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Jan 15, 2022 20:48:11 GMT
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I've wanted to have a build thread of my own for years but I've never had a car that I felt had sufficient interest (or age) to warrant a thread. But Covid changed my attitude - felt that life can be so precarious that I really had to step up my search for something. I live in West Wales and alot of my local friends are electricians or carpenters or plumbers. They go to a lot of houses and farms. I told them all to look out for anything under a cover or tarpaulin or looked a bit forgotten that to give me a ring. 4 months ago I got a call about this car from one of the lads. He didn't know what he was looking at, just that he knew it needed saving and 'it looks quick'! I met the owner (whom used to use it quite often but then his life took a turn for the worse and it had to be set aside to prioritise other things going on - totally understandable) before xmas and agreed a deal and paid a 10% deposit....then xmas and life got in the way and it was only today that I was able to go and pick it up. The plan is to ignore the exterior for the moment.....and just get the interior dry and all fitted out (I've got all the parts but he did the headlining and then life got in the way and some of the interior needs putting back). I've got a couple of dehumidifiers coming to help with the drying out too. I then am going to get the car mechanically fettled and then MOT'd. Once it's MOT'd then I'm going to use it for business meetings, day trips with the kids, charity runs, going up to North Wales to see my Dad and Devon to see my mum etc etc.. Some initial pictures - bear in mind it was under a tarp right up until the point you see these pictures.    Next on the list is to source a door frame for the passenger side and take the door cards off to fix that side's lock too. The dash is in an awful state (the leather has cracked, peeled back and parts of it lost - leather or leatherette - difficult to tell) and that will need looking at. Best not look at the paint too much............. I'm working on it tomorrow and will take more pictures - the seats need to come out and come in the house to dry and then be cleaned etc etc - that'll be a job for tomorrow. |
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Last night a friend of mine dropped off his dehumidifier. I set it up on the driver's seat (sat on a bit of marine ply so it's level) and left it running overnight with all the door's closed (of course).  I'm going to leave it running for the rest of the day before checking it. And overnight tonight and all tomorrow too no doubt. At the moment it's too unpleasant to even sit in the car for more than 30 secs (wet bum!) so getting it dry is the priority for me - its smelly too but I'm hoping that once I've got the seats out and cleaned them and hoovered and removed the nasty elements of carpet in the car and cleaned them too that much of the musty smell will disappear. I'm convinced though that once I start driving the car and using it that she'll naturally start to smell better. I'm a firm believer that cars need to be used and enjoyed and driven. It also feels like time is running out (but perhaps that's because I hit 50 this year and i tell you - makes you think.....what the bloody hell have I done with my life.....but that's for another day.....and another topic......and let's not go there eh?) Moving swiftly on....... I've already fed the leather once - that was pretty much the first thing the kids and I did after we got in the shed. You can't really go wrong feeding leather - and anything else the kids wanted to rub it on..... and I'll do it all again once it's dehumidified. Then it's get the seats out to repair the driver's seat in particular and clean and inspect the interior with a bit more room to move about in. Got to get the dash out too.....at some point perhaps .....but once it's dry I'm going to take stock - see what works and what doesn't. Frankly the dash can stay in, even though it's not very pretty, at this stage, if the majority of things work. If it ain't (mechanically!) broke, don't fix it imo..... Once that's been assessed I need to tackle the passenger door - the frame is not good - needs replacing. I've then got to change a sticking jet in the right hand carb (the one nearest the front of the car on the driver's side). Which makes me nervous tbh. And after that.....it's give it the once over (brakes, axle, general assessment), change the cambelt and then MOT it. Easy.  ! |
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Looking forward to this, with the leather seats if you can get them in somewhere warm the feed will work much better.
On my range rover I managed to get a second rusty door frame and cut sections out of this to weld into the original one.
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Nice project,
Looks like it's not really too bad as well, (although we all know that they can be a lot worse than we realise / they look,)
Looking forward to seeing future updates on this thread,
Nigel
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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Jan 19, 2022 14:37:23 GMT
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Great looking car, I really like these and used to have one.
