Zetec Spyder Talk & Photos

[cliveyboy]

Hello folks
As you will know there was a talk by Spyder and Mike Stott on converting the
Plus 2 to accept the modern Ford Zetec engine.
I was asked to do a write up on the talk by a few members who could not get
there and I will post it as soon as I finish it. In the mean time there are
a few pictures on my web site to keep you amused

http://groups.msn.com/cliveyboylotus

Clive

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[twincamman]

say clive the drive shaft from that crashed elan for sale ? ed
----- Original Message -----
From: Aaron J. Courteau
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 6:07 PM
Subject: RE: [LotusElan.net] Zetec Spyder Talk & Photos


Thanks for that Clive.

There's a great article on that very car and conversion in Classic &
Thoroughbred Sports Car Magazine. September 2002 Issue.

Aaron
'68 +2
St. Paul, MN USA

-----Original Message-----
From: Clivey Boy [mailto:***@***.***
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 4:50 PM
To: ***@***.***
Subject: [LotusElan.net] Zetec Spyder Talk & Photos

Hello folks
As you will know there was a talk by Spyder and Mike Stott on converting
the
Plus 2 to accept the modern Ford Zetec engine.
I was asked to do a write up on the talk by a few members who could not
get
there and I will post it as soon as I finish it. In the mean time there
are
a few pictures on my web site to keep you amused

http://groups.msn.com/cliveyboylotus

Clive

_________________________________________________________________
Stay in touch with absent friends - get MSN Messenger
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email author, all rights reserved.

[cliveyboy]

Hello Folks
Due to the large number of requests for a summary of the Spyder Zetec talk
that took place recently, I enclose a brief write up of what was said during
the evening. ( I apologise in advance for spelling, grammer and going on
abit)
Clive
-------------------------------------------------

