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PostPosted: January 22, 2022, 12:28 pm 
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Joined: January 7, 2022, 9:53 am
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Location: Buda, Tx
I'm looking into options to de-tune a 1990-ish race spec 2.3L lima Ford currently fitted with an Esslinger aluminum head/huge cam/etc. and found a bargain on CL for a '99 2.5L head off a Ford Ranger.

Unfortunately '95-&up has different cam/rockers/etc and there are no aftermarket cams or timing gears that I can find...

Wondering if it's possible to fit the earlier 2.3L cams/springs/etc into the later head without significant work. I might be able to regrind the stock cam, but it looks like its the type with pressed on lobes.

I think I should keep looking for an earlier head, but wanted to ask...


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PostPosted: January 22, 2022, 4:27 pm 
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I think all the original roller cams have pressed lobe construction but some grinders will regrind them.

The cam specs maybe different but the cams should be interchangeable.

The head difference seems to be thinner valve stems with fewer lock grooves but the same valve sizes, same cam bearings, head gasket, etc. A difference in rockers could be due to a change in roller size and change to the frame shape as a result.

The top of the lifter buckets may need fly cutting to clear the adjusting hardware on the solid lifters but standard lifters should fit.

Note these heads (as well as any oem roller) have two spark plugs per cylinder. You can use one or trigger two systems off the same wheel and stage the firing.

It looks like the rods are the same too with the change in stroke compensated for by a thinner compression height in the 2.5l pistons.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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PostPosted: January 22, 2022, 9:08 pm 
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I like your optimism! For $40 seems this like a cheap gamble to find out, plus my brother has been doing cylinder heads for over 30 years. Seems odd Ford should make so many changes towards the end of a motors life-cycle, maybe they were chasing efficiency to keep up with the competition.


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PostPosted: January 23, 2022, 7:23 am 
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That is a great deal.

It appears the rocker change was due to the stem od change to maintain alignment on the valve tip and the roller on the cam. On the 2.5l, they reduced the intake port volume (higher velocity and throttle response at low revs) by raising the floor which also improves flow for a more direct route to the intake valve but they kept the lower intake gasket the same. Thinner stems allow for less guide bump/pinch in the ports and lighter valves and retainers with one less groove on the valves. Chambers look to hold more cc’s to comp for the compression bump that would occur with the stroke increase.

It appears that some of the early 90s 2.3s had the 80s style NA upper intake with the newer lower pattern, but your existing intake (newer style and not an 80s car D port) appears to fit without issue.

What transmission do you have? I’m guessing a T5. There should be an embossed steel tag under one of the bolt heads on the main case with 1352 followed by the 3 digit trans ident. The 2.3l T5 has a longer input shaft than a ford v8 T5 but you may have a hybrid for torque capacity and a numerically lower first gear ratio. I spied the hydraulic clutch master that may be tied to an aftermarket hydraulic release bearing in the bell housing or external slave cylinder. The rear axle should also have a tag indicating the ratio and if a traction loc limited slip diff is installed, though you may have something less common considering the cost that went into this build.


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_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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PostPosted: January 23, 2022, 7:26 pm 
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Location: Buda, Tx
Scored it! Looks to be in really good shape. The beast (Rotus) has the massive Esslinger intake, I don't think that's going to work too well on this head, but I'll certainly check. My exhaust has 1.75" ID primary tubes, not ideal but usable in the short term, maybe. I figure on looking for an intake that'll fit a weber 32/36 or Holley, or heck maybe the Holley Sniper EFI kit but I haven't been down that rabbit hole yet.

I think the combustion chamber on this head is ~60cc, and based on what I'm guessing is in the motor (from the notebook), I'd get down to 9.5-10:1... which you might have said a few weeks ago. That seems just about right for a punchy motor.

The transmission is a T5 from the 87-88 Turbo Coupe T-Bird, with a now obsolete internal slave cylinder, Tilton 61-601, another rabbit hole... I'm worried about that because the clutch master reservoir fluid was very dark gray, with a little gray 'spooge' in the bottom. I got as much out as I could and tried to flush the system with the MityVac but got very little fluid out the slave bleeder, I was alone so I didn't have anyone to press the pedal. I've got my fingers crossed, but have a new master on the shelf.

