Hello from Finland 🇫🇮

[Osku]

Hi ther I'm from Finland and I just bought me an Excel. There is only 3 of them registered here if I'm correct so that's why I thought I'd beter go to a forum where there is actually some one that knows about them.

The car is in good working order with a few small issues. One being a small smell of gasoline in the trunk, I did not find anything with a quick glanse behind the panel when I was buying the car so I have to look in to that when they delivered the car. The other thing is that the interior carpets are pretty bleached out so some staining must be done, some suggestions on how to do it I was thinking on scrubbing some textile dye in to the carpet but was thinking on the possibility for it rubbing of to cloths later and that would not be nice. I also need new mats for the foot wells as they have perished. Here is a picture of the car.

My aim is to keep everything factory original.

[jep]

2 hours ago, Osku said:

The car is in good working order with a few small issues. One being a small smell of gasoline in the trunk, I did not find anything with a quick glanse behind the panel when I was buying the car so I have to look in to that when they delivered the car

Great looking car. I would check the filler neck connector to the tank and also if like my Excel, I would think there is a small breather tube from the filler neck; I assume it is to let fumes escape and it exits at the base of the bumper on my 1987 model. 

I hope you enjoy your Excel as much as I do mine.

Justin 

 

[Osku]

How much parts are awailable for this car, I talking about details like locks carpets seat fabrick etc or do I just have to make my own pieces? I have te blue stripy welour seats and thought good not perfect.

 

[andydclements]

Hi.

Looks like you have one of the very early ones, judging by the skirts being grey rather than body colour.

 

Pretty much everything is available, although door handles are expensive. The exterior locks are (or were a couple of years ago when I last needed one) available brand new from Toyota dealers (they are from a Toyota that stopped being produced approximately 1983, and were turned upside down, so the Toyota Right Hand Side fits the Lotus Left hand Side).

Carpets, you can get from the usual suspects (Coverdale etc), but also try Steve on here as he may have the templates. Cloth, I've not ever tried to find out.

[Bravo73]

Hello & welcome, Osku. 

I thought that I should split your posts into a thread of their own. Is it your first Lotus or have you had one/some before?

[Osku]

Its my first lotus I have a lot of cars with a wide range of cars from other marks so not new with cars but definitively new with lotus all my cars are between 64-89.

[jep]

Parts supply is pretty good. LotusBits (01926 633211) are brilliant but best phone, not e-mail. They have a ton of used parts and know Excel very well. Their sport exhaust is the business if you want to release the power of the 2.2.

Justin

[Osku]

I asked about the door locks as they have a different key than the ignition and I would like to dismantle the locks and get them working with the same key but it seemd like the type was different ist that normal to have a different key type for the ignition?

And yes its early it is 83.

[Osku]

It has a stainles steel exhaust at the moment and my plan ist to change the exhaust a bit as this one has a stupid can in center and it sound just empthy and resonates the sound quit unplecently on sertaun rpm:s so that one will be changed othervice the exhaust is good. And with this car I will not aim for max pover more orginal feel. I'm building a MK 1 Escort for serious speed at the moment and the Lotus will stay stock.

When something has survived this long as orginal it is better to keep it so.

[Bibs]

Welcome to TLF Osku, your car looks stunning - Is it Glacier Blue?

[silverfrost]

Awesome, another early Excel on speedline alloy wheels, and lucky for you even more rare in your country  

Welcome to the forums. Enjoy the car and never be affraid to ask even the most stupid of questions lotus related, this forum is full of folks who know your car model inside out 

[Gis]

Nice car Osku! Welcome. On roads like this, you'll be mostly going sideways...

[Osku]

Njaa i'll be driving my T3 Syncro still for a month or so no point with the Lotus in this weather.

[Osku]

6 hours ago, Bibs said:

Welcome to TLF Osku, your car looks stunning - Is it Glacier Blue?

I do not know I'm not that in to Lotus color codes.

[Osku]

I looked at the frame plate and it says paint code A33

[Osku]

By the way my registration states that it wights 1160kg is that correct i would have expected less from a Lotus?

[Makse]

20 minutes ago, Osku said:

I looked at the frame plate and it says paint code A33

That's Ice blue

4 minutes ago, Osku said:

By the way my registration states that it wights 1160kg is that correct i would have expected less from a Lotus?

Yes correct. everything soon adds up. chassis and driveline will account for a good % 

[Osku]

I would have guessed around 950 so thats just around 200kg more than I would have expected. Just comparing to some other cars I have.

[Osku]

How high do I dare to rev the engine. It's as far as I know stock and unrestored.

I would like to drive it as it is ment but not over stress the old thing.

[Osku]

an other thing was that i looked at the carpets from Coverdale and I wondered wich blue is the correct for me.

They offer

Wedgewood blue and Midnight  blue, I would gues  that the former would be it can i confirm it somehow?

Besides that how close to orginal qre the carpets from coverdale?

What was the orginal material as coverdale offers three different?

Edited February 28, 2019 by Osku

[ChrisJ]

I love the blue with the grey skirts. You need to post up some more pictures, both exterior and interior.

The cars appreciate being driven and tend to suffer if they are left in the garage. The engine should rev freely and I wouldn't worry too much about having a limit as they will go up to 7000 rpm. I use my Excel regularly and on the road, I vert rarely get over 4000rpm - the track is a different matter.

 

[Osku]

Is there some weak points like natrium valves on the engine or week valveguides that I should pay attention to?

I had a valve snap on a Porsche engine once and that was due to natrium valves and excesive play in valve guide. Just as it is pretty easy to pop the head if there is something like that.

Edited February 28, 2019 by Osku

[andydclements]

I've not heard of lots of vale problems down to the Sodium-filling (Referring to it in English as Natrium takes me back to my school days), they normally have problems either due to massive over-revving, or, due to belts being out of specification (too old or too loose).

[Osku]

Here are some pictures from the car more the main issues I have are concerning some strange silicon glue residue on the doors and the door has also hit the latch so the glassfiber is slightly broken. The foot mats for the driver and copilot have perisched and there is some ugly aftermarket mats in there place. The seats are already sown togather and I have some concern on the logevity of those. All the carepets have bleached hard to see on th photos but thrust me.

I wonder what the previous owner has tyed to glue on the dor card . any suggestions?

[Osku]

By the way if you see something that is not orginal on the car do inform me as I will do all in my power to get this car orginal. For example the AN fittings on the gas lines in the enginebay are those orginal I rather suspect not. If not what was orginally fitted? I will at some point renew the gas lines just as a precotion so I would like to put the correct type at that point.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Osku