Dunc

Lotus bits built a frame in the boot to allow eye bolts through the parcel shelf as a one off for an eclat and it was magazine featured. It mounted onto the thicker fibreglass of the wheelarches. I had personal reservations about the design, reasoning that a side hit could transfer the impact along the tube and crush the rear passenger with thei harness. I think a better design would be large spreader plates bolting in to whatever reasonably strong fibrglass exists back there. The problem being that the parcel shelf area is relatively flimsy and thin.

Good skills Clive!

Yes, underbonnet probably would be best, but I fitted the malpassi filterking in the boot of the excel. I set the pressure to 3.5 psi. I wasn't able to measure the output pressure of the facet clone pump that the previous owner fitted, but I had no more issues with fuel waterfalling out the airbox after I fitted the regulator.

Ideally fit a Malpassi Filterking as it gives you regulation as well as a working filter. Motorsport proven and been around since the beginning of time - ebay will have second hand ones. My excel had a non standard fuel pump and it overpowered the needle valve on the rear carb causing fuel to be everywhere. Elite Flambe' is best avoided. I fitted a malpassi filterking that I bought from ebay complete with fuel pressure gauge (which I left in). The other option is to buy a standard SU type pump with a solid state control system rather than the points. I now run an electronic SU pump on my eclat. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Malpassi-filter-king/183862888457?hash=item2acf150809:g:AokAAOSwub1dFLr6 new (in basic non gauge port form) : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MALPASSI-FILTER-KING-FUEL-PRESSURE-REGULATOR-67mm-GLASS-BOWL-MOUNTING-KIT/282173015817?epid=1534170239&hash=item41b2d28709:g:GGsAAOSwB09YRr-M or https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SU-AZX1308E-Electronic-12V-Fuel-Pump-for-Austin-Healey-Jaguar-E-Type-Mk2/323296982045?epid=1426303927&hash=item4b4600741d:g:~bQAAOSwYlJW5D9e

I use sealant on cam covers. The alternative is more leaks than a welsh rugby coach.

Tim, PM me your address and I will post you a known good fuel pump to try. I will need it back however after you've tested the car with my pump. Cheers Dunc

Which coil? Has someone perhaps fitted a 12V coil to your car which has a requirment for a Balasted coil?

I'm going to swap my diff out and replace it with another, then I can do a prognosis on what the issue is with the one I have. Handy to get an understanding of what I'm taking on however

Thanks Pete, My eclat has developed a bit of a fault in this area and returned from Scotland ont he back of an AA truck. I'll probably just bolt in a replacement diff then examine the original one on the bench, but its interesting to hear that the half shaft is only hed in place with a heat to fit sleeve. Does this include a seal as mine is pssing its oil all over the inside of the passenger brake drum.. Is there any ruber involved? I suspect my diff has taken a bit of a hammering after driving it (a fairly short distance) after the lower diff stud sheared - stressing the output flange with more road shocks that it should have been receiving.

I thought I'd share some pictures of a trip El-Torro, Clive59 and myself did last week. Sadly, my eclat blotted its copybook and got left in Edinburgh, but the Elite S2 and Excel completed this rigorous journey with aplomb! Stunning scenery:

Guys, I have no idea if we will see you guys en-route, but there is a yellow S2 eclat, a white S2 elite and a grey excel SE doing the route (anti clockwise) starting on Monday 10th. The north coast 500 in cars approximately 40 years old.... what could possibly go wrong? Dunc

bleeding can be a pain on an excel, especially when starting with an empty circuit after replacing a master. I tried and tried and couldnt get mine to pressurise. I finally got some fluid to drop into the cylinder by pressure beleeding. It didnt want to start with just gravity alone.

looks fine imho.

