Hello from Finland 🇫🇮

[Colin P]

That’s my first Lotus!!!!  It’s been in France since I sold it in 2009 (got a sit in an Evora at Goodwood Festival of Speed, came home and sold it as a start to saving for my first Evora) .

I was thinking it looked like it, then saw the Alpines in the back. The braided hoses are not original, I had to replace some in 2008, so yes, probably due again. I couldn’t get the seat material, so did as best I could with a couple of splits, which seem to have held up for the last 15 years or so, so I wouldn’t worry too much!

Its silicon on the door cards, was on there when I bought it. The keys are different on all of them, due to the different parts bin used. 

Yes it’s ice blue. It also had the manuals and a load of spares (incl another set of speed lines) when I sold it. Did you get any of this?

I was going to replace the carpets, but never got around to it. Take the mats out, it is really easy to get aftermarket mats stuck over the accelerator, which explains why I can confirm it has a rev limiter 

Yes, it sulks if you don’t drive it. It used to stop sulking after 20/30 miles.

The steering wheel isn’t original, it is the optional personal wheel. The shocks were adjustable when I sold it so are not original either. The boot spoiler isn’t original to that car (it didn’t have one when new). That’s about it when it left my ownership. I think however the next owner blew the engine up and put one in from a 1986 car (I know who sold him the engine).

There is lots of history on the car on lotusexcel.net. Search for user 83excel. It is a famous excel on there. Was one of the 3 show cars the first time they had a club stand. Somewhere I have an “interesting” picture of that day. I’ll dig it out. 

[Colin P]

[Colin P]

On 25/02/2019 at 11:19, silverfrost said:

 

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 

And in this case know you exact car inside out, having spent many hours under and over it. 

[Osku]

Yes I did get a pile of material with the car half of wich I have looked into.

What did you meanwith"Yes, it sulks if you don’t drive it. It used to stop sulking after 20/30 miles" What does the word sulk mean in this context?

Its got the adjustable shocks and I alredy assumed they would not be stock.

 

[Colin P]

@OskuJust that if you leave it for a couple of weeks without driving it it would just be a bit tight. For example it wouldn't run quite as smoothly, the gear change (which was excellent) would just be a tad tighter, the suspension and brakes wouldn't be quite as smooth.

Once it's warmed through things loosen up. It should run really smooth, really crisp gear change, smooth ride. It really liked being used regularly.

One of the reasons I sold it - I wasn't able to use it as much as I'd like and I found myself taking it out, just because it needed taking out.

Have you figured out the "knack" to starting it yet?

Cold engine - key to position 2, choke out, depress accelerator to the floor 4 times. Foot off, turn key

Warm engine - turn key to position 2, then engage starter motor whilst slowly depressing the accelerator until the engine starts.

I'm getting all nostalgic now . Oh and the smell of old leather.....

[Osku]

Cool to find the previous owner. As I have only old cars I have the feel to hear and feel how to start most old cars I did not relize jet anything unusual but yes I do pump the cold engine a bit like most carburator engines.

I have had on an other car the problem with the aftemaket mats not with accelerator but with the Break and I can tell you that scares even more. So yes that is one of the reasons I did not like the sellers carpets.

By the way what material ws the orginal carpets? Polypropyleen? Woll?

How long did you own the car?

 

[Colin P]

Not sure what the carpets were. I’d have guessed quite a bit of wool content as most of them had stood up well, just not the front foot wells. 

I had it for 5 or 6 years perhaps a little longer. Previous owner had had it a while too and only sold it as he had a terminal diagnosis. 

Still think they are one of the best cars lotus ever made. 

[ramjet]

Welcome to TLF Osku. 

Looks like a nice car. Always great to run into the previous owner.

Any questions or issues with using the forums, feel free to ask one of us mods. We're here to help.  

[Osku]

No question right now.

