn!
-
Yikes! I have a similar "temporary garage". It's in a gravel driveway and there is no way to hold it down with stakes, so I bought a bunch of cheap plywood and screwed the tent legs to 2x4s and the 2x4s to the plywood floor. The weight of the contents of the "garage" are all that is holding it down. (The Europa is safely tucked away in a REAL garage elsewhere.) Mine was a $250 cheapo model from Home Depot, and after 9 months of sun exposure there are already holes appearing in the roof fabric from UV breakdown.
Tom
-
Hello Sandyman,
:huh: I hope the body wasn't damaged at all?
Mark
-
Mark, thanks for your concern. As far aI can see only a few scratches.
-
Sorry to hear about the wind storm. Looks like you were lucky not to incur significant damage. Luck is good!
-
Beautiful weather and isolation seems to be good. Finally rebuilt the temporary car shelter and secured if better to the ground. This has allowed me to move the body out and start assembling the new Spyder chassis. Got 75 % of the front suspension together. I feel it went well considering I was working without a net. Spyder did not send any assembly instructions, just bags of hardware and boxes of bigger bits. If any of you see anything I missed or assembled wrong, PLEASE comment. I seem to be missing the steering arms and the fastening nut and washer for the stub axles. Tomorrow I will tackle the rear suspension. Wish me luck.
Sandy
-
Just a reminder that the right-hand threaded upright goes on the right and the left hand threaded upright obviously goes on the left.
I'd sweat the steering arms but that nuts and washers should be available at a good hardware store.
Good luck!
-
BDA, You nearly gave me my 2nd heart attack. Thea I remembered that the trunions were marked L and R and installed on the proper sides.
-
There is a rubber seal between the trunnion and the upright. Lube the trunnion with GL4 gear oil. Pennzoil sells synthetic GL4 that is usually available at NAPA and the like.
Missing steering bits are easily available from British sports car suppliers. It's the same as the Spitfire Mk1. Do you have backing plates, caliper mounts, discs, etc?
-
John, Thanks for the great input. I have all the braking parts but are waiting to get the nut and washer for the stub axle. I did not know about the type of lube in the trunion I used grease. I will clean and fill with correct GL4 and add the rubber seal.
Sandy
-
The oil/grease debate can get heated.
If you look at the trunnion, you will see a slot cut in the threads. This is to allow oil to easily flow to all the threads. It has the unfortunate effect of allowing grease to bypass the threads and quickly exit the trunnion. This means injected grease does not force the old grease out but simply quickly exits and the old grease remains.
I use an dedicated oil can with a pump to squirt oil into trunnions. Very easy to do.
All the parts you need are listed in the parts manual. It's a good reference to make sure you are not missing anything.
One point of note, the front wheel bearings do not use a seal. They use a grease impregnated felt ring. KEEP THE OLD FELT RINGS. New felt rings are way too thick and do not allow the bearings to seat properly. THIS IS DANGEROUS. Reuse your old felts. If you threw them away, you have to trim down the felts to the correct thickness. Mount the hub and tighten the adjusting nut without the felt in place. Note where the nut is. Make sure that the nut goes to the same position when the felt is in place. When the felt is the correct size, the bearings tighten up at an exact spot. If the felt is too big, the bearing tighten up in a weird, soft sort of way with no distinct exact point of tightening.
-
John, the 4 wheel disc upgrade I have from Spyder seems to be mostly Elan +2 components. Does this change any of the information and help you are so graciously providing?
Sandy
-
Probably but would have to see the components to know for sure.
-
John, What would you like pictures of? Please be as specific as possible so I can get the right angles. I have the invoice with Spyders suppliers numbers.
Thanks
Sandy
-
Are the hubs aluminum?
Did they come with bearings? Seals or felts?
-
Aluminum hubs, bearings and felts
-
Another progressive day in the shop. Balmy 7 deg C / 45 deg F sunny day. Assembled both rear suspensions, nothing tightened yet. Out of curiosity I put the rear brakes on. 2 rights could be wrong! Need to get a left rear caliper. Hopefully Spyder Chassis will correct this.
Sandy
-
I am always a little apprehensive when the job is done and there are parts left over. Any guesses?
-
Can you post detailed photos of the hubs and felts?
-
John, as requested.
-
Assemble without the felts first and check as I laid out above.
-
Thanks John.
-
Hi all. I am installing the front hubs and I don't have the gauge to check the end float (as per manual). Are there any other methods? Like tightening the hub to the point of binding and then backing off the nut +1 flat?
Thanks
Sandy
-
That's pretty much the way I do it. I tighten the nut while turning the hub till it is tight enough that it hard to turn, then I loosen the nut while still turning the nut till it turns freely. As soon as it turns freely, I put the cotter key in the nearest flat.
If you want to put some numbers to that, many years ago, I used a beam torque wrench while tightening. It would usually get tight around 10 ft-lbs more or less, probably less. You want to make sure the bearings are fully seated on their races before loosening the nut.
Other people may have their own methods, but that's mine and it seems to work for me.
-
BDA, Many thanks. More hiccups in the assembly. I was shipped 2 right side rear calipers and front rotors with incorrect hole spacing.
-
Bummer! Hopefully they will send you correct parts while you send them the wrong ones...
-
I should have had the manual closer, the rotors go on the back side of the hub. (stupid of me to think North American). Thanks to Peter in England for setting me on the right track.
-
Like many others say :ttiwwp:
-
Great progress! :beerchug:
-
Looking great Sandy. Glad I could help!
-
Made progress in a forward direction today. Front suspension, brakes and steering on and toe in roughly set. Spyder Chassis has gone above and beyond in getting me the correct rear brake caliper and providing help with assembly questions. Which is better, having the same number of threads in each steering ball joint or following the manual and shifting the rack to the right (as seen from the front)? I have to research how to retract the piston in the rear caliper so the pads will fit over the disc. All the local garages are closed so I can not put my rubber on. ;)
-
WOW, I fell backwards off my chair. That is one great looking assembly. I just use my hearing as I push it in and out of garage, equal threads a must. Except for final adjustment by a shop for alignment.
Dakazman
-
Things are really coming together, Sandy! It's looking great!
As for the rack, it pretty much goes against the driver's side mount. The steering column should mate up well there. The tie rods have plenty of threads so you don't need to worry about that. As D'man said, screw them into the tie rod ends generally evenly (you don't have to get anal about it) and then adjust when you do your initial alignment. If you're having a shop do your alignment (a good idea for setting rear toe at least), you'll want to get it as close as you can on your own first.
-
Thanks Gentlemen, Lots to do before I even start working on the body fitment. Still scratching my head about how to get the pads into the rear caliper. Could not find anything in line. They are Ford Escort RS.
-
Can you find an Escort manual? Maybe call a Ford dealer or shop that's still open and ask them...
-
They all vary. Find out the proper way lest you break something.
-
Maybe you load pads into calipers before mounting them to bracket :confused:
-
Looking great Sandy! Well done.
-
If the a-arms are rubber bushed, remember they have to be tightened at ride height, not full droop.
-
John, Thanks for the reminder. I will keep everything loose until she is on the ground.
-
Thumbs up to Spyder Chassis! The replacement brake caliper arrived today.
-
Looking good Sandyman!!
-
Thanks Chuck, one of these days if I grow up I to will venture down the sand and repaint road.
-
More shop time ( -1 C and Snow). I was able to get the rear brakes set up with the help of JB. As you can see the rotor was not centred in the caliper holding bracket. This did not allow enough movement of the caliper to get the pads to fit. A shim was used to shift the bracket so that the rotor was in the centre. Waiting on parts from RD to install the cooling tubes.
-
:pirate: Starting to look wheely tewific.
-
The Spyder chassis is a beautiful thing.
-
Her bones look great!! :beerchug:
-
The Spyder chassis is a beautiful thing.
Agreed.
Sandy would you mind taking a picture of the T section for me?
-
No problem Chuck. What angels do you want?
-
Front side, a 3/4 and a side shot would be great!
-
She made noise today, all by herself. I will pull engine again to fit cooling tubes. Time to start on body, seatbelt anchors, replace wiring harness and build pulley system to raise and lower body.
-
Yippee!!! :beerchug: Congratulations! That's got to feel good, Sandyman!
-
Awesome!!
-
:beerchug:
Double awesomeness 😁
Dakazman
-
Took the passenger lower seatbelt mount out today. Yikes, don't think it will come back with a little sandblasting.
Sandy
-
Very, very common. was a warning about them deteriorating in the Club Lotus News from the early 80s.
-
Your on your way Sandy! One of these days I’m going to count all the pieces on these cars ! 😂
They are small but have many parts most need some TLC. The engine looks great!
Take your time and enjoy it.
Dakazman
-
When I was removing the seatbelt mount I noticed that several of the rivets holding the rocker panel to the central tub have blown out. I am thinking that I should affix these parts together better. Any thoughts / wisdom from those who have gone before?
-
When I was removing the seatbelt mount I noticed that several of the rivets holding the rocker panel to the central tub have blown out. I am thinking that I should affix these parts together better. Any thoughts / wisdom from those who have gone before?
My TCS is in a similar boat. I was thinking about drilling the offenders out and re-riveting.
-
Greetings fellow shut-ins. Day 4 of installing new wiring harness. Not looking forward to the reverse seating position (feet where head should be) to do the instrument cluster. Figure I am 2/3rds done. A few hick ups with the new harness from Sparks that we are sorting out. Time to put the longjohns back on. Next 5 nights below freezing, day time highs below 6 deg. C with either rain or snow. Most of the shift linkage parts have arrived, soon I wont be shiftless.
