Rear Suspension Refurb

[Bryan Boyle]

Well...retirement is a time to do a little more of what *I* want to do right? (He said, smiling wanly...)

3291R  has been a bit wiggly going over bumps..who am I kidding...some bumps caused real tank slappers...and I had sprung for a new set of shocks and springs from my supplier a while back (I have new fronts to install too,  but saving that for the next round).

What a greasy, messy job under  there.  Decades of spooge, grit, and, as you can see, perished bushings.  No wonder the back end was looser than a dancer's backside at  a country western dance. 

Well, tore it all down.  Lots of elbow grease.  Pounded out the old bushings.  De-greased, sanded down, primer coat,  painted the lower links.  Cleaned out all the holes in the castings of  corrosion (luckily all the 1/2" mounting bolts came out just fine).  New polyurethane bushings (with lots of lube on assembly) installed that I had picked up from my UK supplier.  New rear shocks.   Reassembled bolts with anti-seize.  Torqued to spec.  Test ride just fine;  readjusted the damping in the shocks a bit and retried.  Seat of  pants is that the settings, for the crappy roads in Fall River may be a hair loose...but the A road feel was just fine for my somewhat "Captain Slow-ish" driving style.  Will re-torque after a few more miles after they really settle in.   End result is that the only movement in the back end is stiff shock up and down and whatever side to side the tire sidewalls give.

Start to finish...6 hours wrench time total, and most of that was waiting for the paint to flash off, supply run to the store, and lunch. 

Glad that's done now. On to the next Lotus repair crisis.  The photos give some flavor, but I think you can see the progression from perished bits to new stuff...with a gratuitous shot of 3291R when I returned after one of the test runs.

[dakazman]

  Bryan,
    Well...retirement is a time to do what *I* want to do right?     
 
  Sounds like you'll be sore for the next week, but congrats on accomplishing the set task.  On that retirement thing, so far, a daily list appears then grows by the day because they know you have spare time on your hands. 
 Dakazman

[GavinT]

Interesting.
I had presumed the TC/TCS used the same conical bushings as the S2.

Are these the 'Metalastic' type?

[Dilkris]

Well done Bryan - crawling around on the floor when you get older is not fun - I feel your pain. 

[Bryan Boyle]

Interesting.
I had presumed the TC/TCS used the same conical bushings as the S2.

Are these the 'Metalastic' type?

No.  The Metalastics are one-piece (in the OEM style as you can see in the second photo above) and a real pain to put in if you don't have a press or access to a machinist.  In a town of 120K people, there are no auto machine shops (which I think are a dying career) within easy access distance.  I don't have a press or the dies...so...these are a polyurethane kit  from Lotus-Supplies which are like the S2 lower link style.  2 pieces each end, press in from each side, and then heavily lube with their grease, press in the sleeve.  Can do it with a big bench vice...

I've read/discussed the pros and cons.  For this limited use car, that polys will work for as long as I own her, I'm thinking.  It's like putting in stainless transfer tubes in the chassis for the cooling system.  By the time the aluminum tubes I have will need replacing...the last ones lasted 50 years...long past my 'sell-by' date if the new ones last that long...LOL.

[Bryan Boyle]

Well done Bryan - crawling around on the floor when you get older is not fun - I feel your pain. 

Nothing a little Advil (naproxen sodium...can't do paracetamol) doesn't help with.  And some single malt...LOL

Actually not too bad, if I'm honest. 

[Bryan Boyle]

Return from test ride...

[GavinT]

Cool – I rather like the look of those 'steelies'.
I once toyed with the idea of having the stock wheels widened - a common practice back in the day when alloys were uncommmon and expensive.

Of course the practice was banned due to the many dodgy operators equipped with a strip of steel and a welder.
These days I see there are people who would replace the entire wheel 'barrel' and retain the Lotus centres. Dunno where this stands legally but perhaps it's now considered a kosher repair procedure.

[Bryan Boyle]

Cool – I rather like the look of those 'steelies'.
I once toyed with the idea of having the stock wheels widened - a common practice back in the day when alloys were uncommmon and expensive.

