plus 2 zetec/standard project

[elan66]

Hi all,
after enjoying and learning from everybody elses posts i thought it time i got my arse in gear and start putting a few posts on my build.The car is a 72 plus 2 130s and was bought from a guy in Warwick who had started stripping it down and had made a good start on stripping the paint and mechanical items.The car had been bought from the owner before him by Paul Matty who sent a driver to collect the car and was told the missing cylinder head was in the boot. When the car got back to bromsgrove however there was no cylinder head,and after chasing the guy for a couple of weeks Paul told me he gave up and sold the car to Vincent Haydon who sold it to the PO in Warwick.
Since i bought the car i have finished stripping the car down and then started thinking about the spec i wanted to build the car to.
I have previously owned a plus 2 and a race prepped S4 and loved the plus 2 but wished it had the oomph of the S4.I built a Hawk 289 cobra replica a few years ago but it wasn't a Lotus so didn't stay long
I decided that since the engine was basically missing,the only way to get a similar power to weight ratio to the S4 with a period engine would be a bdg but the budget is way out of my league.After reading the late great JP's posts i decided on going the zetec route.For anyone doing it for cost reasons..unless you can do a lot of your own fabricating ...it can cost as much or more than a rebuild,a lot depends on whether you have a twink or not.
Spyderfan AKA monsieur Thomas kindly took me for a spin in his lovely zetec plus 2 which was more than enough to convince me i was doing the right thing.I know a lot of purists think the twink is an integral part of the plus 2 and i can understand their point of view,but i do love the retro car thing.
Although the engine is a zetec the rest of the car is all Lotus.A lot of the reason i have not progressed as fast as i would have liked is i have had to scrimp and save and gradually accumulate the parts needed.The photo is the most important tool in the garage(SRV little wing playing) I will post more pics and a better spec tommorow.
This forum is a great place for help and people are extremely helpful and allready i have made good friends i like to think will remain good friends regardless of lotus ownership or not.Many thanks to any advice given to me so far but especially to Alan and Mr.Duff 2 top blokes i drive mad with questions but whose help i really appreciate
cheers guys

[p.faurie]

Stevie Ray Vaughan and a +2, a man of good taste, just like me.
Regards phil

[elan66]

27 years since his passing and still no one comes close, but listening to his albums makes removing paint easier