Just to catch you up, or recap as it were, I bought this ’74 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special in May of 2021. My neighbor visited with me in the garage soon after and I gleefully projected I’d have it on the road in a few weeks. At least by the end of the summer, I quipped. It’s been over three years and I’m happy to report there will be no spoilers, hint it’s not done, during this blog cast. I’d like to call it a pod cast because as I write this, I hear myself talking in my head. But writing is not recording. So if you came here to listen, you’ll have to wait for the sequel. But if you came here to glean entertainment from letters fashioning words, assembling sentences, shaping coherent thoughts — logical thoughts? lucid? reasonable? Well… then read on.
When I drove to La Grange, Kentucky to pick this up, it never occurred to me to listen to the ZZ Top tune. I’m rather disappointed in myself because that is one of my top 10 driving songs. It gets me fired up. I will confess that I actually don’t go for drives anymore. I’d rather go for a bike ride or hike/walk instead. Driving used to be my go-to for a little fun but now I find it kinda wasteful. I haven’t “gone for a drive” by myself in probably close to a couple decades outside of the occasional Porsche club event. Which means my drives to the store, to cars and coffee or to pick up pizza, saving money over delivery, are coveted. I get plenty of enjoyment during my day-to-day driving and don’t find I need much more.
Richard, the Europa seller homesteaded in Kentucky, cataloged this car as 95% there. He may have even said 98% but realistically backed it off a few notches . Why would he think otherwise? The car came apart and was put into boxes before being shoved in a corner. It looked like everything was there and it’s easy to think and see obvious things like headlights, turn signals, bumpers, etc. But it’s the 1-5% that you don’t see that’ll get you. Such as a unique clip or union, the correct size bolt to hold suspension bits on or thermostat housing.
This undertaking had me wondering – if a car had a blown engine, was that easier project than a basket case? You see, my car came with a rebuilt motor that was properly oil fogged, turned over and stored but never run. And after a few hours of sorting through all the boxes and bolts, I was feeling pretty good about putting it back together, especially because it came with factory service manuals. I put the Lotus on jack stands and began the most important fix in my book, getting the loose suspension and brakes together to have a proper roller. Little did I know, the suspension was slapped together to make it a roller. Bolt lengths were inconsistent from one side to the other, washers and fittings didn’t match the manuals. So what I thought would be quick tightening, turned into a complete tear down, R&R of everything underneath. But hey, at least 95% of the parts were in the basket.
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