robbie

And our spammer friend has left the building!

Hi guys, I am currently in the process of stripping down my 1968 xt falcon ute to get panel work, respray etc. now at the moment it has the straight 6 with 3 on the tree manual. Looking at installing a 302 Windsor with c4 auto trans. Have never done this kind of major conversion before so just wanted to see if anyone had and what to expect. Eg trans linkages, other linkages fouling on items, will standard diff handle power. Any advice is muchly appreciated

You'll need EA-EL rocker gear and cam. AU is different somehow, can't quite recall how though. I do remember that AU cams/rockers won't work in an E-series head and vice versa.
Still got the XG XR motor? Use the cam and rockers out of that, I think I read somewhere in this thread that the XG XR6 cam was the hottest factory cam used in the E-series/XG/XH 4.0, with the EA 3.9 cam second.
 
Have a read of this thread, it should tell you everything you need to know

Well, here we go again. 
 
A week ago, i had no intention of buying another Mk1 Escort any time soon. However, a mate of mine from when I had my last escort couldn't resist contacting me, and putting me onto this beautiful little 4 door Mk1 for sale way up in Kerang, about 3 hours north of Melbourne. 

I took a look at the photos, and promptly called the owner. I was pretty much sold there and then. 
 
So yesterday, Michael (my Escort informant), my good mate Callin and I set off from Sunbury at around 9am in Michael's VW Amarok (I'm glad we did...ill explain soon) to go look at this car, with cash in hand ready to drive this beauty home to Melbourne. 
 
The owner was a retired old guy, who collects some interesting and beautiful cars. He was very honest with his asking price, and very genuine. I somewhat feel like i might have ripped him off a little with the price, but it was well within his price range, and he was happy to accept. Even left his club plates for me to drive it home. 
 
now for the good (and bad) photos of our adventure. 
 
These next few pics are the photos the owner sent me. the car is totally original. 1975 (october) factory 4 speed 1300XL. Has 139,000km on the odometer, but the engine in it apparently has about half that. The original engine came with the car, which has been rebuilt as some stage, with non standard pistons...so some investigation needs to go into that, as it may end up being a stronger engine than the one thats in it...very weird. 
 

 
interior is MINT.
 

 

 
the previous owner had it for about 3.5 years, and only drove it a handful of times. 
 

 
 
 
SO i bought the car, and set off on the long journey home. during the test drove she drove like a dream. smooth, plenty of power and comfy...
 

 
we got 30 minutes from Kerang then this happened....
 
obviously the guy i bought it from never had a problem with the car because it only ever got driven around town, never on the HWY. so me attempting to drive it home, sitting on 90km/h was enough to sort out the bugs...like the distributor which was inevitably going to die..and leave me standard  

 
SO, we flat towed the car as far has Harcourt, where Michael's dad was nice enough to borrow a friends trailer, and meet us. we trailered it back to Michael's house, arriving back to Sunbury about 8pm last night. and thats where i left the car, on the trailer in Michael's driveway, along with 1 of his Mk1 4 door Escorts. 
 

 
A big thanks to Michael and Callin for the support and help yesterday, i would've been fucked if i had taken the xf or my daily to go collect it. thank fuck for Michael and his Rok. 
 
anyway, Michael is a legend, he is going to get it going for me (just needs a dizzy) at his house. 
 
Can not wait to start enjoying this beast  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

So are you saying this is representative of the way I work?

Ando76, mate I just joined this forum (hi) to add my experience
I recently had a sbf 363 dart block all the good stuff inside and it was built with a hv pump
The engine was built for burnouts, I did one 2 min skid and the engine grenaded... Why ? Oil starvation
Spun 6 bearings broke one rod knocked the bottom off2 cyls damaged cam, just a mess and I beleive if it were not for the hv pump it would still be going
That was with.003 mains and bigends with 7lt sump
Rebuilding the new engine now but unsure if a std vol mellings is ok? I see there is mellings select pumps but can't see them in Australia?
Anyhow thanks for your time cheers

Updates.
This got the film off - with a lot of scraping and time.
 

