Stromberg engine fitting & layout, pedalbox location check

[brettfcars]

Hi all,
As some will be aware, i am rebuilding a +130 now fitted with a stromberg headed engine.
This is being rebuilt from a half empty box of bits
And to make matters worst ii didn't take it apart So reassembly is proving very interesting
I would apreciate any photo's of the engine bay to confirm piping and cable runs.
Also currently unable to fit the air-box due to carb to pedal box clearance ?
here's a couple of photo's
It should be noted that a replacement spyder chassis has been fitted, and i am wondering if the engine spacers at the mountings are on the wrong side ?

edit : ( i have rechecked on the forum and 28mm spacers are installed on the exhaust side and so believe correct, unless stromburg engines are different ? )

Brett

[jono]

Brett,

I am going through the same process - boxes of bits, stalled resto by the PO and now trying to put the jigsaw together after 17 years. It is interesting and challenging!

I will post up some engine bay pics tomorrow but note mine is not a stomberg head. I can't imagine any of the wiring etc differs however.

Mine is on a Spyder too - the Spyder engine mounts are handed so make sure you have them correct. I seem to recall they are stamped RH and LH. When I first fitted mine I attached the Spyder mounts to the chassis instead of to the engine! It seems the obvious way to me until I tried to mount the engine

You are correct that the spacers go on the exhaust side and fit between the Spyder flange and the block.

I think your fan is on the wrong side - the fan should offset to the side of the rad with the top inlet presumably so it cools the hottest part of the rad. If I were you I would go for a modern electric fan mounted onto the radiator to make the most of your uprated rad but that's just a personal preference.

Cheers

Jon

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Sorry I can't help you with any answers but I just wanted to say that you are making a really nice job of your car.
Also the cam cover on your engine caught my attention. I've not seen one like that here on the forum.
Do you have information about it please?

Cheers
John

[brettfcars]

thanks both of you for quick reply's !

Jon,
yes i am aware of the mounting brackets being handed, your right that they are indeed stamped LH and RH, although is that from looking from the drivers seat or from the front of car
And annoyingly i did have an electric fan, to go with the variable electronic temp sensor, but it got damaged during storage when the engine rolled on it
so i thought i would see how she runs with an original fan ?
I remember wondering which way to fit the fan, so checked the web and fitted it the same way round as a picture i downloaded of a +2.
Off-course i probably chose a picture of one fitted the wrong way as your advice sounds correct.

John,
Not much to say about the cam cover, i purchased it on ebay a year or two ago as an original off a holbay modified lotus seven ?
The engine itself was another eBay buy, which i collected from a closing down garage in north London.
I wasn't aware but when i got there they had a old ex racing lotus elan in the workshop, and i was told that the engine i was collecting, had many years before, been removed from from a x-racing +2, and removed due to excessive oil consumption.
I believe this was down to worn rings, bores and pistons, probably down the carbs having never been fitted with trumpets. As no sign of there having ever of been a air filter fitted.
Engine was rebored, and new pistons fitted plus a new water pump, otherwise just a head skim and bearings required.
The cam cover on the engine when found was the same colour as the engine (light blue) with the remains of some stencilling on ????

Brett

[brettfcars]

Just thought I would raise this post to the top again with a re-wright of the question !

Can anyone with a +2 with a Stromberg head, fitted to a spyder chassis tell me what engine mounts are used and what spacers and where ?
The reason for asking is currently i don't have enough clearance on the carb side to fit the airbox
At this point my idear is to lower the exhaust side swinging the carbs up ? or re-space the engine mountings ? (25mm spacers fitted, could move over a bit before clearance issues other side).
As can be seen in original posts the engine is level in all planes, is this correct ? and i have the previously mentioned spacers on the exhaust side of the engine.
below should be a couple of photos
thanks for any help
Brett

[Gray]

Hi

Not had a Plus 2 for many years, but rebuilt a few. A few queries/pointers:

How close is the engine to the bonnet, it looks a bit low?
Have you checked how the engine mountings fit with Spyder.
Have you got the right actual engine mounts and not Elan carb side which are different to raise the carbs, fitted the other way up with a Spyder chasis could lower the engine? From memory all plus 2 and Spyder chassied cars have the standard mounts both sides.