Stay safe, Be Kind
Sandy
-
Sandy, I don't remember what state your car is in but if your dash and windshield is out, that makes doing the wiring really easy. If the windshield is in it might still be worth pulling the dash away.
-
BDA, the windshield is still in. I managed to get the dash to pivot about 30 degrees but it won't come out any further. Time to read the manual.
-
I need to replace the wiring harness in my car. What's your verdict about the Autosparks harness? SJ also has their harness but perhaps that's the same. Banks too perhaps.
Is it plug and play or are there always some "problems"?
-
Hi Lahi, I am running into more fitment issues. I am in contact with Autosparks and will let you know how well they resolve them.
Sandy
-
Hi Lahi, I am running into more fitment issues. I am in contact with Autosparks and will let you know how well they resolve them.
Sandy
Ah, ok. That sound good! Thank you :)
-
To Lahi and others. I can't recommend Auto sparks as a quality supplier of replacement wiring harnesses! All I am getting from them is advice to buy more parts from them to correct the deficiencies of their harness. The assembly errors to date are, incorrect ends on rear left tail light feed, missing ground grommets on at least 3 wires, no provision of wires to power the front left side lights and different light bulb bases for all the dash board lights.
-
If the first photo is of the tail light connections, they look correct. You just need bullet connectors to join the two. Perhaps I have missed the real issue though.
The left side front lights are powered by a sub-harness from the right side. Was that not included? I have all the proper wire colours and connectors and could make one up for you.
-
It would have been nice if they had included the bullet connectors. I don't know where to get them in Canada. I have also been unable to find what dash bulbs I need. They did not include the left front sub-harness. I can make my own with the old parts from the car. Just disappointed by the overall lack of exact reproduction and the "so sad, to bad" replies from Autosparks.
Sandy
-
r.d. enterprises sells a pretty complete selection of bullet connectors, barrels, and tools. Look in the Tool Chest section.
-
All the usual suppliers carry them by the 1000s.
-
Thanks John and BDA.
-
2 more newbie restoration questions. What type of bulb is this? (for turn and oil pressure lights between tac and speedo) Is this fuse Lucas only and who has them in Canada?
Thanks
Sandy
-
In case you aren't aware, British fuses are different from US (and probably Canadian) fuses. The usual Europa suspects should be able to supply the correct fuse as would any MG, Triumph, Jag place such as Moss Motors.
The bulb is a LLB281 bulb. They should be available at the same places. I know I got some from r.d. enterprises.
-
A North American 15 amp fuse of the same length would be my choice. Canadian Tire will have buckets of them.
PLEASE READ THE FUSE PDF BDA POSTED
You would not believe how many harnesses/cars burn up with some bright bulb fits a North American 35A or, gulp, 50A fuse. Might as well just put a nail for all the good it's going to do.
The bulb is a standard British car part so the usual suppliers will have them. Maybe even CT again. Worth a look.
These chaps are in Ontario:
https://www.peninsulaimports.com/british-car-parts/
Have no idea of their reputation.
They have online catalogs. Pretty sure that would be the same bulb as an MGB warning light bulb.
-
Other suppliers:
The place I used to work:
https://www.sportscarcentre.ca
Use AngloParts catalogs to get the right part numbers:
https://www.angloparts.com
(retired now but I still go in on occasion to help out, mostly electrical. I'll be wiring the boss's TVR V8 rally car next)
A supplier we used a lot:
https://www.bpnorthwest.com
-
Thank You gentlemen. The education continues.
-
Feedback and thoughts please. I live in a jurisdiction that requires a front license plate and don't like the unbalanced look of the original location. I have mocked up an alternative that balances the front but allows mostly unrestricted air flow. What do you think?
Sandy
-
I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about where to mount a front license plate, but if I had to choose, I'd choose your first option.
-
Yup, no question, mount it to the side.
-
Reasons for choosing imbalance?
-
I made some brackets and placed mine on the lower lip of the grill opening:
(https://i.ibb.co/HBPwSkn/Europa-and-others.jpg)
With the ride height in the photo it would catch on a flattened cigarette butt. I've since raised the car slightly (too much in the front) and it doesn't seem to catch.
-
Thank you Roddy, elegant solution.
-
Air flow, air flow and air flow. In that order.
-
I hear and obey.
-
I live in a state that also requires a front plate. I never install them on a sports car. Just leave it on the dash so it can be seen. (In reality, I leave it under the drivers seat and put it on the dash if I get stopped). I have never gotten a ticket for the missing front plate in 20+ years.
-
Here in British Columbia we are required to have a front plate but I've never put mine on the Europa. A friend has had his Lotus for over 50 years with no front plate, has been pulled over a few times but no hassle. The fine if you are stopped without a plate is less than having the plate on the dash.
I'm willing to take the risk.
-
I made a front plate bracket out of a scrap of carbon fiber composite I had lying around, but aluminum would work just as well. The goal was not to drill any new holes, so this uses the two lower bolts that hold the grill screen in place. We have a once a year inspection in Massachusetts and they check for a front plate. My thinking was I would take it off every year after inspection, but I ended up leaving it on all summer.
The bottom line is there is no good or attractive place to put a license plate on the front of a Europa. I hope you will take this with the humor that is intended Sandyman, but the first thing I thought of when I saw your under-the-bumper plate was a bucktooth cartoon beaver, or maybe "Mater" from the Pixar "Cars" movies. :FUNNY:
Tom
-
I made a front plate bracket out of a scrap of carbon fiber composite I had lying around, but aluminum would work just as well. The goal was not to drill any new holes, so this uses the two lower bolts that hold the grill screen in place. We have a once a year inspection in Massachusetts and they check for a front plate. My thinking was I would take it off every year after inspection, but I ended up leaving it on all summer.
The bottom line is there is no good or attractive place to put a license plate on the front of a Europa. I hope you will take this with the humor that is intended Sandyman, but the first thing I thought of when I saw your under-the-bumper plate was a bucktooth cartoon beaver, or maybe "Mater" from the Pixar "Cars" movies. :FUNNY:
Tom
Tom I hate to say it but from the angle of that shot your battery looks like a snaggle tooth too :FUNNY:
-
Tom I hate to say it but from the angle of that shot your battery looks like a snaggle tooth too :FUNNY:
Touché :FUNNY:
-
Tom, I thought the same thing. Tomater. I will use your suggestion with a slight mod.
Sandy
-
Another Ontario Europa owner made up a decal/sticker for the front licence plate. No problems so far. You can see it here:
http://lotusclubcanada.ca/Public/Welcome.html
-
(http://lotusclubcanada.ca/Public/Welcome_files/01_WELCOME.Website_Bronte.KevinMarsonEuropa.jpg)
-
That's a nice solution if it's legal in your location! :beerchug:
-
I spoke with the owner and he gets hassled but not ticketed. He has the real plate in the car.
-
In the UK this was what was done from new.
-
Greetings all. I modified a battery tray to fit behind the right side seat. Lower C of G and better weight distribution with just driver. I had to change the right side motor mount (cracked and did not allow enough lateral movement of shift linkage). To make this easier I removed the oil filter. Even having spun the motor several times there was no sign of oil having reached the filter. (oil level good) Does any body know how long I should crank the engine (plugs out) before I see flow? Is checking the oil pressure sender another way to check?
Sandy
-
This is an engine that has been sitting for a while, right?
If so, two ways forward:
- drop the sump and pack the oil pump with vasoline/petroleum jelly (a dry pump will not generate enough vacuum to lift the oil)
- pressurize the system via an oil port
-
John, Thank you. I will drain the oil and load the pump with petroleum jelly. The chassis is going to local English car experts shop to have brake lines installed.
Sandy
-
Lucy dog helping get the wiring colours right.
-
Everyone needs a helper when they are in the "Lotus position!"
-
Too cute!
-
Getting ready to lift body off transport cart and set it onto the chassis to mark attachment hole locations.
-
:pirate:
-
Nice piece of engineering also Sandy 👏👏 Keep moving forward.
Dakazman
-
A good friend of mine is the photographer for our local paper. He was looking for a small filler article. Here is the result.
-
That's excellent!!
-
A Star is born!
Very Cool :coolpic:
Dakazman
-
That is very cool, Sandyman! I guess you're a local celebrity now! :beerchug:
I hope your back survived the Lotus position!
-
The time is soon coming to put the body on the chassis. The one thing I can't remember is the routing of the throttle cable. Any input would be great.
-
Knowing that I did not have the tools and expertise I pulled the chassis to a local Land Rover/ British car expert. So technically he is the first to drive my car.
-
That's alright. You will be there the first time it makes noise I hope!
-
Knowing that I did not have the tools and expertise I pulled the chassis to a local Land Rover/ British car expert. So technically he is the first to drive my car.
That's a great pic!
-
That visit was to have brake lines installed.
-
To Lahi and others. I can't recommend Auto sparks as a quality supplier of replacement wiring harnesses! All I am getting from them is advice to buy more parts from them to correct the deficiencies of their harness. The assembly errors to date are, incorrect ends on rear left tail light feed, missing ground grommets on at least 3 wires, no provision of wires to power the front left side lights and different light bulb bases for all the dash board lights.
If it's a replacement harness I'd expect a complete harness with all the correct ends. Just to replace the old without the need to replace the parts in the new harness.
What alternatives are there? There's Autosparks and also SJ, Banks, Kelvedon, British wiring and so on. Any more or anyone here with experience from any of them?
