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Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
9/6/19 7:31 p.m.

In reply to Jerry From LA :

Looks like he beat me by about 4 months! (The first time I drove it.) 

It’s already insured, complete with a photo of the engine! 

Jerry From LA
Jerry From LA SuperDork
9/6/19 7:37 p.m.
Sofa King said:

In reply to Jerry From LA :

It’s already insured, complete with a photo of the engine! 

Okay, that is the definition of insanity.

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
9/6/19 8:18 p.m.

I would be terrified to hit the throttle in that thing, and at the same time, I wouldn't stop doing it til it killed me. 

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
9/11/19 1:40 p.m.

First drive today with the newly rebuilt engine!

Ran great! Great oil pressure, sounded really healthy. Only issue is with the brakes dragging. Need to get those sorted!

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
9/12/19 4:39 p.m.

Got the brakes sorted today and went for an extended test drive! Thanks to Ransom and Kieth, it’s no longer dragging its brakes!

infinitenexus
infinitenexus Reader
9/13/19 2:20 p.m.

What size tires are you running on this?

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
9/13/19 5:11 p.m.

In reply to infinitenexus :

Currently 205 50 15. But I have room to go wider. I plan on going to 225 45 15, possibly on all 4 but definitely on the back. I can’t go any bigger in diameter because of wheel well clearance. 

Pete Gossett
Pete Gossett GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
9/13/19 6:57 p.m.

In reply to Sofa King :

I think you might need dualies on the back to get any traction...

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
9/14/19 1:02 p.m.

I hadn’t considered that! Maybe with a little more fender flare I could make it work.

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
9/16/19 5:40 p.m.

Got to drive it this weekend! Put about 90 miles on it. It now has great oil pressure and the brakes worked perfectly. There are a couple of tweaks that raised their head during the drive, but nothing even close to serious. Gratuitous photo:

Pete Gossett
Pete Gossett GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
9/16/19 6:40 p.m.

In reply to Sofa King :

This is so awesome & it makes me happy to see another Europa put back on the streets!

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
9/26/19 2:15 p.m.

Put the car on the scales today. Came in a little heavier than I had hoped. Final weight.... 2075 lbs.

Pete Gossett
Pete Gossett GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
9/26/19 4:17 p.m.

In reply to Sofa King :

I think a stock S2 is around 1600-1700? That’s not too bad at all with the extra length, bigger engine, larger wheels/tires, heavier transmission, etc. 

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
9/26/19 7:26 p.m.

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Yeah, you are right. I am just a little disappointed in my ability to estimate.smiley

The V8 Europa that Lotus built back in the 60s or 70s supposedly weighed 2000, so I pretty much duplicated theirs.

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
10/6/19 1:24 p.m.

Made it to Cars and Coffee this morning at Corsa Performance. There were a ton of amazing cars! Had a great time! Gratuitous Lotus pic in front of their sign. (Rare shot with the hood down!smiley)

84FSP
84FSP SuperDork
10/6/19 6:48 p.m.

So hot.  Love the yellow.  Does it have any traction under power?

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
10/6/19 7:14 p.m.

More than I expected, but I set the bar pretty low! That part of the equation is “a work in progress”!

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
3/22/20 11:12 p.m.

Last weekend I was hoping to be sharing current photos of the Lotus at the Cleveland Piston Power Show! But of course the Corona Virus caused the show to be canceled! 

I've been buttoning up a lot of details this winter, but it's been stuff that doesn't show well in a photo. I finally got the gps speedo to work, rewired the power windows through solenoids, added an additional fuse block to eliminate the inline fuses that I was using, and changed the spring rates on all four corners.

The smallest detail is the one in the attached photo... but I like the results!

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
3/23/20 10:46 p.m.
Sofa King said:

Not done but driveable! ( no one has ever finished a Lotus .... but I’m close!)

It looks so happy here.

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
3/24/20 10:11 p.m.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

It's much happier now! It doesn't look much different, but other than cutting and buffing the paint....it's done!

Carbon (Forum Supporter)
Carbon (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
4/16/20 10:02 a.m.

Good lawd! 

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
5/7/20 2:28 p.m.

Turns out social distancing is a great time for cutting and buffing!

TXratti
TXratti Reader
5/7/20 2:53 p.m.
Sofa King said:

Got to drive it this weekend! Put about 90 miles on it. It now has great oil pressure and the brakes worked perfectly. There are a couple of tweaks that raised their head during the drive, but nothing even close to serious. Gratuitous photo:

Is that an SVO next to you?

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
5/7/20 3:03 p.m.

Yes it is!! He is a friend of mine. He had one when he was in high school and wished he had it back. This isn't the original one that he had, but it was the most original one he could find!

Sofa King
Sofa King HalfDork
5/18/20 2:18 p.m.

Cut and buff is finally done! First chance to see it in the sun!

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