I made the trek from Fort Lauderdale to Log39 in Sturbridge MA. I took the autotrain from Sanford, FL to Lorton, VA, just south of Washington DC. I met up with the group Certified Lotus has been writing about and took two days from Bethlehem PA to get to Log 39. The first day was challenging for me, and the group because my electric fuel pump went intermittent, and I had to stop three times before I changed the pump with a new Holley Mighty Mite fuel pump I brought as a spare. After that, it was smooth sailing. I originally thought it was the oil pressure switch which controls the relay that turns the pump on and off.
Anyway, Log was fun. I met a lot of the members of this forum and saw their cars. I have never seen so many Loti in one place. I did get third place in the Europa TC/Special category. Glen was amazing to bring his brand new car, but it all worked out. A very knowledgeable and friendly group of people.
Anyway, issues came up at home and a hurricane on the way forced me to depart early. I left on Sunday around noon. I skipped the autotrain because it wasn't worth the worry. So, 1500 miles later, I am home. The final day, I did 700 miles. Amazingly, it is a pretty good car for long distances. I was not worn out and did not require traction after my drive. BTW, I am 6'-2" and 205 pounds. So Europas aren't just for short people. All in all, I did 2072 miles round trip in eight days. I have never driven my car that much. It is a lot of fun.
What did I learn?
1. The autotrain people wear giant work boots and cannot drive a Lotus Europa. They have never seen such a car. They pushed mine off the train and luckily did not push on the trunk lid and crack it.
2. My car with its ac is actually ok to cruise expressways and travel long distances. I tested the brakes when someone finally decided they wanted to exit the expressway and could not merge, so the just decided to stop on the expressway like you would at a stop sign. I found out my front brakes lock up slightly before the rears. Also, luckily the truck behind me was far enough back that I didn't become an accordion.
3. I also survived a good ol Florida palmetto pounder, which is a white out thunder storm that lasted 30 to 45 minutes. That was interesting as well. The ac kept the windows from fogging, the rebuilt windshield wiper system was sort of fast enough to keep up, and the sealing of door leaks before leaving on this trip by having my wife spray down the car many times and then fix the leaks, seems to have been successful. Not to bad.
4. I used 2 quarts of oil, and the consumption seemed to be getting better, the more I drove.
5. A Europa is sure popular at gas stations!
6. I got between 29 and 32 mpg.
7. I still have to figure out the tire balance. On some roads, the car was rock steady. On other roads at the same speed, the car would shake. sometimes the steering wheel, sometimes from the rear. Speeds were between 65 and 80 mph. I am going to double check alignment, and then double check the tire balance, as best I can. I had the front tires balanced a few month ago at a place that spins the tires on the car. I didn't think I could do any better. I am considering trying tire balance beads. Has anyone tried them? Anyway, more things to do.
8. The fuel pump that failed was a Walbro FRB series pump. It was not cheap, around $180. Anyway, I can't recommend that pump to anyone! The cheap Holley, $50, made it 1500 miles with no problem.
