New Special owner - a few questions

[SilverBeast]

I've just bought a 74 Twin Cam special -  I'm assuming it is though registration document says Europa twin-cam. It has the Big- value
Valve head (well that's on the rocker cover anyway) and the 5 speed box. I have a few questions:

1. I thought carbs Dellortos were loose and nipped up the top manifold nuts, though not the bottom ones as I couldn't reach them at the time.  I've since read up about Thackrey washers and now know they aren't supposed to be fully tightened.  This was a couple of weeks ago. Will I need to replaced the o rings and Thackrey washers, or will I be ok slackening them and setting the gaps properly?

2. He's anyone got a decent photo and dimensions for the front bonnet prop, as mine is missing?

3. Same for engine cover prop.  Though mine has hydraulic supports they are shot and don't hold the cover up.  Were these ever fitted as standard (when Colin wasn't looking) or are they all aftermarket?

I'll no doubt be asking many more questions later,  as I have a slow drip of hydraulic fluid from the bottom of the master cylinder and a very long brake pedal though they still seem to stop the car Ok. I need to do all those things I should have done before I bought it,  like take all the wheels off and check pad wear and adjustments etc,  and lift the car and check the chassis and suspension properly!

Cheers,  Richard

[BDA]

  Richard!!

You have apparently have a '74 Twin Cam Special and the person who entered information on the registration document fat-fingered the description. My  understanding is that the Brit cars did not have the big valve head but had Dellortos instead but I could be wrong. Obviously, it would be easy to replace the cam cover if that's what happened.

You might want to join two yahoo groups (lotuseuropa and sidedraft central). The lotuseuropa group is a good addition to this forum and sidedraft central, while mostly about Webers, can give you insights to your Dellortos. But back to your question. I have read opinions that Webers and Dellortos can be solidly mounted or "flex" mounted. The usual think is flex mounting with thackery washers and/or rubber replacements. If the washers are not broken, I would only consider buying new ones for spares (which wouldn't be a bad idea). As for the o-rings between your carbs and manifold, it wouldn't hurt to take a look a them. I suspect they are fine. Thackery washers should be tightened such that there is a gap between 0.035" and 0.050".

The prop rod for the bonnet is worthless to me. I never use mine preferring to gently lower it toward the front of the car and leave it there. It does not mar the paint. But I've attached a couple of pictures of mine to give you an idea of the dimensions. The dog leg section is what goes into the front trunk and the right angle part is what goes into the bonnet. The rod is about 1/4" in diameter. I think from the two pictures you'll be able to see what it's supposed to look like.

The later TCSs had gas struts so they are likely original to your car. My advice is to replace yours. Gas struts are one of the best things I've put on my car! Lotus Supplies Ltd. (http://parts.banks-europa.co.uk/orders_frame.htm) can surely sell you a set as well as places like Paul Matty, SJ Sportscars or any other dealer. You might also find an industrial supplier for them which would probably be more economical. Here are instructions to make your own strut system which includes a source and part number for the struts. Checking the link for the supplier McMaster-Carr, you should be able to get the specs for struts you can buy locally.

Good luck and don't be a stranger. Better yet, post lots of pictures of your car and let us know what your plans are!

[SilverBeast]

Thanks for your detailed reply. The props about what I expected. It'll be better than the u-shaped garden canes I'm using at the moment! I intend to replace the struts, it's just that most of those I've found are designed for a ball and socket fitting and mine use a unshaped end piece.
I've not done too much yet, mainly trying to fix the horn push. I suspect I need to ground the steering column shaft itself as it's ntermittent when turning the wheel and I'm pretty confident the contact to the ring is good as I've cleaned them up. PO disconnected heater fan switch (motor still works) to use it for the horn. It looks like the only way of turning the fan on is via a switch grafted onto the underside of the dash as the connection to the sensor in the radiator is disconnected.

I tried posting pictures but I'm using an android tablet and haven't figured out how to resize photos on it yet!

[SilverBeast]

..and I figured out how to resize the photos

[SilverBeast]

Posting those reminded me.  The chrome trim above the sill guard is coming off at the back on the driver's side - just the last clip. I still have the rusty clip.  How is this clip attached to the body normally?

Thanks again

[jbcollier]

Do not mount the carbs solid.  Engine vibrations will cause fuel frothing and leaning of the mixture -- ask any MGA twin cam owner.  Probably you can just loosen things back to the factory spec.  After doing that, just spray WD-40 at the o-rings.  If the idle stays steady, you are ok.

[BDA]

She's a beauty, Silver! Congratulations! You did well! 

Is your horn in the center of the steering wheel, in which case I can't help you, or is it on the end of the turn signal stalk in which case I can tell you that the steering column shaft is not grounded?

The clips for the trim above the silver metallic sill covers are pop riveted to the body I think. I'm surprised it came off! If they are original, I believe they are stainless steel which doesn't matter here but just an FYI. You can probably get new clips at the places I mentioned earlier. I don't think the trim pieces are still available but there should be replacements at those places too if you need them. IIRC, mine came with double stick tape so I didn't need those clips.

[SilverBeast]

Do not mount the carbs solid.  Engine vibrations will cause fuel frothing and leaning of the mixture -- ask any MGA twin cam owner.  Probably you can just loosen things back to the factory spec.  After doing that, just spray WD-40 at the o-rings.  If the idle stays steady, you are ok.