If that was the same young couple I think it is....they already own an elite. Not on the road as yet, but definately wedge enthusiasts. 🙂

I sadly wont make it, as this weekend is the only one I have to attempt some repairs. I hope you all have an amazing day! Dunc

nothing is a stupid question if it helps you rule something out. Put your multimeter onto the low tensions side of the coil and put it on your windscreen so you can see it whilst you turn the key and have the engine cranking. If it has voltage whilst you are cranking, there is nothing wrong with your feed. Also check the continuity of the connection from the starter solenoid to the coil. If you have a jump pack or suchlike, you could wire it straight to the coil providing an auxilliary 12v? I'm not sure about changing the plug wires through 180 degrees. I rememdied things when I had the 'strib wrong by removing the 'strib, advancing the engine through one more cycle to the next TDC using the crank bolt (timing belt was on), then putting the 'strib back in. She fired right up. If it is still not going - where about are you in Essex?

Oh - I forgot you'd had the distributor out completely. As the distributor turns at half the speed of the crank - it is entirely possible to put the distributor back in at the wrong tdc. If you do this, your car wont start. Ask me how I know this.... With me recounting all the schoolboy errors I've made on these threads it must leave a reader thinking "that Duncs a bit of a moron isn't he...." 🤣 🤣 🤣

That looks great David. That lathe in the background also looks handy for skimming front discs (rotors) - wish you were a bit closer. 🙂

Did the missfire start after someone looked at the carbs and perhaps "adjusted" the float heights? I found out how critical float height is in a dellorto myself the hard way as all at that were at Brands 3 years ago will remember.... I had a sticking float needle valve and thought I would "help it along a bit" by bending the float arm a bit. Hmm not my finest hour... The words uttered at the time were: "Head", "utter", "an", "what" and "Dick", just not necessarily in that order.

I'd follow the advice above, but also put that multimeter on the low tension side of the coil with the ignition on to check that it is actually getting some voltage from the ignition feed both at rest and under cranking. Make sure that your link wire from your starter solenoid to the coil is in place - you may have dislodged it when playing with the distributor and carbs. If it is not connected, your coil is getting nothing when cranking, and that pop your hearing would be ignition on releasing the key back. I had this on my excel - a dirty pole on my starter switch. I could always start it - just needed a "technique". Our cars seem to be at an age where the ignition switches are playing up. I had this on my excel, Simon had it on his Elite V8, and clive had a similar issue last week, which he diagnosed as a dodgy multiplug stopping the coil getting power. Edit: pinkish wire is the feed to the coil in a balasted S1 car. Link wire from the starter solenoid easy to follow 🙂

I change my diff fluid on a continuous basis....

buy a larger polybush and turn it down on a lathe until it fits?

I got those bolts from ebay. The only difference with theLotus bolts vs Land Rover ones was that the bolts I received weren't bevelled at the end. Whilst this initially didnt seem a massive concern, it made locating them correctly very hard. If the bolts you receive dont have a bevel, put one on with a bench grinder and clean up the threads before attempting to fit.

At least he didnt want to swap it for an Allegro 1.3 of similar value because he "fancied something a bit more sporty..." true story.

The elite was the original design, and the eclat was added to the Lotus range a year or so later (prototype badged as "Elite Coupe"). Popular theory was that it was a "restyle" in response to the negative reaction to the Elite's styling in a certain export market that Lotus viewed as being very important. The Allegro estate/AMC Gremlin comparisons were not kind. Wether you prefer Elite or Eclat is a matter of personal taste for each person, but it is true that the Elite was long considered a bit of an ugly duckling, and that the resale values of an eclat were traditionally slightly higher than that of the equivalent Elite, and it was the eclat shape that morphed into the Eclat Excel and enjoyed a long production run (1975-93 ?), whilst the Elite shape was killed off in 1982. What has happened recently (the past 5 years or so) is that it has gone full circle. I think the Elite shape has never looked as individual on the road as it does today and its angular boxy looks have led to people actively seeking them out in preference to the more familiar (conventional?) shape the of Eclat (Excel). I never really liked Elite's as a child, considering them an ungainly looking ugly-duckling in comparison to the more sporty looking eclat, but I've moved with fashion and now regard the Elite as the more striking car visually. As a design - Oli Winterbottoms shape has got better and better as car design became more bland and jellymoulded. just my 2p's worth....