Serp upgrade for the 350i

[Jack Valiant]

Well its winter time and it looks like its time for a major power upgrade! Looking at a well sorted low mileage ex Chim 4.5 powerplant for the series 2 Wedge. So what are the major challenges:

Move the front chassis cross member to get the Serp in?
Loom for the hotwire system?
Power steering differences
Headers?
Coolant plumbing
Clutch renewal
Front Brake upgrade

Any others I need to consider before I go for it!

Chris

[grahamw48]

Remember to get the matching ECU, but change tune resistor for non-cat one.

[Wedg1e]

Jack Valiant said:

Well its winter time and it looks like its time for a major power upgrade! Looking at a well sorted low mileage ex Chim 4.5 powerplant for the series 2 Wedge. So what are the major challenges:

Move the front chassis cross member to get the Serp in?
Loom for the hotwire system?
Power steering differences
Headers?
Coolant plumbing
Clutch renewal
Front Brake upgrade

Any others I need to consider before I go for it!

Chris

I wouldn't have thought the cross-member would be a problem, depends on what bracing tubes you have running up to the supension towers. The injection loom is separate from the main engine bay wiring so should be easy to identify on a donor car and extract. If it's like the flapper system loom, though, you may have to snip one or two wires to detach from power and ground.

The headers would be the same, I suppose, it's only from the front of the block forward that the castings differ so the engine should sit in the same place.
As to the rest, well you rarely see two Wedges plumbed the same or with the same PAS layout so you're on your own there!

[TVRleigh_BBWR]

If it's a Int. Dissy Serp. Engine then it should have the same Sump as the 350, or they will be swappable.
The engine mounts are in the same place also. so it should drop stright in.

You will need to use the Serp Alternator and bracket, and Serp. PAS and bracket if you want PAS.

If your not running PAS you may want to simplify things and make a custom Alternator bracket, thats adjustable, you will not need to run the very long belt and tensioner and idle wheel.

just a short belt and tension it the old way via adjusting the Alternator position.
This is how I've set-up the racer and it works fine. (well I've only done just over 150 Miles, but have not had a problem with this setup.)