There are notes about modifying the input shaft so that's another puzzle. It does have an aluminum flywheel, and the ratios are 3.97 - 2.34 - 1.46 - 1.00 - 0.79

The rear end is from a '79-'80 Celica Supra, either 3.7x or 4.1x:1, originally with LSD, but a 'Lock Right PowrTrax' mini-spool appears to have been installed, yet another mystery. Happily there's a NOS LSD Toyota TRD differential in the box of spares, sadly at least one axle seal is leaking, and the rear brake calipers are apparently no longer available remanufactured, though a dealer in Florida may have some NOS, at almost $300 each.

Fun stuff, thanks for your time and info!


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PostPosted: January 24, 2022, 9:05 am 
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Most likely the tilton just has a couple standard sized o rings compatible with brake fluid (buna-N/nitrile). There isn’t much pressure (compared to brakes) in a clutch system. If you ever need another trans, you might consider an upgrade to any 94 or newer ford application T5 (with some input shaft machining) or a lessor upgrade to the best ranger lima manual trans, the ranger ‘94-‘00 M50-R1.

The ranger 5 speed from 94-00 behind the lima is the M50D-R1 and is actually better in a few ways. The bellhousing is integral (and a different pattern from the other engines) and has a hydraulic release bearing as standard equipment. It has about 330 ftlbs capacity compared to 240 ftlbs for the ’87 Tbird T5, pn 1352-155 so it is probably heavier with a greater case width. 1st gear is better than the tbird with a tighter spread through third gear (3.72/2.20/1.50/1.0/0.79.

I don’t think anybody has offered a downdraft carb adapter or intake for the truck D port but one can be fabricated without welding and the injector ports plugged with epoxy/jb weld, though the air cleaner will likely be higher than the valve cover, with any carb or the sniper efi. However, with welding and machining, the ford lower intake can be cut down to a similar height as the earlier downdraft carb intakes. Another alternative is to modify an aluminum carb intake to make and weld a compatible head flange.

In the pic, I placed the primary in the optimum position since it will be for low port velocity with the secondary partially obscured/restricted from the closest ports at high velocity for better mix distribution. The non-progressive (sch as a 34mm or holley 350) makes more sense.

Or, if you don’t want to fab an adapter, you could use the earlier D port head that has many options for carb intakes and most everything is backward compatible. The early head will lower the carb about 3 inches compared to a bolt-on, fabricated adapter on the truck D port lower intake.

I’m ignoring the elephant in the room of a modified efi by adapting a forward facing throttle body on a small box plenum bolted to the truck lower and using the injection components, because I don’t think you want to put a lot of energy and time into learning to work on the car with a lap top and soldering iron, not that there is anything wrong with that. I prefer carbs too.


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_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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PostPosted: January 24, 2022, 10:35 am 
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Joined: January 7, 2022, 9:53 am
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Location: Buda, Tx
Again, thanks for the wealth of information! I agree about finding an earlier head, but i'd hoped the standard 2300 intake from Esslinger could to the job, perhaps raising the intake runner floor near the head (epoxy) and plugging the intake side sparkplug holes in the head. But it may be better suited to the '80's style 2.3 head.

And yes, we'll ignore the elephant in the room, at least for the short term. :D

https://esslingeracing.com/ford-2-valve-4-cyl-engines-parts/2-3l-sohc-lima-engines-parts/top-end-assemblies-components-12/manifolds-1/esslinger-2-bbl-manifold-for-oem-type-heads-ford-2300-2-3l-sohc


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PostPosted: January 25, 2022, 8:47 am 
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I think your best option to use this head is to take the head, a ranger lower intake and your carb choice to one of those race shops. They could use the head as a jig, cut the intake in half and weld a carb mount box from 3/8 aluminum plate, fitting the carb as low as possible and ensuring the linkage will clear. Probably cost about $400 and they supply the aluminum plate.

Racer Walsh makes adapters for the car d port. Maybe they would make a new adapter for you that they could also sell but it would be tall.

I think bolting on an adapter to fit the d port car carb intake to the d port truck head and packing the ports with jbweld probably wont work well or last long on a wet flow intake.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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PostPosted: February 7, 2022, 8:34 am 
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FYI: Check out the upper intakes made by Don and Craig to fit a throttle body. I know you are not going that way but it is interesting to see how they made them.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=8212

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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