'TRANSCORPIO'- 1974 LWB MK1/1994 2.9V6 Scorpio crossbreed

[cartooner]

Step 3 - Engine mounts.

The V4 and V6 Cologne engines are direct family, so I could have used the original engine mounts. As You can see from the last picture, the V4 mounts are pretty long stalks. This setup is not very stable and could cause vibrations with the heavier engine. The engine mounts and rubbers of the Scorpio are much better. This is why I decided to take the complete subframe from the Scorpio, modify it and bolt it into the MK1. The width of the subframe was almost perfect. However in the MK1 it needs to be 6 cm to the right. This is what the subframe looks like:



The yellow piece needed to be removed and the red piece needed to be added. I removed the existing brackets from the framerails, opened the seam of the rails a bit and inserted two strips of 2,5 mm metal with M12 bolts welded to it. After that I welded the seams and the subframe could be bolted in. Like this:

[cartooner]

Finding the right spot for the subframe was easy. The gearbox crossmember was already in place and basicly determined how far back the eng/box combo could go at the max. I used the
gearbox mounting point as a reference point and measured the distance to the centre line going throught the engine mounts. Furthermore the back-axle, propshaftmount, gearbox and engine needed to have their centres in line. I used a 3,5 meter aluminium ruler for that:



Nice benefit of the subframe is the extra cross-brace it makes between the frame rails. I got this one from a breakers, because the engine and box were still in the Scorpio. This was nice because now I could do my measurements and decide where I'd need more space. It turned out I had to cut a piece out of the front crossmember for the crank-pulley.( see above pic.)

As it turned out later it would be necessary to modify the subframe even more to get the engine 4cm lower and 3cm more backwards. But that's for later.

[cartooner]

Brakes and suspension.

To make the car handle and brake better, I changed the front drumbrake axle for a 1985 MK2
front axle with four pot calipers and vented discs. I sold the original axle to a stock-car guy and rebuilt the Mk2 axle with new bearings, calipers and brake lines. Also all steering parts were replaced with new parts. The leafspring bushes were replaced. ( the rubbers for the hangers with polyurethane ones



The four pots need a lot of fluid and the original master cilinder could not deliver. I replaced it with a larger one from a Mk3 and a bigger servo from a Mk2. All new copper brake lines, new rear cilinders and machined rear drums. ( Once you get started, you must go all the way.)

The leafsprings at the rear were also rebuilt.(see this threadhttp://fordtransit.org/forum/view ... af+springs
Furthermore I replaced all the shocks with coil-over shocks.

[Luke]

using the scorpio crossmember is a neat idea

i'm looking at that crossmember thinking ........... steering rack mounts

[cartooner]

using the scorpio crossmember is a neat idea

i'm looking at that crossmember thinking ........... steering rack mounts

That's what I thought also. I even got the one from the breakers with the steering rack still attached. I would have tried it, if only I had a shed to work in!
Mind You although the subframe is a nice plan, the position it is in in the last picture is not ideal.

After fitting the engine and box combo it came out that the engine had to sink about 4 cm deeper. Despite my measurements the combo was tilted to the rear too much, causing other problems like : 1.Sump could not be removed with engine in place. 2. First part of propshaft would enter propshaftcenterbearingmount at an angle(Not Good!). I tried solving this by mmaking a wedge steel plate and bolting the mount at an angle, but decided this would be a dodgy fix.

Therefor I took the subframe out and modified it like this.



I cut out a piece of the middle and welded that up to make room for the sump and repositioned the points where the mounting rubbers sit. All this to make the engine sit 4cm lower and finally 3 cm backwards.

[cartooner]

Luckily the gearboxmount can be move forward and backward on the crossmember, so the 3cm shift backwards was not a problem.

Here is a picture of the engine and gearbox before the transplant.



You can see that the spot where the gearstick is, is way at the back, supported with a bracket
This would cause my next problem. The Mk1 has a crossmember (spotwelded to and supporting the cabine floor)in the frame right at the spot where this bracket is( about where the balancer is(blue). The gearbox will not clear this beam, without cutting a section out. Lowering the gearbox, so it would pass under the beam, is not an option, because the pivot point of the gearstick needs to be as close to the floor as possible. Preferably even protruding through the floor. Aarghh, yet another problem!



See what I mean? It's the curved crossmember I had to cut. It's only spotwelded to the floor, but since the seats are attached about here I could not leave it like this, so I made a plate from 2mm steel with a beam on it. The crossmember now runs in the cabine on top of the floor.
Hard to explain, but this is how it looks.

Bolted in first and then welded and now the integrity of the crossmember is restored.

