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DOC711
Junior Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:44
Model: Exce SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1987
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland

New Member

Post by DOC711 »

Hi all
My name is Kemal and I am the proud owner of a 1987 Red Lotus Excel SE. My intention over the next 6 months is to restore the car to my taste whilst still being honest to the original. I live in the Gold Coast, Queensland OZ which allows for the car to be used as a daily driver. Having owned predominantly Aussie muscle cars with larege inline 6's or V8's its going to be an interesting learning experience for me to understand this high revving 4 cylinder, fibreglass bodied car.
Any assistance with where to get trim for the interior would be much appreciated as would extracting as much out oh this 2.2lt. I was thinking headers and stainless exhaust, cam - not sure if anyone has info on stroking the 2.2
DOC711

Pete Boole
Senior Poster
Posts: 3711
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 21:28
Model: Elite
Colour: Monaco White
Year: 1974
Location: Nottingham

Re: New Member

Post by Pete Boole »

Welcome to the forum Kemal! Take a look at LotusBits website - there is a section about tuning the 900 series engines. It's the torque you will miss most! I'm hoping to gain more with a blower bolted onto mine. :D Any photos of your car? Nice and sunny there at the moment?

Pete

User avatar
MetBlue
Senior Poster
Posts: 1401
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 21:00
Model: Elite 74 & Excel 92 (SEish))
Colour: Metalic Blue
Year: 1974
Location: Northampton

Re: New Member

Post by MetBlue »

Welcome Kemal.
I'll second Pete's suggestion of looking into the Lotusbits web site. Mike (who's business it) is has been extracting more power from the engines for many years.
No point in re-inventing the wheel.
You'll find plenty of support here on the site, but there can't be too many Excels in Oz, so I don't envy you trim parts searches. You are well placed for the parts from the Toyota parts bin though. :D

Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.

AndyC
Senior Poster
Posts: 2196
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 20:01
Model: SE x2 + Celebration x2
Colour: Gold,blue and green
Year: 1987
Location: Norwich

Re: New Member

Post by AndyC »

Hi Kemal, welcome both to the forum and to Lotus ownership.

I'll echo what others have said about how to get power, Lotusbits and others have shown the best way to get power is to start with gas-flowing the head, from there on it's then down to bigger crank stroke via a custom crank but yes all options need a decent free-flowing exhaust (Manifold is the biggest single restriction but ideally do as you've said and all through from headers to tail pipe).

As Pete says, you'll miss the torque, but to put that another way, you will need to get used to the idea that this engine only comes alive over 4k, and will run happily to 7k. Also, this isn't about out and out power, it's about the ability to manoeuvre without having to shed a lot of that speed, so not for doing a fast run to another part of Australia, but for any twisty roads/ junctions etc.

Have fun.
Andy

User avatar
DavidOliver
Senior Poster
Posts: 688
Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2014 11:18
Model: Excel
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1985
Location: Malaga Spain

Re: New Member

Post by DavidOliver »

Hi Kemal, welcome to this very friendly Forum.
The Lotusbits document is titled Improving the Elite, Eclat and Excel, November 2007, 47 pages
and well worth finding.
Here in Europe we find Woolies a good supplier for interiors, postage to OZ may not be prohibitive.
Did you know that later Excels have OZ wheels? Could be an eye-catcher for you.

Dave the cog.

User avatar
Hawaiis0
Senior Poster
Posts: 4130
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 18:39
Model: Excel SA (No 3); Elite 504
Colour: BRG; Dirty White
Year: 1986
Location: West Oxfordshire

Re: New Member

Post by Hawaiis0 »

Welcome Kemal, 6 months eh?

Clocks ticking :)

LotusBits have a 2.5 litre crank conversion kit which might interest you

Stu
Nothing is fool proof. Fools are clever!