Strangely enough, I did a search and found some people with Elans that says that Autosparks harness is the best out there :confused: But perhaps they got the Elan harness right and not the others.
-
You need to use parts from the old harness, if you are putting in a new Banks harness.
Plus the wiring diagram supplied is coloured, and not obvious with no letters to define the wire primary and trace colours.
Having said that, it is well made.
-
After many emails to Autosparks they are hopefully sending me the parts to finish the wiring harness. Fingers crossed. I need help with 2 other things. First, the original carb was replaced with a Weber 32DIR37, in my fruitless search of the internet I have been unable to find an air cleaner. I don't know enough about Webers to know what will fit. Second, the car came to me without the throttle cable installed. How is it routed?
-
WRT the air filter, you might give One of these guys a call:
Pierce Manifolds (https://www.piercemanifolds.com/default.asp)
Carbs Unlimited (https://www.carburetion.com/Weber/weberpartsair.asp)
RedLine (Weber destributor - http://redlineweber.com)
-
Shes all together now! Now comes the hard part, fitting all the cables, drilling all the securing bolt holes, checking all the wiring and making sure all the gauges and relays work.
-
All right, Sandyman!!! :pirate: :beerchug:
-
Thank you. I can't believe how low the front of the car is.
-
I don't know, it looks like the whole car is six or eight inches off the ground! :FUNNY:
-
Hover car? I knew it was light. What if I fill the tires with Helium?
-
It's worth a shot!
-
Doubt you will find an air filter on the shelf. You could buy one for a DGV and modify the baseplate to fit your carb.
-
Thanks John, I didn't know what other Weber carbs are similar.
-
Big weekend of Europa time. I had to cut out the dash support bobbins so they lined up with the threaded holes on the chassis, glassed them into new position. Made a new blanking plate, installed clutch cable, filled and bled cooling system and started engine with rad fan running( temporary feed from battery ). As I was doing this the mechanic who is going to safety the car stopped in and praised the restoration. He also adjusted the carb. The tires spin correctly and quietly in all the gears. Brakes feel good. Throttle cable and power up to the dash next.
-
Great news, Sandyman! I hope you'll be cruising sooner than you expect! :beerchug:
-
Sha should now be a yard driver. Emergency brake complete and working. Throttle cable and peddle installed. Need to do a little refining to the carb end of cable fittings.
Sandy
-
Let those of us wretched and afflicted know what life is like on the other side! :trophy:
-
The Sandyman can! 8)
-
Busy weekend under the Europa. Choke cable installed and working. Steering wheel installed. (almost straight ;)) Most of the lights working. Can any one explain how to test the engine oil pressure sender and gauge? Same for the engine temp sender and gauge. Turn signals not working but light is on on instrument cluster. Front turn indicators not hooked up yet. 2 hrs trying to get rear right brake light to work, no joy yet. Finally finished the left door latch repair. So tempted to put her on the ground and go for a test drive.
-
Well done Sandy! Great job. I’m in the process of tidying up the wiring on mine. Lockdown has some benefits!
-
Gauges:
- turn on ignition
- remove wire from sender = gauge needle at zero
- touch sender wire to ground = gauge needle swings all the way
Turn signal flasher is often load dependant. Both lights need to be hooked up for them to work.
Is this a federal car with combined turn/brake bulbs?
-
John, thanks for the input. I will try this afternoon. If I understand what you are saying, the resistance in the senders drops as the coolant temp/ oil pressure increases. The Europa I have is a non federal export. The turn signals are separate front and back. I have yet to receive the promised correct front wiring from Autosparks so I will try to cobble something together to hook up the front turn indicators.
Sandy
-
The right brake light (and all the RH rear lights and the license plate light, markers too if you have them) is powered from the connections at the left brake light. The green and purple wire from the harness comes out at the LH light unit and uses a 4-way connector to join three wires: GP from switch, LH light unit harness, and GP to RH light unit (and its harness). The signal light units often do not use a GP wire for the brake lights. You have to figure out which is the feed to the brake light bulb.
-
I have managed to get all the rear lights working. Head scratching and propane language included :blowup:. Could not wait , dropped the car and drove it around the block. All the gears work but finding them will take some learning. Cant believe how quick she feels. Discovered that the carb. is leaking (not good having fuel dripping onto the hot exhaust manifold!). Need to source a rebuild kit for a 32DIR37. No luck so far. Now to tackle the front lights (extra wire and fittings finally arrived via carrier pigeon from Autosparks). The adventure continues.
Sandy
-
Congratulations Sandy!!!! Frustration begets satisfaction!!
-
Congratulations, Sandy!!! That has to feel good! :beerchug:
Now all you need to do is remember where your gears are!
-
Thanks Chuck! I am in awe of the body work you are doing. How long untill you start final paint?
Stay safe.
Sandy
-
Thanks Chuck! I am in awe of the body work you are doing. How long untill you start final paint?
Stay safe.
Sandy
Thank you! It is coming out much sharper this time around. I think this was the last full hi build coat. I have a few little spots to touch up before sealing. My epoxy sealer is black so it will be a good day when I see the car in the near final color!
I am going to switch gears after I finish sanding the hi build and prep my last remaining bed panels on my 66 chevy pick up (most are already in sealer so it shouldn't take too long). This way I can paint everything in one go. That said I have decided to postpone painting my S1A until after the TCS is finished. This way I can get an idea if I want to go do a 47 style rear suspension in it before I commit to sealing the frame inside the body.
-
If the Weber 32DIR37 carb. I have is unfixable what other options are out there for the 697-04 Renault engine?
-
A DGV with a manual choke works very well. Much better than stock.
-
Thank you John, would I be looking for a 32/36 DGV?
-
You used to be able to get a 28/36 but I think only the 32/36 is available now. The 28/36 would offer a bit more part throttle economy and low end tractability along with some loss on the top end compared to a 32/36. Make sure you get the thick insulating gasket/spacer that goes between the carb and manifold. Myself, I would also make up a heat shield to protect the carb from exhaust manifold heat.
-
BDA, thanks for the web sites for carb. suppliers. New carb, air filter and base gasket on order. John you mentioned installing a heat shield for the carb. Any thoughts/ideas on design and mounting? Happy Canada Day! (yesterday) Happy 4th. to all my US friends! Stay safe, be kind.
Sandy
-
Curtesy of Tim Engel, here are some DGV base jettings that will get you in the ball park:
Europa-Renault ...... 1470cc ..... 1470cc
Carb Model .......... DGV ......... DGV
...................... Pri / Sec ... Pri / Sec
Throttle Bore ........ 32 / 36 ..... 32 / 36
Venturi (choke) ...... 26 / 27 ..... 26 / 27
Main Jet ............ 150 / 145 ... 145 / 135
Main Air Corrector... 175 / 170 ... 165 / 160
Emulsion Tube ..................... F50 / F6
Idle Jet ............. 55 / 50 ..... 55 / 50
Pump Jet ............................. 55
Pump Exhaust Jet ..................... 50
Float Level (mm) ....... 35 .......... 35
..................... Lean miss .... Maybe one ...
..................... @ 2000 ....... step richer
.................................... on primary
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Europa-Renault ...... 1565cc ....... 1565cc
Carb Model .......... DGAV ......... DGAV
...................... Pri / Sec .... Pri / Sec
Throttle Bore ........ 32 / 36 ...... 32 / 36
Venturi (choke) ...... 26 / 27 ...... 26 / 27
Auxiliary Venturi .. 3.50 / 3.50... 3.50 / 3.50
Main Jet ............ 140 / 140 .... 155 / 155
Main Air Corrector... 170 / 180 .... 165 / 155
Emulsion Tube ......... F50 / F50... F50 / F6
Idle Jet ............... 60 / 50 .... 55 / 50
Pump Exhaust Jet ...................... 50
Float Level (mm) ...................... 35
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I built a composite Holley-Weber '52xx' carb for Fed Europa S2 1280R, using a carb body from a '73 Pinto Holley-Weber 5200 and a top cover/ air horn ass'y from a '74 Vega Holley-Weber 5210C. Jetting was pretty much stock Pinto 2000. It started easily with the hot-water automatic choke (ex-wife request), the engine was more urgent if not more powerful (ie, ran better than the emissions Solex), and fuel economy was in the mid-high 30's at steady cruise on the highway (went to pot when you put your foot in it).
Europa-Renault ...... 1565cc, 821-30, mostly stock.
Carb Model .......... Holley-Weber 5200/ 5210C composite
Jetting is mostly ... 1973 Pinto 2000cc SOHC L4
...................... Pri / Sec
Throttle Bore ........ 32 / 36
Venturi (choke) ...... 26 / 27
Auxiliary Venturi .. 3.50 / 3.50
Main Jet ............ 132 / 135, Lean main jet, try (145) / (150)
Main Air Corrector... 180 / 195
Idle Jet ............. 55 / 50
Float Level (mm) ....... 35
Inlet Needle Valve .... 2.00
% Reduction ........ 81.3 / 75.0 (throat to choke)
Altitude above Sea Level, 980'
The 5200's body was an easy linkage hook-up, but the plumbing was ackward.
The 5210C's plumbing was a natural fit, but the linkage was a nightmare.
So I used the 5200 body with the 5210C top cover/ air horn assembly.
Two junk yard carbs plus one rebuild kit.
Also Required:
1) A custom machined, 1" thick adapter plate, plus ~1/4" gasket (stock Ford gaskets, one above & below the plate).
2) Some custom plumbing for the hot water automatic choke.
