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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 28, 2016, 12:06 pm 
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In the end, I decided to forego the hinged plates - I would loved to have put them in, but the curved section is there because the oil pickup actually snugs into it, so there's no straight line anywhere that a hinged part could close against.

What I did was to cut a series of roughly 1/4" vertical slots between the pan extension & the original pan area - they should (hopefully) slow the oil surge some, but still allow the oil to flow back into the main tank. I also drilled a couple of 11/4" holes in the very top of the shallow area of the original pan (that now has the extension under it). It occurred to me that, without these holes, the new section of the pan could end up like an inverted glass pushed down into water - the air needs to be able to escape for the oil to be able to fill the extension area. So, I've basically put a couple of small holes in the bottom of the glass...

I tried the dipstick, and it was encouraging. I won't have to modify it at all (which was my plan), and it will still represent the appropriate oil level in the sump. And, I'm even less concerned about oil surge, now - Ford's intended level of oil in the sump indicates that the entire metal portion of the sump will be full, up to the level of the alloy splash pan above it. The splash pan itself has baffling & surge restrictions too, so I think the current plan should work.

I cut the original drain plug area out of the old bottom of the pan for re-use (basically, moving it up 1.75"). The female portion of the drain is a threaded collar, formed on a small steel plate, and attached to the pan with a couple of spot welds. Initially, I tried drilling out the spot welds to remove the collar - it turns out that the spot welds are far harder than my titanium-nitride drill bits (it only took me 3 drill bits destroyed to figure this out - :roll: ). In the end, I used the angry grinder to remove the traces of the original pan from the collar & free up the spot weld holes. As there is still a nice flat area of the pan above the original drain hole, I drilled a new hole, fit the drain plug through it & into the collar, and plug welded the collar (through the spot weld holes) into place.

I'm hopeful there won't be any leaks - thankfully, the OEM drain plug's mating surface has a generous O-ring set into it, which should account for any tiny less-than-flat parts of the new sealing area (thanks, Ford - I appreciate that!).

Today, I'm hoping to find some 12 to 14 gauge steel so I can make a new pan floor. I'm going to try my local welding shop, as the round trip to the only supplier of sheet metal is more than 1 1/2 hours.

By the way - as I said, I have about 2-3 mm clearance between the (new) bottom of the pan & the (newly-trimmed) oil pickup snout. Does that seem like enough clearance?

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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 28, 2016, 3:24 pm 
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Location: Kamloops, BC, Canada
zetec7 wrote:
In the end, I decided to forego the hinged plates - I would loved to have put them in, but the curved section is there because the oil pickup actually snugs into it, so there's no straight line anywhere that a hinged part could close against.

What I did was to cut a series of roughly 1/4" vertical slots between the pan extension & the original pan area - they should (hopefully) slow the oil surge some, but still allow the oil to flow back into the main tank. I also drilled a couple of 11/4" holes in the very top of the shallow area of the original pan (that now has the extension under it). It occurred to me that, without these holes, the new section of the pan could end up like an inverted glass pushed down into water - the air needs to be able to escape for the oil to be able to fill the extension area. So, I've basically put a couple of small holes in the bottom of the glass...

I tried the dipstick, and it was encouraging. I won't have to modify it at all (which was my plan), and it will still represent the appropriate oil level in the sump. And, I'm even less concerned about oil surge, now - Ford's intended level of oil in the sump indicates that the entire metal portion of the sump will be full, up to the level of the alloy splash pan above it. The splash pan itself has baffling & surge restrictions too, so I think the current plan should work.

I cut the original drain plug area out of the old bottom of the pan for re-use (basically, moving it up 1.75"). The female portion of the drain is a threaded collar, formed on a small steel plate, and attached to the pan with a couple of spot welds. Initially, I tried drilling out the spot welds to remove the collar - it turns out that the spot welds are far harder than my titanium-nitride drill bits (it only took me 3 drill bits destroyed to figure this out - :roll: ). In the end, I used the angry grinder to remove the traces of the original pan from the collar & free up the spot weld holes. As there is still a nice flat area of the pan above the original drain hole, I drilled a new hole, fit the drain plug through it & into the collar, and plug welded the collar (through the spot weld holes) into place.