 

 
Then we were left with a bonnet covered in awfully sticky residue.
 

 
Tried all sorts to get it off, degreaser, eucalyptus oil, metho, nothing was working.
Then has this recommended (avaliable at Bunnings in cleaning section).
 

 
Ta-Da!!
 

I could not Find an appropriate section for fuel related topics so it's going here.
The following is written specifically for Crossflow EFI but can be adapted for pretty much any petrol fuel system across all cars.
 
The following guide can be used for troubleshooting various problems with fuel supply and also determining maximum supportable HP/KW
 
Lets get started:

 
Go to your car. (Off to a good start )
 
Follow the fuel return line from the pressure regulator on the fuel rail, to where it terminates to the return hard line and disconnect it. Run the return line from the regulator into a 2L bottle. You may need to make an adapter to plug the line into and run the line out of the engine bay. Try not to make the line longer than needed, the line should not have any kinks or restrictions. The line will not be under high pressure so regular fuel line is fine.

Hardwire the fuel pump by either shorting the main current pins on the fuel pump relay connector (preferred method) with something like the jumper the pic above.
Or running some 10A (or greater) power wire directly to the pump from a strong 12-14V source. A fully charged car battery will work.
 
If not already done, lift the carpet in the boot and remove the fuel pump access hatch to gain access to the fuel pump. Put a multimeter nearby so you can measure voltage at the pump.
 
What your trying to do, is simulate the the fuel pump running normally. This is why shorting the relay is better if possible, as this will test it's power supply. In addition, having the battery on a charger during the test will ensure a strong voltage closer to that of when the alternator is running.
Note: If you are doing this test not for the purpose of troubleshooting, but to find maximum supportable hosepower, then running the pump at a stable 12v is best. This will give you lower performance figures for the pump and this is what you want. A fully charged lead acid battery should sit around 12-12.4 v after a short period of use.
 
When this is all done power up the fuel pump, after a slight delay fuel will start running into the bottle. Time how long it takes to fill the bottle. Watch for a steady flow, it should not fluctuate.
While the bottle is filling you will have a few seconds, A stock XF EFI pump takes approx 60-80 seconds. Quickly go to the fuel pump and take a voltage reading and write it down and do the same with the cars battery voltage. If you do not think you have time to take this measurement you can either use a larger container to catch the fuel, or do it after reconnecting the fuel return line at the end of the test.
 
If you are doing this test for troubleshooting and you are having issues that take a few minutes of driving to occur, it could be duty cycle or even tank related.
If the tank is not breathing properly it can cause suction on the pump and reduce performance. Grab a 20 liter jerry can and put the return line in it, Carry out the test, again timing how long it takes to fill.
Obviously for this test you will need at least 30 liters of fuel in the tank. Throughout the test monitor for steady, regular flow. There should be no pulsing and flow should be consistent right till the end. Measuring a large quantity like 20L will give you a more accurate flow rate measurement. Simply divide the seconds by 10, to align the result with the other test.
Continue to monitor the voltage at the pump, compare it with the voltage at the battery. The difference between Pump and Battery voltage is your voltage drop and this indicates any supply issues to the pump. Voltage drop should be low. Under 0.5v is good.
 
As a final test you can, again, measure the time it takes for 2 liters. It is best to do this test without stopping the fuel pump at all, transfer the line from the 20 liter container straight to the 2 liter bottle whilst it is operating. if possible measure the voltage. The voltage and time taken should be equal or very close to the fist time you measured the 2 liter bottle.
If it is not the same, then it could be sign of an issue. Quickly remove the fuel tank filler cap and repeat the test. If the issue is resolved, then you most likely have a breathing issue with the tank.
Another cause may be low battery voltage, Ensure the voltage during the second test is equal or very close to the voltage of the first test and that the voltage drop has not changed dramatically.

