Now that the fuel system is in place I'm looking to fit my engine and box into the chassis. To connect the two I plan on dealing with yukspeed who supply all the necessary parts:
http://www.yukspeed.com/parts.htm

I am looking at the 7 degree bellhousing on ebay at the minute (£99), then a "bolt fitting kit" £15 (Im dubious of this, surely I can just buy some bolts to fit from screwfix?), the clutch fork and spigot bush £45 and then a standard clutch and "competition cover"(?) is £200, ideally id like the upgraded clutch which adds another £50 to £250.

Apart from the bellhousing, which is a specficially manufactured item and this is the cheapest i can find it, can anyone think of ways to cut the other costs. Surely I can get a clutch and cover (which I guess means pressure plate?) for less than 200?

For those who have done the conversion, does it use a vauxhall or ford clutch + pressure plate? I'm not changing my sump, but will i need to change the pickup pipe?

Thankyou for reading.

its fairly likely that the 'bolt fitting kit' exists because the bolts are not standard - probably a finer thread pitch.

cant help with anything else.

would you rather spend 15 quid and get the bolts or waste a weekend discovering the bolts you've got don't fit then hunting out some that do?

its expensive for some bolts but for ease probably a wise choice.

As for clutches etc - I know NS Dev / NED both have done this and can probably advise, although i think both went hydraulic instead of cable.

Cheers guys, i suspected there must a reason behind the bolt kit, otherwise everyone would avoid it and just pop down to their local B+Q!

I would have no idea where to start with hydraulic clutches so hopefully they know a little about the standard cable version.

Theyll probably be able to explain why its rubbish and they both changed

Hi
I'm in the middle of doing the same conversion.
You'll need a standard vauxhall XE cover (pressure plate) and a Sierra 2.3 diesel driven plate.
I bought a brand new XE pressure plate off e bay for £30 and I guess I'll probably pay around £15-£25 for the driven plate all in for £45.
Yuk Hodson offers clutch kits mainly for Escort/Rally use and hence these are way over spec for lightweight locost use.
Everything else he does is spot on for our use. I bought my bellhousing from him s/hand for £130 and it's perfect and he's a great guy too with a real Yorkshireman's sense of humour.
For very useful info an all XE installation work try here : http://westfield-world.com/xeinstall.html

Hope this helps

now that is an excellent website

ta very much for the link, that takes a weight off my mind and my wallet with the clutch!

You very probably want the 0 degree bell housing for a Locost rather than the 7 degree one.

Don't forget you will need to make/buy a shallower sump.

[Edited on 11/2/09 by MikeRJ]

why is that mike? im only going for 7 degree because its £60ish less and i figured the extra space on the intake side couldnt hurt?

oh and im fitting into a dax rush and apparently there are no clearance issues with the standard sump on the standard Dax mounts.

edited to say:- just spoke to yukspeed and he also recommended the upright bellhousing in a kit as it causes all sorts of problems with oil/water circulation etc etc if at an angle.

[Edited on 11/2/09 by cd.thomson]

[Edited on 11/2/09 by cd.thomson]

also do the standard dax mounts suit the 7 degree ?

[Edited on 11/2/09 by mcerd1]

0 degree bellhousing, fine thread allen bolts to mate bellhousing to the gearbox, vauxhall clutch cover/pressure plate with a westfield friction plate - got a sierra diesel one from the bay but it had some kind of flange that interfered, so check before you buy, ford release bearing and clutch arm and a crankshaft spigot bearing.

You can either use M12 allen bolts to join engine to bellhousing or plain bolts with good thick washers to spread the load round the sunk holes.

Then there is the cam cover mod that SBD recommend.

quote:

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Originally posted by stevepj
0 degree bellhousing, fine thread allen bolts to mate bellhousing to the gearbox, vauxhall clutch cover/pressure plate with a westfield friction plate - got a sierra diesel one from the bay but it had some kind of flange that interfered, so check before you buy, ford release bearing and clutch arm and a crankshaft spigot bearing.

You can either use M12 allen bolts to join engine to bellhousing or plain bolts with good thick washers to spread the load round the sunk holes.

Then there is the cam cover mod that SBD recommend.

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cheers guys, all sorted now.

the plan:

diesel sierra friction plate
original pressure plate (these to be upgraded as necessary)

yukspeed upright bellhousing, spigot bush, clutch fork and bolt kit.

£250ish

I have confirmed with Simon at Dax that I will not need to modify the sump. There first demo car with the XE had a sump guard but now they produce them without as it was deemed unnecessary.

quote:

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Originally posted by cd.thomson
c
I have confirmed with Simon at Dax that I will not need to modify the sump. There first demo car with the XE had a sump guard but now they produce them without as it was deemed unnecessary.

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phew, just following this thread and hoped you hadn't gone for the 7 degree one!!!

It would never fit with that bellhousing!

You will need to mod the sump, whatever anybody may say.

It may well FIT but it WILL hit things, smash and also will generate oil surge under braking

Despite what the manufacturer and designer of Dax Rush sportscars says who produces outthefactory Rushes with the C20XE engine fitted with no sump modifications?

I'm not being intentionally head strong, but Peter and Simon do produce the thing, I'd be suprised if they had got something so wrong that they would give their customers false information.

[Edited on 12/2/09 by cd.thomson]

quote:

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Originally posted by NS Dev
It may well FIT but it WILL hit things, smash and also will generate oil surge under braking

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you have to buy a special bonnet for the engine from Dax, the standard one is too low.

fairly high, similar to MK, but that's still only an inch higher than "traditional" 7 bodywork.

It will go in, but you would have negligible ground clearance (prob 1.5" at 6" "chassis to ground" ride height)

I use an XE with a Luego Velocity which is much taller than the standard 7 (well a couple of inches) and definitely needed to shorten the sump. The top of the engine is just below (like half an inch or less) the bonnet and the sump hits the occasional speed hump. As I live in London the speed humps are a real issue, if you live somewhere that isn't blighted by them then maybe you could get away with it. In reality though it would be a fools move to build your car with the engine as high as possible to avoid changing the sump only to drive it and realise that it needs doing anyway. Also, why add additional weight in the form or a sump guard that isn’t needed if the job is done properly?

I used standard clutch parts and they work very well under extremely aggressive use so I wouldn't bother with the upgraded option.

Great engine and box choice, my car is fabulous to drive and I am sure you’ll love it.

HAving had one of these, it depends where you're going to drive it - if you are going to drive on flat 'normal' roads, then you will be fine..... if however you're going to negotiate speed humps, or slight drops into and out of car parks etc - then you'll need it shortening.

What I would do is get it running with the normal sump - and then if its a problem retrofit a shortened one - half hour job.

As for the Dax one - I saw their demonstrator, and the bottom of the sump was pretty scratched. Having said that the bell housing comes below the sump - so how much benefit would you get from a short sump??

Chris

quote:

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Originally posted by chrsgrain

As for the Dax one - I saw their demonstrator, and the bottom of the sump was pretty scratched. Having said that the bell housing comes below the sump - so how much benefit would you get from a short sump??

Chris

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