BlackSeven

Hi Nick, It's a 2.0 Blacktop that is standard other than the (5 progression hole) Weber's, Omex ignition only ECU and a 4-1 exhaust. Sounds like you may need some rolling road time to optimise the jetting for your modified 1.8 although some degree of low speed progression is probably inevitable when using modified cams with carbs. Hopefully you'll be able to get your money back on the F4's via Ebay? Rob

Nick, glad you managed to bring the airflow on no.4 using the idle bypass adjustment screw; I presume you only needed to adjust one of the four idle bypass screws if you just had one carb with imbalance between its two chokes? As regards air filters; I've had issues with the "sock" type on a crossflow; they proved very restrictive which may be why you are having issues. I have no experience of gauze filters on intakes but Dave Walker of Emerald writes a monthly piece in PPC magazine about setting up cars on his rolling road and he has recounted on more than one occasion that he has found gauze covers on the intake to also cost a lot of power. Presumably you can't use K&N's as they no longer align with the bonnet cut-out now that you have the Zetec installed? The deepest K&N you can lay your hands on plus trumpets would however probably be the best option; maybe you could get the cut-out altered? I hope the F4's help you out. Hesitation around 2,500 rpm sounds like classic progression phase weakness and was exactly what I was having. You can improve with over-large idle jets but the best solution for me was F4's which bring the mains in earlier and fixed the problem completely. Rob

Sadly, its not uncommon with the newer Spanish built Weber's to have some imbalance between the left and right sides; one of mine is the same. Assuming they are the new 5 progression hole 45's they will have "idle bypass" circuitry and it should be possible to loosen the locking nut and open up the idle bypass slightly on the low barrel to balance airflow. It's not a perfect fix but easier than the other options of replacing the spindle, trying to twist the spindle or modifying the butterfly on the lower flowing side to balance within the carb. Incidentally, what emulsion tubes are you using? A lot are supplied with F16's which in my experience left a slight gap in the progression phase no matter how rich you go on the idle jets. After a lot of research I have recently ended up with F4's which were recommended by someone else running a 2.0 Zetec and they are like a magic fix - I can now run sensible idle jets, (giving good emissions and economy) and have perfect progression with instant response at any RPM - F4's are not easy to find but well worth finding for a Zetec. Rob

I had exactly this problem. The type recommended by Ellie earlier in this thread worked perfectly for me - replacing a Mikalor and giving a huge amount more clamping force. The cheap and nasty u bolt type from your local car spares shop might work but will look scruffy and will be a rusty mess in no time. Rob

I bought one of the Machine Mart alluminium 1.25 ton racing jacks a few years ago and didn't have a good experience with it: within the first 12 months it started leaking - dumping hydraulic oil all over the drive. MM took it back and changed the seals and the guy in the shop commented that they had a lot back with the same issue. About a year later the same thing happened -this time I bought a seal kit from MM for about £8 as it was out of warranty. The bore of the hydrailic cyliner looked very poor but I gave it a light hone and rebuilt it. When it failed for the third time in about as many years, I decided enough was enough and it finally went to the tip. Clarke may have sorted the QC on their jacks now but from my experience I wouldnt touch one again as the hydraulics appeared to have been made to the lowest standard they could get away with. I now have a couple of the Costco alluminium jacks whch (so far) are working well and fit nicely under the Seven. Rob

Unless one of Steve Perks' excellent Tracsport gear kits has been fitted - then it would have needle roller bearings between the mainshaft and gears. Rob

...pretty sure there is no needle roller between third gear and the mainshaft? Rob

I did the same swap a couple of years ago and also got a new un-stamped new engine from Raceline. As F355 says, the "engineers report" is basically letter from your MOT station saying they have inspected the car, that the new engine has an ID and that new engine is installed in your car. The new engine ID obviouly needs to be unique so I used the existing Caterham chassis number suffixed with the Ford date code for the year of engine manufacture and just stamped it on the block myself using a metal stamping kit and hammer. It clearly isnt a factory staming and doesnt need to pretend to be. I gave my MOT station the required wording for the letter / engineers report and they just printed it on their headed paper and signed it; FOC. I still have a copy of the letter (which met all DVLA requirements) so if you PM me with you email address i can send you a copy and you can just substitute the relevant names and numbers if you wish. Rob

Steve, I'm home tomorrow evening and will dig out the drawing and get it scanned. There is a bolt on gearlever turret extension that you can buy from Rally Design and others that moves the lever position back by about 5". I am using one and it works well. Sorry for my confusion in my original post about spline diameters; my 7 is a bit of a mongrel and has had at least 3 different types of Ford 'box in it! It may have originally had a Type 2 in it but this was long gone by the time I got it! The type 2 does indeed have smaller splines at both ends so you will need a different prop front end and a different driven plate. I think you need the 190mm Sierra 1.6 driven plate but Burton' s would be ideal to advise on clutch component choice as someone has previously suggested. I assume the blanking plate is the dust shield; I don't use one but Tiger will no doubt advise if needed with their bellhousing. As regards starter I think the standard xflow pre engaged starter will bolt up to the Tiger bellhousing but I'd also check this with them. If you are changing to an electronic speedo anyway, you can either get BGH to supply you with a Type 9 fitted with the original type Ford electronic speedo transducer or alternatively Burtons do an adaptor and sensor for about £60 that converts a mechanical speedo drive to electronic. Rob

