Twin Cam into Mk1 Escort

[perksy]

Hi All

Just wandering in anyone has put a Lotus Twin Cam into a Mk1 Ford Escort?

The engine is built and will use a wet oil system and rear bowl sump, the oil dipstick hole in the front of the Lotus cover is plugged, but I could do with some help with the re-positioning of the dipstick to the rear of the block

Thanks

[elanman999]

Here's a link to the burton site of the new TC blocks. Page through the pics, it should give you an idea of where the hole is,
https://www.burtonpower.com/genuine-for ... fl105.html

[Craven]

May help.

681 F block L.jpg (97.19 KiB) Viewed 2681 times

[promotor]

Hi All

Just wandering in anyone has put a Lotus Twin Cam into a Mk1 Ford Escort?

The engine is built and will use a wet oil system and rear bowl sump, the oil dipstick hole in the front of the Lotus cover is plugged, but I could do with some help with the re-positioning of the dipstick to the rear of the block

Thanks

Some blocks have a drilling as per Leslies photo with a core plug that you can fit a short dipstick tube into. Some blocks didn't have the drilling : some early Escort Twincams (and therefore some Works Twincams) didn't and a brazed tube went directly into one of the wings in the big capacity sumps that proper Escort Twincams have (as opposed to a standard capacity rear bowl sump).

To note, just in case you aren't aware the Twincam Escorts also had unusual engine mounts to pull the engine over at a slightly awkward looking angle to get the air filter box to clear the inner wing.
The engine also had a stabiliser bracket that joined to the bulkhead from the rear of the engine.

I haven't done it but do know that original Twincam engines in Mk1 Escorts are "cranked" over.

That doesn't make any difference to your dipstick tube, but just thought I'd mention it.

[perksy]

Thanks very much for your help

Have a feeling that sadly this one doesn't have a core plug fitted so will need drilling

I've now managed to find an old Ford drawing that shows the height of the dipstick tube as 3.4" above the sump face

The drawing also gives info on the various dipstck lengths between the crimp and the full mark

With regards the engine mounts, I'm reading Escort Mexico ones are the way forward, Car has world cup cross member and adjustable paddle box already


Thanks

[promotor]

Thanks very much for your help

Have a feeling that sadly this one doesn't have a core plug fitted so will need drilling

I've now managed to find an old Ford drawing that shows the height of the dipstick tube as 3.4" above the sump face

The drawing also gives info on the various dipstck lengths between the crimp and the full mark

With regards the engine mounts, I'm reading Escort Mexico ones are the way forward, Car has world cup cross member and adjustable paddle box already


Thanks

No problem.

Some blocks have the casting shape shown in Leslie's photograph above but without the hole drilled but drilling is fairly easy providing you get the angle dead on, and some earlier blocks have strengthening ribs there so drilling is not as straight forward and you wouldn't be drilling through a suitable preformed cast shape.

Do you have details of these Mexico mounts?

Not sure if you've seen what I'm referring to before, but see photo below - shows the engine pulled over (to give clearance for the Works airbox in this instance but it's the same with the original Ford air filter arrangement) and the stabiliser bracket to the bulkhead at the back to the right.
If you want to run filters (I'd never run an engine without any) I think this is the only way to do it properly even if it seems like a bodge!
I don't know if that car has a World Cup crossmember or not though. My understanding of standard World Cup Crossmembers and mounts is that the engine is not cranked over so if it has it must have some modifications to pull it over (are these the mounts referred to as "Mexico ones"?).

[2cams70]

You really need a 681F or 701M block for an Escort. The earlier blocks aren't really suitable because they don't have a boss where the rear dipstick is supposed to go.

The Twin Cam block because it is based on the pre-crossflow block is a different width across the mounts. Don't assume mounts from an Escort Mexico will fit. Whilst they may be able to be made to fit they might not be correct. The Mexico was only ever fitted with a crossflow block. Not all Escort Twin Cams had the rear stabiliser (at least here in Australia). They threw it out on later ones probably because either they ran out of parts or because of the amount of NVH it fed into the cabin. The 1972 builds (last year) here in Australia seem to have been made from whatever remaining parts Ford Australia could scrape together.

[perksy]

Thanks again for your comments

Re the Mexico mounts, This is something that I'd read on another forum, I wasn't aware of the width difference, but I think we can sort this

I've just checked the block and there isn't a core plug
but there is the flat on the casting to the top face and there's a form of casting to the sump side that follows the form for the dipstick

Had a quick measure and the hole will need to be approx 75mm deep to go straight through the casting at the correct angle

Hmmm this is going to be interesting

[promotor]

Thanks again for your comments

Re the Mexico mounts, This is something that I'd read on another forum, I wasn't aware of the width difference, but I think we can sort this

I've just checked the block and there isn't a core plug
but there is the flat on the casting to the top face and there's a form of casting to the sump side that follows the form for the dipstick

Had a quick measure and the hole will need to be approx 75mm deep to go straight through the casting at the correct angle

Hmmm this is going to be interesting

I'm not sure on the width differences of World Cup Crossmembers - can you post a photo of what you've got in terms of crossmember and mounts?

Regarding the drilling you could do with a jig so you get the right angle - the sump has a baffle with a hole for the dipstick to pass through so if you get that wrong the dipstick might not pass.

What sump are you fitting?

[perksy]

Good point on the clearance hole in the sump baffle

The plan is to fit a 1600 crossflow sump and pick up pipe (trial fitted and looks good)

Getting the angle of the drilled hole correct is going to be interesting, pilot hole first and then go from there

I'm a Jig/Toolmaker by trade so I've drilled a few holes, but not one quite like this before

[tonyabacus]

Hello Perksy
You said you had located some Ford drawings about dipstick lengths etc, can you pu them on the site, so some of us can check to make sure we have the correct items fitte
Thanks
Tony

[perksy]

Happy to supply the link to the page I found the info on (scroll down the thread and the drawing & info is there)

This is just for Ford Crossflows and believed to be from the FoMoco engine manual 1968


https://www.buysellcortina.co.uk/forums ... dipsticks/

[512BB]

Pictures showing dipstick tube fitted at the rear of a 701M block.

Hope that helps

Leslie

[perksy]

Thank you for that

I'm just looking at it now and weighing up the best form of attack and adding a new dipstick tube to the latest order to Burtons

[2cams70]

You could just get a cheap 711M or 691M block to use as a reference for the hole drilling. Nobody seems to want 1100/1300 blocks. Genuine Escort Mexico and Twin Cams had a unique big wing sump for more oil capacity and better oil baffling. Quite expensive to obtain now and also requires a long stem steering rack for sump clearance and a short stem steering column. Also has a unique flexible dipstick different to the flexible dipstick used on standard models. Whilst you can make it work with a standard rear bowl sump it isn't ideal.