Lotus twin cam engine - where to source?

Lotus twin cam engine - where to source?

Author
Discussion

S47

1,325 posts

179 months

Tuesday 5th February 2013
quotequote all
gshughes
Of course you're right, BUT to maintain my cars potential originality I need the leaky TC engine and crappy 4 speed 2000e box [and all other original part which i still have]to remain under my bench, should I decide to sell my Lotus7 - the 'new' owner may well be an anorak who wants to re-install the leaky & gutless TC engine and the 4speed box to bring back the car to its original state. Such people still exist, FYI they go under the guise of the HLR.

felixlighter

228 posts

146 months

Tuesday 5th February 2013
quotequote all
You could use the 1500 pre crossflow block. People say the lotus was stronger but I'm not so sure as I broke the centre bearing cap frequently. Visualy the lotus has an 'L' in the area of the engine mounting, not too hard to duplicate, then it's just a twin cam head. Job done.

aeropilot

34,299 posts

226 months

Tuesday 5th February 2013
quotequote all
felixlighter said:
You could use the 1500 pre crossflow block. People say the lotus was stronger but I'm not so sure as I broke the centre bearing cap frequently.
I think you misunderstand what the L block means. The 'L' means that they have been cast with more metal around the cylinder bores, to accommodate the larger bore of the Twin Cam as compared to ordinary Cortina's, as 1500cc Cortina bore size is 1.5mm less than the L/C.
It DOES NOT FOLLOW however that they were all used in Lotus engines, as many of them found their way into the Ford engine exchange scheme and trundled around for years propelling Joe Bloggs around in his boggo standard 1500cc Mk1 'tina.

Non L blocks can be used for a T/C engine in some cases though and there is another marking to watch out for which gives a clue. This is the T number, cast into the top middle left of the block, and front right, adjacent to the distributor. As a general rule, any non ‘L’ block numbered T1, T2, or T3, will bore out to Lotus + .040 bore size.

johnfm

Original Poster:

13,668 posts

249 months

Tuesday 5th February 2013
quotequote all
How depressing.

Has put a really good project down the stter.

frown

Lotus 50

1,009 posts

164 months

Tuesday 5th February 2013
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Out of interest, what project was it?

johnfm

Original Poster:

13,668 posts

249 months

Tuesday 5th February 2013
quotequote all
Élan +2, 1968. Complete except for engine.

cdodgyd

36 posts

166 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
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Have a look at this:

http://www.lotus-cortina.com/library/block/blocks....

Get yourself a Ford pre-crossflow engine with one of the L blocks. MUCH cheaper than the Twink, although quite tricky to find.
When funds permit you can then add the head and front casting from the Lotus.

Will you still be permitted to participate in historic events with a period Ford engine?

The pre-crossflow can be tuned to produce very close to the same bhp as a Twink at a fraction of the cost. I know, I have one in a Sprite! Never had water pump problems either.

felixlighter

228 posts

146 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
quotequote all
cdodgyd said:
Have a look at this:

http://www.lotus-cortina.com/library/block/blocks....

Get yourself a Ford pre-crossflow engine with one of the L blocks. MUCH cheaper than the Twink, although quite tricky to find.
When funds permit you can then add the head and front casting from the Lotus.

Will you still be permitted to participate in historic events with a period Ford engine?

The pre-crossflow can be tuned to produce very close to the same bhp as a Twink at a fraction of the cost. I know, I have one in a Sprite! Never had water pump problems either.
Can't agree more with that, 58cc won't make any difference to performance and it'll get the car in the road till you save enough money to be able to complete the 'project' with the correct engine.

Chunkychucky

5,942 posts

168 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
quotequote all
S47 said:
gshughes
Of course you're right, BUT to maintain my cars potential originality I need the leaky TC engine and crappy 4 speed 2000e box [and all other original part which i still have]to remain under my bench, should I decide to sell my Lotus7 - the 'new' owner may well be an anorak who wants to re-install the leaky & gutless TC engine and the 4speed box to bring back the car to its original state. Such people still exist, FYI they go under the guise of the HLR.
A bullet box wouldn't be out of the question...


aeropilot

34,299 posts

226 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
quotequote all
Chunkychucky said:
S47 said:
gshughes
Of course you're right, BUT to maintain my cars potential originality I need the leaky TC engine and crappy 4 speed 2000e box [and all other original part which i still have]to remain under my bench, should I decide to sell my Lotus7 - the 'new' owner may well be an anorak who wants to re-install the leaky & gutless TC engine and the 4speed box to bring back the car to its original state. Such people still exist, FYI they go under the guise of the HLR.
A bullet box wouldn't be out of the question...
In what.....?