3) Flipping the throttle linkage belcrank over (on top of the valve cover) in order to put the ball stud on the bottom side. This lowered the inboard end of the pushrod, and along with raising the carb with the adapter plate, gave better, more progressive linkage geometry... no noticeable "going over-center" feel.
The Solex had a water-heated spacer plate that I didn't use. So my adapter plate plus the two thick Ford gaskets put the carb 'back' up at a level (+/-) where the throttle linkage worked better. No custom linkage required... all stock Renault linkage and stock H-W carb belcranks. Flipping the linkage's intermedicate belcrank was the only mod, and that only required seconds (remove E-clip, flip, oil, replace E-clip).
Back in the day, junkyard Pinto & Vega parts were cheap & plentiful. Now this may not be such an economical option.
-
In an easier to read chart:
Europa ........... Europa ......... Box
1470cc ...........1470cc ......... Stock
Weber ............ Weber .......... Weber
DGV ............... DGV ............. DGV 5A
Pri / Sec ......... Pri / Sec ....... Pri / Sec
32 / 36 ......... 32 / 36 ........ 32 / 36 ... Throat size, mm
26 / 27 ......... 26 / 27 ........ 26 / 27 ... Choke size, mm
150 / 145 ..... 145 / 135 ...... 140 / 135 .. Main Jets
175 / 170 ..... 165 / 160... ... 165 / 160 .. Main Air Corrector
F50 / F6 ....... F50 / F6......... F50 / F6 ... Emulsion Tube
55 / 50 ........ 55 / 50 ......... 55 / 50 .... Idle Jets
.................................................... 50 ......... Pump Jet
The middle column's primary main jet is a step richer than the box stock jet. Other than that, it's about box stock.
The left column's primary and secondary main jets are both two steps richer than box stock, but the air correctors are also two steps leaner (bigger = more air = leaner). Overall, I suspect it actually runs about the same or a bit leaner than the other two. If anything, the main circuit has more capacity, and may support the engine to a higher redline... if the rest of the engine can handle it.
-
John, WOW! Lots of helpful information. I know nothing about carbs, so the learning continues. Dumb questions 1. Will the carb run if installed out of box? 2. How much work is it to change the jets? 3. I don't think I will get within 1,000 rpm of the stock red line. (now that I am mature with lowered testosterone levels). 4. You mentioned building heat shields, looking at the engine I can't see where it could be attached.
Thanks
Sandy
-
Easy to make a heat shield. Take aluminium plate and use the carb base gasket to mark the holes to drill and the throttle area to cut out. Assemble as manifold, gasket, heat shield, insulator spacer, carb.
It will "run." Not a good idea to run lean though, especially on the primary circuit. Really, it's not hard to change a main jet. You have to remove the top plate and it's just 6 slotted screws and a quick release link in the choke linkage -- lift the white plastic bush and then rod will slide though. Change the primary (throttle that moves first) main jet in the bottom of the float bowel. Then back together and you're done.
-
JB thanks for posting jet size chart . I am also in the dark with these carbs and their applications so I asked Weber sales a few questions and received a link to a larger carb , what do you think?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Weber-38-38-DGAS-Performance-Upgrade-kit-w-new-Carb-Jetpack-filter-gaskets/401288554765?hash=item5d6ea9690d:g:DCoAAOSw2gxYwfPo
Dakazman
-
D'man, Great to hear from you. Is bigger better? I don't know. How much better is the air flow in your engine. My 32/36 is arriving on Monday. 145 main jet arriving later in the week. Hot weather up here, 90 F and humidity, slowing down the final assembly before safety. I have 2 Questions for the great minds on this forum. 1. Does anybody have an extra centre armrest or the dimensions to build a replacement? 2. Does anybody have an elegant "in cab" valve solution for the heater core coolant feed?
Sandy
-
Oh, Somewhere there is happiness. Jacked up the car only to find a puddle of fuel under the original tank :'(. Sweating through rust pinholes. Of course this is after I riveted new blanking plates into wheel wells. New tank will be ordered from RD ent. soon.
Sandyman
-
Hey Sandy, dimensions of the armrest pad is 6”X 11 1/4”
I have this one if you want it.
Dave
-
Thanks Dave. I will E-mail you soon.
-
You can repair fuel tanks. Get it dipped. Cut out the rusty sections and solder in repair sections.
The problem with a heater control valve by the heater core is that there isn't much of any room for one. Lots of room in the back and it's easy to run a cable to it. You could put one inside the chassis under the arm rest I suppose but it seems more trouble than it's worth.
Dave -- not up to speed on the DGAS. I'd have a close look at the intake manifold first. Is it a great design? If not, better to go to the tried and true DCOE set-up. There's a wide variety of readily available jetting parts for the DCOEs. Not so much for the downdrafts. The DGV is proven alternative. DGAS means starting form scratch. I don't like the electric choke either.
Mind, I'm a grumpy old bas***d who doesn't like much of anything.
-
John, thanks for your input. Greatly appreciated. I can't figure out how the heater valve is mounted (round with no attachment points) by the swirl tank. I will get a price on having the fuel tank fixed compared to that of a new aluminum one.
Sandy
-
If you're planning any long trips, the twin tank option is very nice.
-
Received the new carb. today. Throttle actuates in the other direction. I need to fabricobble a new linkage system. Trying not to overheat the little grey cells. Visit with my welder buddy scheduled. At least now I have an air cleaner.
Sandyman
-
I had to crawl into a tight spot to check out my original engine's throttle linkage -- running a crossflow myself. Extend the coupling link so it reaches to the DGV throttle. Bend the cable anchor on the valve cover so it points to where the return spring now anchors on the valve cover throttle pivot. Ditch the spring and hook the throttle cable to the pivot. Should work. Make sure when the pedal is on the floor, the throttle just hits wide open. You don't want to load the linkage when floored.
-
Great input John, thanks. Next question. The plate below is used to prevent carb. icing, 1. Is it needed in a car only used in summer? 2. Can I cut out the area between the two holes to allow more air flow?
Thanks
Sandy
-
Disconnected for sure but leave it off if you can. If you need it to raise carb, then do grind it out to match the carb. If any holes or gaps appear, clean and fill with Devcon Aluminium Putty so there is no disturbance in flow.
-
Thanks John, I need to keep it in place so the studs don't hit the bottom of the carb. I will machine the centre out and enlarge the bore for the secondary. does it matter whether the primary is near the block or away? It is away from the block on the old Weber I am replacing. If I keep the linkages on the rear side of the new carb. the primary is near the block.
Sandy
-
You can just shorten the studs or fit shorter ones. That said, the spacer provides some nice height before the mix has to change direction so it's a good idea to keep it. Rather than hogging out and repairing it though, it might be easier/faster just make one up out of aluminium plate.
I don't have a manifold to hand. If the manifold floor is restrictively high away from the block, it might be better to have the carb oriented with the primary away from the block.
-
Thanks for the reply. I will look for a aluminum plate. If I can't find one I will modify the existing one. Heading over to my welder friend to make linkage work.
-
New linkage setup done, ready for paint and install.
-
I found this coolant overflow bottle online. The cap seals the bottle. Am I right in thinking that the bottle should vent to atmosphere? If so I can drill a vent hole in the cap.
-
There is no vent in the bottle at all? There's only a hose connection at the bottom and a lid that seals? How is the coolant supposed to get in? At some point, there would be too much air pressure to allow the coolant to come in.
Unless I'm missing something, there has to be some sort of vent so the coolant can get in and then back out.
Since this didn't make sense to me, I looked up coolant recovery systems on Amazon to hopefully get some information on how it is supposed to work. I found one exactly like yours and the reviews that were there were all positive. Hmmm.... I remember that Carroll Smith (famed race car preparation export and author of well respected books on the subject (Prepare to Win, Tune to Win, Engineer to Win, etc.) suggested using a commercial coolant recovery system so I went to see what he said about it. It turns out that he didn't say anything other than to use a commercial coolant system but he did provide some schematics of coolant systems. I've attached a scan of part of one of those schematics. You can clearly see that the catch tank is open to the atmosphere. I would also note that other coolant recovery tanks sold by Amazon seem to show vents.
I think I would drill a hole that could accept a hose adapter that you could use for a vent. If the vent is not required (???) you could get a plug and seal it back up. On your could reverse this and decide if it actually needs a vent and if it does, then add one.
edit: added a little to make it read better. My mind and fingers were not in synch!
-
Thank you for the eloquent answer. I will add a vent. The bottle looks good and blends in with the aluminum swirl pot. I was not expecting perfection for $30 Canadian pesos. Chinesium engineering at its best .
-
I am prepping to install the new fuel tank when it arrives. Can anyone confirm that the fuel feed to the carb comes out of the middle of the tank and the return line goes into the fitting at the level sender? (The manual seems to show this.) The new carb does not have a electric fuel shutoff, do I need to find and install one?
Sandyman
-
On the overflow container:
You are still using the stock swirl tank, right? I hope so as it is an important part of the cooling system. If you are just adding an overflow tank to the vent from the swirl tank then that's fine. It will catch anything the swirl tank pushes out. However, it won't suck it back in when the engine cools unless you change the rad cap on the swirl tank to a sealed type.
If it is a stock tank, then you are correct. If it is an aftermarket tank then you will have to confirm.
Stock fuel pump? Or, electric?
-
Thanks John, yes the stock swirl pot is in its right place. Just want any overflow to not get into the environment.
-
stock fuel pump
-
Make sure you still plumb in the metered return line -- which I believe is off the pump. It helps prevent vapour locking.