The requirement for the gearbox to bellhousing spacer is dependent upon what length of type 9 input shaft you intend to use. If you use a spacer with (the far more widely available) short shaft box then your input shaft splines are unlikely to be properly engaged with the driven plate. Generally a long shaft box needs the spacer but short shaft shaft box - no spacer. You obviously need to factor in gear lever position, gearbox mounting and prop shortening into the equation but there are plenty of sevens using a short shaft box and no spacer; there are however a lot of possible combinations (different clutch heights and at least 3 input shaft lengths) so its always best to measure up. First gear ratio's need careful consideration (alongside final drive and engine torque) as even a 2.66:1 "long first" isn't that "long" in such a lightweight car as a Seven. The original ford 4 speed "rocket" ratios included approx 2.5:1 first gear. I have an SPC gearkit with a 2.48:1 first which is fantastic but with hindsight a 2.29 would have been even better! Rob

Various ford boxes had variants with integral bellhousings including a rare (and much less desirable) type 9 version. Separate iron bellhousings are readily available for around £25. Cast ally ones are much nicer in a 7 and the best bet is probably either Tiger as has been suggested or SPC. Original RS2000 ally ones are fetching virtually as much as a new aftermarket one and has the double sided starter mounting which runs very close to the chassis on an S3 depending on gearbox final position. As regards electronic or mechanical speedo its probably swings and roundabouts cost wise as I assume there is a mechanical speedo in place at present that would have to be changed. Personally I'd keep it simple and original (plus retain the mileage reading) and source an angle drive. I think they are the thick end of £100 new but do crop up used on Ebay at about a third of this. A wanted ad on here would probably yield one too. Rob

I have a 1988 (originlly crossflow) S3 that was originally 4 speed and has been converted to Type 9. A few pointers: 1. Research gear ratio's. A standard 4 cyl Type 9 has a fairly useless 3.6 ish:1 first gear and a V6 Type 9 has a marginally better 3.3ish:1 first gear. Depending on what 4 speed you have the type 9 first gear ratio may be a major backwards step. A "long first" type 'box is ideally needed - available from any of the usual specialists but the cream of the crop IMHO is the SPC semi helical which gives the best of all worlds and a 2.47 (from memory):1 first which is the same as the 4 speed "rocket" box and perfect in a crossflow 7. 2. Bell housing: whatever you are using with your 4 speed will bolt straight up to your type 9. 3. Spacer plate: only required if you are using a long input shaft V6 type type 9. The spacer basically takes up the extra input shaft length and puts the input shaft in the same position as a 4 speed input shaft in relation the clutch. 4. Gearbox mounting. A simple steel fabricated mounting is required to alter the existing 4 speed mounting position to suit the type 9. I have a dimensioned diagram for the one fitted to mine which I can copy and send to you if you would like it. If you have some basic fabrication skills and access to some steel box section and a mig welder you will have it knocked up in an hour or so. Dimensions may however require adjusting slightly depending on your choice of short shaft / long shaft and spacer / no spacer. 5. Tunnel Mods: I don't recall any other than slight changes to the gear lever hole. 6. Speedo angle drive - will be required. 7. Prop splines: same for both boxes but shaft needs to be cut and shut and re-balanced. 8. Clutch splines: same for both boxes. I think that's about it. I have had a number of different Type 9's in mine as well as a number of different engines (crossflow now changed to now a Zetec ) so if I can help in any way let me know. Once you start to offer everything up it all becomes fairly straightforward! Rob

JB Weld works perfectly for this job but as ever, surface prep is important; I cleaned up with a small stainless brush on a Dremel and then cleaned with panel wipe. As others have said though, once you start to get leaks, others can follow. I fixed two leaks around 3 years ago using the above method and they are still perfect but I have recently noticed a third leak in a completely different area. My tank is almost 30 years old and I am guessing the aluminium gets brittle with age and vibration and these tiny cracks then form. If this is the first leak a repair will certainly buy you come time.

