Re: Hello from Oxfordshire
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 22:21
Also i have found the way to add to the forum the photos so thank you very much to Alan.
So the story of my 1987 Lotus Excel SE
So my typical weekend from back in 1992
So the story behind the car is my father bought the car back in 1992 when i was only 4 years old. I loved the car and every weekend when i went over i would grab the keys get in the driving seat and pretend that i was driving the car. I fell for the beautiful girl the first time i saw her and loved every trip out. Years later and the older i got the more and more i wanted to drive it. Back in 2004 my father decided to put it away for winter as it took to long to heat up for him to get to work so he parked her in the garage bought a KA (yeah i know what you are thinking ) as a daily driver with the intention of having her come out in the summer but ow no. That is where she sat for the last 16 years until a couple of weeks ago. I was coming out from work when i got a text message from my dad saying I need to use the garage if you want the Lotus then its yours. 100% truth my jaw dropped and i nearly dropped my phone on the railway track at Reading station lol. I didn't reply straight away as i had to think due to just purchasing my first house 2 months ago and having this dropped into my lap when as a lot of you will know when you buy a house you get the lovely surprises involved that the previous owner has left but not said. After us moving in we have had to spend close to nearly 2 grand what we were not prepared for to put the house right and then i get this text so as you can imagen money is low but the fact that this car to me has so much sentimental value and has been my childhood sports car that i have always wanted to drive it was a hard decision. So after talking to my partner which she has been amazing about before saying yes to my dad i arranged to go have a look the week before which this is what i saw.
So that was the state of the car after being sat in the garage for 16 years not as bad as i thought but it was quite a gut retching sight for me . But at the same time it was nice to clap my eyes on the old girl once again and she is only one year older than me . It did take me a while to get the door open, now this wasn't down to the rubbers sticking it seems from all the time sitting the hinges must have slightly dropped as i needed to slightly lift the doors for them to open, not to sure if this is a known thing? Anyway got the door open and once i took a breath i was transported to that little 4 year old boy that loved nothing more than to grab the car keys and pretend to drive his favourite sports car. The interior smelt exactly the same as it did when she was put away. So i popped the bonnet had a look underneath checked the air filter housing to see if anything had decided to make a home in there and luckily nothing . Once i put the bonnet down i gave her a tap on the roof and said its ok you are coming home.
The Tuesday after this happened.
When we got her out into this spot i had to stand back and take a good look at her. I can't believing it has been 16 years since she has seen daylight but the fact that finally the childhood dream of me driving it is on the horizon but the fact that she is now mine was unbelievable .
So the old girl has been rescued from the horrible 4 walls of her garage and on her way to her new home with me where she will be transformed and adored.
So the day after i got her home from work i had to do the horrible test to know if she was going to be restored or scrapped which was the hand cranking of the engine. After some recommendations i went out to get some 20w50 and put a capful of oil down into the boars. Once this was done it was the moment of truth to know what her fate was going to be. I couldn't believe it there was no struggle at all the engine cranked over with ease so the biggest smile was on my face and that's where i started work on the front end.
Jobs that need doing:
Full service - all fluids, filters, plugs and belts
Bushes all round
Front wheel bearings
Joints all round
Discs, and pads all round - shoes were reshoed back in 2004 so have plenty of meat on them but will check.
All calipers need rebuilding/reconditioning
Tyres all round
Wheels need refurbing all round
Front shocks and springs
Rear shocks, springs might be able to be salvaged
Bit of body work but that will be the very last that will be done.
She is now front end up with the front end stripped to the point of trying to take the anti roll bar out as the bushes need changing and want to sandblast the bar and either paint or powder coat it.
Sorry for the long story hope it didn't put you guys to sleep. I would like to thank you all so far for all the messages and if anyone would like to come down and help out you are more than welcome.
I really can't wait to get her on the road
So the story of my 1987 Lotus Excel SE
So my typical weekend from back in 1992
So the story behind the car is my father bought the car back in 1992 when i was only 4 years old. I loved the car and every weekend when i went over i would grab the keys get in the driving seat and pretend that i was driving the car. I fell for the beautiful girl the first time i saw her and loved every trip out. Years later and the older i got the more and more i wanted to drive it. Back in 2004 my father decided to put it away for winter as it took to long to heat up for him to get to work so he parked her in the garage bought a KA (yeah i know what you are thinking ) as a daily driver with the intention of having her come out in the summer but ow no. That is where she sat for the last 16 years until a couple of weeks ago. I was coming out from work when i got a text message from my dad saying I need to use the garage if you want the Lotus then its yours. 100% truth my jaw dropped and i nearly dropped my phone on the railway track at Reading station lol. I didn't reply straight away as i had to think due to just purchasing my first house 2 months ago and having this dropped into my lap when as a lot of you will know when you buy a house you get the lovely surprises involved that the previous owner has left but not said. After us moving in we have had to spend close to nearly 2 grand what we were not prepared for to put the house right and then i get this text so as you can imagen money is low but the fact that this car to me has so much sentimental value and has been my childhood sports car that i have always wanted to drive it was a hard decision. So after talking to my partner which she has been amazing about before saying yes to my dad i arranged to go have a look the week before which this is what i saw.
So that was the state of the car after being sat in the garage for 16 years not as bad as i thought but it was quite a gut retching sight for me . But at the same time it was nice to clap my eyes on the old girl once again and she is only one year older than me . It did take me a while to get the door open, now this wasn't down to the rubbers sticking it seems from all the time sitting the hinges must have slightly dropped as i needed to slightly lift the doors for them to open, not to sure if this is a known thing? Anyway got the door open and once i took a breath i was transported to that little 4 year old boy that loved nothing more than to grab the car keys and pretend to drive his favourite sports car. The interior smelt exactly the same as it did when she was put away. So i popped the bonnet had a look underneath checked the air filter housing to see if anything had decided to make a home in there and luckily nothing . Once i put the bonnet down i gave her a tap on the roof and said its ok you are coming home.
The Tuesday after this happened.
When we got her out into this spot i had to stand back and take a good look at her. I can't believing it has been 16 years since she has seen daylight but the fact that finally the childhood dream of me driving it is on the horizon but the fact that she is now mine was unbelievable .
So the old girl has been rescued from the horrible 4 walls of her garage and on her way to her new home with me where she will be transformed and adored.
So the day after i got her home from work i had to do the horrible test to know if she was going to be restored or scrapped which was the hand cranking of the engine. After some recommendations i went out to get some 20w50 and put a capful of oil down into the boars. Once this was done it was the moment of truth to know what her fate was going to be. I couldn't believe it there was no struggle at all the engine cranked over with ease so the biggest smile was on my face and that's where i started work on the front end.
Jobs that need doing:
Full service - all fluids, filters, plugs and belts
Bushes all round
Front wheel bearings
Joints all round
Discs, and pads all round - shoes were reshoed back in 2004 so have plenty of meat on them but will check.
All calipers need rebuilding/reconditioning
Tyres all round
Wheels need refurbing all round
Front shocks and springs
Rear shocks, springs might be able to be salvaged
Bit of body work but that will be the very last that will be done.
She is now front end up with the front end stripped to the point of trying to take the anti roll bar out as the bushes need changing and want to sandblast the bar and either paint or powder coat it.
Sorry for the long story hope it didn't put you guys to sleep. I would like to thank you all so far for all the messages and if anyone would like to come down and help out you are more than welcome.
I really can't wait to get her on the road