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1981 S3 V8 conversion


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After having my Esprit for over 4 years now and carrying out a number of mods, I figured it was time to do something a little bit different. My car was in pretty poor condition when I bought it as a non- runner and it is now in far from original condition so I thought I would go a bit radical.

So the 912 engine is coming out and a Audi 4.2l all alloy V8 is going in together with a 6 speed gearbox that won't implode. The engine is the same weight as the lotus V8 and produces 320bhp and 300ft/lb without the sign of a turbo so it should make an interesting conversion. It is also a fair bit shorter than the 912 so I can move the engine mass further to the centre of the car which should help offset the weight penalty.

There are a number of issues that need to be solved in the process (the rear brakes being one of them), but all of them I can get around with a bit of head scratching.

I have started a project thread on another site which I will be adding weekly updates, so if anyone is interested in how I get on then have a look here .............

clicky

Take one 1981 Lotus Esprit S3

S3.jpg

Pull out the 2.2litre 4 pot Lotus engine/Citroen gearbox and chuck in an Audi 4.2 V8 and six speed transaxle in here.

enginebay.jpg

I have finally got hold of an ABZ from Germany and have balanced a 6 speed 01X gearbox onto it for giggles.

engtrans.jpg

Got the tape measure out an I reckon it should be a pretty good fit as the ABZ is a fair bit shorter than the Lotus 912 which is coming out.

Unfortunatly this is were it all starts to go pear shaped. The engine suffered a bit as the sump got bent during shipping. So I whipped it off to straighten it and in the process this is what found in the sump.

bits.jpg

Arse !!!!!!!!!!!

Had a look inside the crankcase to find plenty of dents from flying metal.

crankcase3.jpg

So what are the lumps that fell out of the bottom of the engine ??????

Time for a game, spot the difference between these 2 pictures ...............

crankcase1.jpg

crankcase2.jpg

The observant among you will notice that the piston oil spray bars are missing in the second picture.

Laying the mashed bits of metal out it becomes evident that in fact 2 of them have come adrift.

spraybars.jpg

So it is time to strip the engine down to investigate a bit further.

I find that piston number 8 has taken a hit from flying metal and has suffered a bit of weight reduction.

pistonbits.jpg

Unfortunately the cylinder wall hasn't come out scott free either.

cylinderno8.jpg

So I now have a very large and heavy paper weight in my back garden.

On the bright side, the guy I bought the engine from is sending me another ABZ and doesn't want the old one back which means I have got a whole pile of spares :D

It took a while, but I finally got hold of another ABZ from a crashed A8.

Went to a field in Gloucestershire and spent 7 hours removing this thing (jeez were the bellhousing bolts hard to get at).

IMG_0369.jpg

I am starting to get a bit of a collection of these things :D

IMG_0371.jpg

Now that I have got some working bits to carry on with the conversion first thing to do was to remove the old Lotus engine.

enginerebuild73.jpg

With it out you can see the similar configuration to the Audi front wheel drive layout.

enginerebuild70.jpg

Getting this out took most of Sunday, but there was time to trial fit the ABZ and 01X into the engine bay. First impressions are that it is a pretty good fit, it even goes round the OEM engine covers.

IMG_03971136x852.jpg

IMG_03951136x852.jpg

It is not all rosy though, the ABZ has a much wider sump than the Lotus 912, things are made even worse as it is offset to one side. This unfortunatly means that the sump hits the chassis by the engine mount.

IMG_04021136x852.jpg

This is why the engine looks tilted to one side in the couple of pictures. I can't chop the chassis about to gain clearance as there would then be nowhere to put the engine mount.

So I am going to have to cut a section off the sump. Not ideal, but I have no choice. Other than that it is looking good at the moment.

Next on the list is to make sure there is clearance for the exhaust manifolds and then I'll chop a chunk off the sump, check it fits and then start fabbing up some engine and gearbox mounts.

I'll now sit back, grab a bag of popcorn and wait for all the shouts from people about fitting non-OEM parts to an Esprit ... munch, munch :D

Andy

Edited by hilly

1981 S3 4.2 V8 6 speed (The Mutant)

Mutant V8 Conversion Thread

Knowledge is power .................... apparently.

 

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Andy,

I've been watching your progress through a link from Pete at PNM.

Iam very impressed and the V8 Audi engine looks awesome in the engine bay! I must say I admire your ability and balls to do such a project.