[Osku]

By the way you mentioned "I think however the next owner blew the engine up and put one in from a 1986 car (I know who sold him the engine). ". is there a difference between the engines I read something about Lotus swiching from 160 to 180 hp about there. Iwould not say this feel like 180 rather 160. But I havent revd it to the end either so it still might be (want to check everything is as should be before I stress rhe engine".

Can i find the engine nubers on the car and can I see from the actual engine wich type it is and when it was manufactured?

And do you know what happened to my orginal engine? did the frenchman keep it or did he give it to the enginseller for reconditioning.

[Colin P]

The engine I know he bought was also a LC engine (160 hp which is better because these did not have the nikosil liners that the HC engines did). Whether he installed it or not I don’t know. My understanding was that the head gasket went. There were 2 posts I saw  one fixing the HG and one looking for an engine.

The engine he bought was in good working order, as the seller didn’t “hang about” (he was putting in a jag XK engine for increased power - a project that is still some way from completion) the original was also fine in my ownership and happily used the Rev full rev range. 

[Osku]

That with nicasil is strange, as with Porsche 911 the nicasil ones ar concidered good and Alusil and castiron is concidered bad. I have wondered why that is.

[Osku]

Is there a differens between nikosil and nicasil?

[Colin P]

From memory the Nikasil liners sometimes caused issues and had to be replaced. I'm not sure I fully recall the detail now due to the passage of time, but it may have had something to do with the switch to unleaded petrol. What I do recall is that generally the engines without the linings were considered to have better longevity.

I don't know about Porsche - but perhaps with a liner the blocks don't crack............ 

[Osku]

With porsche 911 (aircoofed) the linng was wery durable but nikasil surfase was wery hard and thin problems only arose when some fool had honed the cylinders and thus took away the hard surface. I have two nikasil bore enginea appart at the moment and both engins have perfect cylinder thought the rest of the engins not soo.

Might bee that there is a differens also on the thickness of the nikasil layer maby that is why it works on some cars and others again not.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Osku

[Osku]

Does someone have a picture from a brosure or such from the engine bay of the early excel?

I would like to have a reference to how it orgynally looked like colors hoses etc

[Evoluke75]

welcome 👍

never saw one...probably not sold in Italy...

[Osku]

Say is it possible to calibrate the spedomeeter, my car seems to have a differense of aproximately 20%  and I find that a bit excessive.

[Osku]

I also tried to adjust the clock but was unsuccesful. I dis not jet find any info on how it should be done. So I tried the obvious solution and poked the two holes under the display with a couple of paperclips. Nothing happened. Is it broke or is there a trick to it?

The clock works but its just a bit over an hour wrong.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Osku

[Osku]

I have been driving my Excel this weekend a bit more (300km) and found some new oddities. My popup headlights seemd to drop down a bit more due to windpressure when driving on the highway with the lamps down. when I stopped to fill up they where apriximately 1cm to low in the front and the back was a bit high. Everything returned to normal when I poped the lamps up and back down. Am I missing a restrictor of some sort or what is wrong?

Edited April 20, 2019 by Osku

[Osku]

Now I'm back home and the car run for a totaly of 470km this weekend

No other problems than the ones mentioned earlier.

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by Osku

[Osku]

IToday I did a quick fix on the teering lock I do not know why but it does not seem correct so I 3D printed a collar for it to cover the problem for now. If some one knows the orginal way it should be tell me but I suspect the screw should not be visible but as the ignition key is different type to the rest I suspect the lock might be from an other yearmodel or alike.

[Qwertyco]

Hi Osku,

 I have a very similar '83 model, the ignition switch is correct, they just look wrong, I like the 3D print bezel, I'll try and print one.

My car has a different key for every lock, 5 keys!

I've owned mine for 31 years . . .  so far.

[Osku]

I will look into it but if I am correct then tank boot and doors look like they could  be made to work with the same key by dismantling the locks the ignition key not soo.

 

[Osku]

31 years is alread some time I have also a couple of cars i have owned for around 30 yeats.
But this aint one.

I never yet sold a car in my life so who know if i live long maby even this will hit 30 years of ownershipi, atleast it is unlikely I will sell it.