There are quite a lot of components shared with other cars and it is often easier and cheaper to look for the original source. For example, I used a Land Rover brake master cylinder.
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67 VW Split bus
69 Beetle Cab
96 Jeep Cherokee XJ Sport
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Jan 19, 2022 16:43:29 GMT
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I am in. Love a Lotus and love an Excel. Brilliant.
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nze12
Part of things
Posts: 193
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Jan 19, 2022 18:16:50 GMT
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How difficult is it to remove the carpet completely? The reason I ask is that having dealt with "drowned" BMWs in the past, they have a very dense foam backing on the carpet which is nigh on impossible to get dry in situ. If you can remove them it is really satisfying to give them a serious clean. Brief detail on carpets... forum.retro-rides.org/thread/204897/e30-diversion |
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Last Edit: Feb 1, 2022 1:10:01 GMT by nze12
1986 BMW E30 refreshed to original spec
1973 BMW E12 520 converting to Motorsport 530
1982 XJS V12 converting to 5 speed manual
Many landscaping projects overriding above!
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum!
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thomfr
Part of things
Trying to assemble the Duett again..
Posts: 694
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Jan 19, 2022 19:32:49 GMT
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Lovely car! Almost none of them on continental Europe. Has it a Lotus or a Toyota engine?
Thom
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73' Alfa Giulia Super
64' Volvo Duett
65' Volvo Duett
67' Volvo Amazon 123GT
09' Ford Focus 1.8
20' VW ID4
71' Benelli Motorella
65' Cyrus Speciaal
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys
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Jan 19, 2022 22:03:17 GMT
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It's a Lotus engine (a 912 designation, the same as the naturally aspirated ones in the Esprit of the same period). 180bhp (160bhp pre-86 I think) and she weighs 1,185kg. I'm going to take the spare wheel out (with it's original tyre!!) to save a little bit of weight. There's alot of Toyota in the car (from a MK2 or Mk3 supra) but nothing that makes the car particularly cheap to run. V odd tyre sizes too (215/50 r15) which makes buying new OE ones v expensive. But there are work arounds - for exmple toyo proxes actually measure to 213/50/15 so not far off (if you choose 205/50/15 I think). Need to remind myself too, before I buy. BUT there's a whole plethora or alternative parts that people have found that replace the existing and work but are cheaper. It's all on Lotusexcel.net. I'm really excited - and the kids are too, (but they just want to get driven to football or swimming in it!)... |
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ads7
Part of things
Posts: 170 
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Jan 21, 2022 19:55:46 GMT
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Well done finding this! I was considering one myself recently. They're durable and capable of high mileages if well cared for. Values rising quite well too so you're onto a winner.
Galvanised chassis is a good feature so no real rust issues and typical of a lotus the ride should be compliant as well as sporty, perfect for family outings
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Jan 31, 2022 21:07:16 GMT
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It's been a manic 10 days or so with work including a trip to London and just generally things are alot busier on that front at the moment. Perhaps there's more confidence out there, let's hope so. It was only yesterday that I finally got the car on to the ramp - it was make or break time tbh - although I've shown you pictures it doesn't tell the whole story.....there's quite an investment needed in the car, in no particular order; carb gasket kit new carb jet as it's sticking on the carb nearest the front of the car new passenger window frame some special glue (?) to re-attach the weather strip that covers up the fibreglass join webbing to fix the drivers seat that's collapsed new passenger doorlock a reflock of the dashboard - really bad on the passenger side don't think the existing leather will be repairable new tyres all round new wiper new headlight motor I think on the passenger side - but need advice on what to look for new headlights both or perhaps they'll dry out? new headlight backing ring on the drivers - the steel ring that is riveted to the body that the headlight is attached to - are they even a thing? 3d print something perhaps? new ventilation I think - need to take the dash off to investigate new waterpump or re-seating of waterpump as it's leaking the petrol gauge moves, but shows full, even though we know it's not full by any means when I turn the ignition on so that's something to look at new air intake pipe - the long snake thing that attaches to the air box - do I have to have that? is it to aid torque characteristics or something - like the peugeot 205 gti's engine? or can I simply replace it with something less long?) And that was just from a brief inspection, noting, looking around as I've been doing bits and pieces on the car.....drying it out mainly......and then there's the paint......that needs a professional (or experienced) eye to have a look at. But my plan there is get the car an mot and then bring it to some meets to get some different owner's opinions - see what you guys think. Please do bear in mind it's been sat outside for at least 4 years, perhaps longer under a cover that didn't do a brilliant job. It was passenger-side on to the weather hence so many issues on that side. So far it's been driven about 25 yards in my possession, it changes gear no problem, it brakes no problem (there's obviously noise from lack of use) but it definitely stops and then it's been wheeled into the back of the shed. So today we had 30 mins at the end of the day to pump the tyres up and wheel it forward onto the ramp. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. But I have to say - I was v pleased with the overall condition. I literally got it up on to the ramp and started taking pictures - didn't remove leaves or debris to make things look better - you're seeing what I saw as I walked under the car. So, without further ado.....;       And the 45 DHLA's;  |
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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Jan 31, 2022 21:43:15 GMT
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Chassis looks decent.
