What have I done?

[digby]

Hi my name is Richard I'm based in West London UK.
I picked up the 1970 S2 a couple of months ago. Most of it is there or in a boxes,  missing a few bits of the rear suspension as can be seen by the picture. Chassis is shot so I need to get the body off, body is in quite good condition with no obvious damage the back end has been stripped,  gearbox is present and I have an engine in bits although not the original. The more I look at the engine the more bits I notice are missing so I'm thinking I may go for an upgrade maybe the Vauxhall 1600 but I'm open to advice on that.
So I'm destined to many hours in the garage and I expect to have lots of questions once I get going.

[Bainford]

  Welcome to the forum, Richard. Looks like you've got quite a project on your hands. I'm glad to see there are people out there with the intestinal fortitude to save these cars from dispair. We are eager to help where we can, and we all learn something in the process. Is this your first Lotus? Have you driven a Europa? The journey ahead may be long, but these cars can be fun to work on, and are an absolute blast to drive. The end does indeed justify the means.

Cheers, and good luck.

[LotusJoe]

 
The Vauxhall conversion information is available from Banks Europa (Richard Winter) there in the UK. For us here in the States it is usually the Ford or Toyota engine. The S-2 engine swaps are not as straight forward as in the Twin Cam. That is primarily because the Twin Cam frame has more room in the rear portion of the chassis. There are plenty of engine swaps in the S-2 it's just a bit more work. Good luck with your project.

[Bainford]

The Vauxhall conversion information is available from Banks Europa (Richard Winter) there in the UK. For us here in the States it is usually the Ford or Toyota engine. The S-2 engine swaps are not as straight forward as in the Twin Cam. That is primarily because the Twin Cam frame has more room in the rear portion of the chassis. There are plenty of engine swaps in the S-2 it's just a bit more work. Good luck with your project.

Hhmmm... interesting comments about the amount of room in the rear portion of the S2 chassis. I didn't realise this. If the chassis requires replacement, I wonder if a Twin Cam chassis could be fitted to the S2 body. Is this doable?

[cal44]

Good point about a twin cam frame.  Banks will give you the true scoop on fitment.
Welcome Richard and keep them pictures coming in.  You are lucky the main Europa and Elan folk are in your area.

mike

[LotusJoe]

I can't imagine that there is that much difference between the bodies, but don't really know the answer.  However Banks Europa sells replacement frames. I suspect he has already resolved this issue (He offers several different engine configurations). I would suggest you give Richard Winter a call. He is very helpful and is the Obi Wan of the Europa world.

[YellowS4DHC]

Richard,
buying a "project" is something we've all done at least once.  Unfortunately, buying a partially disassembled car is almost always a much bigger project than if it was in one piece even if it didn't run.  Having said that, you may get a great deal more satisfaction in the work done and the knowledge gained during the process than if you just bought a junker driver.

I suggest that Step One would be to get a parts book and start cataloging the stuff that you have, and more importantly, the stuff that's missing.  Hope you have lots of space to work in, you're really going to need it.   

Good for you for rescuing this car.

Good luck
Rick

[PS  A few yrs ago my wife bought a late 60's Honda S800 coupe, which was not in one piece.  Since we were unfamiliar with the S800, it took us several months to figure out what we had and what we needed.  But we got past that and now that pile of parts is actually becoming a real car!]

[EuropaTC]

Hi Richard, and welcome to the forum. I'm "just up the road" from you in Lincolnshire and another UK owner.

That's a good project you've found yourself there and if the chassis really is un-fixable then there's a real blank canvas to go at, everything from a different engine to gearbox & rear suspension.  I've never tackled such a big project before so I suppose the best way forward is like Rick says, get the parts book and make a list of what's there and what's missing.  Then you'll know what to ask Santa Claus for....

Brian

[digby]

Thanks for the encouragement guys, I was planning to do an audit of bits but "her in doors" wants me to finish some decorating before I move into the garage.
I like the idea of changing to a TC chassis but that does mean the car will never be standard again not sure if that's an issue. Looking at the Banks web site they will build a chassis to fit the engine of choice.
Would be interesting to meet up with some Europa owners, I went to the Lotus Drives Club meeting at the beginning of the month by I was the only one there!
I'll try to keep you informed of progress.

[buzzer]

Richard,
Hi, I looked at that car, ended up buying another project car, I think out of the frying pan 
Mine is opposite to yours in bodywork poor but chassis good.
I Reber the body work on that one was quite good, chassis shot. And the engine in loads of pieces.  On chassis swap Richard at banks would definately help with what the options are. I would have though however that the TC chassis is just different enough. I think it depends on whether you want an original build or not.
Where are you in west London, I am in beaconsfield, may be worth a chat on the challenges if you are not too far away

Dave

[digby]

Hi Dave,
Sorry for the slow reply but have been in Turkey.
I'm in Ruislip off the A40 so quite close to you.  Would be good to meet up sometime and compare projects.
Richard

[yelloeuropa]

Well Sir; welcome to the forum ,as I'm a rookie too.  I may have been a bit more fortunate as my Europa was stored for 32 yrs
& seems complete. Now I gotta start a build thread also. Best of luck. Rick

[digby]

Hi Rick,
Thanks for the encouragement, your car looks really nice and being complete is a real bonus. Despite having the car for several months I've not touched it  apart from searching ebay for parts. Still got some work on another car to finish before I get going on the Lotus although I'm really looking forward to it. I might change my mind on that after a few months but we'll see how it goes. I look forward to your build thread.
Richard