Track Excel

[skmarcus]

Hi all,
Recently I had to sell my little toy (PUG 206 GTI)due to the purchase of a “family car”. As a result I find myself in the market for a “new” track day car. This car has to be “cheap”, 2 litres or under and 4500mm long max due to the shed.

The first list I put together was:

Peugeot 205 GTI (cool hot hatch rare and pricey)
Mitsubishi Mirage (race history cheap, heavy low power)
Ford Laser TX3 non turbo (1.8 to long)(1.6 not enough power parts)
Hyundai Excel (Cheap, good power parts, :(it’s a Hyundai)

So, after much thought and research I think I have decided on the Excel.

I know that this is a rally forum however I am hoping that someone on here has used an Excel as a Track/Sprint car and may be about to save me some time and money with some hints and tips.

This is going to be a Budget Build not a Supercar, so I’m not after the biggest badest and most expensive of everything so I wish to spend my money wisely.

[HMCA]

Shannon

My thoughts would be a excel with the j2 Lantra 1.8 engine a box, bean done heaps of time before, straight forward I believe.

Have a look at the hyper web site for ideas

I also have a rolling shell that has had all the crappy work done so It wil be light. its more or less ready for a cage.

Mick

[Grumblebum]

Welcome to the group Shannon I think you may have left a couple of good under 2 litre cars off your list!!! Anyway if you go down the excel route I can recommend Fabraications [Braeside] for your ROPS I got a complete DIY cage and padding for under $600 .:clap: Providing you can weld or know someone who can this is a huge saving with the money left over going on other goodies.
Look forward to seeing you on track one day.:clap:

Cheers Pete

[skmarcus]

Hey Mick and Pete
Thanks for the quick reply. One thing I forgot to add, it needs to be VIC road registed cause it's will have to be a "weekly driver"

Mick, at this stage I would be keeping the original engine to fit into class rules, also I don't have the knowledge to complete such a swap, thanks very much for the idea though, definately worth keeping in mind.

Pete, what other suggestions would you make, also I run at Winton (hence the photo) so if your ever out there I will see you there.

Regards

[Grumblebum]

Hi Shannon Its a bit hard to come up with a formula that will work. Most CLUB cars are a compromise is it a bitumen car /an all rounder/strictly rally[dirt]. My preference is for a all rounder something you can run at a rally/autocross/track day. If you sort of agree then i would suggest you get your excel--preferably a twincam as these Do have more grunt than a single cam. Get it RWC'd in your name then bung in a cage. You may find that a bolt in cage from Bond with removable bits might be good if you carry people in the back.Remember you must NOT wear harnesses unless your actually in comptetion.:wtf:I use my excel often and just use the original seatbelts with No back seat.
If you do mainly track days then Micks suggestion is the way to go.More grunt together with a Front and rear brake upgrade Check out OTOMOTOR re guarding value priced height adjustable coilovers. There you go food for thought and good luck with the project:clap::clap:
Cheers Pete

[skmarcus]

Hi Pete
Again thanks for your reply. I do agree with you re rally/autocross/track day, thats along the lines of what I was aiming for. Thanks for the info on the cage because I was wondering how I was going to go around that.

Well it's about time I stopped talking and start doing, off to ebay to find a project...

Regards

[shake]

I have a 95 which i dropped a twincam in that i'v been hillclimbing the past year. Its shocked quite a few of the locals at the track up here. I run HSD coilovers, with a few other suspension improvements and semi slicks. If you'd like a full run down send me a PM.

[Mooa42]

:clap:
Welcome, I've used my Excel at Winton and Phillip Island (as you may have seen in earlier posts) and they can do some quite acceptable times. I also ran a $1500 217,000k special at Winton last Friday with a few friends and it ran well. The fastest time I have done at Winton was a 1:50.9 in my rally car with s/hand formula ford slicks.

Mod wise for an Excel at Winton, the first mods I'd do would be harder front springs, seat, steering wheel and then sticky tyres. The brakes seem to cope as they are but if you need pads get some half decent ones. Once you get use to the car the biggest issue it Winton is wheelspin out of corners, (mainly onto the old back straight and onto the new start finish straight) this can be helped with stiffer rear springs and probably with bigger sway bars, although my sway bars are still standard. Better still a LSD would help.

I gather you are looking to run in club sprints??

What sort of times did you do in the Pug?

[skmarcus]

Hi all,
Thanks for all of your reply's it's very welcoming. The idea of this car is to be used as a track/sprint non rally so all the inputs are welcome.

Shake, I will pm you for your details.

Mooa42, when I took the Pug out i was really scared of breaking it, euro cars are expensive to repair, thus my lap times reflected this, with the best of 1.53.6


Regards

[skmarcus]

Hi All,
Unfortunately due to business issues (working for yourself sucks sometimes) the purchase of a car has been put on hold for a period of, I hope only, a month. Thanks everyone for your ideas and input and I will have something soon.

Regards

[342Four]

i have to agree with shake
otomoto sell HSD coilovers that will fit the excel
$1399 for the TT ones (entry level, camber plates, rubber top bushing) or $1599 for the HR ones (same as TT, but rose jointed top - harsher, but you wouldnt care)
you can get solid 18mm rear swaybar if you look around (whiteline use to do em, but not sure anymore...i think superior suspensions do now) that stiffens the back end up awesomely
a front strut brace will improve turn in
if you want you can run 15" rims and do a full brake conversion with 99-01 lantra front spindles(hubs) discs calipers and same year/model rear hubs discs calipers (requires a bit of piss farting around, but gives full floating discs all round instead of bloody captive disc fronts and shitty rear drums)
you can get a full poly bush kit which also will help stiffen the suspension, and if u look hard enough you can get offset castor bushes for the back of the LCA's to give about 2deg castor (the excels came with no castor!!)
throw in a set of QFM HPX or A1M brake pads and track till ur hearts content

[Grumblebum]

OOPS sorry to hijack the thread but I notice that Rob runs camber pins-Whiteline/pedders/whoever. The big question is do they work and more importantly do they move???:confused:

[Crazy Dave]

Quite a few of the excels run camber pins and yes they do work and they generally do not move. I used them in a previous car and they never moved once when they weren't supposed to. I use adjustable strut tops now and if I built again would go back to the adjustments down the bottom (more effective) as you have to move it a long way at the top to adjust things.

[inonialge]

I just want to say riding track is way more funner then riding the street you can go faster on the track and you always know exactly what is going to be there on the street Theirs cars dirt rocks bicyclist ect.... Ride Safe

[HyperQLD]

there is a Excel sprint series up here in QLD
more info at www.trackattack.com.au

[trackattack]

Hey Guys,

Where do we get "Caster" kits for the Excels ?

Cheers Jeff

[Mooa42]

I used a Fulcrum kit which is an offset bush for the rear of the bottom arm and if my memory serves me correctly has a concentric pin which you can rotate for more castor, mine is just wound to max, which isn't heaps but better than standard.