The electric shut-off solenoid on the old carb was for emissions. The mix was set lean so the engine had a tendency to run on which the solenoid prevented. Be glad to be rid of it. They had an issue with loosening due to vibration. If left loose they could vibrate enough to wear out the carb!
-
Thanks, I will do. Frustration continues with the electrical system. Power always seems to be on. Engine does not shut off with key. Need to look at power feed from starter. Also I can't get the screws loose for the voltage stabilizer to replace it.
-
Is the stuck screw a Philips type head? You can get anti-cam-out drivers that have "cleats" that grip very well. Also remember that English cars use "posi-drive" screws. They are not the same as Philips, Reed and Prince, etc. If you use a Philips bit in a positive-drive screw, it will slip and damage the screw.
-
There's no need for a feed from the starter to the coil unless you are using a ballast resistor. Also, only some starters have the special "12v start" connection.
-
Wish I was closer to you. This electrical s#÷t is beyond my understanding. I think I will have to bite the bullet and farm it out.
-
Sorry for the last rant. Not being able to comprehend the wiring diagram is frustrating.
-
Posidrive fail. Had to pry out with screwdriver replaced screws with Philips.
-
Where do I look for the cause of "power on" all the time? White wire going into right side engine bay relay is always on. It seems to me that there is a fault causing the power going to the #2 white wires on the Ignition switch to be on all the time. Simple to understand help very welcome. I am using the S2 wiring Diagram Prior to 700103000. Also looking at S1b for 2 fuse block and Federal for front turn signal / running lights.
Non electrician
Sandyman
-
I would start at the ignition switch. Disconnect the NW wire and see if there is still power on the W wire.
-
If there is, go to the fuse box and see if the connections are amiss there. On some fuse boxes, two of the fuses have a bridge between them (MGB type). TR6 type do not have the bridge.
-
I now think that the PO miswired the fuse block. I can't make heads or tails from the wiring diagram. What should go where? The 2 upper left wires are brown.
-
That brown wire on the lower fuse shouldn't be there. White is ignition and should only see power when the ignition switch is on. Brown is live all the time, hence why the top is brown on one side and purple the other (horn is purple). It should be white on one side of the lower fuse and green on the other side. Green runs nearly everything, wipers, signals, gauges, brake lights, heater etc.
-
Thanks Roddy, so all brown to purple, white to green?
-
Yes. No brown on the green fuse, white only. And brown only on the purple fuse.
-
Check under the tape on the white wires and make sure any splice is properly soldered. Then seal it with heat shrink.
-
You could also easily fit an MGB fuse box and then you would have four fuses.
-
Great day with rebuild. 95% of the electrics working. Turn signal lights wired in but no joy. ??? Still trying to sort heater fan, full power all the time. When I put the heater fan switch to the bottom position the rad fan turns on. New fuel tank arrived today. :pirate: Only one fuel outlet, no return line inlet. I am thinking of teeing the return line into the low pressure side of the fuel pump so as not to over pressure the carb. Thoughts?
Sandy
-
That sounds normal. First position = heater fan, second position = heater fan & rad fan.
How many wires come out of your heater fan motor?
Is this a federal car? Does it have an emergency flasher switch?
-
John, my Europa is a 70 nonfederal export car. There is a hazard switch but no wires to feed it on the harness. The wiring diagram from this site for an S2 has 3 wires plus ground going into the turn signal flasher unit, mine only has 2 wires plus ground. The original blower fan had a cooked armature and is scrap. the replacement fan is a squirrel cage with power and ground wires.
Sandy
-
Your fan switch is wired correctly. There is no low speed, just on and off.
What colour are the wires to the turn signal switch? GW and GR?
-
Wires into flasher are LGP and G. With the blower fan the 2 feed wires are green and green yellow. The green is live all the time. The green yellow goes to the switch and never has power no matter where the switch is set.
-
Could the LGP wire really be a LGN wire?
What are the wire colours at the column mounted turn signal switch. GW, GR and ??
The fan is wired correctly. G is fused intone power. GY is the fan ground wire. It goes to the switch which has a B (ground) and a RB (rad fan relay ground trigger).
-
I have got the Turn signals working. The LGN and KGR looked the same. Now need to figure out how to rewire Indicater light on dash.
-
Electrics at 95% operational. Replaced Flasher unit, indicators lights all work. No power to dash indicator yet. The blower fan only likes to run with engine running. Rad fan turned on by itself when coolant reached the required temperature. New fuel tank in and plumbed. Throttle cable set so that it is fully open when peddle is touching its stop. Choke and heater cables will be installed tomorrow. Buff and install bonnet/hood as well.
Sandy
-
Sounds good!
Are you using a two terminal, or three terminal flasher?
-
I am using a 2 terminal flasher unit. Will a 3 terminal give a feed to the dash light?
-
Yes. The third terminal feeds the warning light. I like Trico HD flashers as their flash rate isn't load dependant. HD-12 is the two terminal version while HD-13 is the three.
-
Thanks for the flasher input John, installed and working. I put another mile on the car. Took her to the Land rover/ British car guy in town he fiddled with the carb. tune, running great! I need to find some paved level ground to fiddle with the alignment and ride height. I am the one in the white shirt.
-
Great news, Sandy! I hope you get on the road with your baby soon!
-
Looking good!
-
Even better with the door on. Thanks to my nephew. Also got passenger seat and trunk/boot lid on.
-
Holy Doodle, it's a car!
Get a four wheel alignment.
Europas are a delight when set up properly -- still don't lift when cornering at the limit -- but a bit of a nightmare otherwise.
-
Duh!
You have the Spyder chassis. That's a real improvement.
-
Thanks John, she needs a bath and a vacuum. With all the adjustments in the Spyder chassis I need to get her on a rack and set up everything. I have the specs from Spyder. The English carrier pidgeon must be encountering headwinds. The new driver side door latch is still on it's way. Last thing I need to certify.
-
Ready for launch! She looks like she can’t wait to get on the road. Nice one Sandy!
-
I have taken the girl out for a couple of short drives, now I see (don't see) the big blind spot on the right rear side of the car. A convex mirror is needed. I am hoping to install mirrors on the front wheel arches. Does anybody have the historic location of these mirrors?
Sandy
-
Find some pictures of Europas in Japan. Mirrors on fenders are very popular there.
-
Take a small mirror and place it upright on a table. Walk away from the mirror. Does the view improve? Nope, it gets worse. The closer the mirrors are to you the wider the view. Mirrors on the doors work much better than mirrors on the wings.
The "factory" position on the passenger door is wrong. Need to move them back a bit. The commonly used "Sebring" mirrors are not the best choice as they are too close to the body.
Look at some of the carbon fibre and plastic mirrors sold here:
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/advcat.asp?CategoryID=MIRRORS
Some have mounts that get the mirror away from the body which allows the convex glass to really shine.
Mine are mounted to the plexi door windows -- a bit extreme, yes -- but they work wonderfully. I have no blind spots.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-QrHwrDV/0/X2/i-QrHwrDV-X2.jpg)
-
Thanks for the picture of your car. Mirrors like yours should be delivered today. Do you have a picture of the side mounting of them?
Sandyman
-
I have an S1 and one-piece, Plexiglas side windows. I mounted my side mirrors right to the windows. On the door would be fine as well. Have your beautiful assistant hold them in various places before drilling holes. Just make sure you make a metal backing for the mounting fasteners.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-RKZ5kXb/0/6f6fd1ca/X2/IMG_1378-X2.jpg)
-
And with the chrome trim installed:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-XLvkTWT/0/49250cbb/X2/IMG_1383-X2.jpg)
-
Thank you Sir. They look great! My granddaughters will be visiting this weekend. They will love to help. One for each side.
-
Door fitting fail! Sticky latch/poor alignment. Back to Fibreglass repairs.
-
Ouch. Gutted for you! :blowup:
Think you might want one of these :BEER3:
-
That's a tough one, Sandyman! Have a second one of these :BEER3: then get your mat, resin, hardner, and sandpaper and fix it. Then have another! :beerchug:
-
The real piss off is that is the last thing I needed to do for certification. Itching to drive the car.
-
Mine are similar to JB. I did convex on both sides. I have zero blind spots. I mounted them as low as I could and as far forward without the A pillar blocking vision.
-
Thanks Clifton, with the help of my granddaughters locations are set for mirrors. Just need to fabricate backing plates.
-
Oh , that is in a bad area to repair with the window trim installed. I’ll look at mine tomorrow however the window and trim is still not installed. I believe the window may block all access to the door handle assembly. 🥴
Dave
-
I know this is not going to be an easy repair. Not looking forward to take that many steps back. Looked so good with the door finally on. Defiantly not going to meet my self imposed August certification. Oldest granddaughter Taylor in picture. Zen and the art of Lotus repair.
-
#2 Granddaughter Robyn helping set side mirrors.
-
It's always great to have a BA to help! :beerchug:
-
Canadian engine cover prop.
-
Very stylish!
It's time to install gas struts! You'll never be sorry.
-
Gas struts are on my wish list. After I fix the oil leaking rocker cover and replace the engine temp, oil pressure and fuel gauges.
-
Canadian engine cover prop.
Given the Europa's tendency to leave one up a certain creek, one should never be without a paddle. ;D
t
-
Short video of my car on the road. https://youtu.be/LcrBzQjyrzU
-
Yipee!
I did 130kph/80mph with my doors off. Surprisingly calm in the cabin.