I'm hopeful there won't be any leaks - thankfully, the OEM drain plug's mating surface has a generous O-ring set into it, which should account for any tiny less-than-flat parts of the new sealing area (thanks, Ford - I appreciate that!).

Today, I'm hoping to find some 12 to 14 gauge steel so I can make a new pan floor. I'm going to try my local welding shop, as the round trip to the only supplier of sheet metal is more than 1 1/2 hours.

By the way - as I said, I have about 2-3 mm clearance between the (new) bottom of the pan & the (newly-trimmed) oil pickup snout. Does that seem like enough clearance?

That's pretty similar to the clearance I have between the bottom of the pan and the pickup tube too. I kinda wish I'd done my pan like you're doing yours. I just cut the sump off, cut out a 1" or so strip, the welded the sump back on. I thought about adding extra volume back in like you did, but that's as far as it went.
Kristian

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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 28, 2016, 3:46 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
To be honest, I've added the extra capacity in an abundance of (probably unnecessary) caution. The amount I removed only calculates to a loss of less than 1/2 liter, but I figure it can't hurt to add the extra, since I'm already into it that far. The 1/2 liter reduction is more than likely irrelevant, as it's perfectly acceptable to run an engine between full and add-a-liter on the dipstick, so as long as you keep it topped up, you're probably absolutely safe. "Overkill" is my mantra!

I take it your oil pickup is close to the new bottom of the sump, too? No problems maintaining oil pressure?

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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 29, 2016, 1:09 am 
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I hope I don't have any oil pressure issues, I don't have a gauge though, so I wouldn't know until it's too late. The only time I had issues with the old engine was the first time I autocrossed it on the slicks, and that was after quite bit of autocrossing on toyo r888's. That was with a completely un-baffled pan, and I think the oil level was already quite low. After my second run that day the engine was knocking really bad, and the oil level was way below the "add" mark. The new engine has a baffle between the sump and the crank. This time I don't have any oil leaks, and I'm a bit more careful about checking the oil occasionally. The old engine survived several more autocrosses after being starved, as well as a bunch of street driving. I was pretty much looking for an excuse to replace the tired old one anyway. I think with my shallow pan I'm down a bit less than 1l of oil.
Kristian

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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 29, 2016, 3:04 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
As far as oil pressure indication is concerned, again I'm being OCD. I'll be using my Smiths mechanical oil pressure gauge and, as the Zetec has an oil pressure sender already there & wired, my plan is to hook it up to a bright red LED on the dash. At least, in my mind it will work - I tried continuity through it, and it has continuity to ground with zero oil pressure, so I'm thinking that with actual oil pressure, there should be no continuity to ground. So...run wires from the indicator light to the sensor, and when there's no continuity, there's no light, and all's good. Light's lit up = no oil pressure. That's my plan, at least. I figure the mechanical gauge will be good for diagnostics purposes, and the light will be for alerting me to "Oh, CRAP!" moments...hopefully, before any damage is done.

My buddy (building the other of the pair of Locosts we're doing) has a zero-oil-pressure fuel pump cutout unit for his. Interesting idea - while cranking, no fuel until oil pressure is up. If oil pressure dies, the engine shuts down. Depends on how instant it is, though - a brief flicker of oil pressure in traffic could cause engine flame-out, which could be an issue. I'm going to wait & see how well his works...

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http://zetec7.webs.com/


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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 29, 2016, 9:57 pm 
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BTW - here's a pic of the final shape of the pan - new floor fabrciated, some paint removed to allow welding without too much smoke, ready for TIG welding. The original pan is 18 gauge steel, and the new floor is 16 gauge. I was going to use 14 gauge, but there simply isn't any hereabouts. Still, the new floor is heavier steel than the pan itself.

Please overlook the heavy tack welds on the extension box...

