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Zetec engine more bhp
richard munnis - 19/1/17 at 10:06 PM

Hi folks has anybody put cams etc into there blacktop zetec and if so did you notice much in power gains over a standard engine running carbs or 45dcoes thanks in advance looking to gain about 30bhp more

loggyboy - 19/1/17 at 10:38 PM

You will need cams combined with headwork for that sort of gain.

[Edited on 19-1-17 by loggyboy]

blobster7 - 20/1/17 at 08:20 AM

Have a Blacktop 2.0 Zetec fitted to my Westfield and had the same plans 2yrs ago, It made 170bhp with Jenvey Itb`s as standard, I fitted Kent Focus12 cams, had the head gas flowed and ported / skimmed, The car then made 205 bhp @ NMS which was a noticeable difference and still is against standard Zetec cars, However the cost involved was £1400 plus and my advise would be don`t bother as 6 months later I wanted more power. I am now fitting a TTS Rotrex Supercharger kit.

Paul Turner - 20/1/17 at 08:48 AM

Not tuned a Blacktop. A totally standard crate motor with 45 Jenveys and an MBE ECU producing about 175 BHP is just about perfect for road use. Goes like stink, granny could drive it to the shops and a a brisk drive to Cadwell etc averages 34 mpg.

But I have tuned a Silvertop. Initially it was a standard engine from a burn out simply fitted witha pair of rejetted Weber 45's form my crossflow and a Weber Alpha ECU. Ran beautifully but compared to the well tuned crossflow did not feel very exciting even though it had 155 bhp.

so

I fitted a pair of Kent FZ2002 cams and timed them using the slots despite Kents warning i would not get the best out of them. With no other changes after change of jets it put out 172 bhp @ 7300 rpm and felt much livelier but the torque curve was much flatter than I expected, only had 140 lbs at almost 5000 rpm.

so

I timed the cams into Kents figures. The engine felt different but it did not feel better. On the RR the torque curve had more of peak which was at 4300 rpm and a much more respectable 150 lbs with 173 bhp @ 7000 rpm. Ran it like this for a year or so but was never convinced it had been worth the day spent in the garage with dial gauges and the expense of the RR session.

Bought another Silvertop with the intention of getting the head ported and either fitting it to the engine in the car or building up a totally different motor. Once stripped it was clear the block had some wear issues so I bought a set of oversized pistons and took out out to 2070 cc, Scholar stage 2 head and reused the Kent FZ2002 cams. Spashed out and bought the jenveys and MBE to move into the 21st century. It produced 208 bhp and 165 torques and was great on the track but on the road it was no improvement. It was perfectly tractable but it lacked the smooth easy going nature of the more standard engines. After the peaky crossflows I had really enjoyed the smooth power of the standard Zetec and this felt like I has gone a bit over the top.

then

On a trackday disaster, we think the pressure relief valve stuck which over pressurised the oil system and dislodged the filter "O" ring resulting in a major slick and run crank bearings.

so

To get back on the road/track within a few days I fitted the original engine again but having a pile of bits available selected the best looking pair of standard cams. Webers had been sold so I had no option but to use the injection and get the fueling checked. What a revelation, I was immediately happy again. It was the best engine I had ever had. Power everywhere, perfect manners, the gearbox was virtually redundant. After a few weeks instead of getting the crank re-ground and rebuilding the 2.1 I put the bits on e-bay and decided that I had no use for the power.

The next year I bought one of the crate blacktops and fitted that into the car using the Jenveys again which is where I stated this post. It feels "snappier" than the Silvertop and is slightly more powerful @ 175 bhp, could be the bigger valves, slightly different cams or the simple fact its new. After about 8 years I have had no desire to spend money to get more power but I have not ventured onto the track since I fitted it. As I said its perfect for road use.

So to sum it up to get 30 BHP you will need cams, a ported head (not all heads are equal remember) and you may need to get the pistons modified to clear the valves at full lift. It will cost more than you expect and don't forget to budget for a set up session on a RR.

richard munnis - 21/1/17 at 06:48 PM

Thank you for all your reply so helpful once again thanks

jeffw - 21/1/17 at 08:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blobster7
I am now fitting a TTS Rotrex Supercharger kit.


Good luck. What power are you aiming at?

cr500dom - 6/2/17 at 04:50 PM

I had a crate motor blacktop with about 5000 miles on it.
Jenvey throttle bodies, early MBE ecu and 4into 1 exhaust.

I added ARP Rod bolts and flywheel bolts, a lightened (still 8kg or something) std Blacktop flywheel with ARP bolts and a lightened front crank pulley.

I have now fitted a set of S/H Piper BP285 cams and new Turbosport Vernier pulleys.

A safe but far from optimised map has given it 205hp at the flywheel with 160 lbs/ft torque

Rev limiter set softcut at 7600, hard cut at 7800

I have a manual cam belt tensioner to fit as well as this will better control it at Higher revs and should hold on to the power a bit longer then too
(The standard tensioner starts to float at 7K)

So i would say, its well worth it.

I have a Phase 2 engine coming together now which is 2.1, forged HC pistons, Steel Rods with ARP fasteners and decent bearings.
This will have a Rick Wood CNC ported head, with uprated valve springs on it and I`ll pocket the pistons ready for a lairier cam swap at a later date.
I`l also probably drysump it as the caterham is used predominantly on circuit and Coram is not kind to zetecs even with a raceline sump fitted.

Paul Turner - 7/2/17 at 11:00 AM

quote:
Originally posted by cr500dom
lightened front crank pulley.


Changing the front crank pulley on a Zetec is not a good idea. Its 2 parts and contains a rubber isolator to dampen out vibration, there have been reports of cranks breaking on engines where aftermarket pulleys had been fitted.

Mr Ford does not fit expensive 2 part pulleys just for fun. If it was OK to fit simple one piece ones of years ago he would do that and pocket the difference.

Since the pulley is only a small diameter any weight loss will have bugger all influence on engine power or pick up.

Its a different matter with a large diameter flywheel which will make a huge difference to pick up when replaced with a lighter item but for reliability that needs balancing as a complete assembly. But never fit a lightened standard flywheel, even ones that the maker says are fine can break and severely damage the drivers feet, not a good look. Mine is a steel Raceline jobbie, well worth the money.

big_wasa - 7/2/17 at 11:42 AM

Even more report's of oil pump failure due to crank flex with a single mass front pulley.

cr500dom - 7/2/17 at 01:08 PM

quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
Even more report's of oil pump failure due to crank flex with a single mass front pulley.


Heard lots of heresay, nobody as yet has come up with any actual proof, data, pictures etc ?

Or even links to info / threads where it has happened ?

Quite happy to take it on board, but as yet it seems just internet scare mongering ? unless you know different ?

Andy D - 7/2/17 at 04:13 PM

My son killed his Dunnell 225 spec engine a few years ago. I don't remember which front pulley was fitted, but it shattered the oil pump, and did a few bearings. He was perhaps being a bit optimistic with the rev limit I think.. 8000rpm? After the rebuild he stuck to 7500 and it was fine. (Still going now afaik with it's current owner)
Haven't got the car now, and no gory pics I'm afraid.

coozer - 7/2/17 at 05:19 PM

All it needs is a turbo....