Newbie "Old Gezzer"

[Dirty Habit]

I am 65 in a couple of months and I am planning what I am going to do in retirement. Although I have spent all my life around cars, even restoring a couple of wrecks to show winning level. There is something I have always wanted to do, and that is to stuff and engine and gearbox from one make/model into something very different. I have this old small American truck and I am planning on installing an Essex V6. This will keep the engine size similar but give more options for gearbox and parts for both will be easier to find. So who is the Essex Guru and able to answer my questions?

[Cavcraft]

Erm, what American truck?

[pogweasel]

[eddyramrod]

I don't think you could actually call me a Guru, but at least I do have an Essex! What's the truck, Chevy S10? Ford Courier? I think the Courier used a version of the Cologne V6, so Mk2 and 3 Granadas are suddenly going to look more attractive, aren't they? At least the Cologne is widely available. Allow me to suggest you find a Granada Club forum, where you might just drop lucky for a lot of helpful advice. Good luck with the project anyway.

[HBR]

Are you dead set on the Essex for any particular reason, the later Cologne is said to be much better but it's nothing fantastic either, loads of modern V6s around for the price of buying a scrap car with one in, like an Omega V6 (but most will be autos if you're wanting manual).

Or if you want the real deal seeing as it's an American thing how about getting an American V8? The small block Ford is little bigger than the V6 & parts for it are very cheap if you're not wanting to make silly power, Chevy V8 parts are supposed to be even cheaper!

 

But whatever, it's your truck so build what you want!

[fiatdaft]

as pog says why use a boat anchor v6 that isn't very powerful and is more expensive to buy or rebuild than a ford v8?

[ashmicro]

Rover-TVR 5.0 V8

[danthecapriman]

I really dont see what people see wrong with the Ford v6s, they are perfectly fine if your anything other than a drag racer!

 

I have a carb, cologne 2.8 in my mk2 Granada, its done 200K and is fine, even with an autobox (which I prefer than manual!). It can easily outpace or at least keep up with most cars a tiny fraction of its age.

Ive worked on loads of these and the essex and always found them to be reliable enough and strong enough. They definatly are not a boat anchor, there are thousands of engines far far worse.

 

That being said I would go the yank v8 route if I were in your situation.

[eddyramrod]

Why not...

 

Anybody ever thought that we might be dealing with someone who has/has access to the engine in question? There's a lot to be said for using what you already have littering up your garden, rather than shelling out the hard-earned on an unknown quantity that you have to go searching for.

 

We can play Fantasy Transplant all night (count me in ) but if you happen to have an old Courier, and an Essex, what's more natural than to put them together?

[autofive]

i wouldnt call myself an essex guru, or a guru of any kind, but ive had a few, and been through 3 in the last 6-9 months,

 

 

if you have any questions, i will try to answer them

 

here is the latest, rotted out its core plugs, new plugs added and sitting on the floor in scary's workshop waiting to be re-fitted

 

 

p.s. (to the detractors) the essex may not have he most bhp in the world, but it has very nice torque, much more than the cologne

[HBR]

Why not buy a Chevy Luv and fit an Isuzu 2.8 turbo diesel engine?

 

Anybody ever thought that we might be dealing with someone who has/has access to the engine in question?

 

Why not put a bow-tie on your brava?

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayne/5103341689/

 

Blue one at the back in case you couldn't figure it out.

 

 

It doesnt matter what you nail to the nose of an Isuzu pickup, I'd still want that old 504 first!

 

 

 

Of course, if there's an engine which is in good order, you're happy using & is already at hand then it'd be daft to use anything else!

[Justin Case]

Hello and welcome, do I recognise your name from the OCC forum?

 

Is the truck the one in your signature, and would be something like this:

 

 

I haven't got an answer unfortunately, but if it is like that perhaps it may help with the guruing

[Dirty Habit]

I have the Essex in mind because it is just slightly younger than my truck and a similar capacity. I had read that it was good for low down torque, like the existing motor. I am thinking of a Scimitar because I also fancy the O/D gearbox. I want the older technology, I don't want ECU's or fuel injection, and I am capable of turning the lights and wipers on myself and I very rarely leave the handbrake on so don't need an electronic gizmo to do it for me

And as for cost of parts for an Essex..........well a fancy headlamp bulb for a "Mini" @ £85 or an ECU for a Corsa £800+ No ta, I'm old and I'll stay with old things

[Dirty Habit]

Hello and welcome, do I recognise your name from the OCC forum?

 

Is the truck the one in your signature, and would be something like this:

 

 

I haven't got an answer unfortunately, but if it is like that perhaps it may help with the guruing

 

That's me....

