72 TC restomod from BAT

[Polopharm]

Car was delivered last night. In some ways better and in more ways worse than expected but that's life.


Where is the appropriate spot to pick some brains regarding the fuego sourced tranny in this car?

I have about a full clutch pedal worth of play and about an inch from floor it begins to disengage but is still very difficult to shift regardless of force, Rev matching etc.
Full clutchless shifting with good Rev matching works best at this point. 

[Polopharm]

Sorry posted more pictures I thought....
And it's a Toyota 4age swapped car.

[Polopharm]

Sorry for technical inability

[jbcollier]

Is it still a cable operated clutch?

[BDA]

Polopharm, you made it!! 

Your tranny is an NG3 - a common swap/upgrade. The shop manual for it is on this page: http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/

Since your hydraulic clutch is probably not common to most of us, some pictures of how the cylinder is mounted is in order. I emailed  a link to a youtuve video that might be useful but pictures would be more helpful.

Looking at the driving video again, I'm surprised you're having trouble. The driver in the video seems to be able downshift without double clutching. I wonder if the seller could give you some hints.

So other than the problem with the clutch, what did you find was better than expected and what was worse? Hopefully, your opinion is more favorable overall or at least it evens out.

If you need some assistance resizing pictures, try this: http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=1379.0. An alternate method (that I use) is explained here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_55eg00H-w

[BDA]

This is what the auction page for polopharm's car says:

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Renault NG3 five-speed manual transaxle shifted through a Toyota-sourced cable linkage and a Honda Civic-sourced hydraulic clutch.

[jbcollier]

Many of the hydraulic clutch set-ups have "automatic-adjustment" built in.  This works fine on most cars but Europas have more vibration that most and this can lead to problems.  It is important that the play is removed from the system mechanically.  Then the clutch will work properly.

First check for freeplay at the pedal.  Should be a slight amount of freeplay before the pedal/pushrod works on master cylinder.

Next disconnect the clutch slave from the clutch fork.  Move the fork until you can feel the release bearing contact the clutch.  Push the clutch slave push rod all the way in so the piston is bottomed in the cylinder.  The push rod needs to be adjustable so you can attach so there is just a wee bit of play with the fork and slave set as above.

Last, bleed the system and you should be good to go.

[Polopharm]

Hello all I am excited to be a member of the group. BDA has been very helpful during the whole process. I still really am amazed at how almost all real car people are helpful and generous. Thank you all in advance.
The upsides of the car- body is pretty darn good , it's hard to know in pictures. The rubber seals through out the car have all been replaced at some point. All the electrics seem to work well except fuel gauge and speedo. The gauges are all modern but look very much like old Smiths at first glance.  Interior - dash is excellent, door panels excellent. Headliner- very amateur refinish, seats are a touch more worn than I anticipated.

As to shifting- I also went back and watched the video. Perhaps JBCollier is correct and the transporter vibrated it to the point where the adjustment is totally out of whack.
The h pattern has no centering springs, and it also feel like the shifter is binding somewhere.

As a little background - I am an equine veterinarian and work exclusively with Polo horses throughout the world, thus my handle - polopharm.
But my passion is racing cars. I am a pretty good amateur with several titles and plenty of wins.
I have digressed to explain that I am used to driving non syncro , dog boxes, sequential dog boxes, regular syncro trannies., tractor trailer split shift tranny. So I honestly can say I can normally get almost any car into gear and generally quite smoothly.
This car is hands down the worst shifting car I have ever driven ( including driving a 1972 BMW 2002 across  the country with no slave cylinder.)
   I am currently at a race in Savannah Georgia,  SCCA Majors at Roebling road. So I will have to wait till Monday to get pictures.

As I said before clutch travels almost to floor then has about 1" of usable throw, and grinds going into any gear unless car is rolling.
 
Hopefully we can all figure it out when I get pictures.

Other positive the ac works!  The interior is downright roomy especially compared to my race car







Many of the hydraulic clutch set-ups have "automatic-adjustment" built in.  This works fine on most removed from the system mechanically.  Then the clutch will work properly.

First check for freeplay at the pedal.  Should be a slight amount of freeplay before the pedal/pushrod works on master cylinder.

Next disconnect the clutch slave from the clutch fork.  Move the fork until you can feel the release bearing contact the clutch.  Push the clutch slave push rod all the way in so the piston is bottomed in the cylinder.  The push rod needs to be adjustable so you can attach so there is just a wee bit of play with the fork and slave set as above.

Last, bleed the system and you should be good to go.
[/quote]

[BDA]

Too many interesting points to mention each one!

I’m looking forward to pictures of your clutch arrangement.

Europas have a bad reputation for shifting already (I think it’s mostly undeserved as long as you have realistic expectations. It’s never going to shift as well as an Elan for example). Your setup will present its own challenges but you should be able to get it right.

