GSXR-1000 powered lotus Europa

In reply to NY Nick :

Thanks! that's actually perfect, already have the cable but that lever is great. I didn't think to look at mcmaster, they certainly came in clutch back in my FSAE days lol

In reply to gixxeropa :

I have been doing engineering / machine design for a long long time. McMaster has always had the best catalogs and the best website, it makes it easy to spec their stuff. 

I have that cable laying in my garage and one day I will add it to my machine to shift forward to reverse. Hard to tell when, it's been there for 5 years and hasn't got any closer to in use...

Awesome project! Following along.

Good to see this moving along.

Any plans after completion for the S2 bodies 'behind the treeline'?

In reply to Piguin :

not really, they're in pretty rough shape, so i think their main use is gonna be just taking molds off of if we need to repair the body on my dads actually drivable s2. If any one wants a body or frame that's mostly in one piece but needs more work than its worth to get road worthy let me know lol

Just been working on removing everything from the interior so I can paint it and get the wiring done. Already took the windshield out since there was a huge gap where the adhesive had let go and it needed to be done, kinda nerveracking since a replacement windshield is about a grand but we got it done. now I'm just picking bits of foam from the 50 year old headliner off the roof, tons of fun. Trying to decide between buying a piece of engine turned aluminum for the dash or just doing my own hand laid carbon fiber one.

Also, the car came with what i was told was a 1.8l supercharged ecotec that has never been used. any idea what I should price that at when I go to recoup some costs? It's currently mated to the 5 speed transaxle from the europa tcs

some fresh pics of the chassis

thinking its about time to upgrade my trailer, my current enclosed trailer is a 6x12 which is just enough to fit my Formula 600 with about 3 inches to spare, but I'd like something with a bit more room that would also fit the europa, maybe an 8x20? not really sure yet. But I definitely know I wanna fit an AC unit to it after the race last weekend at road atlanta lol

That is looking really, really good. I saw in earlier pictures you had some kind of "roll hoop" bar. Any plans to add bracing to it? Roll protection is a big challenge to figure out with these cars. 

In reply to maschinenbau :

not really, the roll hoop structure is more to stiffen everything than any sort of safety measure. There is a full roll cage kit I might import from england at some point in the future. Its sort of shaped like a cylinder and mounts on to the backbone of the chassis at the bottom. Or I might just have one custom built later, I don't really trust my welding skills with my life, tbh

Safety is definitely a compromise with the Europa. Probably less safe than most convertibles. I go back and forth in my head with how to cage or roll-bar my Europa. 

Which coilovers did you use up front?

In reply to maschinenbau :

they're custom crusader series 3 way adjustable ones from viking, pretty cool cause you can actually revalve them yourself. springs are just a little bit firmer than stock. Pretty spendy but hopefully worth it

gixxeropa said:

thinking its about time to upgrade my trailer, my current enclosed trailer is a 6x12 which is just enough to fit my Formula 600 with about 3 inches to spare, but I'd like something with a bit more room that would also fit the europa, maybe an 8x20? not really sure yet. But I definitely know I wanna fit an AC unit to it after the race last weekend at road atlanta lol

Make sure you are aware of the roof bracing requirements if you are looking at a roof mount unit. That said, I was cross shopping the portable AC units to just have one of the ones that you can wheel around and just cut a vent hole in a wall as an alternative for price comparison. That said, much depends on power generation demands.  

I made a huge improvement on my 6x12 when I painted the roof white from the bare galvanized steel it was when I got it. Became only slightly warmer than ambient. 

In reply to Apexcarver :

yeah my paddock neighbor had the portable free standing one and it seemed to work pretty well, would also be nice because I could move it in to the garage while I'm working in there too

Rear sprockets seems large, what kind of top end is it geared for?

It is my understanding there is not much airflow in that part of the Twin Cam Europa,

why not keep the radiator in the front?

Looking forward to you getting on the road!

In reply to TurboFource :

the forward-neutral-reverse gearbox is 1.38:1 so with a 50 tooth sprocket we're looking at a top speed of about 150 if I remember correctly, as far as the airflow, I'm planning on doing some ducting for the radiator as well as a duct to make sure the chain stays as cool (a larger rear sprocket also helps the chain stay cooler). That as well as the fact that the rad is about 300 times larger than the stock one in the bike should mean temps are fine

Also, going through this right now so just an FYI, if you buy a car that is being sold as part of an estate, make sure you get paperwork showing that whoever signs the title has the authority to do so. In georgia you can either show this paper at registration or have the police come out and run the VIN to make sure it's not stolen. So not a huge roadblock but inconvenient. I had no idea that you'd need that sort of documentation

Got a full set of gauges and senders coming from Jegs, Includes speedo, oil pressure, oil temp, water temp, fuel level, and battery. $300 for all, which is nice. What's even better is that these ones don't have the giant Jegs logo in the middle

Got the body off the donor car today, its turned out to be a Spyder chassis, and the engine was actually the 2.0 LSJ supercharged engine. That makes things a bit more interesting. Trying to decide what I wanna do with it, probably sell it all as a package

In reply to gixxeropa :

Oh that looks nice. What's the story on it? Edit: I just found your for sale thread. That's sweet, I wish I was able to take it off your hands. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

yeah I was originally gonna part it out since europa chassis aren't worth much, but since it's a fancy upgraded aftermarket chassis it seems a shame to part it out, since the chassis is already modified for the engine.

Thinking on how to improve safety somewhat. At some point I intend to put a full cage in, but in the meantime, I'd at least like better belts. The originals are mostly there to provide a false sense of security. Trying to decide between the schroth anti-submarine 4-point and getting formula car style 6-points. the lap and sub belts will be easy enough to mount, but the shoulders will require a bit more thought. I might glass in a large steel plate on the other side of the firewall and put some eyelets in that. Not sure yet

In reply to gixxeropa :

I somehow doubt the schroth is meant for the likely degree of payback in a Europa. I'd just do the six point.

In reply to Apexcarver :

probably right, just less convenient for street driving lol