The 'Bullet' 'box was just the close ratio version of the semi-close ratio (2000E) 3 rail gearbox.
If you were talking about putting one into the OP's Elan +2 project he was interested in (in place of the normal 2000E version) you'd need to change the rear diff ratio to a 3.9 from the 3.55 because of the long first gear that the Bullet cluster has....or murder the clutch everytime you pulled away.

crofty1984

15,830 posts

203 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
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If you mean the alloy slant 4 900 series engine, look at lotusbits.com

iSore

4,011 posts

143 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
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Is it not possible to build a Twin Cam from a 1600 711M Crossflow block? There weas also ther weird head that Lotus used with the integral manifold to take a pair of CD Strombergs. I wouldn't imagine one of those heads is worth a great deal. Run it as a 1650 on a pair of HS4 SU's and it would go quite well.

Lotus 50

1,009 posts

164 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
quotequote all
OP, apols if this is a lesson in egg-sucking, the key thing will be the condition and type of chassis/sub-frame fitted to the project car. If it's the original chassis you're very likely to need to replace it so you could use one of the spyder space frame chassis that will allow you to fit either a TC or a Zetec (and others I believe). You'd need to check if this affects eligibility for historic competition events. If it has had a replacement chassis and it's a Lotus galvanised one that is still in good condition then it's a case of finding a twinc or a crossflow/non crossflow engine in the meanwhile. You can then add on the relevant TC parts etc. I think stromberg TC heads are still pretty expensive but again it's worth hunting around...

I'm pretty sure the slant 4 engine from later Lotii won't fit in a +2.

kev b

2,708 posts

165 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
quotequote all
I have owned cars with the 2000E box and the Lotus 5 speed box (with Maxi internals) and the Ford box is much nicer to use, one of the best changes ever.

The Lotus box was more awkward especially into 5th, whilst 1st and 3rd had your knuckles hitting the radio!

aeropilot

34,299 posts

226 months

Wednesday 6th February 2013
quotequote all
iSore said:
Is it not possible to build a Twin Cam from a 1600 711M Crossflow block?
Yes.

You have to decide whether to keep the X-flow bottom end and create a taller engine, which needs longer timing chain special pitons etc.,etc

or machine off 1/2" off the taller X-flow block, thus effectively creating a TC 'L' block, and then install into this all the TC bottom end internals.

If fitting into an Elan the latter route is the preferable one, otherwise the cam cover once fitted to the new taller TC engine is likely to foul the bonnet IIRC.

T0nup

683 posts

199 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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Pay me a grand and you can have the spare engine in my trailer pulled from a Jensen Healey about a couple of years ago. This is a lotus TC 2.0 All there, including the belt.

Was considering install in my Viva, but much easier to just adapt current slant 4 block to take the TC head.

Let me know.

littleredrooster

5,523 posts

195 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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T0nup said:
Pay me a grand and you can have the spare engine in my trailer pulled from a Jensen Healey about a couple of years ago. This is a lotus TC 2.0 All there, including the belt.

Was considering install in my Viva, but much easier to just adapt current slant 4 block to take the TC head.

Let me know.
Wrong engine, isn't it?

16VJay

235 posts

218 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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Yes, this is the 2 or 2.2 litre slant four sixteen valve engine and not the smaller upright 8V engine the OP is looking for.

T0nup

683 posts

199 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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Oh well, guess it can stay inthe triler then.

windy1

393 posts

250 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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Just buy a x-flow bottom end and put a Lotus twin cam head on it. If you want to be clever you could run a modern fuel injection system so it's a useable daily.
I have a 2litre lotus twin cam with an alloy block that's shortly going to be transformed into a Cosworth BDG engine with a new head for a rally car.