47 Bodied Project Starts - Slightly Delayed. Big pile of bits to sort out.

[460384]

Does you front hood has heat vents for the big radiator set up?  I have a short VW radiator cross the front behind the front grill opening and using the original radiator opening to vent the heat out.  I think it is not sufficient and am getting a lot of hot air in the passenger compartment. Looking for a better way to vent the heat out. Is there a simple way to add heat vents on the hood?   

[RoddyMac]

The one's I've put links to are all NG3 boxes, but they don't appear on the list (they may be too new for the list).  The majority are NG3095 boxes but one is an 096.  I have no idea of the gear ratios nor the final drive ratios.  And to be honest, the NG3 that I picked up is an NG3035 which doesn't show on the list either.    When I get around to sorting out my clutch and swapping over the bellhousing I'll have a look at the final drive ratio, the actual gear ratio's don't really concern me (at least at the moment).

Rod

[BDA]

I didn't find 095, 086, or 035 listed in the NG workshop manual so I did a search and found this NG series workshop manual that seems more detailed/complete than the one posted in the documentation section of lotus-europa.com  (http://www.matrasport.dk/Cars/Espace/vault/J63/gear_ne3.pdf).

While it may be useful if you have to get inside an NG3, it doesn't list any information for 035, 095, or 096 either!

I found this pdf on lotus-europa.com that references a close ratio gear kit (dogs on 1st and 2nd, synchros on 3rd, 4th, and 5th), but I couldn't find whose car it is much less where he got the gears.

You might want to talk to somebody at Alpine-America since it is a Renault shop and also is familiar with Europas (http://www.alpine-america.qc.ca/). They might have some information on those gear boxes there.

[jbcollier]

Air through the front grill is shared with the original rad and the vent/heat system.  If you put a rad across the front then you are preheating the air that goes to the vent/heat system.  You need to seal and duct the air from the rad out so that the vent/heat system does not get pre-heated air.

[StrawberryCheesecake]

Does you front hood has heat vents for the big radiator set up?  I have a short VW radiator cross the front behind the front grill opening and using the original radiator opening to vent the heat out.  I think it is not sufficient and am getting a lot of hot air in the passenger compartment. Looking for a better way to vent the heat out. Is there a simple way to add heat vents on the hood?

Yes, there's a small and inconspicuous vent in the front lid



Good point though. I'll have to figure out a way to suck cold air in, to feed the vents. The area in front of the windscreen is usually a high air pressure area, so a vent at the back of the front lid would be one idea... although I'm not sure of the wisdom of cutting a hole in a kevlar front lid.... Given that the S1 type windows don't open very far, I need to make sure I can get some decent ventilation from the eyeball vents.

[StrawberryCheesecake]

Airflow pressure map pinched from the interweb... roughly right for a Europa I guess. If anyone has a Europa specific one, I'd love to see it.

[BDA]

How about this: http://www.lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/aero/Europa%20Aerodynamics.htm

[StrawberryCheesecake]

Interesting stuff in there. Thanks!

[EuropaTC]

On the ventilation theme, could you take a couple of 2" feeds (like they do for brake ducting) from underneath the radiator and work it up into the plenum chamber rather than cutting more holes ?  I doubt it would make that much difference to the cooling efficiency and it'd certainly be high pressure air into the vents. 

Strange though it sounds, the fresh air ventilation is one thing I've always liked about the old Lotus's. You can drive along with cool air from the vents without having to have a motor on to push it out as on nearly every modern car we've had. The Elan (60's version) is the same, I only ever used the blower on either car to clear the windscreen on cold days. 

Brian

[StrawberryCheesecake]

Hi Brian

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that. Definitely sounds like an option to look at. It would mean cutting holes in the 'bulkhead' halfway up the front compartment, but I'm not sure that'll make much difference to strength.

[460384]

I took three pics of my front boot. As you can see I have full radiator and AC system.  I installed a cold air duct from the front grill to the upper compartment and sealed the lower part.  It help a bit, warm air not hot as before, still comes into the passenger compartment due it's location, passing Thur the hot zone, in the lower compartment. Most of the hot air exits Thur the opening via the original radiator opening on the lower right. The temp runs about 190-210 F in hot summer. Do I need more vents on the hood or on the left side of the lower compartment?

[460384]

Sorry, see pics below.

[BDA]

I can't tell from the pictures, but it looks like the original radiator exhaust is at least partially in front of the radiator. If so, I think I would block it off and make bigger vents in the bonnet.

The A/C is a really nice touch!

[StrawberryCheesecake]

Sorry, see pics below.

Is that Airtex type insulation in the first one? If so, will it take the temperatures?

[460384]

I got the roll at Home Depot for less than $30.  It works very well. I installed around the gas tanks to keep the temp down as well.