TurboWood Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) Here's the latest baby step. I ordered the bellhousing and ZZPerformance took some pictures of it set on a spare block. The results match my expectations, but unfortunately ZZP is unwilling to do the necessary modifications. Does anyone know of a good machine shop that can make the needed modifications? I also need to have the ARE dry sump pan modified to align with the two blue highlighted points. One other very good news is Scott at modernkitcar.com released a wiring diagram for the LNF ecotec engine to operate stand alone! This is a huge relief as trying to figure out those 150 wires on my own was not something I was looking forward to. He also made a rough 3D model of the entire engine (and released it for free!). wiring diagram: http://modernkitcar.com/product/lnf-engine-wiring-diagram-standalone/ engine 3D: http://modernkitcar.com/product/ecotec-lnf-engine-cad/ Daniel Green: Perfect alignment Yellow: Weld & machine to match block Red: Machine work needed Blue: Modify pan to meet these points Edited February 9, 2014 by TurboWood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Gents, I hit a roadblock that seems simple, but I'm stuck. The front headlight/turn signal wiring doesn't appear to match the connectors I was given. Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this picture? In other news the car is coming together nicely. I got a little help from Jon in Denver (Cat USA) with some of the cosmetic items. I'm now nearly to the point of needing the engine. I was able to buy a dummy engine block for $75 and a brand new head for $100. Once I get the bell housing I should be able to bolt it all together and see if it will even fit in the car.:smash: Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Also looks like its missing the rubber 'grommets' that keep the water out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Here is the latest pic. I still need to solve the light wiring, front cycle wings, and center console. The next big task is the engine and wiring.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted September 20, 2014 Author Share Posted September 20, 2014 Short block roughly in place. It looks like some modifications may be required, but no hard blocking points discovered yet. The biggest risk is the oil filter hsg which GM suggests cutting off when building the engine anyway. The unfortunate part is it would require disassembling the engine. I am also going to have to modify the propshaft. I didn't place it in the tunnel before installing the diff so now there is not way to get it in. Fortunately it looks like I can just remove some material off the drive flange and it will slide in from the front. Caterham is sending me the electrical connectors to solve the issue in my previous post. I've always enjoyed a little soldering . Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 I was able to get the prop shaft modified. It now easily slides in through the transmission tunnel. I can't help but wonder why this isn't made this way from the factory. Is there never an instance where removing the driveshaft w/o pulling the diff is useful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 The transmission arrived and holly cow are these small transmissions. I went with an allow case, fully roller bearing T9 from SPC. 1st gear is a little longer than I would have liked (2.482), but Steve did a good job convincing me he makes the best T9. From my previous post I took the block out of the car and had a machine shop knock the oil filter adapter off the engine. This made a big improvement in getting the engine in the car. It's clear to me now that this is a required modification for the final engine. There would simply be no way to get the engine in the car with it there. For the second round of test fit I put the transmission in first. This made getting the block in place tricky (input shaft in the way), but I was able to do it. I was also lucky enough to pickup a new bare head so these pictures show the head as well. It looks like the overall height of the engine will be a little more than the Duratec, but most of the difference is on the bottom. When I look at pictures of the Duratec it looks to me like the bellhousing is the low point and that the sump is a little higher. So, I guess I'll be consuming that small difference. Aside from getting engine mounts and bellhousing sorted I did find one challenge that isn't clearly solvable. I need to use an external scavenge pump for the dry sump system which is designed to run at 1/2 crank speed. Typically this is accomplished by putting a small pulley on the front of the main crank pulley, but I don't really have room for that. I also don't have room for the 6" serpentine pulley as I want to install it on the lower left (driver) side of the engine. So, I've been looking into electric scavenge pumps. There are a few on the market and one of the manufacturers is working on a higher flow unit, but from what I can determine the flow rate is much lower than the mechanical pump from ARE. I'm not sure it wouldn't work though. An electric scavenge pump would operate at full tilt all the time which would surely be enough at lower engine speeds. At max engine speed it may not be able to keep up, but the question is just how could I stay at rated power before emptying the oil tank? The other idea is that the oil pump will surely be bypassing oil and I'm wondering if I can directly rout this bypassed oil back to the oil tank directly. This would mean the scavenge pump would only need to keep up with the oil going through the engine and turbo. