Wow... Where do I start? First off, thank every one of you for taking the time to address my situation. And Grumblebuns is dead on correct about my sad attempt at describing it all.
I spent my career designing stuff and writing patents for it and I have the habit of using retentive definitions of things that no one but patent attorneys can relate to. I apologize and will try again.
I think where I went off the tracks is when I used the word "bearings". I wasn't trying to describe the bushings or anything wrong with the wishbones themselves, but was referring to the holes that go through the frame, where the bolts pass through to secure the inside ends of the wishbones (and bushings) to the frame. Those holes have short tubes welded to them.
Those tubes turn the holes into "bearings". And I know they don't look like the bearings, but that's what describes their function. In a court of law, that's what they'd be to referred as.
Anyway, the left side, lower holes that run through the frame on my car were drilled at an angle. The bolt that passes through them is also at an angle. And the wishbone that's held in place between them is at an angle as well. The angle is toward the rear. And because the upper frame holes are straight, and the wishbone goes straight, the vertical link gets twisted. The upper end pointing at 11:30 and the lower at 5:30. The lower hole through the front of the frame needs to be moved toward the center of the car 3/16 to 1/4". That will straighten the bolt and rotate the wishbone to make the vertical link face 12:00/6:00.
Oddly, if I were to bend the front bar of the wishbone to shorten it by 3/16-1/4" that would straighten things out as well... Hmmmmm... Nah, that'd be cheating.
When all the parts were worn, there was enough slop to hide the mis-alignment. But with new Spax shocks, new bushings and shortened spring, it became impossible to fit it all together.
Now, I have to re-install the old parts so the frame can be rolled onto the trailer and taken to the shop.
There, I'll cut out the front lower hole and move it to where it's supposed to be. And then everything should fall right into place.
I'm looking forward to getting those tubular parts installed (got them via Ray, btw) The yellow Spax and chrome springs were hidden behind the OEM parts, so that's my rationalization for getting them.
This next bit's for Chuck:
I can't tell you how great your comment made me feel. I designed the changes to please my own aesthetics and my fiberglass guru has been killing himself making moulds and hand forming everything to please me. The project has been hidden away so not too many people have seen it in its final form. You're the first one to comment on it. (actually, the second... My wife says it looks orange. Everyone else says bright red).
Everything's been formed by hand. He makes his own moulds so no off-the-shelf body parts are being used. This is no exaggeration. The only parts that haven't been modified are the doors.
You asked about the carbon fiber:
A yacht designer named Nathanael Herreshoff once said the inside of a fiberglass boat looks like frozen snot. Years later, Colin Chapman had a fit when one of his designers drew up a car with double fiberglass panels to hide the embarrassing goop. Evidently he wasn't familiar with Chapman's philosophy on weight.
Well, I side with Herreshoff on this. I think the Europa's back end, under the lid, is horrific.
Anywhere that single layered fiberglass can be seen, will be covered in patterned carbon fiber. My racing days are over And don't forget this will be a show car. Performance isn't a priority.
Speaking of weight and fiberglass, I'm convinced the boxy, shortest line between two points shape of the Europa's body was done for weight saving as much as it was for drag coefficiency.
If you were to match the profile of the Europa S2 with that of a Lola Mk 6 GT, you'd be surprised to see they're the same. The difference comes when matching the Lola's beautiful curves against the Europa's minimalistic form. Bulging fenders add fiberglass and the weight that comes with it. My fenders don't bulge and they were moulded with some special kind of thin, light cloth & resin, so maybe it evens out.