-
That's great Sandyman!!! Even though there were some rough spots, that had to really feel good! :beerchug:
-
Congrats Sandy,
That had to feel good! :beerchug:
Dakazman
-
Another milestone passed. My Europa was certified on the weekend and is now registered and plated. 5 mile test drive today. She tracks straight and did 120 kph. before I chickened out. Still getting used to clutch and shift pattern. I think I will still be smiling in my sleep tonight. A big thank you for all the help and encouragement you forum members have given.
Sandy
-
That’s great news Sandy! :pirate: :pirate:
You can smile all you want now, and be proud! It sounded really strong in the video. 120k 👍👌👌
Dakazman
-
Woopie! Get as many miles in as you can. Winter is coming!
-
Congratulations Sandyman!!! :beerchug:
That's got to feel REALLY good!!! Enjoy her while you can before you have to put her up for winter.
-
Canadian thanksgiving this weekend. Planning to put some more miles on my baby. The next things I need to do on the Europa is get the oil pressure, engine temperature and fuel gauges working. I have powered the gauges by joining the sender wires and there is no movement on the gauges. Am I right in thinking that the oil and temp senders change their resistance with pressure or temp? The new fuel tank came with a new sender unit so I think the gauge is FUBAR. Can I measure the resistance across the sending units? I am also hoping to weigh the car on Saturday. I am interested to see how much more weight the Spyder Chassis adds. Happy (socially isolated) turkey time to my fellow Canadian friends.
Sandy
-
Did you hook up the voltage stabilizer? Do you have good grounds?
-
New voltage stabilizer. The ammeter and gauge lights all work, leading me to think ground is good.
-
Neither the ammeter nor the gauge lights use the voltage stabilizer does not use the voltage stabilizer so that tells you nothing. Looking at the wiring diagram, it’s the senders that are grounded. The gauge connected on one side to the sender and the other to the voltage stabilizer. I don’t know if it matters if there is a wrong way to connect them.
Check your wiring diagram and make sure everything is hooked up properly. The TC wiring diagram might be easier to follow than the S2 and there shouldn’t be any differences in how this area.
-
Given that all three gauges are not working, it sounds like a power issue. Jumping the sensors would seem to confirm that. While the fuel and temp gauges are supplied through the instrument voltage stabilizer, the oil pressure gauge is not. You can use a simple test light to check for power at the voltage stabilizer and gauges as it's not an accuracy issue. Check connections at the "green" fuse as well.
-
Well done on the drive Sandy! All the best for Thanksgiving.
-
Thank you John, I will do the reverse Lotus position with my head in the foot well and probe with a test light.
-
Official weigh in, 640 kg. or 1400 lbs. No spare tire, full of fuel.
-
Official weigh in, 640 kg. or 1400 lbs. No spare tire, full of fuel.
On the button!
-
Thanks for sharing that sandy. It’s nice to have an official value. My Europa came out at just over 600kgs after its electric conversion.
-
Getting close to putting baby to bed, 1 or 2 more runs scheduled. I tried to get an alignment last week but their equipment would not clear the front fenders. My shop/barn floor is not level enough to accurately get closer to specs. than I have it now. Any input greatly appreciated! Hopefully I have fixed the rocker cover oil leak. (added a cork gasket and sealer).
Sandy
-
What tools do you have?
Can you measure toe-in?
Can you measure camber?
You have a Spyder chassis, correct? Not familiar with what is adjustable with the Spyder rear suspension.
-
John, I have access to a 16 foot straight edge. I have spirit level, measuring tape and the tools to adjust the suspension. No flat area to put the car on. I have the specs. Here are pictures of the front and rear components.
-
On both the front and the rear, only camber and toe are adjustable. Are there no old school garages about?
Ok, let’s start with the camber. You can buy an accurate digital angle finder from Lee Valley. It for setting saw blades. It’s magnetic and about $50. Get apiece of square steel tubing and cut it so it’s long enough to span the wheel rim from bottom to top edge. Somewhere in your area there has to be a section of flat concrete. Park on it. Lay the square tubing flat on the concrete and zero the gauge. Hold it upright against the wheel rim. A 90 degree reading is 0 degrees camber. Check all four wheels carefully and check against the specs. Either jack up the car and make the adjustments right there or head home and then return to check it again.
Please do not crawl under a car supported just by a jack. Lost one friend that way and it wasn’t pleasent.
After that, we can work in the toe. Do you have a helpful friend?
-
I think this is what JB is talking about with a digital angle finder: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R12DZQ9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Here's a thread on how I made a simple camber gauge. The standoffs I stole from my old camber gauge be replaced with bolts that are double nutted to same length. Very simple and accurate to 1/10 of a degree!
-
Thank you Gentlemen. Lee valley gauge ordered. Looking for a flat floored friend.
-
Even better with the door on. Thanks to my nephew. Also got passenger seat and trunk/boot lid on.
That looks lovely, what size wheels/tyres are they?
-
Thank you Gentlemen. Lee valley gauge ordered. Looking for a flat floored friend.
If you have a reasonable floor to start on you can create a flat patch using a spirit level and some shims of plywood, or even magazines (I think you guys use 'masonite' for these things) Side to side level is more important than front to rear. To set up tracking/toe the best and most tried and tested method in the motorsport world is to set up parallel string lines (bright fishing line is best) at wheel centre height, you can then take all your measurements :trophy:
If I'm doing a particular car regularly I make a set up that clamps to the car in some convenient and repeatable way, this makes it easier to jack up to make adjustments and also to roll / jounce the car to settle it without the need to keep re-setting your string lines.
Apologies if I'm repeating stuff that's already posted somewhere, but people get very afraid of geo set ups like its a black art, it's not, if you've built a car you can certainly set it up and it's very satisfying!
-
I posted earlier about a thread I did about making your own camber/caster gauge but I forgot to post the link. Here it is: http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=3692.0
-
Broadside, :Welcome:. The rims are 14 inch Minilites from Spyder Chassis on your side of the pond.. The tires are 17565R14s. I had to grind some of the return on the wheel wells to stop them from rubbing. BDA thanks for the link!
Sandy
-
Here in Ontario we are having an unusually late spell of warm weather. We broke my 90 year old mom out of the retirement home and I took her for a spin in the country. Smiling and giggling like a school girl, she loved it! Never to old to enjoy life.
Sandy
-
Jail break??? :huh:
I'm trying to picture that in my head. I'm also glad she had a great time, and a lifetime memory for you .
Dakazman
-
20cm of snow yesterday in this part of Canada. Enjoy it while you can!
-
Here in Ontario we are having an unusually late spell of warm weather. We broke my 90 year old mom out of the retirement home and I took her for a spin in the country. Smiling and giggling like a school girl, she loved it! Never to old to enjoy life.
Sandy
Great story, Sandyman!! Your mother must be a card! May she live another ninety years!
-
Brilliant Sandy! Nice that you got to spend time with your mum and car at the same time.
-
I have been playing around with some foam making a rough plug for a Type 47 engine air induction scoop. My niece's hubby has access to a 3D printer. I am looking for input regarding how to best design a removable attachment system that will allow any Europa owner to use one without effecting the engine cover. Thoughts/ ideas greatly appreciated.
Sandy
-
With a little refinement, you could make a fiberglass mold from that!
-
BDA, fiberglass mould or 3D printing file? Which is easier to spread to the Europa community?
-
3D printing file, of course. Knowing next to nothing about actual 3D scanning, I might think that you would want to scan what might have otherwise become a fiberglass mold.
-
Random thoughts:
- that's a very large intake. You could run a 426 Hemi off that. I'd make it smaller.
- it's square and box-like. Put a slope in it to smooth air flow.
- do keep it symmetrical. That way it can be used on the other side for RHD.
-
Thanks for the input John. I am not planning to plumb directly into the carb. Just blow air into the air filter area. Still to big for that?
-
No, not at all, just thought you could reduce the size a bit and make it more aesthetically pleasing.
-
Great feedback. Thanks. How much closer to the roof do you think I can go? I am trying to mimic the front grill but upside down.
-
I'd go as close as you can. The air flow is clean over the roof.
Some inspiration:
(https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1mfLJRpXXXXXwXXXXq6xXFXXXc/FOR-Carbon-Fiber-91-96-MR-2-SW20-JDM-AIR-INTAKE-ENGINE-HOOD-SCOOP-SYSTEM.jpg_q50.jpg)
(https://www.dhresource.com/0x0/f2/albu/g8/M00/E8/28/rBVaV17XoMGAKCRaAAMX3m-ppLs221.jpg/for-toyota-mr-2-91-98-mr2-engine-scoop-air.jpg)
(https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Hec4c79bb2841483399ff30f2e71e45462/Right-Air-Intake-Trim-For-Toyota-MR2-SW20-TMS-Style-Carbon-Glass-Fiber-Right-Side-Duct.jpg)
-
Love the pictures. With the way the Europa trunk opens any ideas on how to make a quick disconnect?
-
Normal vent screen out, foam seal for paint protection, moulded in "hooks" at the rear and a padded hook on a thumbscrew at the front.
-
Fiat Abarth from the 60's.
This one is being used for cabin ventilation but it looks smart enough, I thought.
-
Gavin, thanks for the input.
-
Restyled air scoop. All suggestions welcome.
-
This style allows the Rear deck to be lifted with out removing scoop.
-
Being able to lift the rear deck sounds like a good, practical attribute. I know I'd be more tempted to try something like this if I didn't have to remove it every time I opened the engine cover. It also gives you more options for the fixing hardware and the chance to hide most of it under the deck. I wonder if a taller, narrower "mouth" wouldn't provide better flow into the "neck" of the air scoop, but I'm probably just picking nits. I think it looks promising.
