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crofty1984
Original Poster
9,876 posts
73 months
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Hi All,
There's a small chance I could aquire an Excel from a friend for a very reasonable price.
I'm going to assume it's been sat in a field for a few years.
I'm not intending to sell it on at a profit - it's just an interesting resto project that I can't turn down.
It may need a new battery, fresh fuel and a polish, or it may be completely knackered. I believe it drove to where it's been parked up, so no con rods sticking out the block. But that's all I know.
Any info/advice on anything, spares (I think the GBox and some other parts are from a Supra?), what to look out for, common faults, clever fixes, your experiences owning one, MPG, Power, Tuning potential, improvements, etc. would be really appreciated.
Thanks very much,
Dan
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b2hbm
507 posts
91 months
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Hi Dan, I've never had one but these days they do seem very undervalued for the amount of car you get. There's a dedicated forum that might be of some help - http://www.lotusexcel.net/phpbb/Brian
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The Crack Fox
8,078 posts
61 months
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Good working ones can be had for £2-£3k and upwards and minters don't seem to fetch much more than £8k ish, I wouldn't chuck too much money at a barn find, there's a red one just been pulled from a barn near me and I was having similar thoughts until I investigated their values. Good luck 
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crofty1984
Original Poster
9,876 posts
73 months
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Thanks all, I was surprised at how little they go for, but I'm basically getting it in exchange for fixing a tractor (I love Norfolk!). So thought it'd be worth trying to bring it back to life.
I'll make sure I put some photos of the resto up!
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marshalla
8,007 posts
70 months
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Most of the running gear is Celica Supra Mk II.
Major problem areas are the doors (beams rust and hinge pins corroded into them resulting in wear on the mounts, which leads to doors which descend as they open). There are some electrical niggles - mostly to do with water getting into relays. Pretty much everything is fixable and parts are still pretty easy to come by.
The forum mentioned above (I'm a mod. on it and tend to co-ordinate our presence at events too) is very helpful and costs nothing to join. I recommend you start at the "Technical Articles" section and then start asking questions. Depending on where you are, one of us could probably come with you run an eye over your project car and let you know if there are any major issues.
FWIW - I'm still doing 12k miles a year in mine and it shows no sign of wanting to give up yet.
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crofty1984
Original Poster
9,876 posts
73 months
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Thanks Marshalla, I've joined the forum mentioned but I'm still waiting to be approved. I think only parts of it are available to non-members. I went to look at the car in more detail today. She's rough, but free. As is the barn they're letting me use as a workshop, providing I clean it out. Door hinges will definitely need doing, they were stiff as hell, but eventually opened. Here's the Reader's cars thread I started: http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...Looks like the rear spring broke about 15 years ago and it's sat neglected since. Interior's got the headlining hanging off and the engine bay's full of cobwebs, but I'll see what I can do. It's not like there's a piston shot up through the bonnet or anything. I've found Lotusbits that seem to be good for secondhand parts, so I'll see what I can do.
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marshalla
8,007 posts
70 months
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crofty1984 said: I've found Lotusbits that seem to be good for secondhand parts, so I'll see what I can do. Yup - Mike and Dave are full of advice and have plenty of shiny things on offer - just beware of bank balance damage if you ever venture near their premises  If your account on LE.N isn't approved within a couple of days, let me know and I'll throw something at the administrator to wake him up again.
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Breadvan72
10,193 posts
32 months
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crofty1984 said: Thanks Marshalla, I've joined the forum mentioned but I'm still waiting to be approved. Based on my experience, you may have a long, long wait. I have a minty 1990 Excel SE. I think that the Excel is a very fine car. Mine has done 97,000 miles but shows few signs of wear and is great fun to drive.
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Breadvan72
10,193 posts
32 months
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PS: SE Sports Cars for parts. Steve there is very knowledgeable and helpful.
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John_W
117 posts
102 months
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Breadvan72
10,193 posts
32 months
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72EuropaTC
206 posts
76 months
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This month's edition (Summer 2012) of Classics Monthly has a few pages about them - buyer's guide type of article.
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