Today I acquired a correct powerplant for the Lotus from a fellow Europa enthusiast -- one of those 3 people just west of Portland, Oregon all up on the same hill within 1/2 mile of each other! Now the pressure is off in that I can go ahead and try to complete the unfinished business with that Mazda 12A rotary. (Thanks, Rob!) From the new perspective, it is assured that the new engine has been given all of the help practical to deal with its extra heat (geez, though... not its appetite -- I only have one tank). I will find out if that is enough in time, but if the project fails, I can restore the car to its correct mid 30's mpg engine.
Now I had a chance to check on Rob's project as well, and we had opportunity to discuss the C channel frame piece that bridges the hub carriers and supports the rear trunk. Rob replaced his with an obviously thicker, boxed one. I was thinking about maybe welding just the same gauge sheet metal to the underside of mine (my brother boxed the C channel frame of his Lola T342 racer to stiffen his straightened frame and assure a longer life). Is this a common modification for the Europas? I don't remember seeing any discussions about this, but I do see lots of cars (all brands) with add-on stiffeners and all these guys feel the extra effort was worth the bother. Weigh in, please! Thanks, Dan
