Popular Post Laika Posted January 27, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) I have posted elsewhere about my completed build. But I have not posted in detail about my engine and box install. I bought my elan with no engine, gearbox, prop or ancillaries or radiator.. the engine bay was stripped out and missing in action. The big open hole meant I researched options... toyed with s2000 and zetec transplants but ended up with the same engine as the m90 lotus elan propotype. The 4age. It is light. So no need for brake or suspension modifications. It even has engine mounts in the right place. The gearbox is a type 50 all aluminum 5 speed. The choice was influenced by my desire to change as little of the original elan as possible , to keep the drivong style and ecperience and make it look like a period install, complete with dcoe carbs. I have spent the last year tweaking and massaging fit. There is a lot more to a custom install than you think. A custom gear lever relocation . Custom built exhaust and inlet manifolds. Custom engine and gearbox mounts, ignition ecu, engine bay loom, fuel lines, filters, fuel pump, pressure regulator, servo vacuum take off, speedo drive and cable, clutch hydraulics, propshaft, radiator and mounts, temp sender, hose routing, headlamp motor (no vacuum feed for original system) tachograph conversion, accelerator cable and a couple of frame mods to my series 1 spyder spaceframe. Here is my engine bay. .. Edited January 27, 2018 by Laika 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) Along the way I did a full engine rebuild too.. a custom winged and baffled sump with custom pickup.. even still has the same oil capacity an oil cooler and return feed to the sump Edited January 27, 2018 by Laika 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 I had to mount the engine slightly lower to keep the engine and gearbox level in the chassis. As a result I had to customise the anti roll bar. I cut off the bushed chassis mount end of the droplinks, threaded the remaining rod and fitted rose joints, I kept the original arrangement on the ARB itself. But with the rose joints I got an extra 10 to 30mm drop to clear the rear of my sump. The sump was originally designed for a tilted engine, first step was to make it level. The I cut off the sump oil reservoir, split it in half, added a filler plate and welded the whole lot as a winged sump. This shorted the sump by 2", so I had to also shorten the oil pickup. I used the original pipe but added the pickup from a ford fiesta as it has a much shallower head. Because I had winged the sump thus makes it a right pain to bolt in place, more luck than planning, there is just enough space for a spanner... The longitudinal install on the 4age has the starter on the offside... but the Rwd gearbox has the starter on the nearside, so I had to alter the engine to gearbox cover.. I made up a template on the gearbox while it was in my shed so that I could move the starter holes to the correct side... you don't actually need this cover... it protects the flywheel and clutch from road debris... which is probably a good idea... the starter is from a Toyota corolla and bolts straight in... it use's an on board solenoid, so you don't need the otiginal bulkhead solenoid... but you do need custom wiring loom in the engine bay ! I had to make up a gear lever relocation, which came out perfectly, I even fitted a lotus elise gear lever and knob which has the same gear layout as the Toyota t50 gearbox I used. I used a new original slave cylinder for clutch operation . The clutch is a standard Toyota corolla unit with a clutch release bearing from a Toyota levin. I also had to press a bearing into the crankshaft to convert it to a RWD... the 4age I bought was from an MR2 which is mid mounted longitudinal. I used the original clutch master.. rebuilding with new springs and seals. I had to spend a small fortune getting a new speedo drive, cable and output yoke for this gearbox. Once all mounted I measured up and had a custom prop made using and original diff flange and my yoke. The rear gearbox mount is an original mount using large rubber bobbins, just like modern cars use as engine mounts. For my engine mounts I made up mock mounts in card and then fabricated heavy duty mounts for the engine block.. and used standard lotus engine mounts to the chassis. The nearside mount is more complex as I had to clear the oil cooler feed from the filter housing. The oil cooler is a standard 10 row unit using braided hose in and out. I mounted it in the nose on banjos. The engine is a standard 4age big port model. 7 rib block with high compression pistons, new bearings and rings all round, big port head with a "blue top" pair of cams. I cover the cams with original covers with the Toyota script machined off, wrinkle finished. Engine was rebuilt with all new seals. I made up mild steel inlet manifold so I could mount dcoe 40 weber's. I have since upgraded the linkage for the cable so that the butterflies fully open. I got the big port plate and weber plate from a company in Ireland, the inlet runs were made for me in cornwall and I welded it all together. I also got the exhaust plate and made up a customised manifold. I intended to make a 4-2-1 tubular... only to discover that was a stretch of my skills... so I made a hybrid log/tubular.. basically a tubular manifold with lengths that fit the installation limitations !. I joined this to an original exhaust pipe and rear silencer. As it tuns out I ended up with an install with suprisingly high torque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Ignition is managed by an ecu which plugs into the 4age distributor.. it only manages curves and advance..it is not programmable... it is designed specifically for carbed installs on the 4age. I have hidden the electricery behind the brake servo. I had to relocate the coil to the nearside inner wing...and associated wiring... The alternator is from a Toyota corolla using