[Pete-M]

Greetings.

 

I've had pretty much the set of Ford V6s, in various states of tune.

 

3.0 Essex is my favourite mainly because of the low down grunt and the ease of getting a little bit more poke from them. It weighs rather a lot though. Unipart four branch headers, a rejetted carb and an Aldon dizzy make a huge difference to 'em.

 

2.8 Carb Cologne is an engine I really don't enjoy much. Thrashy, not that smooth, no real poke, not much low down torque.

 

2.8 injection Cologne is a fair bit better, smoother, still thrashy, more torque than a carb one but it's still delivered a bit too far up the rev range for me. Not bad on fuel when they're running right, certainly no worse than the carb one.

 

Problem with the 2.8 is the siamesed port layout. Doesn't help matters if you're wanting a bit extra from 'em as they're a bugger to get much poke out of at the best of times.

 

Most 2.8 Cologne lumps suffer from cam wear after about 100k miles if not serviced regularly, this'll drop power and torque spectacularly. Unfortunately, on most of the ones I've seen people have just kept on winding the tappets down to shut 'em up and this leads to valve wear and/or recession.

 

2.9 Cologne is a big improvement over the 2.8 as it has much more freely breathing heads and on later ones, hydraulic followers. Torque is a bit lower down the rev range as well.

 

2.9 24v Cosworth lump is the best of the lot, but designed to run with an autobox. Easy enough to physically convert to manual (In BOA spec) but the engine ECU means that when you lift off the loud pedal the revs don't reduce quickly - it's a programming thing to make the autobox change more smoothly. Timing chains can be an issue with these, but most rattle for a second or two at a cold start up - any longer than that and it will need them doing, which is a pain to do unless the engine is in something with a lot of access room around the front end. Fit duplex chains. They can suffer from head gasket faults as the radiators on 'em in the Scorpio were made from cheese. Rads have a habit of ballooning at the lower edge until they're about an inch wider in places. The 2.3 rad off a 16v Scorpio does the job well enough though.

 

BOB 24v lumps are improved, but the PATS system means they're a swine to transplant into anything else.

[Gompo]

Whatever you do, we need pics of the truck - Internationals are bloody great.

[RedSparrow]

Wow, check out you guys, discussing technical things that I will never understand!

 

Welcome to the new people by the way!

[trigger]

Welcome to the site DH, Your International looks ace!

[Albert Ross]

I seem to have surplus 24V BOB Cosworth 2.9 here....... running in a car, possibly a coolling issue as yet undiagnosed, I suspect bad things. All I want are the wheels, ICE head unit and CD changer/cabling. Offers invited. I'd really like to keep the whole thing, but alas the body is made of a similar cheese to the radiator. Nice heated electric leather though. Believed to be an Ex-Ford press or high-end manager's car. (Dagenham plate)

[oman5]

Hi, I think using an essex is a great idea. they put them in transit ambulances getting on for 3 tons in weight for many years, the low down torque on them is amazing, just what you want for a pickup. whereas in my experience the cologne is dissapointing for its size, nowhere near the same grunt.

Theres normally an assortment on ebay, you may pick one up for £100 and as you say its old tech, nothing to worry about with ecus/injection modules etc. as long as you have 12v and petrol going to it, it will run.

Not a boat anchor at all, there is not much to go wrong, although it's worth changing the hex shaft drive to the oil pump at the base of the dizzy, they wear round over time, and the fibre timing wheel has been known to strip on them. steel replacements are available from places like Burton power (who sell everything you'd want for a ford engine). you'll want a decent sized rad too with electric fans, it does not take much overheating to blow the HGs on an Essex. when you come to buy one, try and get a post-1972 version, they breathe better and generate more power than the older mk4 Zodiac type. It'll probably come from a scimitar anyway, mk1 grannies being very thin on the ground these days.

tuning bits are available, 3.1 overbore, triple weber manifold, superchargers,lightened flywheel..the depth of your pocket is the limit

[Dirty Habit]

Whatever you do, we need pics of the truck - Internationals are bloody great.

 

 

Here you are.....

[eddyramrod]

Nice truck!

 

Old guy, old truck, old tech, perfect, I love it. Right behind you DH old chap, should be a pretty handy piece of machinery when you've finished.

 

Tayne: we have the LUV here so I know. It comes in exactly the same body as my Brava. Yes, if I found a bowtie to put on the front I would, without a moment's hesitation! Should have saved the one I had on the front of my Lumina...

[Dirty Habit]

If I had any doubts about my plans to use an Essex, I don't now, that's the way I will go...Thanks for the input.