Yeah I read about the frothing after I'd tightened them.  Thanks for the tip about WD40.

[SilverBeast]

She's a beauty, Silver! Congratulations! You did well! 

Is your horn in the center of the steering wheel, in which case I can't help you, or is it on the end of the turn signal stalk in which case I can tell you that the steering column shaft is not grounded?

The clips for the trim above the silver metallic sill covers are pop riveted to the body I think. I'm surprised it came off! If they are original, I believe they are stainless steel which doesn't matter here but just an FYI. You can probably get new clips at the places I mentioned earlier. I don't think the trim pieces are still available but there should be replacements at those places too if you need them. IIRC, mine came with double stick tape so I didn't need those clips.

Thanks.  It's a runner and i can find all of the gears, most of the time! It has micro blistering which doesn't really show on the photos,  but hey the body won't rust! I'll probably not be driving it in the rain anyway,  as I can see daylight between the door seal and frame on on the diagonal of the quarter light on the driver's side, I haven't checked the passenger side.  There are some tide masks on the carpet!

Yes horn is in wheel centre.  Button just shorts horn ground wire to steering column which I understand grounds via steering rack. If it's just a poor ground via rack,  I may rig up a contract to short column to ground via something like the pencil connector used in other horn mechanisms. PO had fastened the column clamp betwwen the upper and the lower half of the column too far down and shorted the column to the brass slip ring disc.

The clip was still in the trim. It looks like the rivet or screw that held it to the body has corroded. Clip should clean up ok.  I just need to fix it

[BDA]

Just to be clear, I, too, understand that the "soft" mounting for Webers and Dellortos is to combat frothing. The only reason I mentioned there was a differing opinion about that is because I asked on sidedraft central why sidedraft carbs were "soft-mounted" and was surprised that more than one replied that he mounts his solidly and has never had any problems and nobody warned him against the practice.

For the record, I uses thackery washers on the bottom bolts and the rubber replacement cushions on the top.

Thanks for the WD-40 tip, JB!

[BDA]

The shift linkeage is something you need to do careful maintenance on. There are lots of places where slop can develop. You might start at the shift lever. At the bottom of the lever, there is nylon hat-shaped bushings and a shoulder bolt arrangement that transfers movement from the lever to the forward link tube. Check that they are in good shape. The u-joint between the forward and rear tubes wear out so check that. The joint is supported by a bracket on the bell housing. There's a rubber bush in that bracket that should be checked and at the tranny end, there is another u-joint that needs looking at.

As for your horn, I would check that you're not shorting out when you push the button. That happened to me on a VW I had so I had to make a spacer to keep that from happening.  But then, there's no telling what the PO did.

[surfguitar58]

Stunning example Silver-B! And 

I too have micro-blistering on my (I think) original paint. I decided it is minor enough to live with and the “patina” has some originality cred. I really like the single, tasteful gold pinstripe on the wings, as opposed to the overdone stripe tape that was standard on our TC Specials. We Yanks would give our left nut for one of those Webber/ Delorto heads. Interesting choice to paint it by your PO. Congrats and keep posting!

Tom (aka Surfguitar58)

[jbcollier]

If you are using the original column u-joint, there should be a jumper wire from one side to the other to keep the column grounded.

Solid mounts can work on some engines.  It all depends on the balance and resulting vibration.  Four cylinder, inline engines have fundamental balancing issues that are not resolvable without adding balance shafts.  So, follow best practice and use a flexible mounting system.

The internet offers a seemingly unlimited supply of idiots assuming the mantle of expertise.  I'm sure someone has solid mounted sidedrafts and not blown up.  If all you do is go from cafe to cafe, stoplight to stoplight, etc, you'll hardly ever have problems.  Flat out, up a steep mountain pass for a half an hour, or more, is another matter entirely.  I holed a piston once and see no need to repeat the affair.  I was a young, know-it-all apprentice at the time.  I'm much wiser now and know practically nothing at all.

[Certified Lotus]

 

Nice looking europa! Great group of guys here with sage advice. Always ask (I do) and everyone with knowledge or support chips in. 

[EuropaTC]

Hi Richard and 

Wow, that is a very clean looking car, it doesn't look to have been overly "improved" over the years so I'd call that an excellent find. I always like the black cars, I think the colour suits the Europa very well.

I'd echo JB's points on the carb mounting, every book I've read on the topic instructs that they have flexible mounts.  If you're unsure of the age then I think I would replace the O rings, or at least remove and take a look. They aren't subject to a lot of heat there so the rubber normally stays flexible for many years. 

My slight twinge of concern is if they are OEM then they'll be 40+ years old, and that's a long time for rubber to stay soft & flexible. If they are too hard and you slacken the washers off to get some movement then there's the chance of leaks; air leaks are a nuisance but petrol leaks aren't so helpful !

Access underneath isn't good so I made a cut-down spanner, probably only a couple of inches long because you don't need a lot of force on the nut. That, in conjunction with a lamp up top and a small mirror underneath gives a good view of the lower washers and makes setting the gap easy.

Also if they are Dellortos and have stood for years, watch for leaks from underneath as you re-commision the car and get some miles on it.  Mine developed a split in the lower diaphragm after it had stood for too many years, which resulted in petrol weeping out. Again a personal thing and definitely not a panic "you must do this now !",  but a rebuild kit is cheap enough, covers all the bases and leaves you with carbs that you know are set up correctly.

Brian