Anyone put a Zetec engine in a kit car?

[Chris Cussen]

Bit of a sad story but my wife sold her treasured Mondy (Superchiped, Spax sports suspension, Mongoose twin exhausts, approx 160bph) onto my son, who had a mate 'borrow' it and crash it rear end first.

So sitting in the drive is a dead Mondy with a perfectly good Zetec engine. Has anyone out there put a Zetec in a RWD kit car, what did they have to do and how much did it cost?

[chrislandy]

It would be no different to putting any non standard engine into a kit, engine mounts, exhaust & wiring changes

what are you thinking of building now?

Chris.

[Chris Cussen]

I was thinking of replacing the DOHC 8v I4 engine (running on carbs, 113bhp) in the Cabrio with the Zetec (136bph standard, 160 with chip and exhaust).

Really wanted a ball park figure for the costs to present to the management.

[chrislandy]

Does the current gearbox mate to the zetec?

[GreatOldOne]

Chris - this chap put a 2.0L Zetec from a Cougar into a Healy Sprite:

http://www.britishv8.org/Other/RichardBondy.htm

He used a T9 Gearbox to make the conversion from transverse front wheel drive to longitudinal rear wheel drive:

One negative of the Zetec engine is that it was always installed by Ford in an "east /west" (transverse) configuration for front wheel drive products. The engine cants rearward at approximately a 7.5 degree angle to allow for a low hood line and increased vision line to the pavement ahead. Thus, the oil sump and oil pickup assembly aren't really well suited for a rear wheel drive application. There are no side motor mounts, and the engine attaches at the front through the serpentine belt.

These issues can all be overcome, I knew, because various "Super Seven" derivatives utilize the Zetec engine. The next step was to visit Great Lakes Caterham in Milford, Michigan. The owner Jim Constas assisted me in measuring various configurations. I came to the conclusion that with modifications the motor might fit, but it was going to be very close. I decided to purchase a Zetec engine and give it a try. If everything failed, my fallback position would be to use the engine in a Super 7.

My 2.0 liter Zetec was removed from a wrecked 1999 Cougar with 11,642 miles. The difference between the automatic and manual motors are the ignition trigger sensor (flywheel-mounted tone wheel) and the length of the pinion on the

Many Super Sevens use a Borg Warner T9 transmission. (It's sometimes referred to as a Ford "Type 9".) The T9 is a 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive. In North America the Borg Warner T5 5-speed is more common and inexpensive because it was used in many more cars including both Mustang and Camaro, but there are advantages to choosing the T9. The T9 was originally a four speed unit that was subsequently redesigned with an additional overdrive ratio in a larger tailshaft housing. Subsequently, it's a very narrow package. It easily fits in the extremely narrow Sprite transmission tunnel. Unfortunately the only T9 product imported into the U.S. market was the Merkur. The T9 was widely used in Ford products throughout England and Europe.

More info:

http://www.mtechautomotive.co.uk/gui..._Fitting_Guide
http://www.rwdmotorsport.com/bellhousings/cat_2.html
http://www.toyne.org.uk/zetec-fitment.html
http://www.geoffallison.co.uk/zetec_fitment.html

[Chris Cussen]

Chris,
no - it doesn't mate, you need a new bellhousing, however I've only seen Zetec to type 9 advertised, I've got an MT75 box.

Goo
Thanks for the info

[GreatOldOne]

More info - looks as if the MT75 is usable as well:

http://www.zetecinside.com/xr2/gearbox.shtml
http://www.rsmotorsport.com.au/techn...box_Combos.pdf
http://www.emeng.gentlyhosting.co.uk...ox/EngGear.htm