Fire damaged Excel SA

[LOTUSMAN33]

Well this is my latest project, it’s a fire damaged 89 spec Excel SA which arrives this week.

If it’s to far gone I will take the engine for my S1 and break but if it looks fixable within some kind of sensible budget then on the road it will go!

I loved both of my previous SE’s and found them incredibly rewarding to drive, my wife only drives autos so been keeping my eyes out for ages, never expected to buy a damaged one but the colour just attracted me instantly. 

I will post more photos this week to get everyone’s views, if anyone has the parts PM me 😉

Does anyone recognise it? I would love to get hold of the original keeper to find out what order the car was in and how this disaster occurred. Looks like the usual carb leaks onto the distributor.

From the photos it looked like a well cared for example and has the same mushroom interior I had in my old one.

Dave  

[exeterjeep]

The rest of the outside looks good, how about the interior. From the reg it may have been originally from Christows Exeter?  

There is  a guy in Oakhampton who has restored a number of excels   he may have some spares. He runs an auction house and house clearance co.

[LOTUSMAN33]

Thanks Keith, the interior is okay although missing it’s veneered wood panels, drivers seat has started to split as well but it’s lived a life so I’m okay with that.

Dave  

[exeterjeep]

The interior looks a lot better than I thought, having seen some fire damaged cars where there has been an engine fire and the inside is toast.  I suppose the dash panels could be left black it may even make the car look more modern?

It would be a real shame to take it apart, but a lot depends on the damage in the engine bay. I have had 4 excels (all manuals) and they are really underrated, and so much easier to get in/out of than virtually any other lotus. 

[LOTUSMAN33]

Not a great photo Keith so will update this week, it pretty much toasted everything unfortunately but sometimes things aren’t as bad as they look 😬

[exeterjeep]

If you were thinking of using the engine in another car, then it would appear to need the same sort of amount of work to get the excel running. Even the fibreglass round the engine bay looks undamaged - but dis-coloured...

I remember many years ago, seeing a Reliant Scimitar on the back of a truck at a Jenson/Reliant dealer, could only tell what it was from the front headlights and the rear window frame......  

[EXCEL V8]

Looks like a great resto project!  Not too much damage.  I love the SA version - I'm even converting my Elite to use the same gearbox!

Definitely too good to break.

Pete

[andydclements]

The fire must have been extinguished very quickly, even the bonnet looks to be intact (not just a lump if glass strands). I was thinking fire-damaged = engine excessively heated = scrap the engine as the castings will be useless, but that engine may be salvageable or at least some parts.

[exeterjeep]

30 minutes ago, andydclements said:

The fire must have been extinguished very quickly, even the bonnet looks to be intact (not just a lump if glass strands). I was thinking fire-damaged = engine excessively heated = scrap the engine as the castings will be useless, but that engine may be salvageable or at least some parts.

It looks as if its the inlet side that's worse , almost a runner.....

[LOTUSMAN33]

Thanks guys, coming Wednesday now. I suspect the car was extinguished pretty quickly. The wiring is fried and the more I study the photos the more I see.

Looks like the car was being worked on so the air filter was removed which may have attributed to the fire (airbox in the boot), A/C disconnected, radiator out, all odd so perhaps taken off to assess the damage?

It should become clearer once home, I would like to repair but not going to let it swallow a ton of money, it’s a shame to break as well being a later car.

Dave  

[EXCEL V8]

Look forward to hearing your report.

[Neil D.]

Make sure to check the oil pressure sender unit. The tube melts during a fire !!!

Good luck with the clean up, does not look to bad

Neil

 

[EXCEL V8]

7 hours ago, Neil D. said:

Make sure to check the oil pressure sender unit. The tube melts during a fire !!!

Good luck with the clean up, does not look to bad

Neil

 

It's an electrical sender (VDO) on the late Excels I think.

Pete

[eeyoreish]

Saw that when it went up for sale. Cheap car and I was very tempted to have a go at it as it looks like a very decent car on the outside and the interior wouldn't take much to bring it back.

