Lotus anti-roll bar

I got my Moss Motors order this week, tie rod end bearings and upright rebuild kits, so I was going to take Friday off to work on the car, but things got complicated. A bunch of folks heading to Japan, and they need laptops and BlackBerrys. Not only did I have to come in, I had to work late, which blew away my chance to attend the First Hawaiian Bank Auto Show. Oh well, at least I felt like I was doing my little part to help Japan.

Would you believe it takes longer to set up a BlackBerry than a web server? Four hours minimum!

Today began with taking pictures of the Lotus fuel lines, something I promised the mailing list. The Europa Twin Cam has two fuel tanks. Lotus ran 1/4 in. hard plastic lines through rubber grommets in the frame, with press-on rubber fittings. Those fittings eventually deteriorate, causing fuel leaks. Many a Europa has met its doom from fuel fires. I replaced the plastic hoses with stainless steel brake lines, connected by short lengths of fuel line and clamps.

The consensus of the mailing list was that I should be able to straighten my bent anti-roll bar. It took longer to set up the press than it did to straighten the bar. I did it in many small steps, moving the support blocks to avoid too much stress at any one point. Piece of cake.

I spent the remainder of the morning between painting the bar and disassembling the LH suspension. Before painting the bar I had to remove the remaining drop link. I cut away as much of the rubber bushing as possible, at which point the link practically fell off. The picture only shows the bar painted primer, but I did shoot one color coat before leaving.

My goal for the suspension was to measure the length of the spring, so that I can order shorter replacements. I bought a pair of rachet tie-downs to use as spring compressors (another list recommendation). Maybe I can cut out at lunch time next week and see if this works.

posted from Blo