-
Wow, looks good. You’ll get plenty of air through that.
-
Thanks JB. Gideon, I am trying to mimic the look of the front grill to give it a "period correct" look. If you look at the air flow over the roof (Look up Wind Tunnel test) it stays very close to the roof. The next job is to design the under side attachment and deflector to bathe the carb. air cleaner in cool air. I will also flair the bottom edge so I can add foam to protect the paint.
Sandy
-
Make a mold, sell 'em, retire early, smoking expensive cigars!
-
Lunch break at the ski hill today. She got lots of attention.
-
How did you carry the skis?
In my head I'm seeing a ski rack mounted on the engine cover, with the ski tips poking up over the roof.
-
Nice design Sandy. :beerchug: :beerchug:
Dakazman
-
I’ll bet she does! :beerchug:
-
The upside of being on the volunteer ski patrol is that I can store my skis at the hill.
-
Sandyman,
PM me - tell me about your skiing - I’m a Level 200 Alpine Coach.
Tom
74 TCS - 4605R
-
Spent some time on the Europa this week. Redirected the tail pipe and installed a 3rd. brake light.
-
Sandyman, did yuo put the 3rd brake light on the rear window's rubber gasket? If so, how did you mount it? I'm thinking of putting one there.
-
Kendo, I used bathtub silicone to glue the light to the lip above the rear window. I think the silicone will keep it in place but be easily removable when I get the car repainted in the future. the 3rd. light is a inexpensive one I picked up at Princes Auto (Canadian equivalent of Harbour Freight). I sanded the top and bottom of the light flat to reduce the profile. It came with a chrome surround that I discarded.
Sandy
-
Re the air scoop.
Definitely a good thing to do. I read (and sadly could not find it again) that some Lotus owner in Sweden? installed a cold air intake and picked up about 10HP and dropped intake air temp about 20 degrees. What he did was to cut a whole into the fiberglass floor just in front of the right rear wheel. Adding a little ducting to direct the air from under the car to the carbs. Not a direct connection to avoid odd mixture changes do to ram air at different speeds.
Seems like a good solution since it does not fight the existing air flow direction which is from under the car and up through the vents above the engine. I am in the middle of fabricating just such a system for my 70 S2 while the body is off and easy to work on. I also intend to add a small wheel spat / spoiler directly in front of the rear wheels to help direct more air into the engine space. It also should slightly reduce net air drag, many newer cars have such spoilers in front of the rear wheels. A google search will uncover a few articles about the impact of such a mod.
It's all speculation since I have not finished but it does seem to be a reasonable idea.
-
For your edification, I found A few takes on that. I hope these help:
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=3684.msg38896#msg38896
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=2658.0
-
For your edification, I found A few takes on that. I hope these help:
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=3684.msg38896#msg38896
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=2658.0
Thanks BDA, for bringing these links to attention. I just had a good read through these (again), lots of great information there on improving cold air intake. I wonder if these two threads can be combined some way and added to the Technical Articles section of the forum.
-
Great idea! Maybe SOMEONE could edit them into one tech article for the Technical Articles section... :)
-
Long weekend here in the frozen north ;)(+30 C). Time to attack the wheel alignment. Once the car is level front to back. How do I establish the vertical centre line of the front to set the caster?
-
I set the caster by measuring the camber at both steering lock positions. It’s not really adjustable though.
-
BDA, I have a Spyder Chassis and suspension. Totally adjustable. I need to be able to find the true vertical of the front and then adjust the caster slightly negative so the car tracks better and returns to straight leaving a corner.
-
As I understand it, caster is not relative to the center line of the car but I think I see where you're headed - you're interested in positioning the front wheels first, right?
I think you can put the car on stands and measure between the bottom suspension pivots. It might also be useful to drop a plumb line from each front suspension pivot and mark the floor and measure the half distance and mark the floor there. Maybe you could also put some tape outward from the plumb mark on both sides and graduate them so that you can measure the distance from a plumb line say from the end of the spindle to the inner suspension pivot to get them the same distance.
Does that sound helpful?
I was trying to remember what I did with my Lola T492 race car since it would be a similar situation. I don't think I really bothered with caster at all and figured, probably incorrectly, that Lola set that when the car was built. I never noticed any tendency to pull one way or the other so either it actually was set correctly enough or I wasn't sensitive enough to notice it wsa off or both!
-
The brake caliper mounting bolts on the stock spindles look to be in line with the ball joint and trunnion pivot line. You could take the caliper off and just put a level against the bolts I think, and get a very accurate reading.
-
By caster (tilt of the steering axis forward or back), do you mean camber (tilt of the wheel in or out from vertical)?
-
John, once I set the camber, I need to set the caster. The car does not track well in a straight line. In a corner I can let go of the steering wheel and the car continues to travel on the same arc it is on.
-
I think the trunnion will limit the amount of adjustment available. I tried to adjust my caster one side. Of course, I had to use washers. I got a small change at first but then new washers didn’t seem to change it at all. The consensus on this forum was the trunnion was limiting any adjustment. It seemed reasonable to me when I thought about it. On the other hand, the specified caster is very small so it might work for you.
What is the caster angle currently?
-
BDA, I first need to find the vertical centre line, once I get the car level in both side to side and front to back. Coffee almost done. Heading out to garage soon.
-
Yes, unfortunately, you can’t adjust caster with the stock upright. There is no provision for the connection to the lower arms for the upright to pivot fore and aft. Your upper arms make it look like you can but it’s not possible. You can put the upright under tremendous strain and get a bit of adjustment but that’s a bad idea.
You can do it if you convert to the Canely uprights with the spherical lower joint. Not cheap but they work very well.
It is somewhat normal for the steering not to return to centre automatically. It can be improved somewhat by making sure you have as little stiction as possible in the steering mech. Check your rack’s pinion adjustment is not too tight and lube the rack with gear oil rather than grease. If you changed the steering column’s bushing, this is another source of stiction. The new bushings are a bit snug and take a long time to bed in.
Again, though, there is not a lot of self-centring force designed in. Nature of the beast.
-
What a day! 3 of the 4 corners done. Either my fault or bad design but the upper bushings drifted out of position. There is no provision in the original design to hold them in place. I widened the space and fitted 2 washers to hold the bushings in place. Right front corner tomorrow morning. I also fitted a new rear screen behind the license plate as I no longer need the exhaust pipe hole.
-
I used string on both sides to find my center line. I cut the back of the frame off, tubed it and made my own rear double a arms. You can find perfect center. I have made a few posts on straight line stability and alignment on these. I won't go into that again but I found removing the spring in the rack allowed the steering to return to center on slower speed turns. I cheated a little more caster in it but the rack still had too much drag with the spring. Just not enough weight on the front to over come it. It takes 2 minutes to remove, drive and see if it returns better.
-
WOW! The Europa is much better behaved as I get closer to the suspension settings. I widened the area either side of the upper spring mount bushings and inserted washers to hold the bushings in place. PITA. Has anybody swapped the sides of the turn signal stalk and the dimmer switch? How did it go?
Sandy
-
The suspension bushings are supposed to be bonded. Some aren't and can "slide out". I had the same thing happen to me.
Here are the bushings that separated:
https://jbcollier.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-W7cTbNb/A
Here's a side by side comparison:
https://jbcollier.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-dCM2Bf6/A
The good bushing (left) has rolled edges and the rubber looks like it has been poured in. The poor bushing (right) doesn't have rolled edges and the rubber looks like it has been pressed in.
-
JB has a solution. I had the same problem with my bushings (see attached photo) and just put washers on either side which you can barely see in the other attached picture. If you're buying new bushings, get the rolled kind and use washers for the belt and suspenders approach!
-
Thanks gentlemen, I am unsure if Spyder glued the bushings, if so the glue failed. I added washers.
-
I discovered that the wire from the fuel gauge to the tank had an open fault. I replaced the wire only to find that the voltage stabilizer had stopped working. Replacement on its way. While doing my most hated job (electrics) I decided to drag the old girl into the 21st. century by adding 3 more fuses and a more reliable ground/earth system. This is so I can add a GPS speedometer for kilometre per hour driving, a charging port for cell phones and power for a washer unit to be installed soon. My artiest brother has done a mock up of the door decal. I will take it to graphics company once I find a match for the gold stripe.
Sandy
-
Great stuff, Sandy!
-
Nice additions. The car is looking good.
-
Lots of fun driving friends around yesterday and today. I replaced the voltage stabilizer, temp and oil pressure gauges. Still no joy with the temp gauge. 60 psi oil pressure. Fuel gauge now working. This afternoon I turned on the head lights and found some elusive Lucas smoke hiding behind the dashboard. I must have introduced a short circuit somehow. Oh the joy and privilege of an Europa.
-
You need this: http://whereisbobl.com/tiger/smoke.html
-
:FUNNY: Thanks for the link. With my luck with things electrical I am ordering a case.
-
Finally got to installing R&D's engine compartment struts. A true fight. No measurements only pictures. Had to move the cross bracket back. Had to drill extra holes in the sides of the engine cover. More fiddling required. I did enjoy taking the Europa into town to pick up longer bolts.
-
Always nice to have an excuse to drive the Lotus!
Since you've already gotten your struts installed, this won't help you but I didn't use the side pieces. I mistakenly thought that drilling into the curved fiberglass under the rain gutter would be a problem, So rather than use the fabricated pieces that came with the kit, I took a 1" square aluminum tubing. I cut a half round "fish mouth" at one end to catch the strut that goes across the car under the rear window. I had to carve up the back a little to get around the seat belt strut connection and bolted that to the wheel well. but otherwise it was pretty simple and is very sturdy.