From my limited experience with a lotus engine thats been sat for a number of years, take all of the coolant hoses off and fire a hose through the block. Mine were blocked solid with crud / crystallised coolant.
Also I'd change the rubber / plastic fuel pipes for safety's sake.
Personally, I'd do the paint as the absolute last job, although a good wash / clay bar and something like Autoglym super resin polish will give a decent finish for minimal outlay in money or time.
Walked past one the other day and thought of this thread, good luck!
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Thanks pptom - that's exactly what I'm going to do (I'm going to try and hook it up to the hot water tap too). Thanks for reading it and I've had two 'non car people' (my MIL and someone that was delivering sheep feed) say to me 'is that the car from back to the future?' so far.....to which I've said 'Fraid not' but they've gone on to have a proper look around it which is good. |
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Ah I love these things! A proper 80's wedge of nostalgia! It sounds like a similar story to my Corrado, sat outside for years and generally damp on damp. As the days and nights warm up, the condensation will obviously naturally start to go but if you can, get all the carpet etc out of it and dry the car and interior separately if possible. I was fortunately able to run my car so had the heaters on full blast whenever possible which really helps. I believe with the whole Toyota partnership thing, these ran the Mk3 Supra W58 manual gearbox which is a whole heap of money nowadays, so that's a bonus! It's easy for these sort of things to get overwhelming, but remember the reasons why we mess about with these old cars is to mostly have fun. Sometimes it pays to just sit back with a brew or a beer and just enjoy looking at it when things start to get tough Keen to see more wedgie goodness haha! |
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Trikkisixx - thanks chap and loving your g60 too; I'd looked at it to buy (it was at the level that I had the budget for) but just felt my skills didn't quite meet the necessary level that your car needed); perhaps I was wrong on that. I wasn't particularly looking for a Lotus, but I'd always kicked myself for saying no to a lotus elise mk1 at £6k about 10 years (they were alot more than that even then) from a desperate seller/acquaintance I knew. So when this came up and then I met the owner and heard what he'd been through and the story behind the car and why the car was outside....it became far more than a car if that makes sense. I'm still in regular contact with the previous owner now, which is good. If the car had been really bad underneath I'd have taken the harsh decision to break it - the engine and gearbox (as you correctly) say have a great deal of value and there are other parts that people want. But that was always an armageddon route - I actually really want to drive it and use it. The car's paint will get sorted in time but right now it's get it mechanically sorted and interior put back together (most of it is in the dining room at the moment....wife is absolutely over the moon with that) and the interior working and comfortable. then it's drive it as much as possible...... |
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Trikkisixx - thanks chap and loving your g60 too; I'd looked at it to buy (it was at the level that I had the budget for) but just felt my skills didn't quite meet the necessary level that your car needed); perhaps I was wrong on that.  I wasn't particularly looking for a Lotus, but I'd always kicked myself for saying no to a lotus elise mk1 at £6k about 10 years (they were alot more than that even then) from a desperate seller/acquaintance I knew. So when this came up and then I met the owner and heard what he'd been through and the story behind the car and why the car was outside....it became far more than a car if that makes sense. I'm still in regular contact with the previous owner now, which is good. If the car had been really bad underneath I'd have taken the harsh decision to break it - the engine and gearbox (as you correctly) say have a great deal of value and there are other parts that people want. But that was always an armageddon route - I actually really want to drive it and use it. The car's paint will get sorted in time but right now it's get it mechanically sorted and interior put back together (most of it is in the dining room at the moment....wife is absolutely over the moon with that) and the interior working and comfortable. then it's drive it as much as possible...... Ah that's cool to know haha it was a bit of an unknown but honestly, after really very little work it now runs beautifully. Nice to hear you're still in contact with the previous owner, it's cool to keep them updated on stuff like this, especially when as you say it is more than just a car. Definitely drive it as much as you can, satisfaction levels through the roof haha |
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Doesn't look too bad underneath, I'd give it all a good wire brushing then coat with something like Dynax UB, give the brakes a good going over (good chance of rusty pipes) then with a good service and fluid change get it MOT'd and drive it bit.
