engine mounts

Annoyingly the engine didn't come with the stock engine mounts attached (probably as was mounted in the racecar via custom mounts), but the gearbox did. After a couple of months of searching I managed to track down a pair of engine mounts at a sensible price, and set about modifiying them for use with the ubiquitous Land Rover engine mounting rubbers. I turned down some aluminium inserts to a heavy press fit, and pressed them into the engine mount bores with a hydraulic press. The press was reading 5 tonnes as they went home, so they are never coming out, under vibration or otherwise!

Then it was simply a case of tapping the centres of the inserts to M10 x 1.5 and screwing on the mount. Very happy with how they have come out.

The gearbox mounts didn't need any modification as they take an 10mm bolt as standard anyway.

exhaust system - part 1

Managed to pick up the above manifolds for a bargain price. They are from the BWM E92 M3 V8. It's an engine not dissimilar to the 355 V8 in terms of output. Making 414bhp and revving to 8000rpm, the diameters and (nicely equal) lengths should be a good match to my ~380bhp at ~8250rpm.

They need the flanges grinding off for now, then I will set them aside until I modify them as required once the engine is the chassis.

first welding complete

Harness bar now fully welded in. Ready for primer and paint.

preparing for re-fit of standard oil pump

This afternoon I pulled the sump pan off the engine in order to get ready for re-fitting the standard Ferrari dry sump oil pump unit and drivechain. There are one or two small components I still need to purchase but I should have the engine back together within a week to 10 days.

Once the sump pan is back on there is nothing preventing me from connecting the engine and gearbox for what should be the final time. An event that will really feel like some good tangible progress is being made! I really like the rear flywheel clutch layout of the gearbox as it means the necessity for splitting the engine and gearbox in service is very low, and clutch flywheel maintenance is straightforward.

Gratuitous shot of titanium con-rods! (piston spray jets also visible)

stripping more stuff out

about time i posted an update on the weight reduction totals so far:

REMOVED		344.773	kg
interior trim	3060
Audio system	3323
stock wing mirrors + side indicators	1247
rear glass	2277
rear clam	26813
driver seat	7000
passenger seat	8400
petrol cap	314
gearknob	141
alarm	642
engine cover	4800
exhaust	20655
bulkhead (including heatshield)	3713
fog lights	1062
front grill	308
front bonnet lock	143
battery & bracket	10313
evap system	769
rear bracket	150
numberplate plinth	216
wiper motor trim	57
k-series airbox	1416
fuel filter holder	45
wiring loom	159
heater	3940
engine mounts	3997
front wheels	28800
rear wheels	32600
front mudflaps	500
tow hook	50
locking wheel nut key	94
front brake calipers, discs, pads & hoses	16000
Koni dampers	10200
fuel tank cutting	1480
front anti roll bar	1986
steering wheel	1786
old fuel tank	12693
engine & box	130000
subframe cutting	3624

quite substantial. Obviously a lot of this stuff either has to go back on, or be replaced with similar. I hope to be able to weigh the new engine and gearbox in the next couple of weeks. The 130kg value for the K-series lump was a number I found online so may not be entirely accurate.

Wheels are another area I may be able to make some decent savings (despite aiming to run a significantly wider rear tyre).

more cutting - rear subframe

As you can see the rear subrame crossmember has now been cut away to make space for the F355 gearbox. The suspension pick up locations are un-affected by the work I am doing so hopefully the finished car will retain the magic Lotus handling, with a lower and more central CofG.

Many of the bars for re-bracing the rear subframe are now cut and profiled, so tomorrow the welding will begin. We are starting with the harness bar which is inch tube, seamless CDS as per MSA rollcage regs. 

I have decided not to run a full cage in this car as the car will primarily be for non-competetive trackday use. The standard roll bar in the Elise chassis is very substantial, and the seats and harnesses I am fitting should offer the driver/passenger significantly better protection than the standard items.

The reason for starting with the harness bar first is to allow me to continue with fabricating the new bulkhead which will sit up against the rear of the bar, and just behind the seats. The bulkhead will be a carbon fibre panel, bonded into place.

Barely visible in the pictures is my new steering wheel, just having a few issues getting the brand new quick release boss to a state I am happy with in terms of free-play. I will post some pictures of the finished wheel in a later update.