Found in 4483R

[4129R]

I am about to send batch #6 off to the trimmers for complete oatmeal trim replacement, seats, console, door cards, etc.

3089R was very rusty, and I had to drill out the seat bolts from the floor.

It seems 4483R was similarly left in a pond, or the screen leaked very badly and the footwell fills up.

After drilling out all 8 bolts from underneath (not a nice job, the drill bits brake often, the arms get very tired, and the metal swarf gets in places you don't want it), I had to separate the seat from the carpet with a large screw driver, they had rusted together in a dark brown mess.

Normally I find all sorts of coins, a few ball pens, and general crap under the seats. But this one was different.

Under the drivers seat, between the metal runner and the inner sill, in among the rusty carpet, I found 10 rounds of 9mm hollow nose ammunition.

Is this normal to carry ammo in your Lotus?

We in Europe cannot understand this.

Alex in Norfolk, (close to the home of F35As in Europe in 2020) 

[Bainford]

That is a curious find indeed. Do you know anything about the history of this car?

[4129R]

Sold to me by an auctioneer on behalf of the estate of the dec'd.

Came from Wisconsin. I have a loyalty card in the wife's name. Italian sounding.

I made the auctioneer an offer he couldn't refuse !!!

It is very badly deteriorated, snow plough spoiler, horrible rear wheel arch extensions, and rust in most placed. 

The registry says Dennis Labrosciano and Conneticut, and it used to be Lagoon Blue. I will check the plate in the front. L12 for blue, L15 for black.

[Roger]

I'd certainly think that was unexceptional if the car came from Texas.

[BDA]

I'm guessing that since you're in the UK, you won't be able to take advantage of them. 


If you need to dispose of them, you can grab the bullet with one pair of pliers and the case with another and you can work the bullet out and dump the powder. Deactivating the primer is a bit trickier. Some say that soaking it in WD-40 or similar will render it inert, but that's not true. You can carefully push it out from inside the shell smoothly with a very thin tool. You don't want any sort of impact. I've never done it, but I've heard of people who have pounded primers with a hammer. Obviously doing any of this requires eye and ear protection taking precautions for the possibility of fire.


I guess you could also just throw them away. Even if they find themselves to an incinerator, they won't be dangerous since because they are not in a gun chamber, there will be very little pressure and thus velocity of the projectile. Or you could give them to your local police if that won't get you in trouble. Unfortunately, it doesn't make any sense to send them to me!

[4129R]

I have 2 live .50" that I dug up in the garden. A B17 Eager Eagle crashed in my back garden 31st August 1943.

They are a bit more of a challenge than the very small rounds I just found. I will take a photo of both at the weekend for comparison.

[BDA]

In that case, you can start a bullet collection!

So you know the particular plane! Is this a picture?


[edit - the picture didn't get inserted into the post.]