A friend of mine is putting an Audi 2.7 twin turbo with a 6 speed box in his later Esprit. Iam going to forward your link to him. Maybe at some point it's worth exchanging emails. you may be able to share knowledge or tips perhaps?

He's already put an Audi 1.8 turbo engine in his Exige/Elise which produces over 300BHP!

Good luck and keep us posted!

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Interestingly a friend of mine just sent me a link to an Esprit with a slightly different V8 conversion!!!

http://fnader.com/Lotus

I'm guessing you've all seen it before?

"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked him to forgive me."

------------------------------

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Andy,

I've been watching your progress through a link from Pete at PNM.

Iam very impressed and the V8 Audi engine looks awesome in the engine bay! I must say I admire your ability and balls to do such a project.

A friend of mine is putting an Audi 2.7 twin turbo with a 6 speed box in his later Esprit. Iam going to forward your link to him. Maybe at some point it's worth exchanging emails. you may be able to share knowledge or tips perhaps?

He's already put an Audi 1.8 turbo engine in his Exige/Elise which produces over 300BHP!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Hmmmmm, getting in contact with your mate would be good and we could swap fabbing details like engine mounts, gear linkage etc.

I would certainly be interested in what gearbox he is putting in and my biggest head ache of how to route the exhaust..

Very interesting! Once it's finished maybe you could put something together for LEW!

Will do

Andy

1981 S3 4.2 V8 6 speed (The Mutant)

Mutant V8 Conversion Thread

Knowledge is power .................... apparently.

 

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As Mr. Spock would say "facinating" :(

You would think that chassis was designed by the factory to take a V8 engine! :D

Surprised though that you chose to do the conversion on a running driving car, as it looks like alot of your previous work is now surplus to requirements :D

Im still looking for a shagged out S1 to put a LT-5 Chevrolet engine in :D

SUNP0003-1.jpg
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As Mr. Spock would say "facinating" :(

You would think that chassis was designed by the factory to take a V8 engine! :D

Surprised though that you chose to do the conversion on a running driving car, as it looks like alot of your previous work is now surplus to requirements :D

Im still looking for a shagged out S1 to put a LT-5 Chevrolet engine in :D

All the stuff I take off will go to good homes .......................

1981 S3 4.2 V8 6 speed (The Mutant)

Mutant V8 Conversion Thread

Knowledge is power .................... apparently.

 

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Andy well done on getting the conversion started :D

im sure with your track record it will be a very well done conversion :D

good luck regards danny :D

Thanks Danny

Statements like that are bound to jinx it....................

1981 S3 4.2 V8 6 speed (The Mutant)

Mutant V8 Conversion Thread

Knowledge is power .................... apparently.

 

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AAAAHHHHHHH, SICK, SICK B)

As I have always favoured the new Audi 4.2L BiTurbo ( 420 Hp ) coming from the new RS4, Audi has the R8 out now.

Shivers ! Creepy ! Goose Bumps !

http://microsites.audi.com/audir8/html/index.php?lang=de If you have DSL a MUST !!!

Drip... Wet ... :o

Olaf

Ah, rerality bites... EUR 110.000 .....

sniff

Olaf S400 project www.esprits4.de

__________________________________

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yes yes yes!!!! have been wanting to go with an rs2 setup (20v 5 cyl) for ages.. doing all of my research now to start the project next summer. Good luck you are going to save me alot of headaches when its time for me to start!

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After having my Esprit for over 4 years now and carrying out a number of mods, I figured it was time to do something a little bit different. My car was in pretty poor condition when I bought it as a non- runner and it is now in far from original condition so I thought I would go a bit radical.

So the 912 engine is coming out and a Audi 4.2l all alloy V8 is going in together with a 6 speed gearbox that won't implode. The engine is the same weight as the lotus V8 and produces 320bhp and 300ft/lb without the sign of a turbo so it should make an interesting conversion. It is also a fair bit shorter than the 912 so I can move the engine mass further to the centre of the car which should help offset the weight penalty.

There are a number of issues that need to be solved in the process (the rear brakes being one of them), but all of them I can get around with a bit of head scratching.

I have started a project thread on another site which I will be adding weekly updates, so if anyone is interested in how I get on then have a look here .............

clicky

I'll now sit back, grab a bag of popcorn and wait for all the shouts from people about fitting non-OEM parts to an Esprit ... munch, munch :)Andy

Nice idea <_<

The nice thing here is that the Audi V8 are very compact and that audi gearbox will last.