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 I finally had some more time with the engine over the holidays. The LDK crate engine arrived. This an Opal version of the 2L turbo ecotec engine (LNF) which was used in the Solstice and Sky. For some reason they are much easier to find and very reasonably priced ($3100 delivered). I completed the tear down and get the block modified. The oil filter housing was chopped off and fittings welded to the block. This will help installation, but also gives me the freedom of choosing any oil filter I like. I also had the first modifications made to the bellhousing to make it fit the engine properly. There is more to do, but at least I now have 4 bolts lined up with the engine. The remaining tasks are to cut a hole for the starter and build some blocks to link the lower two mount holes to the block/sump. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I'm hoping 7 ownership is different than the Supra. In 15 years I put about 35k miles on the Supra. I spent more time modifying and washing the car then I did driving it, but I did love driving it. I had grand dreams of taking it on track days, but when it came down to it I just never did. Daniel So.... what kind of driving do you want to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Nice thing about 7s is that you don't have to wash them. :jester: It is actually not easy to do. Especially rinsing them off. The most that I do is use a product that removes the tire rubber marks from the track days. Just drive it, it looks better at speed. :cooldude: Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Heck, if my Storker needs a little rinsing, I just wait for a track event......rained on me EVERY event I did last year......cleanest my car has ever been. Oh yeah, the thread......I've actually had people pull over and stop (who were coming from the opposite direction) to snap a shot of the car as it passed by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Dang!!!!! Wrong thread. Sorry, Turbo.......Bellhousing! Bellhousing! Bellhousing! . . . . There. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 So.... what kind of driving do you want to do? Hopefully a little bit of everything. By living in SoCal I hope it can serve as a daily driver most of the time. I also want to do some trips up the coast, autocross, and track days. I've done a handful of 24hrs of Lemons (not LeMans) and auto-crosses over the years. I want the 7 to give me more regular access to that fun. The operating cost and risk of failure with the Supra was always too great for me to do anything other than drive around the street and wash it. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Dang!!!!! Wrong thread. Sorry, Turbo.......Bellhousing! Bellhousing! Bellhousing! . . . . There. Brain fart! :rofl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Hopefully a little bit of everything. By living in SoCal I hope it can serve as a daily driver most of the time. I also want to do some trips up the coast, autocross, and track days. I've done a handful of 24hrs of Lemons (not LeMans) and auto-crosses over the years. I want the 7 to give me more regular access to that fun. The operating cost and risk of failure with the Supra was always too great for me to do anything other than drive around the street and wash it. Daniel If you ever get to Willow Springs, lemme know. I live about 20 miles from there. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Dang!!!!! Wrong thread. Sorry, Turbo.......Bellhousing! Bellhousing! Bellhousing! . . . . There. Haha, nice recovery. It only took me 3months to notice:willy_nilly:. I hope your recovery is moving along more quickly than my response time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 I'm making baby steps. I ordered a flywheel made by Aasco and a slightly stronger clutch than the original (which I didn't have). From what I can tell on the cobalt forums people seem to abuse them to 400ft*lb so I should be more than ok. The two flywheels shown are both for the same engine, but for different vehicles. I chose the one on the right as it's lighter (duh) and because the stock version is solid steel so I have an easy replacement option should I find it undriveable. The stock GM flywheel for the one on the left is a dual mass unit which would be much too heavy. I'm also a little excited about finding some balance shaft delete kits from GM Racing (second picture). They made these back when they were building 1400hp drag engines. It's the cleanest way of removing the balance shafts. The alternative was to cut the end of the balance shaft off so only the front bearing and gear was still there. This allowed the use of the stock chain. Having the GM racing version means I won't have any bits spinning at 14krpm (other than the turbo, at idle). I was originally thinking of keeping the balance shafts, but then realized having something spin at twice crank speed that weighs 10lbs has no business in a 7. Next comes pistons, upgraded oil pump gears, crank pulley, and some wrench time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Haha, nice recovery. It only took me 3months to notice:willy_nilly:. I hope your recovery is moving along more quickly than my response time. Turbo, I'mrecovering nicely; X-rays next Monday will tell the tale. Having said that, I'mready to see your car move under its own power. This is quite the undertakingyou've done by going your own way regarding a drivetrain. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 ...I'mready to see your car move under its own power... Me too! Come January I should be back in the states more permanently which will allow for more rapid progress. For the last few years I've had to do everything in 1-2wk chunks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 It has an engine! On the yellow CSR shown below, does anyone know the distance from the frame rail to the lowest point on the bellhousing? On my car I'm at about 2" which by my eye looks similar to this picture, but I thought someone could measure for me. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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