Hi. My name is Dan. I live in Ocean Park, Washington. I have replaced a 1971 S-2 that ended up going back to the U.K. and now have a 1970 S-2 that has finally been delivered. Since I sold the first S-2, I went to auto school across the river in Oregon and gained the knowledge I needed when I had the '71. I believe that now I am ready to embark on bringing this project back to the road.
One of the biggest issues with the first one was that the previous owner had replaced the Renault engine with a twin rotor Mazda 12A instead, then didn't finish up the rest of the project. At least by the time I gave up on it, I had acquired the correct original Renault engine and sent the car away, with nearly all of the components to finish the job.
My plan is to keep this car as original as possible, since I don't need the car to compete or even be fast. Operation as designed should be good enough for me. Neither car had the original wheels, and this one has the Cosmic wheels. I even found two hubcaps for them - see attachment!
The project keeps me busy in its heated garage, a nice place to retreat to while I figure out how I'm going to get this done. Next attachment shows the bodyshell, which is unused and was purchased, I was told, from Banks in the 1980s.
I am thinking that the starting point will be getting the chassis part restored while I learn to paint the bodyshell and get the doors mounted. I still need to get out there and get a complete inventory of the parts that I have, and those that I'll need.
The previous owner seems to have redone the chassis by the looks of things, and I am going to spend some time making sure he's mitigated the rust before I continue building up the suspension components.
I have questions about the needs the car might have, since I was never able to drive the first. They relate to the 35 amp alternator -- I was wondering if that stock cooling system is adequate, firstly (it wouldn't have been for the rotary 12A), or if a more powerful aftermarket fan might be a better choice. Next question is whether an aftermarket fan system might require more juice than the 35 amp system could deliver. Any experiences fellow owners have would be appreciated as I make the decisions about these things.
I am seeing names I remember from years ago -- it's good to see people holding on to these relics and enjoying them. I hope to do the same.