I'm not sure if the 6 speed has a drain plug or not but on a 5 speed (which generally don't) I have lifted the box out complete with the prop in order to avoid getting gear oil everywhere. It sounds odd but only takes a few minutes to remove the four prop bolts and then but a cable tie between the prop yolk and gearbox tail housing which enables you to carefully remove both together with no risk of oil loss. it can be quicker to this than having to remove stinking EP oil from the car and garage floor!You can then refit the prop, drain the box fully before refititng in the conventional way. Rob

English is not the same as an Altas; you need an English in a 7. I have one that looks to have been retro-fitted into my 1988 S3 which presumably had an Ital originally. Tha axle case has been heavily braced which looks like a very nice job so I assume was done by Arch. in line with what someone has already said the back right hand side of the tranny tunnel has been "modified" (quite crudely but been like that for a very long time). I assume you will need to get your prop altered with a replacement rear joint and re-balanced but that shouldnt break the bank at a propshaft specialist. There are a number of rear disc conversions available from around £400, you may need a bias valve too. Mine has a Quaife LSD and 4.1 CWP and what I believe to be standard half shafts. The car is running a 2.0 Zetec and SPC 'box. No doubt if you are sprinting using big sticky tyres upgraded half shafts would be a good idea but generally speaking I think that an English axle in a lightweight car like a 7 is pretty bombproof. Rob

Keith, I think the only way that you will get the progression phase anything like acceptable with 3 hole 45's will be by using massively rich idle jets /air bleeds to mask the problem of too few progression holes. Before you spend good money on a rolling road set up I'd look carefully at the cost of swapping your 3 hole 45's for the zetec specific 5 hole 45's; I got a pair of the 5 hole ones brand new for around £650 and you should be able to get over half of that back on Ebay for your existing carbs. I will also share my 5 hole jetting wth you which took a good few hours on the RR to perfect and works surprisingly well. Rob

Keith assuming you have a stock Blacktop and the 5 progression hole Webers I can help you out with some tried and tested jetting; I will pm you when I've had chance to look. Rob

I'll take these please. Will send you a PM re payment and delivery. Thanks, Rob

Keith, I have a Raceline water rail on a 2.0 Blacktop with no header and have experimented with lots of different temperature thermostat's, bypass hole sizes and radiator capacities in order to get an acceptable compromise between warm up time and temperature stability. Thermostat temp had a relatively small effect. The size of the bypass hole (i.e. the hole drilled through the thermostat) had a very significant effect; even a 0.5mm change in diameter very noticeably changes warm up characteristics. From memory I think i ended up at 2.5mm (but I will check). Any bigger and getting up to temp took a very long time; any smaller and I got erratic fluctuations in temp (you can block up an oversize hole with a pop rivet if you need to drill a smaller one). Originally I had a four core copper radiator which had massive coolant capacity and changing this for an R400 alloy rad reduced capacity (and weight) and also helped with warm up time whilst still providing plently of cooling on hot days. I eventually got a set up that works well but must admit that i was disappointed with the way that the Raceline rail worked initially compared to the standard Ford thermostat arrangement. Hope this helps. Rob

I think the clue here could be "...and generally fires as I "back of" the ignition key." Sounds like a classic symptom of a fault in the igntion switch i.e. there is no voltage to the ignition feed during cranking. Could also be a ballast issue if fitted. Put a multimeter on the ignition system feed during cranking. If its zero but jumps to 12v when the key is released back to the "ign" position - its dirty or burnt contact in the ignition switch. Have seen exactly these symptoms before and was able to dismantle and clean the ingition swich contacts which sorted it. If however you have voltage during cranking, then start checking earths as has already been suggested. Rob

Last time I saw this issue (on a tin top) it was eventually traced to a faulty tyre. Failing that I'd recommend checking all front suspension bushes and joints for security, wear or damage. Rob

Be careful with filter fitment on a Zetec! There are plenty of threads on WSCC where people have found that using a HOF 266 on a Zetec means you are mixing metric and imperial threads. The HOF266 actually appears to fit OK but is s loose fit and can damage the thread on the engine or come loose with catastrophic results. Measure the threads on a HOF266 and the thread on the engine and you'll see what I mean. You want a WIX WL7064 or Fram 2874. There is no issue using a short filter as long as change intervals are kept short which on a seven usually isn't an issue. Rob

You should be able to get the Jetting something like close by following recommendations from the likes of the Dave Andrews Jetting calculator but to a large extent you are shooting in the dark until you get it on a rolling road.

Start by eliminating the simple issues and check the security and cleanliness of the starter switch to starter solenoid wiring and while you are at it check the integrity of the main electrical feed to the starter and the earth lead. If all that looks ok check the resistance across the starter switch contacts. If that looks OK I'd say that the internal contacts within the starter solenoid are prime suspect. Rob

I'd urge caution in any effort to reposition the existing worm gear on the shaft; very likely to be a waste of time I'm afraid. The two components need to be an interference fit. If a steel worm gear interference fitted onto a steel shaft has "walked" along the shaft through nothing more than its interaction with a nylon speedo cable drive gear then something isn't right with the relative sizing of the gear and shaft and the same will almost certainly happen again. I'd either do the job properly and fit a new worm gear (they are widely available and not expensive) or go with an electronically driven speedo. Rob