Europa TCST (Turbo)

I'm loving this build, don't have any suggestions though because it looks like you have everything well under control!

Racingsnake said:

I'm loving this build, don't have any suggestions though because it looks like you have everything well under control!

Honestly, same.
No notes, please continue.

Same here. I have no suggestions, because I'm way out my element here.

But I haven't missed a post yet

This build is awesome!  Nothing to add unfortunately!  Keep it up!

Carb-1

Turbo-1

berkeleys given-0

carry on. 

Thanks all...having one of those days yesterday.....sometimes I look at what I am doing and second guess myself....

I'm sure there are dozens of us here silently following along. I wouldn't second guess this build at all, especially compared to the nonsense I am doing to my own Europa. I love that you are keeping it period-correct, like a time-capsule from the late 70's. My only input is you need a better camera for us!

I am using an iPad 2 so I don't have to resize pictures to post them on the Lotus site....then I just copy them for here...call me lazy...the only thing on this iPad is my Europa....

Maschinenbau...following your build! I am not a purist so I say build it to make you happy!!

I do have a question - what length and spring rate are your front springs?

In reply to TurboFource :

I'll jump in if you have any questions about brakes, or how to make a build take longer than it should. Beyond that, I'm quietly following along and taking notes. Carry on!

- Cleaned and painted shock and cross bracing.
- Tapered bearing sits "proud" of casting.
- Trailing arms will need to be cut to clear for assembly purposes, shouldn't be an issue since 1/8" thick backing plate bolts there also, removed piece will be put back and sandwiched between housing and backing plate for bearing retention purposes..
- Spacers need to be .084" longer to give .002" clearance for bearing axial clearance.
- My 3D printed seal holders need a 2.0 version, my son is bringing his printer home for Thanksgiving  

Maschinenbau...Summit part SUM-72-10-125   10" 125lb but I cut some off and think they are 140 something now.

I used generic Honda adjusters off EBay so I can adjust them if needed.

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

Love your build!

- 3D printed version 2.0 seal holders. Seals glued in with oil resistant gasket sealer, the seals are multi-sided and will seal on the face of the bearing race and OD of stub axle hub (this would require different seals if you use the Lotus outer spacer which I eliminated for full spline engagement of the hubs).
- Bearing roller cage needs clearancing on outer bearings because there ain't much room.
- Using machine tool arbor spacers to set clearance so more wood lathe/grinder machining. (I wanted a tighter fit than the Lotus spacers that can move quite a bit).
- One side set (.002" end play)..... hopefully the other one Wednesday then assembly...

Wood lathe machined spacers...

- There is .070" slop between ID of bearing spacer and stub axle OD...first 2 pics show how far off you can be
- Small cable tie is perfect thickness (.035") to center spacer and keep it there.
- Waiting for sealant to dry on seal holders

Trailing arms modified for them to fit and cleaning up and painting trailing arm bushings and hardware.

This is pretty epic!

barefootcyborg5000 said:

Carb-1

Turbo-1

berkeleys given-0

carry on. 

Precedent! Up until the mid 80s ish, Turbo Esprits blew through twin Dell'Orto DHLAs.  The choke mechanism on a DHLA had a little air bypass that opened up, on top of the carb in the float cover. Esprits had a cover with a hose connection on it so it could be routed to the turbo plumbing, instead of just feeding from random unfiltered air like "normal".  You can still find them on eBay, too.

In reply to TurboFource :

Just found this one, great stuff. Europa on that bucket list.

This is not your first trip down TiG lane, nice work.

What is your opinion on Nachi bearings?

We just started using them on the recommendation of my bearing guy. 

Curious as to your experiences. 

First time using them. They were recommended by a guy on the Lotus forum. I liked that I could be sure they were from Japan, whereas bearings I used to use when rebuilding industrial equipment I could no longer be sure where they were sourced from. Unfortunately all the old USA brands seem to be sourced elsewhere :(

Ta da ..... tapered bearings in gear oil ....drain plugs, vent/fill plugs and "sight glasses" installed.

Today's minor progress.....
- Shock mount and cross bracing installed
- Trailing arm bushings installed into chassis

Should I go straight back with the "down" pipe like shown here? I wouldn't be able to use the "trunk" but most people leave it out......

I'd personally route the exhaust to make using the trunk a possibility in case you want to do that in the future.  Or use the space for other things, like a giant water tank for water injection.