Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: Sparkrite on Wednesday,July 12, 2023, 11:51:57 AM
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I was at the local classic car meet last night and thought it would be interesting to show the difference in ride heights between my federal TCS and a really nice rhd S2. But I believe this S2 was an export car that was instead kept for the UK market.
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I thought the early cars were lower than the TC onwards, wasn't it something about headlamp height that caused the eventual change ? Whenever I've seen an S1 or S2, they've always seemed lower and "racier" than mine !
Brian
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I'm not sure I understand you,but the red earlier car is lower.
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This is where my memory becomes hazy.
I think it was the Europa where there was something about headlamp height with the early cars. Dealers in the US altered the front wishbones to make them legal to sell and once off the forecourt the owners put them the right way round.
So when they redesigned for the TC they altered the body shape at the front which gave a higher headlamp but this also makes the car look noticeably higher. The road tests for the S2 & TC only gave an inch or so extra for the TC in roofline height but when you put them side by side the S1/S2 look much lower and if I'm honest, much nicer.
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Only the type 54 S2's had the lower headlamps. The 65 S2's are the same as the TC's. It's easy to lower the ride height but not easy to fix the headlamps.
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I have a very strange desire to see a TC body with and S1 front end and S1 doors.
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If anyone has the tools (and cars) to make it happen, it's you....
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If anyone has the tools (and cars) to make it happen, it's you....
You are making me blush!
I will get on it as soon as I finish painting the Eclat...and truck...and Esprit....and....
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How many of your Europas have you completed? (and how many have you got now?) I've lost track
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Would you also graft the front end of an elan plus 2 onto the front of a Europa….I've always wondered what that would look like….
……hmm maybe I guess they did it and called it the Esprit!
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…but going back to the original thread….I find it quite hard to see how they made the headlights higher the wing seems more horizontal but perhaps the S2 has been lowered?
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How many of your Europas have you completed? (and how many have you got now?) I've lost track
So far I have had 1 running Europa for 3 glorious weeks, but alas no longer! I even had a running Elan and Eclat too! Things were going well... The Elan had a cooling issue where exhaust gas was getting in to the coolant so the motor is out of it at the moment. The Eclat was driving, but it had a cracked exhaust manifold and the gearbox would not stay in reverse....so the motor is out of it as well. The Europa's starter died and so now it too is out of commission.
Let me see if I can recite them all...
TCS The genesis project.... in progress
S1A a shell
S1A a nicer rolling shell, no engine, compromised chassis
S1B rolling shell w/ engine out
S2 road registered, not working, in progress
S1 sort of rolling shell
Elan Road registered, Engine out, in progress
Eclat Road registered, Engine out full respray, in progress
Esprit Rolling shell engine out
Eclat Rolling shell no engine
Elite Rolling shell no engine
Do I have a problem yet? I don't have a wife so I don't think so...
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After that list, you really didn’t need to say you didn’t have a wife! ;D
I have a stock TC starter that I’ll sell you for the cost of shipping. PM me if you’re interested.
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How many of your Europas have you completed? (and how many have you got now?) I've lost track
So far I have had 1 running Europa for 3 glorious weeks, but alas no longer! I even had a running Elan and Eclat too! Things were going well... The Elan had a cooling issue where exhaust gas was getting in to the coolant so the motor is out of it at the moment. The Eclat was driving, but it had a cracked exhaust manifold and the gearbox would not stay in reverse....so the motor is out of it as well. The Europa's starter died and so now it too is out of commission.
Let me see if I can recite them all...
TCS The genesis project.... in progress
S1A a shell
S1A a nicer rolling shell, no engine, compromised chassis
S1B rolling shell w/ engine out
S2 road registered, not working, in progress
S1 sort of rolling shell
Elan Road registered, Engine out, in progress
Eclat Road registered, Engine out full respray, in progress
Esprit Rolling shell engine out
Eclat Rolling shell no engine
Elite Rolling shell no engine
Do I have a problem yet? I don't have a wife so I don't think so...
Very jealous, but I haven't even got on with replacing my clutch, so more cars for me would just mean more procrastination.
