Driveshaft attached to transmission doing engine install?

[tdskip]

Gentlemen. - you are fantastic. Thanks for the coaching / pictures.

This is a right of passage I suppose...

[tdskip]

so it looks like from the pictures you have the engine higher than what we did today. Do we need to be using a very sharp angle to basically get the engine as far back towards the firewall, then drop it down so it clears the engine mounts, and then pull it forward a bit so we can then guide the tail shaft back in?

[SENC]

It needs a good angle, but as soon as the bellhousing is clearing the mounts (literally scraping them) the tailshaft should be entering the tunnel. I got stuck going too far and trying to back up as you suggest, but there just isn't room. It all needs to happen at once, and as I recall at a very slight twist (tailshaft not entering the tunnel head-on left/right, but slightly towards one side - don't remember which).

[tdskip]

Thanks for the additional follow up.

This is my first real experience with this Lotus being, well, a Lotus. Everything else has been pretty easy so far.

[steve lyle]

Hi Henry, thanks for the encouragement.

I just cant seem to work out how to get the stud that the gearbox shifter screws on to low enough to slide the gearbox back into place, it keeps fouling the top of the tunnel. The front of the engine is as low as it can be at that point but I still can't clear the tunnel.

It sounds like you're trying to to the job with the big nylon cap of the shift mechanism already in place. In my experience the job can't be done without removing that, then installing it once the tranny's in position. I believe the workshop manual says to do that.

So, either that or do the rotation thing (never done it that way) or do the engine/tranny separately.

Full disclosure - my only experience was in removing the stock engine/tranny - I couldn't do it with the nylon shift cap in place, for the reason you note - in desperation I read the manual and saw that it said to remove that.

I pulled the lumps to install a Voigt 5-speed conversion, which doesn't use that cap, and installed the tranny by itself, so didn't see that end of the problem.

Good luck.

[MarkDa]

+1 to having to take the nylon cap off.
When the workshop manual says remove gearlever it refers to original one piece lever before anti sizzle.
With the cap and lower lever removed to will be able to get the tail high enough.
Your only hassle is the bellhousing jam which always seems to just fly in when you feel like giving up

[ericbushby]

Hi, tdskip,
The last time I put the engine and gearbox back in I had two able assistants and we were attempting to engage the propshaft as well as engine and gearbox together.
We reached a Jam position where the engine had not cleared the cross member, the gearbox was against the tunnel top, and the shaft was not in line with the tail of the box.
So it was obvious this was going nowhere.
The answer turned out to be simple.
We gave up, went for tea and a bacon butty and talked about something else for an hour.
On our reluctant return to the job it slipped in in ten minutes.
The three of us don`t know how it went in.
Next time I will certainly draw the driveshaft back to remove one snag.
Best of luck, we have all been there and it is frustrating, but afterwards you will know it can be done.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

[MarkDa]

Not knowing what you did right is the worst feeling - because if you have to do it again you still don't know what to do

[ericbushby]

I am convinced it was the bacon what did it. If in doubt leave it for a bit.
I spent most of my working life fault finding on electronic circuitry controlling production machinery.
I realised many faults were solved soon after dinnertime, or having failed, the ideas came when driving home.
You must resist the temptation to turn round. It will always wait until tomorrow.
Eric

[Bigbaldybloke]

Wise words Eric!
I’d often take my cup of tea and bacon butty and just sit and look at whatever was causing the problem and do a lot of mental “what if” and often the solution would come.

[tdskip]

Good morning/afternoon gentlemen.

I did have the grey nylon cap on still, sounds like that needs to come off.

The threaded rod stays on however, correct?

I shall find the bacon and cook some up promptly!

[elancoupe]

The threaded rod aka the lower shifter, will pull right out with the cap removed - do remove it as well.


Once you have performed this whole operation, you will see that it isn’t difficult, just fiddly. I have done this on various cars at least six times, the last two times I did it myself with just a chainblock and a trolley jack. Battling the dreaded bellhousing lock on the chassis is some strange sort of Elan initiation rite.

[steve lyle]

Battling the dreaded bellhousing lock on the chassis is some strange sort of Elan initiation rite.

Which you can avoid by installing the engine and transmission separately.

[MarkDa]

Is it really that easy to get engine mated to gearbox in the engine bay and tighten up all the bolts?

[gjz30075]

Depends on what 'fiddly' job you want. It's either installing the 'whole' unit' or mating the engine
to the gearbox in the car. I'm a 'mate engine to gearbox in car' kind of guy and it has taken me
(with two people) hours on end and other times, by myself, it's a 15 minute job.