harky Posted March 3, 2003 Posted March 3, 2003 I own a narrow bodied se and was toying with the idea of changing from 1700 x flow to rover v8.Can anyone help with the likely problems which I would encounter.Or even is this possible without to much chassis alteration. Quote
Mark Stanton Posted March 3, 2003 Posted March 3, 2003 Forget it Get yourself a proper V8 chassis Quote
harky Posted March 3, 2003 Author Posted March 3, 2003 Dont want to forget it.I take it from your reply that my chassis is not strong enough or is there more to it Quote
Nick M Posted March 3, 2003 Posted March 3, 2003 Basically it won't fit without quite a bit of modification to the chassis, particularly to accommodate the gearbox. And you run the risk of compromising chassis rigidity if you're not careful. Mark's comment wasn't so much "forget it - it's a stupid idea" as a "forget it - it's really just not practical with your chassis". It really isn't worth trying to build an SEight from anything other than an SEight chassis. Quote
harky Posted March 3, 2003 Author Posted March 3, 2003 Ok if it wont fit thats good enough for me but out of curiosity what would be the most powerful option for the narrow chassis.Ford,vauxhaul or an other. Quote
Blatman Posted March 3, 2003 Posted March 3, 2003 240bhp N/A Cossie nestles in my narow SEi. Car has higher limits than either driver at the moment.........not sure about how much more power the chassis can take, but it's not just power, it's how that power is applied, allied to how the car is used. If I raced mine for a season (say 10-12 races, plus qualifying, and maybe two days testing) I'd be expecting to strip it down to the chassis at the end of every season........As it's only a hillclimb car, with that power, and my relatively slow progress, I'm expecting maybe 3 more years (20-25 short events) before anything falls off big time, assuming I don't forcibly break something. My money's on a driveshaft or a UJ giving up first............. Quote
Nick M Posted March 3, 2003 Posted March 3, 2003 "Powerful" is a relative term and is directly proportional to the size of your budget !! Depending on the bodywork you have fitted (low-line nose / bonnet pretty much rules out the Vauxhall) you have a choice of engines : - Zetec - maybe 2.0 Vauxhall XE - 1.6 16v Vauxhall Ecotec - upgrade the Xflow - N/A Cosworth - Toyota 4age - etc., etc. Your decision will, in all likelyhood, be linked to how much you're willing to spend. Budget a bare minimum of GBP3K for any engine swap involving a change from carbs to fuel injection and work up from there. Quote
Blatman Posted March 3, 2003 Posted March 3, 2003 Must be lunch time in AZ.......... Afternoon Mr M Quote
Matt Seabrook Posted March 3, 2003 Posted March 3, 2003 Vx or Zetec will give you enough power if you are looking for 200ish BHP like the V8 just less torque. There will not be that much in price for Vx or Zetec at that state of tune and easy to get out of both engines. If it is a live axle car that should be enough power for the road. The Duratec will have the exhaust coming out of the other side so an unwanted hole in the n/s Quote
harky Posted March 3, 2003 Author Posted March 3, 2003 thanks for the advice. i have to say that the cossie option is the most interesting but as usual money is as always a key factor.any idea how much a cossie unit would set me back.the gearbox which is in my x flow is a 5 speed quaiff(probably spelt wrong) would i be right in thinking this could be used in conjunction with the cossie or is that not poss.would a cossie involve much bonnet altering or even a new bonnet? Quote
Nick M Posted March 3, 2003 Posted March 3, 2003 Yes, the Quaiffe box could probably be used, although you'd need to be aware of the precise spec of the box because the Clubman one isn't a fan of big revs or too much power going through it. I don't think the Cossie engine would be a problem (bear in mind that the exhaust comes out the other side compared to your Xflow though) but I'm sure the likes of Blatters could comment further about how much clearance there is. Quote
Blatman Posted March 4, 2003 Posted March 4, 2003 Not like me to miss a chance to comment....... I use a Quaife Clubmans gear kit in my type 9. It's been OK so far (10-15 double driven sprints/hillclimbs), but I only rev to about 7500rpm. If you have a x-flow, I reckon you will need a new bonnet, and to do the job really tidily, a new body tub too, 'cos you'll have a hole where the x-flow exhaust exited. The Cossie fits in OK. There were, and have been, no major issues with the installation. Juan Solo will be along in a mo' to point out that if you dry sump the engine, you may well run in to trouble with fitting the oil pump. I run a Group 'A' wet sump, again with no problems, BUT, I run on non sticky List 1A tyres. If I was doing the conversion now, I'd do several things differently. I'd pay careful attention to the height in the car of the engine. In mine, I could sit it a bit higher (maybe an inch or so) to increase ground clearance for the sump. It *may* also have the side benefit of lowering the tail of the gearbox enough to be able to fit a Westfield gearbox extension without having to chop out and move a chassis rail. If not, I'd fab up a new removable mount to lower the tail of the 'box.........assuming that's something that actually *can* be done without upsetting something else. I'd get a bespoke, bonnet exit exhaust. I'd get a 7" diameter, 30"+ aluminium silencer. I'd get (and hopefully, in the fullness of time, will get) mapped ignition/fuel injection. If I had lots of money, I'd get a wide body/chassis kit, and start again........... Quote
harky Posted March 4, 2003 Author Posted March 4, 2003 Thanks looks as though with a lot of thought and cash the cossie is the way ahead.Any idea if anyone has put their experience of doing this kind of conversion down on black and white as I think I would need all the help and pointers I could get.Also going back to one of my original questions just an approximate amount "how much for the coosie engine" Quote
Matt Seabrook Posted March 4, 2003 Posted March 4, 2003 Blatman out of interest how much power will a Cosworth engine make by ditching the turbo and fitting a good exhaust and some say 45`s. With out going and taking the engine to bits? Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.