Looking for bellhousing for twincam/crossflow

[Healeyracer]

And of course the shift lever (which I am also missing!) Would be difficult to find!  I have been living in the Spridgete world forever, and finally after more years than would care to admit have started clearing out multiple multiples of stuff cause I will never use it, and no one else seems to need the stuff, only to finally dive into the 7 Lotus world to start to learn scarcity!  Thank goodness for a support group!  You guys have been awesome!

[Joe Petty]

See the "Lotus Seven S2 Shifter" topic on how I cobbled up a shift lever.

 

Good Luck!

 

Joe 

[Healeyracer]

Joe Petty, thanks for the reference!  Wondering if I can modify a spridget shifter, I only have a dozen or so of those kicking around!  I am missing the threaded cup, that may be a little more difficult to make, but maybe with the right piece of steel tube, some creative cut and welding and a friend with lathe?

[Joe Petty]

The lever with the round ball is the rare part.

The collar, plastic swivel, spring... are shared with the Cortina and fairly common.

Trouble is that the Cortina shifter uses a flat sided ball to engage the shift rails and that just will not work.

 

The blowup parts picture shows a plastic cup and spring that sit down inside the long internal shift rod.

I have never been able to locate those parts, so mine is metal to metal.

 

Good Luck!

 

Joe

[MV8]

Threaded cup: https://kelvedonlotus.co.uk/product/gear-lever-nut-alloy-cortina/

 

To make a shifter that needs a 1/2 inch ball, and you don't want to have a machinist turn it from one piece of steel rod, a ball stud can be screwed or pressed and loctited into 1/2" low carbon rod as the basis for the shifter. An inverted bolt can be welded to the handle end if you don't want to die cut your own threads.

 

1/2" ball stud with shank that could be pressed into a rod/shift lever: https://www.ebay.com/itm/385926021248?_skw=ball+stud&itmmeta=01KD04JG4BRRY4CZWDQXCDZGYF&hash=item59dafbc080:g:3FsAAOSwhUZk0pe9&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dJ6s5rmLsqmFIDA8Dj1tgLlxfKK4WCT7RWpBxuKFixriNO76IrFoVJrbnlMgkbkmmhCRqqCuVxKt57jYARwUtTFVd0Pgo4Ldi2%2FDoguihnalF4WpCtE2tf5JEG7b%2BaFsriM0pbEgfH7vuCGi0KkItgljsMUGN8Smn2VOsSLPo6UVN2wc8RkCC88wVXh5i4PKgLoV3SjN0XO2B8w9crwh4M4KQeljnQ1GJjII95UWsQSjg%2FcFLG12Sio8RmKb3xFXE%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8qCyoToZg

Edited December 21, 2025 by MV8

[EdWills]

Just to confirm what Henry @SENC has noted, the Twin Cam flywheel and clutch may fit in the 105E bell-housing, but an article that I am still searching for, advised that it may be a tight fit, and there may be clearance problems inside the bell-housing.  The  Twin Cam clutch was an 8 inch diameter unit, but Burton Power advise that the flywheels they sell for the Twin Cam and BDA are for an 8-1/2" diameter clutch?  David Vizard in one of his books on the Escort advises that if you wish to upgrade to a Twin Cam in one of these cars, then the appropriate clutch, flywheel and bell-housing are required.  He provides the original Ford part numbers for his suggestion, but I do not know if they are still current?  

 

As @7Westfield advised, Burton will sell you an alloy bell-housing that is noted to accept the clutch and flywheel for the Pinto, Twin Cam and Crossflow (7.5 inch diameter clutch.), but not cheap.  W.

[SENC]

21 minutes ago, EdWills said:

Just to confirm what Henry @SENC has noted, the Twin Cam flywheel and clutch may fit in the 105E bell-housing, but an article that I am still searching for, advised that it may be a tight fit, and there may be clearance problems inside the bell-housing.  The  Twin Cam clutch was an 8 inch diameter unit, but Burton Power advise that the flywheels they sell for the Twin Cam and BDA are for an 8-1/2" diameter clutch?  David Vizard in one of his books on the Escort advises that if you wish to upgrade to a Twin Cam in one of these cars, then the appropriate clutch, flywheel and bell-housing are required.  He provides the original Ford part numbers for his suggestion, but I do not know if they are still current?  

 

As @7Westfield advised, Burton will sell you an alloy bell-housing that is noted to accept the clutch and flywheel for the Pinto, Twin Cam and Crossflow (7.5 inch diameter clutch.), but not cheap.  W.

William - the 105e is the one that has capacity for the larger 8" Twin Cam clutch.  The 109e is the one typically found on early Sevens, and it has smaller internal dimensions (ribs are on the inside) and may need machining to handle a larger clutch than 7.5".

 

I do know that some Elan owners have installed 8.5" clutch discs, even with the original Elan pressure plate.  Whether a full 8.5" setup would fit in a 105e without modification, I do not know.

 

I grabbed pictures of 105e and 109e bellhousings from the web for visual reference of each.