[madmark]

what a good job you are dooing here, the van will go very well with this motor fitted!

[cartooner]

In the last picture you can see the gearstick. Compared to the original stick it is more backwards by a whopping half a meter. This is nice, because it is now right between the seats which are also moved backwards 20 cm for comfort.The stick had to be lengthened, because it is way too short for the Mk1. It had to be lenghtened by 20 centimeters, which ment lenghtening the cable for reverse also. Now the gearknob sits just below the hip. Very comfortable. But, when you lengthen the stick it's throw is increased and it will be all over the place. This is why I installed a quickshift kit, to reduce the distance the knob of the stick travels.

Before this I had built a frame to support the Scorpio seats. There is storage space underneith and the driving position is so comfortable. Here is the drivers seat:

The passenger seat can turn 360 degrees , like this:

Gearstickposition:

The main battery now lives under the passenger seat:

Here I put sound insulation in:

Supplemented with this stuff ripped from the Scorpio:


Just realised it's 25 degrees outside, what am I doing here! To be continued!

[madmark]

very nice work mate

[cartooner]

Thx Mark.

Now the gearbox was in the right position it was time for me to connect it to the rear axle. It's very nice having a complete donor car like the Scorpio. The basic setup of it's propshaft is the same as the Transit's. A short section with a sliding joint to compensate for longitudal movement. A centrebearing in a rubber mounted in a bracket that is bolted to the chassis. And last a second propshaft from the bearing to the rear axle. I could use the complete propshaft of the Scorpio. Only had to change the length of the 2 pieces.

I shortened the first piece by 5,5 cm. I decided to change the position of centrebearing mount. Because the gearbox is sitting higher in the car, the propshaft also sits higher. The further to the rear of the car the centrebearing is, the steeper the angle the 2nd propshaft piece makes will be. A too steep angle here is not good. By shifting the mounting point forward to the gearbox, the 2nd prop will be longer, but the angle will be smoother.

The flange of the 2nd prop was a perfect fit to the rear axle flange! I had the prop lengthened 55 cm. They had to use a wider tube, because the length of the prop and the max rpm it will turn determine how strong it should be. For every length and rpm there is a minimum tube width and thickness. Otherwise the prop will behave like a skipping rope and snap.
Here is the new prop:

Here it is under the car. The yellow arrow points to the original spot the centrebearing was in.

Had to fabricate a bracket to bolt the Scorps' centre bearing mount to the chassis in the new position:

[Luke]

i'm really enjoying reading this and excellent work your doing too

[cartooner]

Thx Luke. There's much more but I'll continue later. Have to work the nightshift!

[cartooner]

Ok time for some pics with the engine in the car. This one is with the subframe not yet modified.:

You can see the paspump is still present. The car has no powersteering, but you can not remove the pas-pump, because the belts that drive it also drive the waterpump. Also notice that the alternator is still in the original position like it was in the Scorpio. It almost touches the front crossmember. I was not satisfied with this result.

After the changes I made to the subframe, you can see the engine sits lower and more backwards. The cranck-pulley fits nicely in the space I created in the front crossmember. I made a new bracket to put the alternator in the spot of the pas-pump. The number of belts is reduced from 3 to 1 now. This set up is much better. The clearance between the radiator and the engine is about 5 cm. ( The nosecone of the waterpump is closest).


Clearance to the radiator:

Clearance to the bulkhead is also perfect:

[Highlander250469]

Excellent thread!!

I'm stealing a few ideas here!

[cartooner]

Thx mate. You're very welcome to steal. That's what this forum is for, to help each other out.
Here is a picture of the radiator.

At first I had the original radiator from the Scorpio in, but even with the viscous fan removed I had only 1cm clearance to the radiator. This was not enough, because there was a chance the engine would smash the radiator. I went to the breakers yard to search for a radiator that a./ had the connections in the right position. b/. Had enough cooling capacity and c/. Had to be a lot thinner than the Scorpio's.
I found out a radiator from a 1988 Nissan Sunny 2.0 Diesel was the best alternative. I took the fan off at the breakers yard and ordered a new radiator at my local shop. The radiator is suspended in rubbers.( Also nicked from the Sunny.). The electric fan is switched by a thermoswitch located in the top radiator hose. The switch is connected to a relay that sends the power through a fuse to the fan.I used the coolant tank from the Scorpio. Just made a bracket to fit it in de enginebay.
Here's another picture of the complete engine bay. I did not have space enough to use the Scorpio's airbox, so I ordered a set of K&N filters that now fit nicely in the spot where the battery used to be. The K&N's make a nice throaty sound. They are fed with cool air coming through a hose that begins just under the front bumper.