New Excel owner with a couple of questions

[LotusDave]

Hi Guys,

I'm finally a Lotus Excel owner, after wanting one since being given a book about them in the early eighties.
It's a 1986 wide bodied non SE, white with blue interior.

The car needs masses of work, in all areas, as it's been stood for quite a few years, So I'm of course going to have many questions! I will study the forum posts as well for information/help.

The interior is scrap, water damage etc, so as I prefer the SE interior, my question is, would this be a really bad idea to fit it into a Non SE ? Or would it be better to keep it original?

I've noticed the doors are falling to pieces, so I think I'm going to need a couple of door beams and a frame, is it better to buy new ones or second hand?
Also the windscreen has a slight delamination around the edges, should that be replaced?

Thanks for any help/advice I get and I know I'm going to be a regular on here!
I'll try and add a picture, but it's basically the white Excel that was for sale on Facebook.

Thanks, Dave

[Tanz]

Welcome to the forum Dave! You will find all the help you need on here

I don't have a problem with people changing these cars. I am area leader for Club Lotus Staffs and we have a member who is restoring an Excel at the moment. He to is fitting an SE interior into a non SE car.

Best to go for a new door beam. Lotusbits is the place for them. http://www.lotusbits.com/excel_doors_new.html
Window frames are available on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124691184957 ... Sws6tfJqbv
If you can afford to change the windscreen go for it otherwise put it at the bottom of the list.

[rbgosling]

I can't see any problem with fitting an SE interior - what's different between that and a late non-SE car? Or do you have the earlier-style interior in a wide-body car? Lotusbits have piles of interior bits from scrap cars they've dismantled, some better than others, if you need the major bits.

My windscreen has been delaminating since I got the car, but in 10 years it's crept about 3-4 inches from where it started. I wouldn't prioritise that.

Welcome to the group, we love helping each other out with projects like this!

[Pete Boole]

Hi Dave - welcome . Looking forward to following your restoration! Don't skip your interior until you're sure you don't need any of it!

Pete

[LotusDave]

Hello Chaps and thank you for your welcome.

Very reassuring to hear about fitting the SE interior, I just had in my head, things on cars like these need to be kept original, but it will make the restoration "easier" because things like the steering column, switches, vents/ducts, even the wiring and associated electrical bits under/in the dash can be replaced and they all need replacing.

You asked is it a wide bodied car with early interior.
When I said wide bodied in my original post, I meant flared arches, not sure if this is the same?, but yes it's a flared arched body with early interior. Is that unusual?

Thanks for the pointers where to look for bits and for your comments on the windscreen, I'll definitely leave the windscreen for now.

It's very good to hear you like helping with projects like this, I'm at the start of quite a big one! But just checking the car over at the moment, then I'll start at it and keep you informed. Pete I won't skip any of it, I think I'm part human and part squirrel!

Cheers

[Ray-s]

Welcome Dave and good luck with the car post some pic's when you get chance...

[rbgosling]

Just to clarify... the "narrow body" cars still have a flare, just more of a slight lip over the wheels, like this:



The "wide body" cars have a much boxier flare, like this:


The early dash looks like this:


The later dash looks like this (not necessarily with wood on the lower centre section though!):

[DavidOliver]

Good to have another Dave here.
Richard shows an early dash, my 85 LC is different, the main instrument cowling is curved not flat, Richard´s looks like an Elite, particularly the flat spoked steering wheel.
If you decide to strip your dash for an SE I am looking for the base LC to modify it to Left Hand Drive, please do not dump.

First see if you can post some photographs.
Also on this Forum it is worth going through literally thousands of posts, you will find they tend to be interesting technical comments and very little Facebook How´s your Father timewasters.
Order of preference: Timing belt. Brakes and rusted copper brakelines. Coolant, hoses and radiator. Rainwater ingress. Anti rollbar supports for castor control. And so on.

Dave the cog.

[richardw]

Following up on David’s comments about the dash, he is correct in saying that there was an interim version that was the Elite/Eclat style dash with a curved instrument cowling. I believe that the introduction of this cowling coincided with the move to VDO dials, whose use continued in the later SE dash design.

The Elite style (horizontal bar) steering wheel was standard on the pre-SE excels, but the Personal (three spoke) wheel was an option for at least part of that time. It became standard when the SE style dash was introduced, as far as I can tell.

Cheers, Richard

[Tanz]

Dave - Where about in Shropshire are you? I could pop over with my Excel if you want to see the dash layout / have a chat

[LotusDave]

Thank you for more welcomes, I think car Forums are a great way of spreading knowledge, getting help and finding like minded people.

Thank you Richard for your pictures and details, it's all much clearer now, I can see the differences in cars and interiors.
Dave, yes likewise, you can never have too many Daves! I will save the dashboard, I have taken some pictures of the interior and car and will sit down and sort out posting them.
It's good to see your order of work, but I have a door that's not fitted, so that's a project in itself and sort through all the wiring. Unfortunately it's one of those cars someone has "had a go at" so there are bits missing, I will have to sort their start and then start on it myself.
So I think I will have to do a "Sparrow" and make a list of all the bits I need as a starting point.

Phil, thank you for your offer. I might have an SE interior in the pipe line, so if I get it, having a look at your interior (and car) will show me what other bits I need. I'll let you know. I live in Much Wenlock.

Cheers, Dave

[LotusDave]

I've looked into posting pictures, but not having much luck, I tried Google photos but I couldn't get a img code.
I haven't given up yet!

[Alan_M]

I've looked into posting pictures, but not having much luck, I tried Google photos but I couldn't get a img code.
I haven't given up yet!

There’s a guide here on how to do it with OneDrive

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11571

[LotusDave]

This is just a photo test (via OneDrive) if it works I can start posting with pictures, which is always better.

[Excel SA]

It works - I can see the picture!

Neil.