Duratec engine (re)sources

[Benedict.]

Hi all,

I'm looking at the possibility of moving to a duratec engine in place of my, currently damaged, K-series.

Does anybody have any experience/recomendations/warnings with any of the fully-built suppliers out there, or any dyno plots they'd be willing to share? I'm thinking about the likes of Dunnell, Cosworth (via resellersonly it seems), Omex, Minister, PremierePower or any more??? Unfortunately Ammo is no longer in this business, or I'm pretty sure it's to him I'd be headed.

I'm not sure at this stage whether I'll be sticking with the "K" or not, just trying to do as much homework as I can for all options (and to that effect, any suggestions of "try a such-and-such engine" would also be welcome)

Cheers,
Ben.

[Mankee]

Also, Scholar Engines in Suffolk do some stonking Duratecs. 2400/2500cc thumpers are becoming more common nowadays.

What's happened to your K-series? There have been a number of K-series to Duratec converts in the club. Pros and cons of both. However, some guys in the industry still say that a K-series is the "right" engine for a 7.

[Benedict.]

My "K" has had a gudgeon pin make a bid for freedom, helpully prevented by the cylinder liner laying down its life to keep it from escaping.  

There's not really any damage to the top end and I've yet to see if any swarf has got anywhere near the main bearings or anywhere else it really doesn't want to be.

One of the complicating issues is that this is actually a scholar block and instead of clamping the liners as, I believe, is normal, they fit them with some sort of interferrence fit, facilitated it would appear by applying heat by burning money. So it's either a new block / all new liners or ship it back to them at possibly more expence to get them changed.

There are quite a few options with moving forward with the "K", but as they all involve spending money and taking time, I want to look at all alternatives & possibilities.

I can definitely see why the "K" is thought of as the "right engine for a 7", and also, interstingly, what's clouded my mind still further is that I thought that the duratec was the torquey option, something I'm also considering as I seem to be doing more touring nowadays. However looking at some dyno plots for simmilar headline BHPs (200-215) in duratecs, the torque curve is not much better, and in some cases worse than mine was (on both northampton m/sports's RR, as well as the plot I have from Track'n'Road proir to my ownership)

Cheers,
Ben

 

 

[andygoodliffe]

Hi there. Just wondered how you're progressing? Am sort of in the same frame of mind with new engines. My SLR vhpd is broken again and I'm kind of getting sick of it. I am tempted by Duratecs for bomb proof reliable track fun....

[Shaun_E]

I made the switch from K to Duratec 2 years ago. I went with Raceline as they provided a more or less turn key solution - the fully built engine, bell housing, clutch, engine mounts, etc. to drop it straight in. I then took the car to Think Auto and they made all the hoses (oil, water, fuel) for me while I waited. Exhaust system came from RaceCo (Ammo at the time) although Raceline can also supply. It was a pretty straightforward swap.

There are plenty of other engine builders out there and a good range of power outputs depending on your needs/desires. Mine is about 260 bhp and 170 lbft which is more than adequate 

Happy to answer any specific questions on the install.

[Benedict.]

I've ended up staying with the K; with help and guidance from Dave Andrews it's not been too expensive at all. I've not had as much time to devote to it as I'd have liked, and so it's not going to be finished until mid Jan, though I'm happy with the how it's going.

As my failure was down to a piston cracking for no really obvious reason, I've taken it as "one of those things", as Omega pistons generally have a good record / reputation, and that could've happened to any engine. I can understand if your K keeps letting you down (Andygoodlife), that's another factor, but until this I've been very happy with the Ks I've had in both my 7s.

I can see the attraction of going for the full Duratec swap, but ultimately for me, having looked into the various permutations / options, it was just going to be far more expensive that I could really live with, at this moment in time, to go for the Duratec and do it properly.

I had no idea (hadn't really thought about it TBH) that Think-Auto would do a while-you-wait service; glad you mentioned that (Shaun_E), it's been squirreled away in the memory banks for future reference.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[OliverSedlacek]

OMEX offer complete Duratec engines in various flavours (180, 200 and 260+ BHP, £6000 to £12000) and Northampton Motorsport might be the best port of call to supply and/or fit.