[jbcollier]

I have a 395 transaxle in mine.  I would recommend fitting a reverse lock-out.  That alone will greatly improve the shifting.  You should go through all the linkage and make sure there is no play or wear first though.

rough prototype of reverse lock-out:

https://jbcollier.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-4qr8BZx/A

finished piece:

https://jbcollier.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-nc9PsWm/A

all buttoned up:

https://jbcollier.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-SKn8D9L/A

[gideon]

Polopharm

I noticed the auction on BAT and couldn't figure out how you were supposed to get fresh air in the cabin without opening the windows.  Maybe the cabin is leaky enough as it is, or you don't care for fresh air, or don't mind opening the windows.  Or all three.  Just so long as you don't suffocate 

[Polopharm]

Hello all, long race weekend baking in the sun in Georgia.
Had a good weekend overall, some mechanical issues, just fitted a new engine and had some bugs to sort out. Plus the 880mi one way  trip during 4th of July weekend...
I will be back at the Lotus tonight or tomorrow.
Will attempt to shoot some pictures of shifter set up , clutch etc.

As to fresh air I will have to report back. I only had the car for a few hours before heading out to race.

I don't expect laser focused precise shifts, just need to have it functional enough to be enjoyable.

If I let my wife drive it now she would freak out and not want to drive it ever again!! 
Andy

[Bainford]

Welcome to the forum. Nice looking Europa, and should be a good goer. Your enablers are standing by. Cheers 

[Polopharm]

Have typed and somehow deleted 2 book length posts. So will make this short and hope it goes thru. Drove the car for like 45 min. Driving clutchless. Wanted to spend a bit of time driving before wrenching. Well it appears that there is no , literally no brake fluid in the clutch master cylinder so I will hopefully find out why tomorrow.
And hopefully fix , bleed and be all set.

The suspension is a disaster- or lack there of. The dampers are shot. Hitting and small bump is like a full on bottoming out. It bump steers like crazy. What is suggested the spax coil overs? I need new bushings and end links too.

The ac blows cold but the radiator hoses make SOO MUCH HEAT that it negates the ac. The center console, the shifter, everything is hot to the touch. Like burn your skin hot( slight exageration) temp Guage was reading up to 220, it was 95 out, and I did no stopping and starting. I have no idea how accurate the Guage is. The electric fan was on. My race car runs at 240 all day long. Is the heat in the cabin Normal? Just add insulation?
How does the wiper switch operate?
I am looking forward to sorting this stuff out. I am still looking forward to driving it.
Had I seen this one/driven in person I am not sure I would have bought it for what I did. But thats life.
Has lots of good points and makes me smile when I look at it. Hopefully I will be able to say the same after driving it!

[BDA]

Putting fluid in your clutch slave and finding out how it leaked would be a big first step to your shifting woes!!

There are several manufacturers that make shocks for Europas. Spax are available from r.d. enterprises (and they're on special this month). I got Protech from SJ Sportscars (https://www.sjsportscars.com/). They are almost too pretty to put under a car. The stock springs on the front were 2 1/2" but most of the other aftermarket shocks (such as Protech) take 1.9" - the same diameter as the rear shocks take. That might be a consideration. r.d. also sells uprated springs. There are a lot of different views on what spring rates are best. I run 250#/130#, another popular setup is 150#/115#. There are sure to be other. I'm not married to my spring rates but they are not harsh as you might imaging. You probably want 10" or shorter springs in the front so you can lower the nose.

As for bushings, the stock ones work pretty well. There are poly ones available for the front from here (https://autobush.com/4/Lotus). The Elan and Europa front bushings are the same. When using the stock bushings, tighten up the nuts on the suspension at ride height so you don't tear the rubber when you hit a bump.


I met a guy at a LOG who did something I thought was interesting. He put sheet aluminum over the front of the fan except where the fan is. He said it made a huge difference both in coolant and cabin temps. I've also heard of sealing around the radiator hoses and anywhere else air could get into the frame. I have not tried either of these. I'm just reporting what I've heard. Some people here have put their radiator fan in the wheel well and reversed the rotation so it's a puller. That is supposed to be more efficient and it should pull hot air from the radiator away from the front compartment more efficiently.

Another thing that I haven't done yet is put a slab of foam rubber under the elbow cushion. There was one when the car was new and I have felt heat come from that area. I will be doing that when I find some.

My experience is that as long as there is air moving through the radiator, it stays pretty cool (below 100°C). I have an aluminum radiator I got from ebay (some are listed for as little as $69 so compare specs and prices). I have a fan controller with a built in relay that allows me to adjust when the fan comes on and also allows me to override the temperature switch. Other than that, it's pretty much stock (oh, ok. I have an oil cooler but I didn't put it in a very good location so I'm not sure it counts). I also use distilled water and Red Line Water Wetter with no antifreeze.

I'm sure you'll be able to sort these things out but it's a shame that the seller gave you so many things to sort!