I’ve just posted this on the Lotus Europa Yahoo group and I think it should be preserved here. I wrote it hoping to get insights but expect to hear about drilling holes and wiring things together and about applying thread locker goop.

Red Pea is now a regular car, darting all over town and beyond. Like the guy in the rest room at the movie theater it goes and goes. It is quite fun and reliable, having no more than one or two incidents each day but not things like the drive line falling off or the clutch failing. Now it’s about things vibrating loose.

The car doesn’t feel all that vibrationish, except for something behind the dash that sounds furious at some engine speeds.

Last month the top of the carburetor came apart. All six screws.

The valve cover nuts have to be snugged after every outing along with the air breather wingnuts.

Now I understand why the Nyloc nuts are so prevalent on these cars. Some small fasteners that I converted to studs now have rubber hose pressed on the threads so the nuts don’t get any ideas.

Days ago the E-clip came off the pivot of the accelerator cable which pivot then tried to escape but it failed, only succeeding in binding the cable so the motor raced like it was passing a Prius.

Where I live, Prius drivers can go any speed they want. They have Prius’s.

Even after my clever remedy, using a different kind of clip than the E(scape) clip, the motor was racing again today.

Well, having been there and done that, I knew just what to do. The light I was at is always really long so I hopped out and ran back to push the pivot thing back down and the light went green immediately. So I scampered back into the cockpit, pulling the door trim down on  myself as I chirped off to catch up with the other cars and escape those who were gaining from behind. The remaining few blocks to my palatial estate were done at idle which kept me at the boulevard speed limit.

I coasted into the driveway and switched it off.

This time the accelerator spring on that same pivot had broken. My new clip was working but the pivot return spring had a stub where there should be a “U”.

Now I have a softer spring and the gas pedal feels dainty.  I carry springs in the rear boot that are left over from the search for the perfect amount of pull and all that was left in my collection were the dainties. My manly spring was apparently too much for itself.