Lotus Europa Community

It's going to take more than a buff and an oil change to get that one back on the road. Big project, but you just got to love an E-Type. Good luck, and keep us posted.

  I Love Cats !
     
     I will be busy fitting this stray into my life while also picking up an S1 .
  Maybe it is an addiction, but this 66 XKE 4.2 series 1 needs to be put back on the road.
  All ready removed interior items, harness , rear end (cage), after I remove the door glass it will be off to be media blasted.
Dakazman

Thank you BDA for the link and your sentiment.  My ignorance and willingness to trust professional help over my own gut can undercut the process at times.  Couple months back when installing the rebuilt gearbox I noticed considerable play on the output shafts.  Also, the locking tabs for the diff finned nuts were aggressively bent outwards in order to engage the finned nuts.  Just looked as if both sides were not threaded in enough by a long shot.  I asked him about this and he told me not to concern myself with it.  That amount of play is not a problem in this gearbox and they are never without play.  The diff is set with the correct amount of preload so leave it alone.  It was A LOT of play.  It was on the opposite side of preload and right then and there was when I should have called bullshit.  It was his professional expertise against my so called commonsense so I folded and said yeah you must be right, what do I know.  Filled the gearbox with oil after installation and it was losing fluid from the output shafts at a rate that was incomparable to before the rebuild.  I've had nothing but problems since taking the gearbox to him so at this point I wouldn't trust him to put on a pair of pants the right way.  Suffice to say he won't be touching the gearbox again and I am learning an expensive lesson.  It's a bit of a shit show but ultimately I put myself here.  Hoping to continue taking the necessary steps to bring myself up to speed so this duping becomes much less frequent.
Looks like renault16shop.com may have a 3rd gear for my 365-04.  I'll have to reach out and see if that is the reality.
     

I would like to get used whatever I can. Between RD and Europa Engineering in UK I can source most of what I need. I own a machine shop so fabricating items is not a problem. It's possible to copy an item if I have at least one.

After some delays I was able to resume diagnosing the gearbox and ended up pulling it from the car.  First time removing the gearbox while keeping the engine in the car and it wasn't so bad. Used my engine crane with some 5/8 kernmantle rescue/rigging rope to lift the car from the rear hoop.  Some real overkill stuff for a 1500 lb car but easy to work with and it won't scratch any surfaces.  With the car lifted I slid my hydraulic worktable under the engine then cut 2x4s to length to support the weight of the engine by means of the engine stands bolted to the block.  Lifted the weight of the engine with the table then proceeded to remove the engine chassis bolts.  Placed a hydraulic jack under the gearbox then removed the two bolts securing the gearbox to the chassis.  At this stage the engine is free from the chassis and is being supported by the worktable and the jack.  I continue to raise the car with the crane and pay close attention to the timing chain tensioner, the brake light switch and water pump hose at the front of the engine.  In my case the tensioner just would make contact with the frame when I found the appropriate clearance from the rear hoop to pull the gearbox.  The water pump rubber hose did not completely become undone, I loosened the clamp and it ended up dripping coolant but the hose never fully pulled off so I retained most of the coolant and had small spillage/waste so not bad.  Pulled the carbs but probably could of been okay just removing the air filters.  Ended up repositioning the car to where I could throw a bolt through each side of the engine chassis mounts then pulled the worktable out from underneath the car and replaced it with a different arrangement of 2x4s to support the engine weight.  Repositioned the safety jacks and lowered the car slightly so the 2x4s would hold some of the weight of the engine along with the jacks.  Been checking it everyday, hydraulics tend to drift over time so I give the engine crane a few pumps now and then so not all the weight transfers to the safety jacks and blocks of wood. 
Easy stuff done so then I went to have the gearbox assessed.  800 dollars later I discover some damage took place inside during the short life of the rebuilt gearbox.  The diff was set up incorrectly with so much slop and the opposite of preload they said I am lucky it got stuck in gear when it did.  The output shafts had so much play that it ended up wearing away at the case and embedding the synchros with aluminum.  They also commented how far from spec some of the parts were, two of them being relatively hand tight when they call for 45 and 80 ft lbs of torque.  Truth be told, this could of turned out much worse.  They are saying the gearbox can be saved but sourcing all the parts may be a problem.  So far I am unable to find a 3rd gear and a synchro hub for 3rd gear medium blue and another synchro hub for 3rd gear but yellow.  This is for a 365-04 renault gearbox.  All the other parts I have sourced and begun ordering.  Kelvelodonlotus appeared to have one 3rd gear in stock but when trying to purchase I was met with "they have none in stock message.  Sorry for this inconvenience" I'll continue the hunt and with a lot of luck I will be able to acquire the remaining parts for another rebuild.