You now know a couple of things:
 
You know voltage X. Voltage X is the voltage the pump gets during operation. The lower or higher the voltage, the lesser or greater fuel it can provide. The pumps operating range can be anywhere between 11-14.4V
 
Operating pressure is the pressure in the fuel rail during operation. controlled by the fuel pressure regulator. Typically 43.5psi on a stock system. I'll talk more on pressure later.
 
At operating pressure, at voltage X, it takes 'Y' seconds for your fuel system to fill the 2L bottle.
On a completely stock crossflow EFI system a time less than 75 seconds to flow 2 liters is fine and will safely support up to 220RWHP Naturally Aspirated.
We will use
Y = seconds to fill the bottle.
Z = Liters measured or liters in the container.
 
Z*60/Y=LPM
2*60/75=1.6LPM (or 1600cc/min)
 
Now you know what your pump puts out you can make an estimation of maximum supportable HP. All these calculators assume a few things, a lot has to do with assumptions of brake specific fuel consumption, which is a measure of efficiency. You don't need to know what that is, but just be aware that the calculators will get you in the ballpark but are not perfect. So always go on the safer side
 
Go here:
http://fuelinjectorclinic.com/hp-calculator
We are treating the fuel pump like a single injector, to estimate how much power your LPH or cc/min can make.
Select 1 cylinder.
Select 85% duty cycle.
Enter your pumps cc/min into the "injector full flow value"
Set the remainder to your specific car.
 
In my example i got 220RWHP.
I'll take a moment to explain why I choose 85% for the duty cycle. When using the calculator the way that we are, the duty cycle is the % of fuel you want to use of the pumps total capacity (it's LPM).
So for us, we can play with this figure to give a "safety factor" You don't want your pump on it's limit, because if something as simple as the alternator the pumps operating voltage will quickly drop below 12V and the fuel pump will pump less fuel.
I have done my own comparisons on voltages and the stock pump. A drop in voltage at the pump from 12V to 11.5 took my pump from 66 to 74 seconds to fill the bottle. So 0.5v = a 8 second drop in performance. That works out to a 26HP difference.
If you were running at full noise with the pump at 95% and then the supply voltage dropped 0.5v, you would loose operating pressure, leaning out the fuel mix and risk damage to the engine.
 
SEGWAY

 
The operating pressure of the fuel system is governed by the fuel pressure regulator. It's pressure is referenced to the manifold pressure. The purpose of this device is to maintain a constant differential pressure across the injectors. As manifold pressure changes the tip of the injector experiences changes in resistance to flow.
The injection rail is at 44psi. If the manifold pressure drops 5psi because the throttle is closed, the injector now sees a differential pressure of 49psi, as a result injector flow rate increases and the engine will run rich. The counteract this, the fuel pressure regulator will drop the rail pressure 5psi, preventing any change in differential pressure on the injector.
Increasing rail pressure increases the flow rate of the injectors. But, it reduces the flow rate of the pump. So, while you can get more fuel/power from injectors by increasing fuel rail pressure, You have reduced the ability for the pump to push fuel. This is why you need to find a balance between the fuel pump, the injectors and the fuel pressure.
Altering fuel pressure too far outside manufacturers specs will interfere with the injector spray pattern and may have negative affects on economy and peak power.
Testing fuel pressure is as easy as putting a pressure gauge somewhere in line on the high pressure side. Testing at the tank can be done, but is not ideal, as there will be some pressure lost through the line. It is best to test and set fuel pressure as close to the fuel rail as you can. Power up the system and ensure the fuel pressure meets the requirements of the injector OEM. To test the regulator you can disconnect it's vac line and suck/blow into it's reference port while watching the pressure gauge.
 
Finally if you have followed everything so far, then you'll understand that working out injector sizing at this point, is pretty easy. using the links above and below you can roughly assume the amount of fuel you will need for your target HP, divide this for the amount of injectors you have and you get your required flow rate at 85% duty cycle. We never want to run injectors at 100% duty. Also do not choose injectors that are too big. as this makes it difficult to meter fuel at low values and leads to issues with idle and very low load and RPM, making tuning difficult.
 
