Lotus Elite / Eclat / Excel

And I've cut about half of it off!

Neil.

I'm probably about 90% of the way to getting the Lexus shifter working - retaining the automatic gear unlock (ignition on, foot on the brake), as well as the normal mechanical shifting and the sequential mode which is electronic. The original shifter doesn't have enough positions for all the gears! ...

Will watch this project with interest! It should get some brains goin to get it to work right......and if I can't find the space between the chassis and gearbox to to run the link from my gear lever to my gearbox, I might be trying it as well!

Neil.

For now I'm too invested in my solution to change - will try to make the cover around the gear lever into a bit of a feature! I think there will be complications and much head scratching around most solutions for now - I'll be waiting to change to the better option when it's all figured out! I can m...

What did you change yours to? The tapering chassis does not help.

Neil.

To answer your question properly - no, the whole assembly is as low as it can go - the gearbox is in the way! Will do a more detailed write-up of the gear shifter when I get a chance.

Neil.

Hi Pete,

The top, flat surface of the gear lever is at a similar, if not lower height than the original. The lever and knob are longer - that could be shortened/changed if necessary at some point. Cutting extra threads in the steel of the lever has eaten one of my dies already....

Neil.

Not too much achieved on the weekend, but I did make a mock up of the center console to get an idea of how it all fits together - some small changes will need to be made. I'm not sure I'll get a good match with the colour - the original will have been stained or sealed a long time ago and there woul...

Hi Stu, Not sure what that lever looks like to be honest! have just tried to make a plan with what came with the gearbox and engine. I did have the gearlever out of my wife's Merc that was quite a bit more compact, but the electronic shifting logic was different - there's always something to make it...

Three weeks of non-stop cloudy skies and rain meant I had to spend some time getting my tumble dryer back in action for the first time in 15 years before getting to any work on the Excel this weekend! The gear lever is close to being more or less where it should be - I can't move it any further back...

Nice to have a large lathe to help you get through your projects! I'd have had to be at it with a hacksaw and angle grinder....Glad no extra holes have appeared

Neil.

Pete - are you giving Tony some more work to do in fabricating ducts to run to the back now! If he aims them down they would help dry out the carpet as well......

Nice going Tony - project creep for the weekend

Neil.

Other bits currently being worked on include how to convert the Lexus gear lever to fit in the space that the Lotus one was in - there is a vast difference in size, but much trimming has been done, and I shouldn't have to reach to the roof to change gear.... https://bl3301files.storage.live.com/y4mS...

Thanks Pete - hopefully makes it easier for anyone with fan speeds not working - replacements seem to be fairly scarce and pricey.

Neil.

It's been a bit hectic around here these last few weeks, but work has been progressing slowly.... I removed the fan and housing from inside the Excel and saw I needed to give it a good clean as it was full of rubbish. In doing so I clumsily knocked the fan resistor pack and one of the resistors fell...