the 4age mounts... but this is offside.. luckily it clears the RHD steering column. .. just... almost like it was designed that way ! The wiring for this alternator is very different and took a while to get right, so that my ignition and warning lights work as intended. I upgraded the tacho using a spidya circuit board. . And it shows revs perfectly. I went to a solid state voltage regulator behind the dash... just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Radiator is all aluminium vw golf mk2 with a brass bolt sealing off the drain plug. I used silicon hoses and an aluminum temp sender joint from carbuildersolutions to get the water pump joined to the rad. I put a large electric fan in, using a variable trigger, which I have set to 90 degrees Celsius.... more wiring ! The rad has an expansion take off . I used the original expansion tank... it is mounted in the nose with an unsprung cap from a landy. The pressure release sprung cap is mounted on the top hose.. I got this new on ebay.. this comes with an overflow takeoff which I run a hose open at low level...it shouldnt be used... The rad is mounted using 3mm aluminium plate, cardboard template using the original mount holes to the body. Because it is taller I have put the foam across the bonnet, I used the original aluminium heat protector over the steering column. The rad size makes running a hose to feed the airbox difficult, the space is too narrow for the standard hose, so I am using jenvy foam filters over my weber trumpets instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 So after all that I get 113 lbft torque and 100 bhp @ 4500 rpm at the wheels, a slick 5 speed gearbox .. for a lot less cost than a replacement lotus engine and box.... but a lot more work With fuel injection I could loose the distributor and get another 20 bhp... but I loose classic look :)... unless I got jenvey clsssic injection carbs. .. but they are 1300 pound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAndretti42 Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Gosh! That sounfs like a lot of work. Well done for seeing ti throughht to completion. Looks like a nice installation. That Toyota engine is nice and light is right, as they say. Quote S4 Elan, Elan +2S, Federal-spec, World Championship Edition S2 Esprit #42, S1 Elise, Excel SE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) This is my gear lever relocation. The original lever location is about 3" further back...under the chassis. I took the selector with the original gear stick. Cut off the lever, drilled a hole through the selector at 90 degrees, pushed a rod through and reattached the lever in the right location. I ran the rod in a pair of bearings and then replicated the ball using a pair of rosejoints. I boxed it all in and added a rubber sleeve to seal the lever. Edited January 27, 2018 by Laika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAS-118 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Wow - fascinating conversion - well done and thanks for sharing ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) Cut and shut sump. Drain and oil return from cooler at the top. Wrinkle finished. Cooked in oven at 90 degress to make it super tough ! Shortened sump pickup: Edited January 30, 2018 by Laika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) Because I needed to use an electric fuel pump I had to flip the fuel banjo to put the pump filter and pressure regulator in the boot. I have since fitted a malpassi regulator. I ran copper pipe through the chassis to a brass barbed Y piece and then braided hose on new banjos.. Edited January 30, 2018 by Laika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) Engine and box In this picture you can see the front chassis change to acome date the pulley Clutch release bearing from a Toyota Levin And a new clutch from from a Toyota corolla. Bit of a mimash of parts as I used the lighter flywheel which is not the usual one to us on a Toyota T50 gearbox But I wanted to retain the hydraulic operated lever. You can just make out the pilot bearing... And the final gear lever location: Edited January 30, 2018 by Laika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trw999 Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Thank you for taking the time to post that Laika. A very neat installation that must have demanded a good deal of your skills, thought, time and dedication. Well done! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonwat Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Nice job, well done. Quote Cheers, John W http://jonwatkins.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted February 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 Up to date picture of engine bay: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry McKenzie Posted December 23, 2020 Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 Hello how much clearance did you have between steering column and alternator thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted December 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2020 If you're using a folded chassis your engine will be slightly higher than mine, I am using a Spyder chassis which has an additional cross brace behind the gear lever location which fouls the T50 gearbox lever relocation mechanism. That cross brace is not present on a real chassis. I wanted to ensure that the engine and box were perfectly level in the chassis , the only way to achieve that was to clear the brace by lowering the engine slightly. The clearance engine to column is fine, the clearance could be an issue with the alternator in its original position. If you use an ECU you no longer require the distributor so you can relocate the alternator to the opposite side. I kept the distributor so I made a custom mount to lift the alternator about 40mm from the original position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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