 

 

 

 

[SENC]

As for sources for the shifter, the best bets are probably Dave Bean (they may not have one, but Gary may have a lead for you) or checking with the Golden Gate Lotus Club and seeing if someone can ask if Mike Ostrov (Elite guru who also had a long history with Sevens) may have one.  Or possible find a Cortina lever and cut it down.

[joe7]

As Henry suggested, first decide what gear ratios you have.

Time to simplify this shifter setup issue. You will probably need to rebuild/refresh the trans. If so, just replace the tail shaft with the common ones for Elans and Cortinas. Or as in the Dave Bean catalog, just install a cover plate over the rear most port. For either option get the type of remote used in some later 7s that originally came from a Cortina. Those are generally available in cast iron although aluminum ones are also available. I did a rough but close measurement and the center line of the shifter opening for the Cortina remote is about 2 1/4 aft of the end of the tailshaft. Another option is to get an original type used in early 7s that came from a Triumph Spitfire which requires an aluminum wedged adapter Lotus made. I don't have one to measure, but I think it sits about 1 inch aft of the end of the tailshaft. Once you decide one which way to go you will need to make sure your tunnel cover shifter opening is in the correct location. Good luck!

[7Westfield]

And, just to toss another variable into the mix...

THE type 3 I took out had a cable op clutch, and there was a bump on the inside of the footwell by my ankle for the end of the release arm.

The arm on the T9 setup would not have fit, I went with concentric hydraulic,

I used the BH3 bellhousing from Burton, and cut away some of the left side starter mount for clearance

Edited December 21, 2025 by 7Westfield

[EdWills]

Hello Henry.

I still can't find the article on the Twin Cam bellhousing, but I did find some interesting perspectives on which type is suggested for use on https://forums.lotuselan.net   Two contributors, '2cams70' and 'promotor' (under the heading '4 speed bellhousing') provide details on the Ford bellhousing part numbers.  '2cams70' advised that some 105E bellhousings he had seen were professionally machined internally (by Ford?) for clearance for the slightly larger twin cam flywheel and clutch.  The bellhousing was apparently given a different part number by Ford  (not necessarily a different casting number?) due to the machining process. W.

[MV8]

Lay pinches of playdoh or plasticine clay (available at hobby craft stores) around the outside corner of the pressure plate , add a trash bag, then install the bell on the block. Remove bell and bag to check how thick it still is on the PP. I'd like to see at least a 1/4" of clearance.

[SENC]

1 hour ago, EdWills said:

Hello Henry.

I still can't find the article on the Twin Cam bellhousing, but I did find some interesting perspectives on which type is suggested for use on https://forums.lotuselan.net   Two contributors, '2cams70' and 'promotor' (under the heading '4 speed bellhousing') provide details on the Ford bellhousing part numbers.  '2cams70' advised that some 105E bellhousings he had seen were professionally machined internally (by Ford?) for clearance for the slightly larger twin cam flywheel and clutch.  The bellhousing was apparently given a different part number by Ford  (not necessarily a different casting number?) due to the machining process. W.

Just looked at that and remember the discussion.  At the end, they're both conjecturing that the relieving may have been for a later model Escort that had a different sized ring gear.   Also note that 2cams says the machining he's seen appears factory-done.

 

Bottom line... 105e, 109e, and 120e will fit the gearbox and block... but of the 3, only the 105e can fit a clutch larger than 7.5".  

[7Westfield]

...

Edited December 22, 2025 by 7Westfield

[EdWills]

On 12/21/2025 at 4:39 PM, SENC said:

Just looked at that and remember the discussion.  At the end, they're both conjecturing that the relieving may have been for a later model Escort that had a different sized ring gear.   Also note that 2cams says the machining he's seen appears factory-done.

 

Bottom line... 105e, 109e, and 120e will fit the gearbox and block... but of the 3, only the 105e can fit a clutch larger than 7.5".  

Hello Henry.  Thank you for all the info. I noted that the same Elan forum also contained a comparison between the 105E and 113E bellhousing ('Difference between 105E and 113E bellhousing') which also shows the factory machined clearance in a 105E unit.  As @MV8 advised, it would be a good idea to check the clearances just for peace of mind.

On another note, I just received an ad from 'Absolute Lotus' magazine.  Although I don't subscribe, I purchased some back editions and they placed me on their list.

In the 2026 edition, there is a story of a 90 year old Lotus Elan driver who still competes in hillclimbs (but thinking of hanging up his overalls?).  Oh to be young again! 

 

Also sad to hear about Chris Rea noted in another post on this forum. 

 

Merry Christmas to all, and a Safe and Prosperous New Year.

 

Cheers.

W.

[7Westfield]

12 minutes ago, EdWills said:

here is a story of a 90 year old Lotus Elan driver who still competes in hillclimbs (but thinking of hanging up his overalls?).  Oh to be young again! 

I know a 90 year old Formula Ford driver

[TMRL7]

I can recommend Quantum Mechanics in Oxford, CT.   

I have a Twin Cam with the same transmission and in my Seven, I use the remote shifter version.  John did a full go through of my transmission and I ended up getting a bellhousing from him later as the one I had was too small for my clutch setup, even though the bolt pattern was correct for the block.  Good luck!