All bosch injectors have a part number stamped into the side. If you punch this number into google you should find information for flow rates and rated rail pressure. Also, Bosch EV6 and EV1 long body injectors, are interchangeable, the EV6 been the better performers with greater tolerance to different pressures and better spray patterns.
 
You may also find this calculator handy:
http://www.witchhunter.com/injectorcalc1.php
 
Thats it.

Meh...295x50x15 tucked and 6 banging on a 10" rim.
 
 

That's a 295 on an 8,hasn't come off yet.
 

295 on an 8&3/4,again a lack of dead babies.

Nothing wrong with the HP spring in a STD. Volume pump in a Clevo mate.  I think they give you like 80psi or so.
 
I'm not 100 on the cam restrictors.  I wouldn't use them.  aren't they usually just down in the mains.  Problem will be if they have taped the block out to install restrictors into the cam journals to fit the 'restrictors'  as there could be a big hole left behind.  admittedly the cam bearing only has a limited orifice size anyway but the big hole could cause pressure on the bearing in that area - especially with more oil pressure.
 
Hard to diagnose of the internet but I would be interested to see any before shots - or installation shots of the cam bearing restrictors.
 
It may not ever cause an issue as the pressure would be negated by the cam journal running in the bearing.  This is where you need faith in your machine shop and their experience.

These 2 situations are heavy load applications, as well as heavy car with hard acceleration and high rpm . If you don't plan on racing or placing the engine under heavy load then the cast stuff should be fine, just like with a standard factory crank.  If you treat a scat cast crank like you would a factory cast crank you should be fine,  just enjoy the extra torque and keep it to the same revs/load limit as a standard engine. If you want performance go the forged one.

marks snaped the front of these cranks a few times now althow it says theren not to be used for a tow truck and big aircon systems he now runs a steel crank and no issues

id just run a steel crank how much more is the cost? its very little

All they need a good quality balancer. Standard they have made over 750hp and lasted in Pro Stock and some curcuit cars.

if Pavtek are running them in their 550hp 393's - that speaks volumes.
 
Thanks to all who chimed in!

if Pavtek are running them in their 550hp 393's - that speaks volumes.
 
Thanks to all who chimed in!

They're not a bad choice and by the time you balance and machine a 351m crank the price is even more reasonable (even more so if you were already going to buy new rods and pistons)

When I was looking at clevo stuff a few years ago they were pretty decent quality, most of the issue seem to stem from people thinking cause it had a scat name they could flog the shit out of them. Then went stuff broke the would cry and whinge, cast doesnt cope so well at 8000rpm

Pavtek use them in there 393 550hp clevo combo with a warranty and I have only heard good thing about pavtek engines. I have not used one myself tho

Just like the great wall of china was built to keep the rabbits out................haha
 

 
edit - too bad thats a damn ad for tel$tra.

10.8:1 is up there that is for sure and E85 would love that sort of comp.  You will gain more torque than HP by converting to e85 and that is important.  Torque will make more HP but the main thing is that it will give you more seat of the pants oomph. 
 
Just be careful with the timing on e85 with high compression.  Make sure both your AFR's and EGT's are at target, the second being more important that the 1st IMHO before you chase timing.  
 
But I would go for it.  I see e85 as the future in high performance, street applications, maybe not justifiable for an everyday street car but for a seldom used weekend warrior - I'd go for it. 

I agree with you on the manuals. Not trying to talk you out of a manual, but if your not doing circuit racing events where you use your gearbox to help slow down, a manualised auto with stally will be half the cost and suit the spool time of your turbo.

I've just gone out to the garage and had a look at the pan fill C4 I picked up years back for my XT, and I think its actually a C5..  After some quick research, the casting code on the side of my supposed C4 turns out to be a C5....
 

 
Mr C4 can you please confirm?   It's also got the R servo on it, from memory you liked these?

Greg AKA Mr. C4

Greg AKA Mr. C4