US: Euro Bumpers, exhaust parts

[bdboyle]

Know this may be a LONG shot...but assembling parts for my 74 Elite in advance of having it in my garage.

1. My US spec bumpers are in bad shape. Thinking of ways of saving them but thinking someone (know it is a long shot) that may have parted out a car or two that either had useable US bumpers, or, even better, a set of euro spec bumpers that are taking space on the shelf that they'd be willing to part with. Cash in hand.

2. Looking for exhaust sections or suggestions as to how folks have solved the rear over-the-axle pipes and rear cans. Mine are seriously rusted, and there are pinholes developing in the cans. I know I can patch and so forth, but, they will have to be replaced at some point. What are people on this side of the pond doing (other than importing bulky items from the mother ship)? Again, if there is a car that's been broken up and has useable bits, I'd be an interested party.

Thanks in advance.

[Hawaiis0]

Bauke over in Holland might have some Euro Bumpers

[Alan_M]

In terms of the exhaust - take it to somewhere that makes custom exhausts and have a stainless one made.

[bdboyle]

In terms of the exhaust - take it to somewhere that makes custom exhausts and have a stainless one made.

Probably the best idea. Will have to root around the area and see if there is someone...I ran a bunch of renault europa pipes off many years ago for the clan over here...they disappeared quite smartly when I let folks know. Stainless is the way to go, no doubt. My car doesn't have the intermediate can, just a straight line from the downpipe to a Y to the rears. Should be easy (yeah, he said full well knowing it is a Lotus) enough, since it is so simple...

[tezzan]

Hi Bryan

I'm guessing you're looking for parts on your side of the pond but over here you can get bumpers from https://www.sjsportscars.com/ and I think they ship to the US. Probably a bit pricey though.

Cheers

[rbgosling]

In terms of the exhaust - take it to somewhere that makes custom exhausts and have a stainless one made.

Is that still a thing in the USA? I know, a couple of decades or more ago, it was far more common there than here in the UK, and you could often get a custom exhaust knocked up in one of these places for less than an OEM ready-made one. If such places still exist in this day and age, I'm impressed, but a little surprised.

[Alan_M]

In terms of the exhaust - take it to somewhere that makes custom exhausts and have a stainless one made.

Is that still a thing in the USA? I know, a couple of decades or more ago, it was far more common there than here in the UK, and you could often get a custom exhaust knocked up in one of these places for less than an OEM ready-made one. If such places still exist in this day and age, I'm impressed, but a little surprised.

They still exist in the UK, so why not USA?

In fact a quick google found this company with several branches in MA

https://www.lousmuffler.com/

[Marten]

In terms of the exhaust - take it to somewhere that makes custom exhausts and have a stainless one made.

Is that still a thing in the USA?

LOL: down the road in my village there is a company specializing in building exhaust systems for American iron. Surely the opposite exist on the other side of the pond to restore balance?

[supraholic]

There are custom exhaust shops but they are getting fewer and farther in between and maybe one in thirty actually knows enough to do more than weld in generic/stockish replacement components. I learned that lesson the hard way as a young man modifying my 1985 Toyota Supra fresh out of warranty. "Oh, any old muffler shop can make up a more free-flowing exhaust to go with my new long-tube header." Or so I thought. Once its welded up, there's no refunds if you don't like it. Three months, three shops, multiple iterations at each and well over $3,000 later, I finally had an exhaust system that didn't sound totally obnoxious and/or set off the check-engine light. I think it was mainly the header that created the challenge but it wasn't fast enough so a couple years later I decided to ditch the header and install a turbo.

After the prior fiasco, I went to a specialty shop where the owner was sort of an "exhaust whisperer" and was well known in the custom Corvette world. Most of the cars in his shop had out-of-state plates and I remember initially thinking how ridiculous it seemed to drive a thousand miles to have an exhaust installed (imagining a thousand mile drive home if I decided I couldn't stand it after the first 500). But he'd been doing it for years and kept audio/video recordings of each system he created. He hadn't done a Supra before but was able to reference other straight-six engine vehicles that he'd done. I can't remember exactly now, but I think it was a custom BMW system he played that sounded the best and that was what he modeled my new kit after. That's been 30 years ago now and it still sounds amazing.

But I think we here in the US seriously lack that old world craftsmanship. We're largely a throw-away, disposable society over here. I often think I am pretty rare having a creative hobby like restoring old cars. I like to watch British car television shows like Car SOS, Wheeler Dealers, Salvage Hunters, etc. because they often find and record little segments of people doing amazing things. I was blown away by a segment showing a man "cold-stitching" a crack in a pre-war cast-iron engine block. Seems like over there, y'all just have to drive no more than a couple hundred miles to find somebody like that. Over here, its hard to find people with unique skill sets. There may be one on the east coast and one on the west and I'm a thousand miles from either of them. I think that exhaust whisperer I went to is retired now, but if I needed an exhaust for the Lotus, I'd ask around first. We have a very active local Triumph club and I bet they'd know somebody. Probably in New Hampshire with my luck, but they'd know somebody.