Jump to content

Zetec stat housing too tight to bulkhead?


GRBBONGO

Recommended Posts

Hi all. Fitted sump,flywheel & clutch to the crate blacktop this evening. Managed to drop it in and bolt up to mt75 box. Connected clutch cable and result! all seems fine. However we had to remove the standard stat housing as it was hard up tight to the bulkhead, not allowing us to fit engine to mounts.

Is there such thing as a slimline stat housing or am I going to have to go the water rail route?

Not sure why it's so tight as I know a lot of people retain the standard housing.

Does anyone have or know of one for sale?

Thanks in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you got the correct mounts?

Speak to Westfield, it's not unknown for the wrong ones to be sent out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes pretty sure they are the correct mounts for the blacktop. I sourced them from other private sellers.

The gearbox was already in as it was originally built with a silver top installed, so can't quite see why I'm having this problem?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not familiar with the background to your engine install - is this an upgrade from a different engine/gearbox type? If so, are your new engine/gearbox mounts welded in the correct positions? If so, is your prop of the correct length? I know that the stat housings can be pretty close to the bulkhead but I've never known for them to not fit in a standard set-up...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought the car fully built but with a blacktop crate engine included. The original mt75 box was left in but the old silver top removed and kept by the previous owner. Therefore I've bought the appropriate blacktop mounts and some square land rover rubbers. The n/s bottom mount was already welded on from previous install so just sourced the top part and the single angled mount for the offside. The stat housing was literally tight to the rail with no gap at all?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

was the stat close on the silvertop or have you changed the box as well? if all you have done is change the silver to a black top then it ought to fit.

 

i would expect if the mounts are wrong then they would not line up with the hole on the drivers side in the chasses. passenger side mount is the same silver to black top so the wrong drivers side would not line up porperly and you would see the engine skewed.

 

going to a water rail makes it really neat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

looks like we both posted at the same time. do you have any pics? none of my mounts are welded to the chassis.

 

did you see any engines in the car? i know my stat was very close and its a well know problem that the stat can be cracked by the engine moving and it hitting the bulkhead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never saw the silver top in the car. It Was just removed leaving the gearbox and empty engine bay when I bought it. The new rubbers are quite thick but engine looks nice and level and feels completely solid with no rock at all. The rubbers were the same thickness as the round Land Rover ones. (Just thinking narrower ones may possibly drop the engine away from the bulkhead a touch?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Think I might be better just waiting a while until I can afford the retro ford water rail perhaps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that's interesting as it sounds like both would be sitting quite far back.

 

 

having looked at all of the water rails available etc i would go with the raceline rail over the retro ford rail. from what i can see the retro ford rail does not really allow for the dual circuit needed to prevent the over cooling issue. the price difference is negligible between the two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok many thanks Dom for the advice. Have you heard anything on the Dunnell one they do?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the Raceline water rail fitted to my Zetec in my Zero and it does the job well.  It wasn't cheap though.  GBS do their own version of it which you can see on the KitSpares web site (http://www.kitspares.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=740&search=water+rail) which is about £100 cheaper than their price for the Raceline version (I don't remember mine being over £300.  Ouch!!).  Others may do the Raceline one at a better price.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It still seems weird that your engine sits so far back, but if everything else appears to line up and the mounts are confirmed as correct, then a water rail would be your only option. Still...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did look at the dunnel one but cant remember why I didnt chose it. I think it was simply the price and from the images i had seen around the web the only way to plumb in a bypass circuit was via the heater and a rather small looking union. the race line rail is the same but the take off is a 16mm pipe. I would also question if the dunnel one would clear my westfield exhaust as instead of running along the top of the head above the manifold it goes under the manifold.

 

they all seem to work in a similar way but I got the impression with the kit spares/dunnel/retro ford systems they all relied on the stat having a small hole in them to allow flow when its shut. the raceline one looked like it retained the ethos of the original plumbing the most and given they all cost about the same I went with that.

 

just remember when factoring in the costs with the raceline system the little tower thing that completes the stat housing is extra AND when i ordered mine in march time they were out of stock. to be fair i was told they were from a xflow and out of stock = non existed as all old stock had gone. raceline were in the process of having a replacement tooled and it was going to be ready for summer they estimated. I used a bit from a ford KA i think which doesnt have a handy filler cap on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok thanks guys for all the advice. I was a little wary about the race line rail as I've read a few posts regarding them to cause some sort of problems due to the thermostat being so far away from the head or something.

Although it looks as though plenty of them are being used successfully out there so it's just a case of making sure it's plumbed in properly I guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please review our Terms of Use, Guidelines and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.