Of course the practice was banned due to the many dodgy operators equipped with a strip of steel and a welder.
These days I see there are people who would replace the entire wheel 'barrel' and retain the Lotus centres. Dunno where this stands legally but perhaps it's now considered a kosher repair procedure.

They are the last 4 steelies from what was a yard shed full of wheels from cars I broke down over the years.  Saved the best of the lot while giving wheels away just because, you know, "someday".  Turned out to be a prescient move.  That, and saving that pair of NOS caps.  Last of that stock in my garage, too.  Have a feeling this is the end of my Europa journey...next car, if I can find one, is a third gen Elite or Eclat.  Already had the turbo Esprit.  Later cars (Elise, etc) are just as difficult to get into and out of as the Europa...so, to stay in the marque...Elite it is...

[dakazman]

  Have a feeling this is the end of my Europa journey...
 
   Sacrilege, My eyes are burning from reading that line.  However, you had a redeeming statement with the next Lotus...   
  Take it one day at a time.
  BEAUTIFUL EUROPA BTW.
  Love the color and the lines.
Dakazman
 

[Bryan Boyle]

  Have a feeling this is the end of my Europa journey...
 
   Sacrilege, My eyes are burning from reading that line.  However, you had a redeeming statement with the next Lotus...   
  Take it one day at a time.
  BEAUTIFUL EUROPA BTW.
  Love the color and the lines.
Dakazman
 

Thanks.  It's a good 10-footer.  Leaving the patina as it is.  Tightening up the mechanicals so it's a good runner.  But never (for me anyway) will be a Amelia Island showcar like 693R was.

[BDA]

...next car...Elite it is...

I don't know why I didn't see this earlier but I second that idea (though I would probably really want an Elan but prices being what they are...). I've said elsewhere that as a 6'2" college student, I was comfortable in the back seat (maybe not for an extended drive but certainly for around town). I also like the styling. I didn't consider the 2.0L motor to be that bad and if you want more power, I'm sure there are go fast parts for you.

The interesting thing is that I'm starting to see them much more often lately. I think at the prices they're getting (not much) that they are really a good value.

I hope you'll let us know if/when you get yours and grace us with some pictures!

[GavinT]

In a former life, I had an Excel. I was dissuaded from the earlier cars by talk of the supposedly delicate gearbox and the inboard rear drums. I'm not sure of the truth of it but my thinking was that I didn't want to spend more time under a car if I didn't have to.

The Excel is basically Toyota Supra parts hung in Lotus suspension. That car was fabulous.
At the time, my wife was complaining about juggling two little kids in her two door car, so I suggested she could have my larger four door family car.

Naturally, I found the Excel for the replacement but she always suspected it was a dastardly plan on my part – and she wasn't altogether wrong.

[Bryan Boyle]

In a former life, I had an Excel. I was dissuaded from the earlier cars by talk of the supposedly delicate gearbox and the inboard rear drums. I'm not sure of the truth of it but my thinking was that I didn't want to spend more time under a car if I didn't have to.

The Excel is basically Toyota Supra parts hung in Lotus suspension. That car was fabulous.
At the time, my wife was complaining about juggling two little kids in her two door car, so I suggested she could have my larger four door family car.

Naturally, I found the Excel for the replacement but she always suspected it was a dastardly plan on my part – and she wasn't altogether wrong.

I've had an Elite before; this was my '74 shortly after I purchased it from Marco Competition in Montclair NJ in October '84.  It was, at the time, the most expensive car I had ever purchased; traded my '70 europa (444R) in with a bank loan for the rest to acquire it.  Was originally a 504; the dealer had swapped out the automatic for a manual and changed the rear ratio (forget what it was...so long ago).  Had to do the headliner (even back then...) and black paint started to fail...but it was a blast to drive.

Had an in-frame engine rebuild (bearings, gaskets, etc.) the next year, along with a clutch and rear muffler cans.  Sold it to buy my first airplane share.  Foolish me.  But, live and learn...lol