EXCEL V8

The kit from Lotusbits comes with very good instructions! Pete

If you decide to do it the rebuild process is fairly straight forward if you have a hydraulic press. Pete

There might be a couple of bits you can leave 'til later; in my experience the front upper wishbone bushes seem to last forever - unless they are completely shot you may be able to leave them for now (also pressing them out sometimes takes so much pressure that the wishbones themselves are damaged). Are your spring insulators split/damaged, or just a bit squashed - maybe leave for later. Have you got the radius arm mounts off yet? - again they are often serviceable and seem to last well. All the others will almost certainly need replacing. Avoid SJ's polyurethane steering rack mounts - they are so hard that you cannot get the brackets back on without them bending! Good luck! Post up some photos 🙂 Pete

Which parts are you planning to replace Jono? Perhaps you could post up a list so we can see if the prices seem reasonable. The exchange rate is rubbish for you as well! You may be able to find some useable second hand bits from the UK as well. Pete

Hi Dave Sorry - by tipping I meant tipping the gearbox in relation to the torque converter during disassembly, not just tipping in relation to vertical. The gearbox must be removed along with the engine. At least you don't get oil pouring from the propshaft end of the gearbox like you do with the W58 if you forget to drain it first!! Yes - the process is covered reasonably well in the service notes - section FC. Pete

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

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

£900 to do the water pump is taking the ****. It only takes about an hour to replace the bearing/seal. That must work out at over £200 per hour labour. At that rate it will cost £250k to restore!! There are lots of different water pump bodies - best to get the one off the car done if it's serviceable - corrosion sometimes makes the casting too poor to use. Send it to Lotusbits/Gary Kemp to be serviced. By NSF drive shaft does that mean the stub axle? They are Triumph GT6 parts and are reasonably priced - you can also get a spacer kit that prevents the inner wheel bearing races rotating and spoiling the new stub axle. Sounds like a great project! Pete

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

Look forward to hearing your report.

The exhaust is an easy one. The rear brakes not so much! Depending on when the rear brakes were last serviced it might be almost as easy to drop the diff to service them, especially if the handbrake linkage needs attention - it's a bugger to get to! Check the diff output shaft seals as well- it's common for them to leak oil into the rear brake drums. Let us know how you get on. Pete

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

Hi Torben - welcome! Does your car have the early Delanair system? Does the fan still cut out on the highest setting? The power to the motors goes through some resistors on all but the highest setting where they receive 12v, bypassing the resistors. If the motor works OK on full, the resistors may be suspect. The resistor terminals, oddly, are made from mild steel and corrode. The motors are easy to dismantle and service, but getting them out is very tricky. Pete

Lovely looking car - great colour combo! Pete

Thanks very much for passing this on - really useful info! Pete