TonyPoll

I've had Toyo Proxes TR1 205/50 15 on my Excel SE. No problems, and recommended - although I'm not a track day guy 🙂, which I'm guessing you might be if you have R888 fitted.

I've had a CTEK for about 15 years on my Excel. Works very well. Recommended. Tony

Keep doing the videos. I enjoy them and look forward to the next. For those who don't like them; there is always the Off button. Tony

About 2 year after I had my screen fitted it started to leak from the top. It seems the adhesive never sets completely, for flexibility, and the screen can gradually slide down over time. There should be a couple of spacers at the bottom to prevent this happening.

Although I've not had my carbs refreshed by these guys I have purchased parts from them Category - Eurocarb (dellorto.co.uk)

I was doing this last Friday. As said, remove the two (or three) screws around the bottom and edge. Remove the screw in the inside door release. You may need to wiggle the plastic piece to clear a lip of the inside notch and then this plastic piece can be removed. Rotate the bottom of the door card out, so the card is now loose, and then wiggle the top which will lift out vertically. It may catch a bit at the front, so more wiggling required. As you lift the door card away release the window switch connector and the two leads to the speaker. You will need to remove two plastic panels to get to the inside where all the interesting bits are. When you replace these panels don't forget to seal the edges will silicon, or some such. When replacing the plastic around the door release make sure the lip at the front in located in the notch and don't over tighten the screw, as it's very easy to break this plastic piece, and quite hard to find a replacement. Tony

I still have Dark Side of the Moon in mine 🙂

Although it's not much use to you (!) there is a small workshop near Reading, Berkshire (http://burghfieldstarterandalternatorcentre.co.uk/home/3150447) where they repair old alternators and starter motors. An old school type of place. Not much more than a large shed. He looked at my alternator, spent 15 minutes going over it, and couldn't find anything wrong. He would not take any money for his time. (When I reconnected the alternator everything worked fine - It must have been a bad connection). You may have luck finding a similar business nearer to you. Tony

Might I suggest this discussion is halted. It is not helping.

Many of us Excel owners fit Toyo Proxes T1-R 205/50 R15 89V costing around £70/tyre. 205/50 15 on a more modern tyre is a good choice to replace the original 215/50 15. As you have found 215/50 15 are very rare, expensive, and possibly not as good as more modern tyre designs. Some fit 225/50 15, but these can rub on the bodywork. LotusBits sell a stainless steel rear seatbelt brackets (Just seen have a link to the eBay LotusBits shop for these brackets!) which are quite easy to fit. As you have found, the original mild steel brackets rust away to nothing. LotusBits (www.lotusbits.com) and S J Sportscars (www.SJSportscars.com) are good sources for Excel spares. They know Excels very well and I've used both over the past 20 years of Excel ownership. Note: LotusBits are slow at responding to emails. SJ Sportscars can get expensive for P&P. The only bits of the chassis that tend to rust are the door beams and window frames. Spares for both are available. The main chassis was zinc dipped and (almost) never gives any problems. I use 5 ltrs of Mobil 1 15W/50, but any good 15W/50 or 20W/50 is fine. It is important to use the correct viscosity, since old engine designs don't work well with the thin oils used in modern engines. Tony

Many of us Excel owners fit Toyo Proxes T1-R 205/50 R15 89V costing around £70/tyre. 205/50 15 on a more modern tyre is a good choice to replace the original 215/50 15. As you have found 215/50 15 are very rare, expensive, and possibly not as good as more modern tyre designs. Some fit 225/50 15, but these can rub on the bodywork. LotusBits sell a stainless steel rear seatbelt brackets which are quite easy to fit. As you have found, the original mild steel brackets rust away to nothing. LotusBits (www.lotusbits.com) and S J Sportscars (www.SJSportscars.com) are good sources for Excel spares. They know Excels very well and I've used both over the past 20 years of Excel ownership. Note: LotusBits are slow at responding to emails. SJ Sportscars can get expensive for P&P. The only bits of the chassis that tend to rust are the door beams and window frames. Spares for both are available. The main chassis was zinc dipped and (almost) never gives any problems. I use 5 ltrs of Mobil 1 15W/50, but any good 15W/50 or 20W/50 is fine. It is important to use the correct viscosity, since old engine designs don't work well with the thin oils used in modern engines. Tony

There are a number of us Excel owners not too from Oxfordshire, including one who lives in your county. So, get one or two of us over to have a look and offer advice based upon their ownership. Tony

Here's a link to the PNM brake kit PNMJ8975K Lotus Eclat 266mm Wilwood Big Brake Kit (pnmparts.co.uk)

Would a full or empty fuel tank make much difference? I'd guess that with an empty tank it would be higher at the rear, but I don't know how much.

Not an Elite, I know, but on a late Excel the compressor appears to be a Sanden SD508 with twin grove pulley and take-offs at the rear (You can get side take-offs and multiple pulley arrangements).