JohnCh

Time for another engine build thread! For my incoming 420R, I'm swapping the 2.0L Duratec for a 2.4L version based on a short block from Esslinger Engineering who has a ton of experience building race and hot street Duratecs. Unlike my last engine build, where I started with an existing engine, stripped it down, then upgraded everything, this time I'm assembling the engine from scratch. Some aspects, such as having Esslinger supply one of their special sauce short blocks rather than me playing general contractor with the machine shop and various suppliers, should be easier. Other aspects, like trying to use cryptic online parts sites to figure out all the little parts and fasteners needed to assemble a ready to-to-fire engine has been…well, less easy. The short block is the heart of this engine. Esslinger starts with a new 2.5L block from Ford, then performs a laundry list of machining operations and upgrades before adding a 2.3L forged crank with balance shaft delete, 12:1 pistons custom manufactured to their spec (shorter height with marginally larger bore (+ 0.078mm) and stout 0.886" wrist pins) and longer H-Beam rods to improve rod ratio. The entire rotating assembly, including the flywheel and pressure plate, is fully balanced, and the crank pulley is keyed. The end result is a 2344cc engine vs. 2269cc for the stock 2.3L and 2488cc for the 2.5L. Engine Bore Stroke Bore/Stroke Capacity 2.0L 87.5mm 83.1mm 1.054 1999cc 2.3L 87.5mm 94mm 0.931 2261cc 2.5L 89mm 100mm 0.890 2488cc 2.4L 89.078mm 94mm 0.948 2344cc For the top end, I've purchased a new 2.5L head from Ford and sent it off for porting using starting specs provided by Raceline. Cams, stiffer valve springs and Titanium retainers are also from Esslinger. After much deliberation, I settled on their non-VVT Stage 4. These are an asymmetric setup with different profiles for the intake and exhaust: Intake: 0.460" (11.68mm) lift & 246deg duration @ 0.050" Exhaust: 0.429" (10.9mm) lift & 235deg duration @ 0.050" Air intake is handled by Jenvey 50mm Direct-to Head Throttle Bodies, and exhaust (for now) is stock 420R. Dry sump is from Raceline who also supply the light flywheel, clutch, and a bunch of other parts necessary to prep the engine for a Seven. With a properly sized exhaust, the engine should make ~270hp, but even with the smaller-than-optimal 420R exhaust, output should fall into the 250-260hp range. -John

@Astro Bob drop me a PM if you decide you want to make the change. It's an easy backend edit. -John

Comparing it to the 1/2-20 in the photo, it looks like it could be 1/2-28 which is a UNEF size. Do you have a thread pitch tool for that thread size you could compare? Perhaps a 1/4-28? -John

Hi John, welcome and congratulations! What's the spec of the car? Any pics yet? Cheers, John

@Ricwilpipe see the first two items in this FAQ that cover how to post photos. If you are still having problems, please send me a PM and I'll try to help. Thanks, John

I'm referring to the portion of Dan's post that I quoted which was not about that car, but rather about people who made less than flattering comments about it. That's a fine topic for discussion but can easily take this thread way off its intended purpose of identifying cars for sale. -John

Dan you are welcomed to your opinion and expressing it won't result in a ban. I'm not sure how anyone who has been on this forum for any length of time could possibly think otherwise. Your points about some of us not having the skill to create a car from raw materials is a fair point, but I also don't think any of the comments about this car were particularly closed minded or sad -- they were about design choices, not the seller's budget or skill set. If anyone wants to discuss this further, please feel free to start a new thread or take it offline with the person who is the object of your disdain so we can keep this thread on topic. Thanks, John

I don't understand all the hate. 007 sticker on the rear, Jaguar leaping cat (or similar) hood ornament up front, in-dash stereo, not one, not two, not three but four side-view mirrors (gotta love safety feature redundancy), engine on display just like a real Ferrari. and joyous salute to the right angle in the body design. There is a lot to like here... -John

Thanks Bart, it's good to know that Jack is open to that process. I may take advantage of Emerald's offer to include other items in my shipment and order some parts from JWM. I had Emerald build a new engine loom for the Westfield a few years ago. It turned out so well, I am having them do one for the Caterham (everything is labeled, all sensor wires are twisted, end-to-end heat shrink, etc.). Based on what I've read about PGM, I'm sure you'll get a quality product. -John

@Bartman did you pay with a credit card tied to your US address then provide a different billing address or did your brother order using his credit card? I have an order shipping from the UK in the next couple of months and was told they are happy to include items from other UK vendors in the shipment if it's helpful. I might want to take advantage of that, but not sure if the US card/UK address combination would fly with JWM given their liability concern. Thanks, John

That is a lot of kilometers! And based on the photo inset, it appears you are not the only one who enjoys going out in the Birkin

Actually they do. Look at the second photo for each option and it shows a diagram marking the length, height and angle, then those three measurements are included in the Details tab. -John

I like that idea. To me, the beach buggy vibe is predominantly driven by the fact the dash and body have no aesthetic distinction -- it looks like one giant piece of fiberglass. It's easy to experiment with contact paper to see the effect of different dash coverage to decide what you like best. -John

Done! We love long, drawn out build threads -John

Welcome! Sounds like a fun (and dusty) project. If you are planning to update this thread with your progress -- something I think we'd all like to see -- I can move this to the Build Threads forum. Cheers, John

Does Easimap allow you to see all the ECU settings or just a subset? If you have full read access it would be good to verify the tach output setting was configured correctly at the factory. -John

See the Lotus 7 section of the Downloads portion of the forum. You'll find one there as well as the S3 Supplement. https://usa7s.net/ips/files/category/5-lotus-seven/ -John

Wow, that's a find! Does the title show it's a CA car or from another state? If you post the VIN, some folks here can decode it and let you know a little more about what you bought. -John

I'm afraid I can't be too much help. That specific AP brake MC works very well in my setup, which has the same rear calipers you mention above, but the fronts are different and may not share the same piston size as the GT6 calipers. For reference, my front calipers are alloy 4-pots with 1.5" diameter pistons and were designed as a direct replacement for the M16 calipers. If you do opt for the AP, keep in mind this is not the standard Caterham MC, but rather the upgraded part that is included in the R-pack models and may be a little tough to find. As for a hydraulic clutch, my bellhousing was designed to work with a concentric slave cylinder. Someone here may have experience converting a Caterham from that era to hydraulic setup and can steer you towards a known solution. Best to start a new thread on that topic to ensure people see it. -John

Great, albeit sad, background story. Based on the evolution between the last two photos, this tribute to Lars looks like it's well on its way to a successful conclusion. I'm looking forward to following this journey. -John

Are you looking for a setup like the photo that also has provision for the fan switch or just that has the nipple? A quick search shows the one in the photo is from a 1.3i OHV Escort: https://www.ebay.com/itm/ESCORT-1-3i-THERMOSTAT-HOUSING-OHV-HCS-ENGINES-BRAND-NEW-1995-2001/251958942442 Although it's an Ebay listing so I should have prefaced that with "supposedly from..." If you just need a housing with the nipple, this one from Burton's could work if you don't mind drilling a hole in the boss for a brass nipple. https://www.burtonpower.com/thermostat-housing-with-boss-cast-alloy-x-flow-rwd-fp612.html -John

@KnifeySpoonyI sent you a PM yesterday morning a few minutes after your last post. Please let me know if it's still available. Thanks, John

Hudson seemed a little bored by your last kittens video. @Vovchandrhe does, however, enjoy most of the se7en videos you've been posting. -John

This explains the 16 cat videos that I've received from you since 6am yesterday. And yes I counted. And yes, counting that high was a challenge for me. -John