Still waiting...

Well things have gone really tits up in the last few days (.Y.)...
The car is still at the garage and they have had all sorts of problems fitting the new exhaust system. So much so in fact that they questioned as to whether it was the right exhaust for the car. I have however checked with lotusbits from whom I bought the missing sections of my exhaust system. These consisted of the Y piece and two small tubes which connect the Y piece to the tail boxes. Lotusbits assured me that everything is correct. Although there are two types of exhaust for this car they are distinguished by the pipe mating flanges. Provided the flanges match my boxes, and they do, then the pipes are correct. The problem may have arisen from the way in which the garage tried to fit the exhaust. Apparently they fitted it initially by raising the car on a two post ramp. Raised in this way the wheels hang free. Apparently the exhaust fitted perfectly like this but when the car was placed back onto its own wheels then it was found that the exhaust contacted the prop shaft, chassis and rear bumper. There is limited room for manoeuvre with this type of exhaust because of the flanged conical joints. However lotusbits tell me that the secret is to twist the pipes into the correct position whilst the car is load bearing so the garage will have another go at this tomorrow using a 4 post lift. However, they have by now had the car for a full week. I would imagine that they are getting very impatient. I do not want to annoy this place because in the end they control my MOTs and so access to the road. If anyone reading this has any hints as to how such an exhaust can be successfully fitted please feel free to PM me.

The situation is made even worse since the usual  supplier of new low compression engine exhausts has apparently gone into receivership. Although wide bore exhausts are still available they are clearly not right for my car. Not to mention the fact that they cost nearly twice as much. Even so if I were forced to use such an exhaust the lead time would be 6 weeks. All in all things are not looking so bright. I sincerely hope the garage manages to fit the exhaust correctly tomorrow.

Sadly they didnt get time on the ramps- and then the bank-holiday intervened so here I am nearly 2 weeks now and still no answer.

I realise that the ramp access problem is down to the garage, but it seems exhausts on the Excel are pretty notorious. Most problems occur on the later SE models when Lotus farmed out exhaust manufacture to two companies (Peco and Grundy) each of whom used their own jigs to manufacture similar-looking but mutually incompatible systems. Apparently this is where the Lotusbits specification for matching flanges comes from. However during the low compression Excel era I think Lotus made only one type of exhaust (distinguished as the SE systems both have different manifold down pipes) which is supposedly easier to fit. Given that there are therefore at least 3 different and incompatible original exhaust systems out there (not to mention the legion of later pattern parts with/without flanges made using these as templates) it does seem that the process of assembling a system from component parts was actually pretty much doomed to failure! I was told that everything is compatible- and I did check, but at this remove was anyone really certain what parts had come from where?
I am promised that the garage will have another crack at the system tomorrow and should at least know if I have to pursue a complete replacement... although I now have doubts whether even a new exhaust is likely to fit any more easily!