Keep up the good work preserving the herd. :beerchug:
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…but going back to the original thread….I find it quite hard to see how they made the headlights higher the wing seems more horizontal but perhaps the S2 has been lowered?
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I have a very strange desire to see a TC body with and S1 front end and S1 doors.
There was one for sale in California not that long ago. It was combo'd with a bunch of other bad mods so I t was hard to tell.
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Do I have a problem yet? I don't have a wife so I don't think so...
My wife said to me, "either that car goes or I go".
I miss her sometimes...
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Do I have a problem yet? I don't have a wife so I don't think so...
My wife said to me, "either that car goes or I go".
I miss her sometimes...
Hahaha!
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How many of your Europas have you completed? (and how many have you got now?) I've lost track
So far I have had 1 running Europa for 3 glorious weeks, but alas no longer! I even had a running Elan and Eclat too! Things were going well... The Elan had a cooling issue where exhaust gas was getting in to the coolant so the motor is out of it at the moment. The Eclat was driving, but it had a cracked exhaust manifold and the gearbox would not stay in reverse....so the motor is out of it as well. The Europa's starter died and so now it too is out of commission.
Let me see if I can recite them all...
TCS The genesis project.... in progress
S1A a shell
S1A a nicer rolling shell, no engine, compromised chassis
S1B rolling shell w/ engine out
S2 road registered, not working, in progress
S1 sort of rolling shell
Elan Road registered, Engine out, in progress
Eclat Road registered, Engine out full respray, in progress
Esprit Rolling shell engine out
Eclat Rolling shell no engine
Elite Rolling shell no engine
Do I have a problem yet? I don't have a wife so I don't think so...
Very jealous, but I haven't even got on with replacing my clutch, so more cars for me would just mean more procrastination.
Keep up the good work preserving the herd. :beerchug:
Don't be jealous I will get you a plane ticket if you want to come and help me! There's plenty for everyone. We can have an Amish style barn raising.
If you are from the UK and you are unacquainted, the Amish are country dwellers in the mid-west who don't believe in using electricity or in the sinful frivolities of modern convenience. It is common practice for their members (which all happen to be relatives ;) ) to band together and rapidly construct barns and the like with their collective bearded power.
Come brothers! We shall resurrect them all!!
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:D
…but going back to the original thread….I find it quite hard to see how they made the headlights higher the wing seems more horizontal but perhaps the S2 has been lowered?
Ah thanks……that’s a useful angle
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one last comment on S2 vs the Twin Cam. I thought the body sits higher on the chassis for the twin cam vs then the S2. They dropped the floor 1.5" for the headroom but that meant it changed the how it had to sit on the chassis. Plus the more squared off fenders with the higher lights vs a 54 S2 and a twin cam will look a lot higher. I will try to compare them on my TCS and S2.
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In my original image,the front wings/fenders are the same for both cars. But mine sits noticeably higher at the front and even roof height .
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In the first pic you posted, the TC is sitting higher in the front. You can see a bit more gap between the top of the tire and fender opening and you can see the sway bar under it. If you want it lower, shocks with an threaded collar make it pretty easy.
A lot of people use the closing plate height for measurement. I don't know what part of the front of the frame it is though. I know I have a little flap that comes down lower. Someone with more knowledge may say. It would be easy to compare other cars pics if they include this measurement.
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In the first pic you posted, the TC is sitting higher in the front. You can see a bit more gap between the top of the tire and fender opening and you can see the sway bar under it. If you want it lower, shocks with an threaded collar make it pretty easy.
A lot of people use the closing plate height for measurement. I don't know what part of the front of the frame it is though. I know I have a little flap that comes down lower. Someone with more knowledge may say. It would be easy to compare other cars pics if they include this measurement.
Measure where the close plate meets the cross box. That little flap going down from the cross box where it meets the longitudinal frame is meant to provide a back-up plate for the pedal cluster. If you ever drop the frame to refresh or repair, it's a good idea to weld that flap up where it meets the long box at the cross-member junction to add strength.