Naked Pictures Mark II

[ron parola]

Tis time for SURE rp

[BDA]

It looks like things are moving along pretty well. The underside of your dash has surely had some strange treatment! Obviously, the shelf bracket is not stock. The shots are not close enough to tell about the area where the wiper boxes and windscreen goes but that area looks ok. There is not much attached to the 'dash' (subject of your third picture). The top of the dash board bolts to it and the bottom is supported on either end by brackets that attach in front of the door hinge area and in the center with brackets that attach to the frame backbone. That piece does not need to be very strong so there should be no need for the shelf bracket.

As for the part of the body that holds the windshield and wiper boxes, that should be sturdy enough on its own. Has it been damaged? Or is the shelf bracket used just to align the panels while the JB weld (yikes!) cures?

I'm a little unclear about this: "...the panel that has the wiper boxes and supports the windscreen. On this car that panel leans DOWN toward the glass, also at the backlight the area that has the bonnet hinges also leans down towards the glass..." The wiper boxes are on the cowling in front of the windshield. That area should be fairly horizontal. The shaft the wipers attach to are at an angle to this cowling and there are chrome surrounds that require a gasket under them and a nut on top. These surrounds are angled so they fit the angle of the shaft from the wiper box. The windshield is set into the body and I believe the edge of the inset should be perpendicular to the glass. (or did I entirely miss what you were trying to say?)

I'm also confused about what you're trying to say here: "also at the backlight the area that has the bonnet hinges also leans down towards the glass, I'm thinkin' that ain't right, but I don't remember for sure. Will try to support front panel better and veil cloth the area with the wipers, maybe I can then bet the boot lid to line up." I think the 'boot' you referred to is really the bonnet, right? but I'm not sure what you're describing about the bonnet hinges leaning down towards the glass. I've attached some pictures of my car below in case it will help. The first one is of the driver's side bonnet hinge area. The second is of the cowling area (some things to ignore are that the radio antenna should be on the passenger side, and the washer nozzles could be placed better. something to note is that the bonnet is not perfectly aligned. My car is unmolested in this area. I don't want to discourage you from trying to make yours better but only show you what 'normal' is.).

There are lots of little parts like that that you will just have to make yourself if you don't have them (if you don't want to make them, you might try Sports Car World - http://www.sportscarworld-lotus.com/. Call them because their website isn't much). It would think there are lots of parts like that that they never made any spares of. When I was early in my rebuild, I got some stuff from a Brit Lotus dealer that had set up a US distributor. I don't think I ever contacted an official Lotus dealer for any part after that. I just always figured that they no longer supported the Europa. For missing parts, I would check out the usual suspects (r.d. enterprises, dave bean, JAE, Banks, Sports Car World, and even ebay) first and then I would post a request here and on the lotuseuropa yahoo group. If that didn't get you the part, I would plan on making it myself.

Interesting story about the Jag paint facility. Nothing surprises me about how they 'built' cars in that era.

Keep those pictures coming (you can make them bigger)!

Keep up the good work!

[EuropaTC]

I'm not sure about the under-dash assembly, mine is a single wiper variant so it might be different from yours. 

As far as panel fit goes I will quote the standard Lotus Dealer Service Bulletin for any customer query about build quality or reliability - "TADTS"  (They All Do That Sir)

The front bonnet lid on my car is pretty much the same as BDA's, only mine seems to want to kick up at the opposite side for some reason. No amount of fiddling with the hinges/locks or even removing the plenum chamber seal  has made it any better. I think the only way to get it aligned properly is to use a lock in either corner and force it down.  The doors fit well, almost like a proper car     but the rear deck lid doesn't align at the rear bumper end either.

The hinge panel immediately behind the rear window does slope ever so slightly towards the base of the window seal, so even if that's not normal you're not alone with that "feature". (refer back to "TADTS")

Brian

edit to add - I also smiled at the Jaguar comments but strange though it may sound that was probably massive improvements over what had gone before in the 60s & 70s.  I had a friend who bought one of the first TR7's out of the Speke (Liverpool) plant in the 70s.  We got used to him ringing up saying "I'm going to be late in today...."

[ron parola]

Well I couldn't tell from your pix but on my car  the area that has the spritzers and wheelboxes is "tilted" rearwards; that is if you poured water on the windscreen it would puddle up in the area the lower edge of the glass and surround meet the fibreglass  rather than running forward to the boot lid, that is the forward boot, just seems odd; as if it has sagged. The glass seems to have been replaced and it DOESN'T fit worth a damn, I'm wondering if things have moved. The rear area seems stiff enough, where the REAR boot/bonnet hinges live, not like that area has sagged, just seems odd to want water to pile up near a glass/ body joint. As far as TR7's OY VAY, why weren't the head bolts/studs in aligned rows, As far as we could tell it was designed TO blow head gaskets, and water pump leaks, AND the "single rail" 4 speed gear box, And then the 5 speed...... HAD to use 70w, not available for a long time, well never mind just use ATF. These boxes were a STRONG box but.... STUPID Americans, so impatient; we would just get in a car, start it, depress the clutch and just BACK OUT, WHAT were we THINKING. Reverse gear was in a constant mesh, I think with the main shaft, so it was spinning at all times. We didn't wait long enough for it to spin down and it would grind into gear, creating a mess o' bits, which then the oil pump(in the aluminum  rear cover) would pick up; thus destroying the pump & rear housing & gear box. And if you worked the headlamp switch correctly you could get one light to come up while the other went down, ahh the good old days. cheers rp   

[EuropaTC]

TR7's......   ah, I had to smile at your recollections. You've had one as well I guess ? 

Despite Craig (my friend) and his troubles with his 4sp TR he went back to them again for a 1980 dhc, which turned out to be reliable. Well, "more" reliable and Helen & I were so impressed that we bought one of the last off the line, a 1982 5sp one.   

I remember doing the first service, reading "ATF fluid" and thought "noooo, that can't be right".  So I filled the box with the same EP80 that I used on the Elan at the time.  Result ? Couldn't get any gear at all, in fact I couldn't even move the lever.   Back to the shop, buy ATF, re-fill and it works again.  A classic case of RTBM, or rather "read and then don't go and ignore it"....   

Brian

[ron parola]

NOPE, Haven't had the mis..... err fortune to own one, but I Do speak fluent tr 2,3,4,250,6 & (shudder) Stag. We missed that day at work on the tr5, never imported, I've only seen one here. I've worked for; BMC/British Leyand/ JRT/JR/FOMOCO jag rover.  Sorry I've missed out on TATA ownership AND the last gasp STIRLING! ron p

[Chuck Nukem]

I was going to raise a question about front bonnet fitment as mine is also pretty terrible. It seems to be about 1/4'' high at the end near the windscreen. I was worried that it was as a result of my car being in an accident...but now that I am aware "TADTS"...

Has anyone tried readjusting that metal support bar on that end of the bonnet?

[ron parola]

Probably won't help, can you push the lid down so it aligns WITHOUT it being locked of course! If not no adjustment  will help; it's bottoming on the flange on the lid that means it's fibreglassing time! If you can move it downwards indeed lock or slot adjustment can be done rp