As usual everything takes longer than it should. I have been thinking about the airbox for the weber's for over a year and how to supply cool air to the weber's. The original design had the airfilter just above the exhaust silencer and mounted to the back of the luggage box. Not ideal, although I did read the airflow through that area was very good at speed. Additionally, the OEM airbox is very narrow and doesn't supply enough air for higher HP engines.
I had a large capacity airbox left over from my Elan S1 build (Don't ask me how many airboxes I bought until I finally found one that was both large capacity and would fit under the bonnet) that I measured and figured it would be a perfect fir for the engine bay of the Europa. I have a large capacity airaid filter and mount that I'm in the midst of trying to determine the best cool air location before I mount it.
But back to the main point. I went to install the fiberglass airbox back plate on the weber's and when I realized the trumpets would not fit in the paper gaskets that go between the weber's and the back plate. I had forgotten that all the gaskets I've bought over the last several years don't have the right size trumpet holes and they need to be custom cut. OK, no problem, just a slight delay. Then I get everything installed and lined up, the gaskets, the airbox and am installing the metal holds for the trumpets on the threaded stud when I realize there isn't enough thread for a lock washer and the 10mm nut. That's not going to work I thought. You need lock washers as you don't want a nut coming loose and sucked down one of the weber throats only to get through a valve and flying around inside a piston wall. Scary thought!
Off to my local part store who luckily had 6mm threaded studs just the right length! Gotta praise the owner of this Ace Hardware store in Princeton, he has a nut and bolt isle that has almost everything I need to rebuild my cars.
Back to my shop, install all new threaded studs and bolt on the airbox with SS lock washers and nuts.