Regards Gray

[brettfcars]

Hi, engine mounts are standard ford ones, both being the same. As you say using the elan carb side ones would lower it further !
I am in the process of speaking to Spyder, having sent photos and am awaiting their reply !
I am attaching a couple of photos, the measurement shown is with the bottom of the ruler sitting on top of the front cross member.
unfortunately the Bonnet is away at the sprayshop at the moment, but should be back in a couple of days.
The engine, hence body hight was originally set up with a flat style bonnet, but a humped one then sourced to clear the carbs.
As far as I am aware the humped bonnets are the same general shape, except for the hump which is only there for the carbs and air-box.
In my conversation with Spyder, they did suggest the engine should be at a angle, although he may of been remembering the carb angle.

Brett

[Gray]

Brett

Is the engine level from front to back?

Regards Gray

[brettfcars]

Update :

I have just spoken to Sean at Spyder cars and he confirms that the photos i emailed him show the engine mountings correct, and height ok.
Unfortunately although he has a few cars on site none except a Europa have Stromberg carbs and hence different clearances.
However it may in fact be that different cars we built differently in respect of the pedal box location, mine has quite a gap between the pedal box and the inner-wing. If the pedal box was moved across I believe all would be fine.
Can any one with a Stromberg carb +2 compare my mounting position to theirs !
I may start looking at the possibility of moving this tomorrow so any help appreciated in confirming this as a possibility !

photos below
including one from a unknown source appearing to show pedal-box closer to wing !
Brett

Gary: engine is level front to back, side to side,, to road surface. ( on a level road ). Just saw your reply as posting this !

[carrierdave]

Hi Brett - The distance you show of an inch and a half looks far too big. The gap I have from the side of the peddle box to the side of the inner wind is just big enough to take the low brake level cable - which is two cables.

Dave

Ps - have you tried the bonnet yet? I think you may have an issues with the carbs fouling the bonnet, from your photo.

[Jason1]

Hi

Is there really no-one on here with a Stromberg +2 that can take a picture of the engine bay?

Are Stromberg +2 really that rare? I am surprised you have not had lots of photos yet.

Brett maybe you need to start a new thread called 'Photo needed of Stromberg powered +2'?

Jason

[david.g.chapman]

On my converted Federal Stromberg +2, the outside wall of the pedal box is only 10mm from the wing. Even then the clearance from the airbox to the inside wall of the pedal box is only 5mm or so.

I think this is the correct position.

This old photo of the area pre-resto shows it if you look carefully.

Dave Chapman

[brettfcars]

Thanks for replies so far,
Looks like in assembling car back as originaly found, using original mounting holes was wrong
I haven't done it yet, but looks like i will be moving the pedal box nearer the inner wing, and adding a flange to the outer engine side.
Looks simple enough and not to noticable once the air box is (eventualy) fitted

In regards to the carbs fouling bonnet, I have trial fitted the bonnet and closed ok.

The engine, hence body hight was originally set up with a flat style bonnet, but a humped one then sourced to clear the carbs.
As far as I am aware the humped bonnets are the same general shape, except for the hump which is only there for the carbs and air-box.

Prehaps a thread is neaded to ask how many Stromberg +2's are out there ? ( picture proof being required !)

Brett

[Hal]

Maybe you resolved the mystery, if not here's a Stromberg engine bay photo which I particularly like.



Surely your coil is in the way of the airbox?

Oh dear....just realised this is a LHD car! Sorry, not much help there.

[bill_s708800]

Brett,

Sorry not to have replied sooner. My plus 2 is a 69 with Spyder chassis and Strombergs. I hope the photo is clear but the box is much closer to the wall. Let me know if I can help.

Bill