DOC711
Junior Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:44
Model: Exce SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1987
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland

Re: New Member

Post by DOC711 »

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'll put up some photos shortly.

ianhateswork
Junior Poster
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 10:17
Model: se
Colour: red
Year: 1991
Location: manchester

Re: New Member

Post by ianhateswork »

Hello Kemal,
I came across this site a while back, they may be a bit closer to home for you.
cheers, ian.

https://lotusmarques.com

DOC711
Junior Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:44
Model: Exce SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1987
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland

Re: New Member

Post by DOC711 »

ianhateswork wrote:
Sun Jan 03, 2021 10:35
Hello Kemal,
I came across this site a while back, they may be a bit closer to home for you.
cheers, ian.

https://lotusmarques.com
Thanks mate, I've had a look and they do have some good stuff. Really keen on the stroker option but can't seem to be able to download the info from lotusbits.

DOC711
Junior Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:44
Model: Exce SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1987
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland

Re: New Member

Post by DOC711 »

Hawaiis0 wrote:
Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:27
Welcome Kemal, 6 months eh?

Clocks ticking :)

LotusBits have a 2.5 litre crank conversion kit which might interest you

Stu
Yeah mate, clock certainly is ticking. I have a 1971 Valiant VG Hardtop Pacer that is in at the panel n paint shop which I am expecting back in July, so I really need to be done by then.

DOC711
Junior Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:44
Model: Exce SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1987
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland

Re: New Member

Post by DOC711 »

DavidOliver wrote:
Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:40
Hi Kemal, welcome to this very friendly Forum.
The Lotusbits document is titled Improving the Elite, Eclat and Excel, November 2007, 47 pages
and well worth finding.
Here in Europe we find Woolies a good supplier for interiors, postage to OZ may not be prohibitive.
Did you know that later Excels have OZ wheels? Could be an eye-catcher for you.

Dave the cog.
Cheers Dave, seems to be a very helpful bunch. I really do appreciate everyones help.
Mate i have tried to download the info from lotusbits but it keeps going to a bad link page. Don't suppose you or any of the others might have a copy?
:D

DOC711
Junior Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:44
Model: Exce SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1987
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland

Re: New Member

Post by DOC711 »

AndyC wrote:
Thu Dec 31, 2020 09:27
Hi Kemal, welcome both to the forum and to Lotus ownership.

I'll echo what others have said about how to get power, Lotusbits and others have shown the best way to get power is to start with gas-flowing the head, from there on it's then down to bigger crank stroke via a custom crank but yes all options need a decent free-flowing exhaust (Manifold is the biggest single restriction but ideally do as you've said and all through from headers to tail pipe).

As Pete says, you'll miss the torque, but to put that another way, you will need to get used to the idea that this engine only comes alive over 4k, and will run happily to 7k. Also, this isn't about out and out power, it's about the ability to manoeuvre without having to shed a lot of that speed, so not for doing a fast run to another part of Australia, but for any twisty roads/ junctions etc.

Have fun.
Andy
Cheers Andy,
I have booked it in to get a 2.5 inch Stainless system, with headers/extractors. I'll have twin pipes coming out of the back.
Yeah your right about the twisty bits, it is definitely the best handling car I have owned and that includes any of the new stuff.
looking forward to getting the most out of this.

DOC711
Junior Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:44
Model: Exce SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1987
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland

Re: New Member

Post by DOC711 »

Pete Boole wrote:
Wed Dec 30, 2020 23:17
Welcome to the forum Kemal! Take a look at LotusBits website - there is a section about tuning the 900 series engines. It's the torque you will miss most! I'm hoping to gain more with a blower bolted onto mine. :D Any photos of your car? Nice and sunny there at the moment?

Pete
Sure is Pete, weathers been very kind to us.
Mate I would love to know what you are doing with the blower and the kind of mods you would have to do. Are the rest of the package ie Gearbox, brakes, diff able to handle it?

User avatar
ChrisJ
Senior Poster
Posts: 201
Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2015 22:52
Model: Excel SE
Colour: White
Year: 1989
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: New Member

Post by ChrisJ »

For the LotusBits document - use the wayback machine, I've found it at this address

http://web.archive.org/web/201807140104 ... _lotus.pdf

DOC711
Junior Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:44
Model: Exce SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1987
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland

Re: New Member

Post by DOC711 »

ChrisJ wrote:
Mon Jan 04, 2021 09:05
For the LotusBits document - use the wayback machine, I've found it at this address

http://web.archive.org/web/201807140104 ... _lotus.pdf
Thank you so much Chris!!
Looks like Cam,Head,Exhaust first up and see where to go from there......

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