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dazvr6
Part of things
Posts: 70
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Feb 11, 2022 16:14:21 GMT
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Love the excel! If it is an SE like it says on the back then it will be the 180bhp engine and great fun  |
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1998 Porsche 996 C2 manual
1989 MA70 Supra Turbo (5 speed)
1996 Fiat Coupe 16v Turbo
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Feb 11, 2022 23:01:47 GMT
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Had one of these a few years ago, it was a normal one not the SE, not a bad car but did have his issues. If your keeping the engine, one of the weak point is the fact the alternator fits on the water-pump. Which is alloy and the threads can go. Also is a good idea if you can afford it to ditch the carbs and go fuel injection, these engine go so much better.
The original Lotus parts can be hard to find and expensive. Theres a list around with all the parts that came from other manufacturers. So the price was a hell of a lot lower and you could get it from a scrap yard, something like the rear lights I'm sure came from an SD1 Rover.
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“It Doesn’t Feel Pity, Or Remorse, Or Fear, And It Absolutely Will Not Stop, Ever, Until You Are Dead!”
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Feb 19, 2022 18:50:02 GMT
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And so to today's escapade..........which mainly involved the last 30 mins of daylight after a day of doing stuff around the yard and house (nothing to do with the storm, all good there thankfully); our son (15) has a small flock of rare-breed Kerry Hills (wonderful sheep but mad as hatters) and 6 of the 12 are due to start lambing from next week.....so the last elements of the prep needed to be sorted. And then an outside light that had stopped working (shoudl be a 5 min job to change a lightbulb) turned into hassle when it became clear that most of the bulb was stuck in the holder after I'd twisted it to try to get it out.....oh joy....had to take the whole unit off the wall to clear it all out etc so that took time...... But anyhoo - got to the Lotus in the end. What can I do in 30 mins? I know, I'll remove the drivers seat (that's collapsed at the base)........should be easy.....only 4 bolts......how difficult can that be.......especially as I'd got one of the nippers (whom is obsessed with WD40....) to WD40 the 4 bolts underneath the car (after I'd wire brushed the bolts the other week when it was on the ramp; ooooh, get me, that's forward thinking). And you know what? It worked! I used the old-monkey-wrench to clasp the bolts inside the car et voila, came off as easy as 'kiss-my-hand' (to quote Patrick O'Brian, the naval author). It was only that easy because I'd used the knowledge on the Lotus Excel forum to prep things of course. Sadly I didn't find a blank cheque or bearer bonds or in fact anything of interest....but there was an old 10p that made me smile. So the chair is going to get a proper clean, and I'm going to use webbing and perhaps something pliable to stiffen the seat underneath, then rub the metal elements down (grab rail at the front, side rails), repaint with hammerite or such. I'm thinking about what to do with the carpet in the car too (and that weird underlay that feels like it's had alot of water in it for along time, although it's dry now (or much dryer than it's ever been in the last 5 years). Can I take it up? Is it easy to replace? What's holding it down? And finally some pictures that tell part of the story. Next chapter is - 'carbs and how I made a massive mistake trying to fix them myself'.......     |
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!