Attachment:
Img_1254crop.jpg


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http://zetec7.webs.com/


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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 31, 2016, 3:43 pm 
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I was originally thinking of repainting the inside of the pan (it came painted, so maybe it should be again?), but in reading threads all over, it seems it might be best not to, as many products won't withstand hot oil, and may sheet off, plugging the oil feed tube screen :shock: .

That leaves the ugly thought of removing the remaining, original paint from the inside of the pan. I can't get at all of it, even with my various rotary sanding toys...uh, tools, and I'm concerned about the remaining 10-15% sheeting off under use. I have no idea what kind of paint it is (although I've read that OEM pans are generally painted with some sort of heat-baked enamel). I'm going to try "aircraft paint stripper", to see if I can get the inside of the pan cleaned up. The outside doesn't matter - I'll be painting that with high-heat engine paint, just to keep the rust monkey away. Bare steel inside, completely bathed in oil, shouldn't be a rust problem, I figure.

It never ceases to amaze me how a theoretically simple job like shortening an oil pan (shouldn't take more than what, a couple of hours?) can stretch into days of planning, measuring, cutting, fabricating, welding, fixing new problems I've created, and finishing & painting. Thankfully, I've been able to do it without having to order parts! 'Course, it ain't finished yet! :BH:

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http://zetec7.webs.com/


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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 31, 2016, 5:27 pm 
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ZETEC7,

I made a temporary parts washer/ paint remover by boiling water and tide detergent or any strong detergent. I found the best results was with powdered garage floor cleaner. I used the top half of an old stainless steel pool filter as my tub and heated it up with my propane deep fried turkey cooker. Can't use it for too long on aluminum though.

Tom

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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 31, 2016, 8:16 pm 
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Cool idea, thanks Tom! I've never used stripper on steel before, so I don't know what to expect. I'm hoping it won't instantly rust! I'm sure open to ideas like yours!

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http://zetec7.webs.com/


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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: July 31, 2016, 8:33 pm 
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It doesn't remove rust, just paint, oil, grease. I also rigged up a double valve on the hot water supply line to my shop sink and then turned up the hot water heater as high as it will go. I then connect an old pressure washer hose to the new valve and Voila', I have a dandy way to clean out anything the boiling softens up.

I'm just full of neat ideas. Two shows nightly, don't forget to tip your waitress.

Tom

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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: August 5, 2016, 4:17 am 
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Thought I'd add a couple of pics of my shortened & now-welded oil pan. All that's needed is a lick of paint, and it's done! The guy who did the TIG welding did mostly fusion, without adding filler, except around the extension box at the back. Check out the color around the welds - lots of penetration!! Pan is leak free, too!

I can't believe how tough & strong this thing is - with the 16-gauge bottom, and welded up, it's solid as a rock. Very happy!

Attachment:
pan welded 1.jpg


Attachment:
pan welded 2.jpg


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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: December 8, 2017, 10:39 am 
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First, I apologize if this has already been covered. I don't remember seeing it here but that might be my faulty memory. This builder covers a lot of ground concerning Zetec to T5 in a MGB.
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/engine-transmission-swap/302371-zetec-powered-mgb-build-thread-9.html
An earlier bellhousing from a 2.0L /2.3L Pinto, with the lower top bolt pattern is supposed to match the Zetec pattern.

Ron

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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: April 16, 2018, 5:26 pm 
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Hi all, I'm building a Locost Seven. I tried to use the OMC adapter but found it was too thick. The WC T-5 didn't reach the Zetec with the OMC adapter between the two. But I did end up using it as a hole guide for making my own plate out of 1/4" steel. If anyone has interest I posted the steps I took to my car's blog: http://www.vintageandclassiccars.net/2018/04/bellhousing-blues-or-how-i-learned-to.html


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 Post subject: Re: ZETEC T5 HOW-TO/FAQ
PostPosted: October 18, 2023, 3:33 pm 
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Rats!
Seems this thread is slumbering.
I am looking to mate a 2.3 T5 to a Kent 1600/Zetec block pattern.
T9 would be too easy, and now too expensive. :BH:
As near as I can tell most of the links here are dead.
So unless I can find an updated guide it seems I will be modifying the 2.3 bell by relocating the two top mounting holes.

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