Are you getting any modifyed parts like cams etc?

What engine management are you going for?

I saw you had headers on the 4 pot and I think with some small mods like match porting intake and cleaning the ports +new headers with a good exhaust you get 380-400bhp easily.

Are you putting turbos on it?

Edited by rydning

89 Lotus Esprit Turbo S

Very fast road and trackday car.

GT3076R+ a lot of other modifications.

http://lotusespritwo...inZzdningz.html

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Nice one Andy ,good luck i will watch with interest .mike s3,do you plan to go turbo panels or stay stock s3 ,mike s3

A bit of both really, though it will stay S3 for a while till I get a chance to sort out the bodywork.

Nice idea <_<

The nice thing here is that the Audi V8 are very compact and that audi gearbox will last.

Are you getting any modifyed parts like cams etc?

What engine management are you going for?

I saw you had headers on the 4 pot and I think with some small mods like match porting intake and cleaning the ports +new headers with a good exhaust you get 380-400bhp easily.

Are you putting turbos on it?

I have got a complete spare engine (less the block which is screwed) so I my get the the cams ground to a more agressive profile and port the heads, I'll see how it performs once it it on the road.

The current fav ECU is a VEMS with a MegaSquirt V3 close behind.

I don't really want to go to all the hassle of fitting throttle bodies on it as the Audi inlet is a variable length jobbie to increase torque across the rev range, junking that will need some serious thought. Plus the Audi ones look nice :)

I don't think putting turbos on it is going to be worth it, as it will be a packaging nightmare and would mean fabbing up new exhaust manifolds. It would need new pistons to get the CR down and internal parts are not available due to Audi considering their engines to be disposable items. Also the gearbox would start to complain at those kind of power levels.

Did you have to modify the frame rails to get the engine in?

Guy

Nope, the chassis is untouched (was part of the project brief) as messing about with it can cause problems with SVA testing.

Andy

1981 S3 4.2 V8 6 speed (The Mutant)

Mutant V8 Conversion Thread

Knowledge is power .................... apparently.

 

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Great to see these mad conversions come together - maybe we could arrange a get together at a large event - Goodwood for example or sth at Hethnel..

Looks like the LS engine just drops in - shoudl mean my 358 should do the same.,.

It's alive.. alive!!!..

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Yeah the conversion fits so well that its hard not to think about doing a similar swap...

please document as much as you can. information like this for our g-cars is worth its weight in gold. i would love to see what pictures you have...

Shah

My Beautiful Car http://www.glcforum.com/ukesprit/forums/in...CODE=12&CID=182

...

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If its not too much trouble for you, could you list out the parts aquired for this conversion and where they originally came from (engine, tranny, etc) so we could get an idea of what it entails...

i always tried to find out more about the SHO conversion but can not find any good information anywhere...

Shah

My Beautiful Car http://www.glcforum.com/ukesprit/forums/in...CODE=12&CID=182

...

ribbon200.gifProud to be a G-car ownerribbon200.gif

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is the Audi engine larger/smaller than Chevy 350 - block length so that a tranny can fit and align with the driveshafts was always my biggest concern..?

Is the Audi tranny shorter/longer than a UN1 or indeed a Porsche G50..? I wonder if I can source an Audi tranny + adaptor clutch housing plate to fit a Chevy motor?

It's alive.. alive!!!..

altimeter.gifsai.gif

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is the Audi engine larger/smaller than Chevy 350 - block length so that a tranny can fit and align with the driveshafts was always my biggest concern..?

Is the Audi tranny shorter/longer than a UN1 or indeed a Porsche G50..? I wonder if I can source an Audi tranny + adaptor clutch housing plate to fit a Chevy motor?

When it stops peeing down with rain I'll go out and measure up one of my Audi ABZ 4.2 engines and let you know the dimensions.

Andy

Edited by hilly

1981 S3 4.2 V8 6 speed (The Mutant)

Mutant V8 Conversion Thread

Knowledge is power .................... apparently.

 

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When it stops peeing down with rain I'll go out and measure up one of my Audi ABZ 4.2 engines and let you know the dimensions.

Andy

Cheers Andy - us V8 boys got to stick together.. :(

Had some rough workings - motor looks ok but my worry is the tranny + adaptor plate but then I look at that audi tranny and it's pretty long. Main thing is there's enough room to line-up the driveshafts. Appreciate you looking. :(:(

It's alive.. alive!!!..

altimeter.gifsai.gif

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