Alternative Engine's (V8) for the Excel

[257spring]

Really good post's, would anyone do an engine swap for the price of an lotus 2.2 engine with head gasket gone? It's got to be a good deal!! The carbies only are worth? Lot's, and all those other bit's.

[alanbell]

your engine as is £400 if you are very lucky
Carbs if ok£400
starter and alternator £150
dizzy and ign. amplifier £50
total £1000
cheapest v 8 available- old rover v8 £250 rebuild £1000
exhaust manifolds about from mg v8 say £500 exhaust £200
carbs, £200
starter and alternator £150
total £2300
Engineering to chassis and new bell housing £1500 at least unless you can do it yourself.
you may diagree with some of the above estimates but the short awnser to your qauestion is NO.
i think that you have four options, fix the engine and enjoy the car say £400, fix the engine and sell the car, sell as is or, finally, get lotus bits to fit a replacement engine, £800 for engine plus fitting say £400 plus vat.

[Lotus-e-Clan]

Also in my book £400 is an overestimate of the value of old/used unrestored DHLA45 carbs. £200 - £250 for a pair or ropey ones is more like it unless you wait for the unwary willing to pay over the odds.

If I were in your position (caught-out having bought a dog with no auto-mechanical knowledge and apparently little extra money to spend), I'd do as advised and find a 2nd hand Lotus 912 engine, fit it, then sell the car on to recoupe at least some of the money spent so far. Much easier to sell a complete runner with original parts than an abandoned transplant project.

Then, if you still really want another Excel, wait for a really good one to come along with no issues and be prepared to pay good money (£5K - £7K).

You can only run a Lotus on the cheap if you buy a GOOD one with NO issues OR you're prepared to do ALL of the work yourself and beg /borrow or steal the parts you need, because parts tend to be expensive.

You're not the first, and won't be the last, to be caught-out by the apparent low values of the 70's/80's 2+2 Lotus cars.

[Jason.goad]

your engine as is £400 if you are very lucky
Carbs if ok£400
starter and alternator £150
dizzy and ign. amplifier £50
total £1000
cheapest v 8 available- old rover v8 £250 rebuild £1000
exhaust manifolds about from mg v8 say £500 exhaust £200
carbs, £200
starter and alternator £150
total £2300
Engineering to chassis and new bell housing £1500 at least unless you can do it yourself.
you may diagree with some of the above estimates but the short awnser to your qauestion is NO.
i think that you have four options, fix the engine and enjoy the car say £400, fix the engine and sell the car, sell as is or, finally, get lotus bits to fit a replacement engine, £800 for engine plus fitting say £400 plus vat.

And then you'll have to upgrade the brakes. No-one has mentioned that so far.

[alanbell]

unless you increase the weight of a car the energy required to bring it to a halt from a given speed remains the same no matter how quickly it accelerated to that speed, indeed a high performance engine will exert a greater braking effect than a lesser one until the clutch is engaged. nevertheless i agree that upgrading the brakes on any excel is not a bad idea

[alanbell]

sorry i meant to say until the clutch is DISENGAGED

[yroll]

This made me think about engine replacements.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1UZ-FE#1UZ-FE

Why hanv't anyone done it yet? :O seems to me that it is a quite good alternative.

[Ozzy_UK]

This made me think about engine replacements.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1UZ-FE#1UZ-FE

Why hanv't anyone done it yet? :O seems to me that it is a quite good alternative.

chap in NZ did it

[bash]

I think that there is an issue here over ambition exceeding ability. The discussion has been interesting though.

Bash

[mat grant]

Chap in Berkshire fitting a 1uzfe to an eclat with an excel chassis - but taking a long time!

mentioned further up this thread with that same wikipedia link included!

Cheers, Mat.

[257spring]

Have bearly any money, but willing to offer free tea to anyone close by with the tool's to change the head gaskets, I've grow attached to this car, I think sometime's you've got to get to know how to treat the car and I didn't realize what I was doing,what are these cars? Race cars right, it's not a GT car, it's not a run about. It's not really what I'd call a sports car. It's a race car.

Ps- do have some stuff to trade.

[bash]

Another one.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Elite-1 ... 8668333677
A holley390 or weber500 would get rid of the bulge.
Bash

[bash]

Or alternatively, Mazda rotary !!!!
http://www.alsoranracing.com/?cat=7

Bash

[yroll]

Have bearly any money, but willing to offer free tea to anyone close by with the tool's to change the head gaskets, I've grow attached to this car, I think sometime's you've got to get to know how to treat the car and I didn't realize what I was doing,what are these cars? Race cars right, it's not a GT car, it's not a run about. It's not really what I'd call a sports car. It's a race car.

Ps- do have some stuff to trade.

There just isn't that much tools needed you could buy them for like £20-30.
I changed my headgasket in about 5hrs, FIRST time ive done it on an lotus so quite fast.
Sadly i live in sweden and don't have ability to help you but i am sure u can find someone in the forum who is willing to help for a dinner, cup of coffe(tea for you haha) and 20 quid

[yroll]

Or alternatively, Mazda rotary !!!!
http://www.alsoranracing.com/?cat=7

Bash

That seems to bit a bit too much work for me lol