hi

First post after finding the site a few hours ago.
I'm interested in building a car to take an engine i already have in my current track car.

Which kits are most suited to take the vaux c20xe? Any links, costs, or any other info would be greatly appreciated!


The engine spec is

C20XE, bored out to 2100cc
SBD 88mm forged, pocketed pistons,
SBD valve caps
SBD valve seats
SBD valve springs
SBD 284 cams
SBD verneir pullies
SBD typeC exhaust manifold, ceramic coated
Coscat head with headwork by powerzone
ARP rod bolts
ARP head studs
Cometic metal head gasket
QED DTH Throttle Bodies
QED dis pack
Knife edged, lightened and balanced crank.
DTAfast 3D ECU
LET injectors



thanks for any help

Nice spec engine.

will fit most cars with suitable gearbox.

Similar spec to my engine, whats the engine currently in? Depending on current situation it'll probably need a new exhaust system (or at least manifold) and a different sump.

I am putting mine in my locost which I built myself. I modified the transmission tunnel slightly to get the engine further back than normal.

NSdev has a stuart taylor locost, skippad has one in an mk indy, I have some pics of one in a mac1 and a luego velocity. Others have also built their own chassis's such as stu16v.

Check out the photo archives of above users and post up any questions. The engine should fit i pretty much any manufacturers chassis. The degree of fabrication you want to do may sway things slightly eg who has engine mounts off the shelf etc if you're not able to make your own.

welcome and enjoy..

Ned.

evening.

I'll go check the pics out etc.

I'd prefer to buy mounts etc.... i can weld, but its not the best yet LOL

Any links to kit prices, and contents?

I'm aware of the shorter sump and new exhaust manifold requirements....


The engine is currently in





whoops

are you selling the shell?

Great engine that why dont you realy push the boat out and look here http://www.robinhoodengineering.co.uk/main_page.htm

Billy - thanks for the link.

locost7 - no planning to. Just re-shelled the bugger after a mishap (bent chassis leg etc) So its now in a perfect 2000 plate shell. Planning to just pop a c20let into it once the xe is moved to better platform.
Its a pretty much drop in swap with the shell... uprated mounts, shafts, gearbox, 300mm 4 pots etc.

Currently building a 205 GTi for the missus, but truth be told the shell isnt the best. It's being built on a budget so may take it on for a year, then sell and give her the white corsa.

205






Would this Stuart Taylor chassis be suitable for my engine?

http://www.stuart-taylor.co.uk/locoblade.html

and the RH looks good, opinions

http://www.robinhoodengineering.co.uk/Bolteon.htm

Hey adam, those houses behind your garage looks like the ones in last of the summer wine you live up there???

na LOL

I live in sunny Edinburgh, although i'm in India just now.

That's the Stuart Taylor chassis I am using!

It's a tight fit but it does go!

I would strongly recommend trying to get a good look and photographs of a Caterham - Vauxhall HPC before you start, most of what Caterham did to get the engine into their car need to be done to get it into the Stuart Taylor chassis.

.....well, not so much into the chassis, it's getting it under the std bonnet line that's tricky and I did not want to use a bulge. I like the "std crossflow power" look of the car with no bulges!!!

what was invloved then?

Mounting the engine lower, and swaping to a shallower sump?

I'm interested in how you get an XE in wthout all the bulges to clear the cam pulleys.
Always a Vauxhall / Opel fan, I'd junk the crossflow for one of these.
Can it be done on the cheap, without dry sumping etc?
Don't mind Megasquirt to ditch standard injection.

Marcus

you can cut and shut the standard ally sump if you can tig, or get a steel one from an 8v engine and mig it. westfield/sbd/qed do an expensive ally shallow sump with pickup. caterham have a shallower still foam filled ally sump.
some also use the winged ally sump from a manta 1.8 or a steel winged one from yukspeed.

you can cut the flange off the rocker cover and run without the cambelt cover, this gains another 3/4". for engine position photo's check my archive and do a search as it was discussed once before. Both myself and NSDev and stu16v and billy have our xe's under standard height locost bonnets, so its quite doable.

cheers,

Ned.

[Edited on 16/2/06 by ned]

i have no belt cover, i've junked standard inlet.... I'm thinking about drysumping soon

Doesn't some omega's also have a winged sump? I believe the x20xev engines. And mij Astra OPC with x20xer engine also has a winged sump.

Don't know if these are shallower as a standard sump and if these will fit a c20xe? Also don't know if these are hard to find.

The various winged sumps are not really any shallower than the std astra sump unfortunately..

I am using a Caterham foam filled wet sump, which is the same depth as a dry sump. I paid £150 for the sump, foam and a caterham HPC propshaft, all off ebay

Some pics:



progress1



progress2

Caterham sump at installed height from the side:



sump clearance

The cam cover on the engine is the std one not the modified one. The one I will be using will have the front lip that normally supports the belt cover removed,, as Ned said.

You also need to remember to remove the black steel rear belt cover, or stones will have the belt off with no front cover.

Nat, with the black steel back plate removed how have you done the tensioner? I've borrowed a bit a friend had machined up to hold the standard tensioner pulley on, but need to get one made myself.

Ned.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Adam
and the RH looks good, opinions

http://www.robinhoodengineering.co.uk/Bolteon.htm

---

How deep are those shallower sumps??

The winged sump of a x20xev consists of 2 pieces. The upperpart is 7 cm's deep, don't know about the lower part. But perhaps you can bold a plat aluminium plate to the upperpart to close the underside creating a 7 cm deep sump. is this a good idea? Or is it to shallow?

I can get the upper part for about 15 pounds.

See picture for upper part.

[Edited on 4/3/06 by ruudbeckers]
Rescued attachment sump.JPG

An interesting idea Ruudbeckers!

The caterham sump is not much more than 70mm deep, will check tomorrow, but it is around that depth.

quote:

---

Originally posted by ned
Nat, with the black steel back plate removed how have you done the tensioner? I've borrowed a bit a friend had machined up to hold the standard tensioner pulley on, but need to get one made myself.

Ned.

---

PS I did chop a little piece out of one of my black rear covers, the bit with the TDC pointer for the crank pulley on it, it's near a bolt hole for one of the cover mounting screws, where it screws to the oil pump casing.

I slotted across the pump casing and into the cover, then chopped the piece out, and hold it in place with the screw, then you have a TDC pointer which is handy!

haha

still looking into this!

Would now pref to buy a car with c20xe in... where's the best place to find said car?

Where are the cars for sale on here? Can just find parts.

Don't tend to get very many cars for sale, people are too busy building and driving them! Also there aren't that many Locosts around with the 20XE, most of them either have old school iron like Xflow or Pinto or bike engines.

Keep an eye on the For Sale section but also have a look at Ebay.

Depending on your budget you might want to take a look at Westfield:
http://boardroom.wscc.co.uk/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=SF;f=9

yep more xe's come up for sale in westfields or caterhams, some at sensible/good money (depending on your budget of course).

also check out one of the kit mags in smiths (jsut don't buy them lol)

Ned.

i think i recognise your corsa

"who needs a playstation?" ????????

Here you go, looks like a reasonable enough price:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/101717.htm