Alternative Engine's (V8) for the Excel

[257spring]

Can hardly believe what I'm reading here, I mean where are you guys comming from? It is very hard using words to actually comunicate, when I read how you percieve where I'm comming from it only confirms the point.

Ok well never mind it's just the way it is..

[257spring]

257spring,
I have been one of your harshest critics in the hope that I could persuade you to stop dreaming. to get your car on the road the cheapest option is to buy an lc runner from lotus bits (£800 self fitted).next rebuild your present engine yourself , provided you have the knowhow, which I doubt. done properly with pistons, liners, con rods, crank reground, new bearings, valves, springs, guides and maybe oil and water pump this will cost about £1200 excluding purchased labour. to fit ANY alterative be it rover v8 Toyota v6,v8 or straight 6 if it will fit, which I doubt, will cost thousands, how many depends on the engine and spec and who does the work.
so here is a plan for you.
1,decide when you want the car on the road
2, decide which engine you want
3, decide what work you REALLY can do yourself on that option
4, realistically price all the parts, labour and fabrication you will need to get the engine into the car and the car with an mot
5.if you cannot reconcile your choice at 1 above with the cash you can pour into the project between now and then choose a cheaper alternative or push 1 further into the future
6 having carried out steps 1 to 5 buy the engine and/or parts and get to work.
7 let us know how you are progressing
good luck
alan

this is all very good advice some of these point I can already answer, just read it again, it's brillant!

[jeff.fenton]

I hesitate to add to this thread, but EBay has a Ford CVH engined Eclat for sale, ref.271222033572, might solve everyone's problem. Jeff.

[mat grant]

Or this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Excel-2 ... 3382ddee8d

Mat.

[amarshall]

I hesitate to add to this thread, but EBay has a Ford CVH engined Eclat for sale, ref.271222033572, might solve everyone's problem. Jeff.

Why on earth would anyone put that useless lump in anything ? It's one of the least tuneable engines ever made.

[mat grant]

That particular car has been listed and relisted about 5 or 6 times over the last few months - always goes up to about £2500 then gets relisted, makes me suspicious......

I agree it's an odd choice, such a feeble engine that belongs in an enconomy car. It's been discussed on the lotus forums - it's the 520 version so has the ford gearbox and I guess someone must have had a broken engine and put a ford CVH engine in. At least it wouldn't leak oil(?)

Btw I remember reading somnewhere that Ford put £500 million into developing the CVH engine(!)

[fueltheburn]

I remember the car you were talking about but that was listed as a pinto engine.
This is listed as a CVH engine which to my knowledge were only never introduced up to a 1.6 litre unless you got a yank version which went up to 1900.

The CVH was a good and tuneable engine BUT I am suspicious of this one because they are saying its 2 litre for a start.
If its the Pinto its as good as a paperweight

Any Ford nut like to shed a bit more light on the subject.
Either way my suspicions are raised on this poor LOTESCORT

As for buying the LC engine with possible headgasket problems..... do you not remember how this thread started?
His engine blew a head hasket....leave it well alone unless you are prepared to fork out for a potential rebuild.

[mat grant]

Yes I remember - but if it's less knackered than the one he has it could be taken to someone who can put a new gasket on (assuming no other damage) and get rolling cheaply (which I thought was the point), and give time to rebuild the other one.

Yes it's the same car I've seen go by about 5 times - never advertised as a pinto engine.

It also says "year 1973" in the listing(!) Given the Eclat was launched in 1975 I suspect this might not be true.

Mat.

[fueltheburn]

Is this out of a sierra then??

Either way if they have chucked in a lesser engine....what else have they skimped on??

Just saying with the LC - out of the frying pan and into the fire comes to mind ... or better the devil you know than the devil you dont.

[excel tel]

That will be the 1.8 cvh out of the later sierra after the pinto, these were possibly slightly better than the 1.3/1.6 cvh, but still very horrible smelly heavy breathing poor engines.the 1.8 had roller type tappets.

[Jason.goad]

Hope I'm not winding everyone up. But would this fit?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/English-Elect ... 20ce4022c2

[chrisw2811]

Looks great - is it from a Rover gas turbine car?

[MikeC]

Hope I'm not winding everyone up. But would this fit?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/English-Elect ... 20ce4022c2

"Can be heard running."

--- from 10 miles away



Mike

[257spring]

Hope I'm not winding everyone up. But would this fit?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/English-Elect ... 20ce4022c2

It's a little beyond my buget.. but beside that.. Yeah

[theflyingjon]

All very interesting stuff.
Not wishing to get too involved with the Politics, but a couple of years ago I bought an Excel with a Rover v8 in it. It sounded interesting, a bit different and I love the 80's styling.

Since that date it has been a constant PITA. The previous owner can only be described as Mechanically inexperienced (I'm physically holding myself back at this point!).
For what i've laid out I could have bought the car and put a tuned slant 4 back in it. Maybe I should have done that.....

But what I did instead was to replace the following;
- New V8 Engine (the old one was out of an auto P5 and couldn't handle the heads or carb)
- Replaced the prop shaft with a custom example (£450 on its own excluding labour)
- New radiator (Previous owner fitted an in adequate model) This included electric twin fans and a controller
- Fitted an oil cooler as there wasn't one
- replaced the badly fitted Leyland van gearbox for an SD1 Twin Plenum Vitesse example
- Bought a 3.58 ratio out of a truck in the US and brought home in hand luggage (with a V8 fitted the car WILL top out at 110mph and have naff fuel economy)
- In the process of upgrading the front brakes and re-producing the wiring loom (its a real mess)
- Fitted a different air inlet system as the car was struggling to get enough!
- Fitted a digital speedo (old one read incorrectly)
- Replaced the Rev counter with one from a TVR 350i (same model with a switch to change between 6 and 8 cylinders!)

And; I'm not done yet..... Please just be aware that if you are considering undertaking a complete engine swap that there is a MASSIVE array of different things that you need to consider. The key is all in the planning.

I was a fool to buy an unfinished project, but every time I drive it I grin like a Cheshire cat (and normally upset the locals in their Type R's and alike)

Please don't take this as "poo-pooing" your idea, just adding what limited knowledge that I have about the car.