I'll bet your really happy with your struts. It's one of the best things I've put on my car!
-
BDA, I now concur that the R&D engine cover struts are a great addition. I really hurt today. After 2 days of crawling in and under the front end of the Europa setting up the camber and toe in by myself. Started out with the wheels leaning in 3+ degrees ended up at the spyder chassis spec of between 0 and 0.5 degrees. Glad I bought a slide hammer this winter. Then I was able to set the toe in to 1/8 " total. WOW! What a difference, previously the car was very road camber sensitive and twitchy. Now she is smoother and more forgiving. More work on the agenda to get her ready for the Lotus Club of Canada's spring tour north of Toronto on May 15th. Pictures to follow.
Sandy
-
Finally installed the all important ashtray. Now it will be used as a cell phone holder.
-
"And now, your victory is complete," DV (sort of)
-
Sandy,
Did you get the sticker from our favourite fabricobbler?
-
If you are referring to AVE you have him. I am a great fan of his. His "healing bench" tool tare downs of shop tools are full of fun and learning. His other "Safety?" decals are wonderful if you have ever spent any time in a fabrication shop.
-
😂😂
Love it!
Dakazman
-
Yes, AvE is a funny guy.
When I first heard him use the term "healing bench", it cracked me up.
It's catching on too. There's a couple of other YouTubers who now say "tappy tap tap" — hilarious.
-
Engage safety squints is my personal favourite.
I suspect he paraphrased tappy tap tap from Bob Ross. Happy little trees!
Great work on the Europa Sandy. We must meet up the next time I’m in Toronto.
-
Thanks Bodzer, PM me if you have a long layover in the 6.
-
Yesterday I did the longest run in my Europa. 300 miles down to Toronto and back. Visit with my daughter who is recovering from chimo, last dose on Friday. Prognosis is good.
Lots of thumbs up on the run. Unusually hot degrees F. Ran on our 100 km. highway keeping up with the other traffic at 120+ mph. Engine temperature hotter than I hoped (holding just under 100 degrees C). One of the original fuses failed in slow traffic when I engaged the rad fan. Replaced with new and all good.
Sandy
-
Congratulations on your successful run! 120+ mph is VERY impressive!
Congratulations also for your daughter’s good prognosis! I very much hope she’s seen the worst of what must be a terrifying ordeal and she never needs to worry about that again!
-
Typing error. Should have typed 120 kph. She still felt very planted. On the back roads in my hood I have had her up to 160 mph (100 mph.) Not an every day experience.
-
I see you still have issues choosing kph or mph! :FUNNY:
Still 100 mph is good!
-
Congrats Sandyman. There is nothing like road-tripping in a Europa. Glad to hear yours is working well. Cheers.
-
Prototype engine bay air induction scoop ready for testing.
-
Interesting….. being up in “clean” air it should work! Let us know how well.
-
That looks really nice! Are you planning on hooking up your snorkel to your carbs? Are you going to test the airflow somehow?
-
Hi Buddy BDA, as I have the original stock "small block" engine I don't want to over stress her by increasing the compression ratio. The thought is just reduce the engine bay temperature and slight reduction in air pressure inherent in the Europa design. I wanted to replicate the look of the early air scoops. I don't know how a simpleton like me can test the engine bay temps and pressures without wasted expenses.
Sandy
-
I don’t think you have to worry about pushing too much air into your carb.
I think you’re right about the engine bay temps. I think the original snorkels were more for providing cooler air to the carbs than to provide pressurized air.
-
BDA, I agree. Took my baby to her first show on Sunday. There was an Elan +2 and 4 other British cars. lots of looks and tec talk. Is it just me or are older pickups this generations '57 Chevy?
-
It still amazes me how small a Europa is next to other cars! I saw a comparison between a ‘70s vintage 911 and a recent 911 and it grew substantially!
-
Sandy , I can’t believe I missed these posts . 😢
I’m glad all is going well with your daughter. A glimmer of hope helps us thru the day . I’m glad about the Europa’s performance but more so your daughters.
Dave
-
Thank You for your kind words Dave. Both my daughter and the Europa are doing well. My daughter and her family are hosting a Canada Day party at my place this weekend. I am looking forward to lots of different passengers enjoying the paved twisty roads around my place. Happy July 4th to all my southern friends.
Sandy
-
Beta testing the engine air scoop. So far reduced engine temperature (about 10 degrees), feels like slightly more power and with the new engine cover vent covers increased cool factor.
Sandy
-
It looks great! Did your snorkel make a difference in your coolant temps?
-
10° lower !!!
Frankly, wonderful! Please explain about the vent covers, thanks.
-
Vent covers are made of the same material as my rear screen. 1/8' perforated aluminum cut to sit close to the top of the existing vent holes, edges protected with many coates of Plastidip and held in by small aluminum bars on the under side using SS screws and nylock bolts.
-
The engine heat gauge has shown reduced temps on the short trips I have done. It would be nice to test with a remote air temp sensor and air pressure monitor. I need to do a longer road run at summer temperatures to confirm both reduced temps and increased fuel economy. Speed tested to 120 kmph+, no issues. I am also hoping it will keep some of the road dust out of the air filter.
-
It seems like a very promising modification! :beerchug:
-
I had a great weekend in the Europa. I drove to Guelph on Saturday to visit Bud and his '74 big valve 5 speed, what a great survivor (210 00 original miles). His engine and trans were out for rebuilds (engine not turning). I tried not to get any drool on his beautifully restored Bug Eyed Sprint. I hope Bud can show us his fix for how he has overcome the lack of transmission and still being able to roll the car. Sunday I took the Europa to Barrie to watch a friend autocross his BMW. It was lots of fun and if i can borrow a helmet I may try it soon.
I think that sitting for 44 years introduced some rust into the transmission. On the return home from Barrie I started to hear a grinding noise that fluctuated in accordance with the road speed. Think it is a output shaft bearing. I changed the transmission oil. It was rust coloured! Bearing noise did not go away. I now know what I am doing this winter. I will source all the bearings and bushings from the usual suspects and do a refresh.
Sandy
-
Sorry to hear about your bearings, but that will keep you off the streets this winter!
-
Sorry to hear about the trans woes, but sounds like a great weekend of cruising, Europa style.
-
Carefully support the rear wheels off the ground. Make sure it is stable! Start and run the car and then go underneath with a long screwdriver. Tip on various parts and and the handle in your ear. That will help isolate where the noise is coming from.
-
John, thanks for the advice. I will do that first.
-
Procrastination! Well friends its time to come clean. I have had the transmission out and sitting on my work bench for 6 months. A fear of screwing it up and a lack of proper pressing equipment has stalled me. My resent trip has cured that. My partner has been doing contract nursing in the Canadian arctic. Her latest stint in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut just ended and I drove to her first transfer location which is Yellowknife, North West Territorys to pick her up. 4,764 kms one way. Knowing of 3 Europa owners on my way out I contacted them and arranged visits.
My first visit was with GaryT in High River, Alberta. Awesome car, (sorry about the distributor problem). Gary invited me to visit his other baby, the De Havilland Mosquito at the amazing Bomber Museum in Nanton. Absolutely blown away by the restoration process.
My next visit was with Blitzen AKA. Don in Calgary. A nearly finished Big Valve 5 speed. If we can just convince him to get off the Ducati and pull some wrenches it will shine.
My last visit in Alberta was with JBCollier AKA John. The fit and finish of this S1 would make Colin blush.
I love it when serendipity happens. While waiting for my lovely to prep for the days drive I just happened to look on Kijiji for Europas for sale in Canada. Up popped Roberts '70 Europa in Winnipeg. A few emails and I had the privilege of seeing this Gordini powered beauty.
These visits and the funeral of a good friend of mine have rekindled my desire to get my baby back on the road.
-
It was a pleasure to have you over. Sorry the Europa wasn’t running (oh the shame). Toasted battery because I let it get flat over winter as I was supposed to work on it. That time got swallowed by other projects, sigh. Next time you can take it for a ride!
-
Canada has some very talented people! But I knew that!
-
Greetings fellow Europafiles. I'm back after a winter of car procrastinations. Early March I finally put on my Big Boy pants and put the transmission back together. Ski Patrolling was good given the warm, low snow winter. On the last day the resort was open, March 30, had my only fall of the year. It was a big one. Broke my right collar bone. I was planning to install the tranny the next day! No shifting for me for a while.
On the plus side my brother and I are heading to the UK, our first time out of North America. 3 weeks, late June to mid July culminating at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Hoping to get to Lotus HQ mid trip.
-
Sorry to hear about your collar bone! I understand that's a really painful one to break!
Glad to hear you're pretty much all healed up and got your tranny back together. I envy you for your trip to Merry Ole and especially going to Goodwood Festival of Speed! I'm sure you'll see LOTS of Loti there! A trip to Lotus HQ would be a cherry on top! :beerchug:
-
I broke my left collar bone 31 years ago … still has a nice lump on it …you have my sympathies!
-
Sorry to hear about the bone break, but lots of other good news there. Enjoy your trip to the UK, and, of course, the Goodwood FoS. I was there in 2000 (was also my first time leaving North America). It was the single most awesome car event I have ever been to. So much more than I could have imagined. I hope you are going for the full weekend, as there is just so much to see. It defies description. Bring some photos back. Cheers.