Lots of pics added....Advice on 74 Europa project purchase

[BDA]

I hear you about the time commitment.


It would be helpful to enter your car in the lotus-europa.com registry as well as the Lotus registry with andy graham (agraham@lotuscars.com).


I suspect that the oil leak is from the rubber drain between the head and the block under and towards the rear of the carbs and the oil is dripping on the exhaust pipe on that side of the motor. I understand that it can be replaced without taking the head off.


I have a stock cooling fan I'll let go cheap, but I think the best solution is to get an aluminum radiator (available on ebay) and a good modern fan. It sounds like your motor just needs some tuning. I recommend Pertronix ignition (available from amazon) but there's nothing wrong with the standard points and condenser.


I don't know what kind of sealant the PO put on the gas tank, but unless cost is a huge issue, I would advise getting alloy tanks. Short of that, I'd get them welded up properly and in a way that water doesn't collect on the top of them. The rear drums aren't really any different from most drum brakes. They should drag a tiny bit. The parking may have been set. I'm not sure why else the car would slow down so quickly when put in neutral. The electric fuel pump is a good addition. I would also make sure that the plastic 'T' between the carbs is replaced. The air box is just bolted on to the face of the carbs. I think there are also gaskets that go between the carbs and the air box.


You can get an idea of the condition of the frame by looking at the bottom, check the condition of the frame by looking at it along the engine and you can get a bit of a view by looking in front of the engine into the 'Y' of the frame. Also, if you can, take off the elbow rest and look into the frame there. Poking around in the front - maybe take off the bottom plate between the 'T' and the nose of the car.


The body seems pretty decent. Mirrors are available - the Mach 1 Sebring mirrors are a match. The mirror covers were originally made of chrome plated pot metal or zinc but now they are plastic. If you don't like the plastic covers, I bet you can swap the mirrors from the new ones into your mirror covers.


Windscreens are available.


There are reproduction crash pads, console covers, and dashes.


The tach is probably reparable. I'll bet you can get a replacement, too.


There are a few places to look at for sloppy shift linkage. The bushings at the bottom of the shift lever where the forward end of the linkage attaches. If you have a 5-speed, there is a bushing near the engine/bell housing area that could need to be replace, and there are u-joints between the front and rear shift links and at the tranny shift shaft and the rear shift link. Those parts are available.


I think your stocks will behave for at least the short term. I don't know anything about owning an Evora or an Elise, but the Europa is a very simple car. I wouldn't be intimidated by it. After all, I built one. If I can do it, anybody can!


Good luck and keep us informed!

[DamianLynch]

BDA, you just lifted my courage on this.  I am still working on the wife.  She just doesn't understand the obsession but she is dealing with the loss of her garage space.  She clearly needs to spend more time behind the wheel....  I know she likes the Evora; the Elise, too raw for her.

"I suspect that the oil leak is from the rubber drain between the head and the block under and towards the rear of the carbs and the oil is dripping on the exhaust pipe on that side of the motor. I understand that it can be replaced without taking the head off."

^^^this^^^  I need to get underneath there and confirm, but now I know what to look for.

I didn't take any pictures but one of our club members did.  I will ask for his approval and post some if he agrees.  I have to apologize for hijacking this thread but it seemed a good place to ask the initial question.

[jbcollier]

"Extensive crazing and flaking of the paint.....  (snip)  Should be an easy repaint."

It can be very expensive to have a fibreglass car painted properly.

[Roger]

The central spine is unlikely to be the main corrosion issue. The front crossmember, the T that supports the front suspension, is more of an issue. In any case, if you tear the tape off, you still won't see!
See you when I get back.

[DamianLynch]

Here are some pictures of the car that I have been discussing.  Working on a time that works best to go back and inspect the car with help this time!

[BDA]

That looks like a good project - but then they are all good projects to me! There is surely more to do than it looks like from the pictures, but it appears you have a good solid car there.


Do we know how it was stored? The paint being as bad as it is, makes it more important to get a good look at the frame since it could have spent a long time outdoors.


One thing we (or at least I) didn't mention is that the brakes will almost certainly need to be rebuilt.


I'm not good at estimating value, but ~$5000 seems reasonable. You might offer $4000 or $4500 and see if he bites. (BTW - there is a tach on ebay for $39) After all, new paint will probably be more than you pay for the car.

[tedtaylor]

Wow, that's quite original unmodified under the hood there!   Still has cross over tubes, brake boosters, evap tank.   Pretty rare seeing all the original equipment still in place.   Should say alot about the rest of the car...

[DamianLynch]

He said it was always stored in a garage.  There were no water pooling marks on the rear bonnet but it could have spent some periods of time outside.  Could the paint also be from heat damage?

[jbcollier]

That paint has the classic sun and/or crap-in-the-air damage.  It certainly wasn't garaged all of it's life.  Unless the garage was at a lead smelter.

[Roger]

If it's been kept in a Texas garage with no a/c for many years, like mine was, all kinds of stuff could happen, like rubber perishing, paint deteriorating, but not necessarily the rust bug.

[69merc]

Well, it’s been 3 years, but I finally bought it😊
The original owner was sad to let it go.
My hope is to let him drive it again soon(it’s been off the road for 40 years).
It’ll be a fun project👍

[BDA]

Welcome to the nut house of Lotus Europa owners!   
That looks like it will be a great project! When you get a chance, tell us more about your baby!

[Grumblebuns]

Wow, three years to finally get it home. After reading your initial inquiry, I was wondering if it was ever going to happen, congratulations on the new project. From the pictures, it's pretty obvious who the new and old owners are. I also picked up my new project last week. Ask a lot of questions as there is a lot of collective knowledge on this forum.   

[69merc]

Yes, neither of us were in a hurry to sell/buy, but we stayed in touch.  I wanted to document the process and wanted to get some pics with the original owner (hopefully some in the near future also).  I brought home a lot of boxes of parts and will start the reassembly soon.  My daughter couldn't believe how little the car was, but wouldn't sit in it yet (too dirty ).

[dakazman]

  Your car reminds me of Certified’s build. Show your daughter what it looks like when done. Start looking here for most of your jobs to come. Compliance of Certified!
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=1704.0
 By all means keep a running log here and in the” off topic section“ of all the fun stuff that will arise.
 
Dakazman