Regarding Lotuses & fire: I know that all normally aspirated Esprits, Eclats,
and new Elites that were US spec (Stromberg carbs) had an abominable plastic
"tee" that was "press-fit" between the carbs. I believe this mat be true for
some Europas too. The first thing (smart)people do is to replace it, as there
are no clamps to hold it on. Any of the Lotus parts dealers stock metal tees
for this purpose. I've heard of a few fires in early Esprits caused by fuel
dripping onto the starter motor: turn the key & poof!.
How much would a metal tee have cost?
The endless debate: Chapman: Genius or tightwad?
Now let me tell you about Temp & Fuel guages that float all over the place
because of a wonderful device called a voltage stabilizer (mechanical voltage
regulator). How $50K plus Esprit Turbos in the '80's could continue
to use such a crude device is beyond me. (my guess: somebody dumped these
"gems" on Lotus in the '70s and they continued to use them till they ran out,
rather than spend $2/car for a solid state 10 volt regulator. Who
knows how many aggrivated customers suffered with this beastie!)
I'll get off my soapbox now!
BCNU,
-Bob T.
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