Lets talk about that old clich?, you love classic cars but you sometimes
yearn for the reliability and robustness of modern day cars
Mike Stott had this same dilemma. He wanted classic motoring from a four
seater sports car but there was nothing that satisfied all his needs so he
set about designing and building one.
The iconic styling of the Lotus Plus 2 caught Mikes eye but the feeling was
that as good as the twincam engine was it still was a 30 year old engine
which had never been developed further.
So time to look at more modern engines
The Ford Zetec is found in many modern performance cars including Caterhams
which use them longitudinally so it seemed an ideal candidate.
The only problem being that you now need a chassis that will accept the
Zetec, so unperturbed Mike set about modifying his Plus 2 chassis to accept
the modern Ford power plant.
Modifying a chassis and ?getting it right? takes some doing so advice from
those that know about these things always helps. Enter Spyder engineering
from Peterborough. Spyder are famous for their replacement lotus chassis?
where they modify and improve on the original design.
Their chassis? are designed to accept more modern components such as brakes
and suspension and also make working on the car much easier
Mike mentioned to Andy Widnall of Spyder about his plans and was told that
Spyder had also been toying with this idea so perhaps they could be of
benefit to each other. Mike did most of the work himself only taking a year
from start to finish, calling on Spyders for there expertise and parts and
using their specialist facilities as the need arose.
Spyder like to use as many off the shelf items as possible which helps to
keep the cost down but also make parts readily available from them or your
local autofactors should anything go wrong.
The final Zetec chassis is a totally customised item. Andy points out that
this is totally different and not to be confused with the modifications
they do to allow a modern five speed box to fit on the rest of their range
of chassis. The final geometrys may be the same but that is as close as they
get.
As you look at the car you notice that the zetec engine sits further forward
than the twincam. This is done deliberately to eliminate the front end lift
that you get on standard plus 2s at 100mph+.
The power you get from the 2 Litre Zetec is from 160bhp standard to 200bhp
with hot cams and slight head work. Mikes 200bhp car will do 140mph+
A full width custom radiator sitting in the front keeps everything cool. The
original radiator can be used for standard tuned 160bhp Zetecs but the
plumbing becomes awkward and its not ideal.
The engine only has very simple modifications to make it fit properly. The
sump is replaced with a different Ford item and the water pump is changed
for a different Ford one otherwise the impellor vanes are the wrong way
round. This is due to rerouting the timing belt when you ditch the power
steering pump. The only downside is you have to leave the timing belt cover
off otherwise it touches the bonnet. The car runs an after market fuel
injection system which can also be used as a direct replacement for Webers
and Dellortos. The system even has a passing resemblance to a set of twin
40s. The air plenum chamber is similar to the original, running from the
injectors to the front nose cone to collect cool air. An air filter can be
fitted straight on to the engine but the induction roar has a tendency of
being too much for pleasurable driving.
The exhaust system is a custom made job with 4 pipes eventually going into
2. Mike explained that the long almost vertical drop on the pipes was
necessary to give a reasonable state of tune and not foul the chassis and
bodywork. Spyder have since modified the manifold design to give an extra
20mm of ground clearance.
Front suspension is similar to original with Lotus top ball joints but
special bottom ones, but uses Spyders own front hub carrier which has been
proven on their Elite/Eclat chassis with just minor modifications. This
allows modern Ford discs to be used and modern dual circuit brakes with no
servo.
The original steering rack bolts straight on but Spyder recommend a modern
uprated rack they have managed to source.
The front chassis still has a headlamp vacuum chamber but Spyder now plumb
the headlights to be fail safe up should things go wrong.
The subject of 5 speed gearboxes has always been a bowl of contention with
most people trying to rework the T5 and T9 sierra boxes which are much to
long. Spyder use the MT75 gear box which has the gearlever mechanism
attached on the back. The gear lever simply unbolts and spyders own gear
lever bolts straight on. There is a slight difference where the gear lever
comes through the transmission tunnel but as a straighter lever is used
instead of the bent original the gear knob ends up in the same place. The
MT75 has the advantage of better gear ratios but 1st is still too low but
another advantage is that you can have either cable or electric pick up for
your speedo.
The rear of the chassis is where for a long time Spyder have been producing
their own suspension and drive assemblies. The differential used is from a
sierra and the drive shafts are solid custom made with 2 CV joints. But
before you rush out to replace your donuts, Andy points out that this set up
is used on your Cosworth Sierra so everything is strong enough for using
CVs. Spyder recommend using their single CV and donut assembly when using
the original les robust Lotus diff( which can also be fitted to chassis and
changed later on).
Andy points out that even into todays modern car industry manufacturers are
resorting back to rubber in the drive train to reduce excess forces causing
large number of warranty claims.
The rear bearing housing coupled with the twin wish bones and Spax Shocks
are Spyders own design which eliminates the Chapman strut and makes bearing
changes easier and less frequent. This set up also allows the fitting of
modern Ford discs and calipers.
The handbrake pads are similar to original position hanging off the
callipers but the hand brake lever is situated on the transmission tunnel
same as modern cars .
As the car runs fuel injection you need a constant flow and return of fuel
from tank to engine. Normally this would mean modifying the petrol tank but
Spyder have come up with a clever idea of a custom header tank (looks like a
swirl pot) fed from the tank , which the fuel pump then feeds to the engine
with any excess returned to the swirl pot by a return line.
To compliment the fuel injection a programmable ignition system is used
which can be fully mapped to eliminate any power bands and give better more
uniform acceleration through out the whole rev range. Spyder even know a few
tricks to make the Zetec sound more like the twin cam. You can even
programme the system to deliberately pop on the over run.
Modern after market ignition systems have lots of additional functions such
as built in rev limiters safety cut outs for fuel pumps. Sensors for air and
coolant temps. There is even talk that as the modern rear differential has
an electronic pick up traction control could be a possibility.
Now you have a complete chassis and engine assy, so all that is needed is to
lift the body from your donor Plus 2 straight onto the new chassis where it
will fit without body mods.
And the price for this conversion? Spyder will supply you with a complete
chassis, engine and wheels etc for ?10,500 (about $16,000) all you need to
do is bolt a body straight on.

So what is the concensus of opinion. The purist would say it is nothing more
than a Kit car, but Caterham put modern engines into what is basically a
lotus 7? Is there any difference .
There are arguments that anything that keeps a Lotus on the road is good.
You could even argue that when you sell the twin cam engine, struts, carbs,
and various other unneeded items, that not only do you recover a significant
part of the costs but your parts help to keep other Lotus on the road.
If you are still not convinced, Mike has talked to a certain Ron Hickman the
designer of the Plus 2 and he approves.
Mikes car has appeared in several magazine articles and Spyder have more
information on their website www.spydercars.com

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