Heres a list of parts required for the conversion-its by no means the Gospel but should give you some idea of whats needed.
ENGINE.
Firstly you need an engine obviously. These are getting quite pricey now as demand for decent,tuneable powerful motors for conversion is getting higher.They seem to range from £250-500 for a useable 2nd hand motor.You may be lucky like i was and pick up an mot failure for next to nothing.
There are early and late engines available-not too sure if one is better than the other but some people prefer the 'COSCAST' head version, which has a head designed by Cosworth, although i dont think theres much in it. Also some early heads have been known to be 'porous'. This means the galleries in the head for water and oilways leak into each other causing premature engine failure.This can be fixed by a decent machine shop.Most engines would benefit a rebuild,at least a freshen up with new gaskets,cambelt etc.
Finally the rod bolts are the known weak link in these engines so upgrade to ARP or equivalent bolts-these will help keep your motor in one piece.
GEARBOX & BELLHOUSING.
Most of us will be using a Ford box of some type-RS 4 speed, Type 9 5 speed, T5 maybe or 2.8 5 speed. All of these will need the correct bellhousing to mate up to the engine. There are 2 types available-1 for 4 or 5 speed, or another slightly longer version for the 2.8 Capri box with longer 2.8 input shaft. Of these 2 types 2 versions are available-level or 7 degree installation. This depends on which way you mount the engine in the car. More on that in Mounts section.
Use the standard Vauxhall clutch cover with a 1" x 23 spline Ford clutch plate-readily available standard ford clutch. Ford release bearing and fork-the fork MAY need modifying-i think the RS fork fits without mods but Yukspeed sells modded ones i believe.Also needed is a spigot bearing which fits into end of crankshaft to pick up gearbox input shaft-a few quid.
MOUNTS.
A couple of ways to do this-using a World Cup X-member or chassis mounting.
Using the WCXM you need the correct mounts for the XE-readily available from loads of Escort specialists. Only problem with this method is the engine can only go in one place and bulkhead mods may be needed-this method also mounts the engine 'level', as opposed to the 7 degrees it was mounted in the original cars.
Using a chassis mount kit the engine can go wherever you like it to go-forward/back for weight distribution, 7 degree or level. If you move the engine back bulkhead mods will be required. The chassis mount comes in a kit which you weld up yourself depending on the final position of your engine in the bay.
EXHAUST.
A very important part of tuning for this engine is the exhaust manifold. The standard part is quite restrictive so changing this item alone can release power. Go for a proper big bore manifold available from any of the suppliers above or the likes of Ashley, Raldes etc. This system exits on passenger side so a x-flow system should mate up. The standard manifold can be cut and turned and welded back up but an aftermarket item would be the better choice.
INDUCTION.
Well theres many options here-a lot of it will come down to cost.
The standard injection can be used but will need wiring in to the escort loom-i'm not sure whats involved but it can be done.
Carbs will be the next choice-and a popular one. A nice pair of 40-45 Dellortos will do the job nicely. I've been reliably informed 40's will do the job, and they are a lot cheaper than 45's to boot. An inlet manifold for twin carbs will be needed-again readily available.
Throttle bodies are the next step up-and can cost less than a carb setup in new form. I'm no expert on TB's but know they are very good at delivering the right amount of fuel at the right time. Kits available from SBD. Some people are now using bike TB's as a cheap alternative-although they need modifying to fit the xe's inlet spacings.
IGNITION.
You could use the standard XE ignition with the dizzy at the back of the head-the bulkhead will need cutting though.
Or you could use a Manta dizzy kit which mounts the dizzy at the front of engine, running from a pulley off the exhaust cam wheel. These kits are getting hard to find now, and with all dizzy based systems theres only so much you can do with a mechanical system. It will work but not efficiently. The other option is an aftermarket ECU system-like Alpha or DTA etc. These boxes of tricks take over the mechanical timing of the engine and use electronics instead-much more efficient and user friendly-once setup thats it. They also support the ability to upload new engine 'maps' to get the most out of your motor. No more fiddling with dizzies and points-just plug in a laptop and press a few buttons. These sytems arent cheap-typically £400 plus.
Alternatively for the 'thrifty' among us is the Megajolt Lite Junior. This is similar to the Alpha kits etc but is made yourself from kit form or ready built for your application. Again its a box of printed circuit boards and wires which tells the engine when to fire. New maps can be downloaded onto it via a laptop pc. Also they include the option of a Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor (MAP) which gets signals from the inlet manifold to run the fuelling too. Or a Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) which runs off the carbs/TB's so the Megajolt knows the engines revs/loads. These kits can be bought relatively cheaply-under £150 depending on spec-but a great alternative to the more expensive big name parts. With the kit you will also need a few parts from your local scrappy. Lookout for 90-95 ish Fords-fiesta,orions,escorts etc. You will need the coilpack,Edis 4 module,crank trigger wheel and sensor. I got mine for £5 all in so not too pricey!! This will give you basic ignition, or add a MAP sensor or TPS for full 3d engine management. The system is set up for 10 degrees before TDC which is the Ford get me home mode-then you will need a map to download for the spec of your engine-or a good rolling road setup by someone in the know.
SUMP.
Depending which way you mount the engine will tell you which sump you need. If its a level install you can buy a steel sump off the shelf from Yukspeed, or the parts to make one. If its a 7 degree install the Manta sump is the one to go for-getting hard to find now though. The manta pickup is also required but the one i got looks exactly the same as the one on the engine-so not too sure about this-need more info.
Think thats all for now-anymore and i'll add it when i think of it-feel free to add any more info of your install.
Standard XE with ARP bolts,standard cams,pair 40's, decent exhaust system and ignition=180 BHP?? Not bad.
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