From the photos it looks like mainly a carb fire, hasn't taken the belts or much else so hopefully salvageable without too much work. 

Good luck! (and don't break it for parts!!)

[LOTUSMAN33]

The Excel arrived this morning so took a few snaps, I was hoping to get a good luck this evening but the weather is not good unfortunately so it’s going to have to wait.

I do like midnight blue and had an Elan in this colour;

They were quite happy with their new kennel!

Alarm system installed by my friend Mark from mobile car alarms in Plymouth so looks like it’s come home!

The wood is missing but screws in the holes but managed to get two perfect sections this afternoon so happy days 😉

Underside looks solid enough although exhaust system isn’t great, both silencers are more recent and stainless 👍🏻

Looks like they started stripping the car as parts in the boot like radiator, starter motor, under tray, hoses etc.

The A/C has been disconnected as well.

Oil is clean so at least it’s not full of water.

I will post more photos once the rain stops, at least I can see how water tight it is 🙂

Dave  

[exeterjeep]

21 minutes ago, LOTUSMAN33 said:

will post more photos once the rain stops, at least I can see how water tight it is 🙂

At least the dogs like it. One or our cats got stuck in the garage that my last excel was in, years ago, and it clawed the seat in 2 places - I was not amused.

Would the guy you know who did the alarm have any records going back to help identify - one of the owners?

 

 

[LOTUSMAN33]

Keith I was thinking the same thing, he gave up a fair while ago mind due to a downturn in demand with modern car security systems.

With pets I went past getting precious over cosmetics, my dogs have a habit of jumping up next to me when my heads in a car.

He installed the system in my old S1 as well.

[EXCEL V8]

It's going to make a lovely car when it's done!  Will be following your progress 🙂.

Pete

[LOTUSMAN33]

Managed to get a quick engine photo between the rain showers, the degreaser will be coming out to clean up that motor.

It actually doesn’t look too bad although the wiring is going to be a pain, I need a wiring diagram if anyone has one?

I managed to remove the remnants of the distributor cap which is the origin of the fire fuelled by a nice mix of petrol as usual.

1 minute ago, EXCEL V8 said:

It's going to make a lovely car when it's done!  Will be following your progress 🙂.

Pete

Thanks Pete, getting an 89 onwards bonnet will be a challenge so I may have to settle for the pre 89 version.

I will make a list of what’s missing or damaged and get a wanted advert out.

Can the engine come out with the gearbox left in on the Excel?

Dave  

[andydclements]

It's not worth the hassle to take engine out separately, just take them both out together.

[exeterjeep]

9 hours ago, LOTUSMAN33 said:

t actually doesn’t look too bad although the wiring is going to be a pain, I need a wiring diagram if anyone has one?

Have you got an excel workshop manual?, I used to have the workshop and parts manuals but I sold them years ago, but before I did that I took a photo of each page.

[LOTUSMAN33]

No I don’t but that sounded like an excellent idea at the time, I should have done that in the past as well as you tend to give them to new keepers.

Dave  

 

 

[EXCEL V8]

With the auto gearbox it's vital that the torque converter is taken off properly (advise reading up on this).  Inadvertent tipping can break the internal oil pump drive - lots of trouble!

Pete

[exeterjeep]

2 hours ago, LOTUSMAN33 said:

ell as you tend to give them to new keepers.

tend to sell on ebay - but expensive to post..

[LOTUSMAN33]

10 minutes ago, EXCEL V8 said:

With the auto gearbox it's vital that the torque converter is taken off properly (advise reading up on this).  Inadvertent tipping can break the internal oil pump drive - lots of trouble!

Pete

Hi Pete

I take it this is detailed in the manual? Must admit I have done countless engine removals but never an auto.

So definitely engine/box out together then or is safer with the auto to remove the engine first then drop the box as it need some serious tipping to come out as an unit.

I had a quick look and thought taking the engine out seemed simple enough as loads of room compared to the early esprit’s. I actually just took the engine out the top in my S1 esprit just to try it for a change instead of dropping the assembly out the bottom.

I will take advice though as not really familiar with the Excel and no idea about auto boxes.

Dave