GHPT Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I have a Lotus Seven with a Phase 5 Race Engine and Cams. It was raced at Combe about 5 years ago and I taken out the shed and it is now my project. I have just spent about £4500 for a 5 speed box, new diff, the whole thing re wired, new seats and upholstered. I just went around around Europe with a mate and had limited problems. (starter motor jam, and oil gauge pipe leak) Get back to England and it drops a valve. Because the engine is far from standard (Ford Twin-Cam - BRM) the repair will be about £1500 +. Do I: 1. Take the engine out and repair and sell it, bare in mind I think it is worth about £9000 and put in something more reliable like a Zetec R? But loose the originality/pedigree of the car..... 2. Repair it and put back in the car? and just pay the repair bill. Although if I put it back in the Car I would want to put the old road cams in it as at the moment you have to drive above 5000 to bring into life. But then i feel it is a waste having the £5,000 plus work that has been done to the whole engine to make it a race engine!!! SOME ADVICE would be great!! George :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irrelevant Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I'd go for option 1 . . .. now it's failed once, you'll only worry about it in future. Sure, there are people that have these motors and report good reliability, but if you can fix it and flogg it for good money, I would. And let's face it, for a few thousand you can fit a 200bhp injected Zetec that can be dressed to 'look' old fashioned (you can get BD look-alike cam covers for them) but will be far more powerful, driveable, reliable and easier to live with than a race tuned twin-cam. Once you've fitted a Zetec, if it does go pop after a millionty miles, you can get a new one from Mr Ford for not a great deal (c.£1500 I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ster Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 As usual with these dilemmas, it ultimately depends what you want to get from the car and how you intend to use it. As your experience suggests, a full race Twink is likely to be a bit of a pain for touring and a Zetec will certainly be a more pleasant and reliable engine for road use – let’s not forget that the Ford/Lotus Twincam is over 30 years old! However, if you value the character and pedigree of the car (and I would be surprised if you didn’t) it would be a great shame to separate a classic engine from a genuine Lotus 7 and replace it with a modern smoothie. If you really want the ease and reliability of a Zetec or Duratec, sell your car as a whole and buy a Caterham that is already sorted. It won’t be difficult to detect the bias behind the above comments – I went through a similar quandary last winter with my 1983 Caterham (not even a genuine Lotus) 7 that had been built as a copy of the last SS. The Twink was showing signs of distress and I looked at substituting it with a Zetec but ended up with a Jondel Racing built 2 litre, alloy blocked Twink that goes and sounds just great. 😬 But then I use it for sprinting and track days – not touring. You pays your money etc. but think about what you really like about the car. Sometimes the character comes higher up the list than you would have thought! Best of luck. Paul Edited by - 4* on 30 Jul 2009 14:04:40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cornford Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Why not have the best of both worlds? If the engine is original, take it out but keep it, so that at some point in the future, you can restore the car if necessary to "original". Put in a secondhand "road" engine for your enjoyment on the road, but choose one that does not involve modifying the chassis etc to keep your originality. Sigma SteVe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I'm with Steve on this one . Put the Twin cam to one side and install a Raceline Zetec-R (here) and you can have the best of both. Use the Zetec for everyday use and when you want to sell the car, you can either put the Twincam back in and keep the Zetec for another car or offer it to the new owner as an enhancement! I have an injected Zetec and can confirm that they are fabulous engines; the torque curve is almost flat and peaks at nearly 170lb ft. 'Have you any idea what it's like to have the wind rushing through your hair!' (Quote:Sq Cdr the Lord Flashheart) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Dave Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Hi George, I think 4* sums it up well. Personally I would either keep it with the current engine, or sell the car complete and buy a Caterham. You are local to me - I work in Bath and live in Mere. Be good to sell hello sometime. David Smitheram, Wiltshire (South) AR, 07718 368173. 1400 supersport race car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DohNut Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 The other thing that may change the economics is that the engine is not worth £9000, it may owe someone that amount in parts and labour but when you can get a modern engine with more power for a small fraction of the price no-one will pay that much for it This engine K2RUM may or may not have sold for the 8k asked for and it included ecu dry sump etc and produced significantly more power. N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickrick Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I'm with 4* on this one. Sums it up nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irrelevant Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 The other thing that may change the economics is that the engine is not worth £9000, It may well be worth £9K if it's fresh and has all the goodies (full steel, race head, etc.) as it's a popular motor for classic racers. It may be just another Twink, but if you bear in mind Mr Richardson was charging £37K for BDGs(a similar classic race engine) 10 years ago, you can see £9K is not out of the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h_____ Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Keep the car original, if its not what you want, then sell it and buy something that suits your needs. Dont start mucking around with it, as a classic with valueable spec, it will be much better to keep it as is. I'd fix it, and sell the car. You can buy something much more useable on the road them. Or if you are really attached to the car, keep it original and live with the compromises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHPT Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Thanks for all your help guys. The car is far from a classic Lotus anyway. is has 1994 caterham chassis and pretty much everything is non-lotus apart from the badge. I reckon I am gonna get Zetec from Raceline with the 190 BHP engine. Sell the original to a historic formula ford or something like that where there is stupid money flying around....... George :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h_____ Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Ah! I got the impression it was a classic lotus 7. Then you are right! if its on a '94 chassis, put a duratec, zetec, etc thing in their. Sell the classy engine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I saw one of those engines for sale over here a year ago for 12,000 euros....and it may even have been pounds as the seller was english. It was tuned to 170-180bhp. If you are racing a classic Lotus you can't just buy one off the shelf..... Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds..ooooh hooo hooo!!... 😬 😬Abbey Road Time-Machine *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 No good for Formula Ford, they use the crossflow and only 1 carb! Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds..ooooh hooo hooo!!... 😬 😬Abbey Road Time-Machine *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ster Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 George So it’s not a Lotus 7 - then I agree with uncleF. There is no pedigree to preserve and you use it for touring, then change to a modern engine and sell the Twink. You may not get the silly money that is often asked but (I suspect) rarely paid but you will definitely be in pocket. Edited by - 4* on 1 Aug 2009 11:56:16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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