The Lotus Grand Tourers

Good evening.
I'm part way through restoration of my Excel - chassis is now back together and is looking good in fresh powder coat.
One question, if the bare chassis is dead level, am I right in thinking that engine/gearbox/propshaft and all angled down around 3-4 degrees relative to the backbone?

The prop runs almost parallel to the chassis but the engine/gearbox and the diff itself are both at an angle to the prop. In theory the engine/gearbox and diff (pinion shaft) should be parallel, with a small angle between them and the prop shaft. When I built my track car anything more than 2° started up some vibration, but I don't know the proper readings for the Excel, and I haven't got a prop in my Elite at the moment to measure it up. In any case the diff angle in the Excel isn't adjustable like it is in the Elite. You can, of course, alter the engine/gearbox to get things spot on.

Got any photos of your resto?

Pete

Thanks Pete - I'll take some photos later.

Yes, diff pinion is at 2 degrees relative to chassis backbone. I'm going to try to aim to have the the whole drivetrain from output pinion to diff running in a straight line - that has to be easier on the UJs, right?

It's actually important to have a small angle at the u/js - if they are completely "flat" the needle roller bearings don't work effectively and wear prematurely. Thinking about it - you could alter the diff angle by modifying the rearmost carrier bracket.

Pete

I was just about to upload some images but it doesn't look possible on this thread...

SteadyEddy wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 19, 2023 19:38

I was just about to upload some images but it doesn't look possible on this thread...

You need to host the photos on another site such as onedrive. Then it's easy

SteadyEddy wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 19, 2023 19:38

I was just about to upload some images but it doesn't look possible on this thread...

Set up a Onedrive account (free) and follow these instructions- viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11571