Will a BDA fit ?

[nigelc]

I may have found an unmolested ford BDA engine ..Thinking that if t is genuinely a BDA ( not seen it yet) , and if i can get it at a sensible price , that this could be a pretty impressive power unit and at least loosely period correct . Has anyone tried this conversion ?.   

[BDA]

Yup. They fit nicely in a TC. You'll need to make some small changes to connect your water pump. You'll also need to make a little room at the firewall and make a hatch in it so you can get to the cam belt and water pump. Of course, you need a TC bell housing, but other than that, it pretty much goes right in.

When you do it, don't forget to post pictures!

[nigelc]

Thanks BDA .. already on a mission to source the bellhousing in the wtb section just in case . I  will be putting pics up from time to time as the restoration (resurrection) continues 

[Roger]

Nigel, I think you have an S2. If so, you need a lot of chassis mods to let a Ford block fit, it's too wide.
If you're getting a new chassis frame, get a TC.

[BDA]

Unfortunately, since I have an TCS, I don't generally consider S2s.

Roger has a point. If you have an S2, things would be much more complicated. I don't believe the TC Frame will fit in an S2 so you'd either have to make modifications to your frame or get one that will accept the BDA. I wouldn't be surprised if Richard or Spyder could provide that, but then, even if they did, that may be more trouble and expense than you want.

Richard would be a good source of information. He's done a lot of different swaps.

[4129R]

I think a Rover V8 will fit quite nicely in an S2, but you would need a very good transaxle to cope with the load. Ditto a BDA.

When fitting an engine pushing out more than 145bhp, a major consideration is the transaxle, just as much as "will it fit?".

Alex in Norfolk.

[BDA]

I think the number of spider gears is the limiting issue with the transaxle. The NG3 and 365 are strong enough. I'm not sure about the 4 speed boxes.

But you've exposed another issue we've missed up till now. Your frame will obviously have to accept the tranny you use and I don't THINK the S2 frame will accept any appropriate tranny so that would be another modification.

[nigelc]

Hi Roger / BDA /4192R , yes mine is an S2 .. however the chassis is junk.. PO had unfortunately done numerous repairs over the years but they have not stood up to the British weather well . And whilst everything is repairable the ends dont justify the means in this case and i will be replacing with something newer. I believe (but not certain) the Banks or Spyder spaceframed chassis would give me a little more clearance at the back of the "Y", but not 100% certain it will be enough (i'll put a call in to Richard) .  Transmission wise , i tracked down a couple of NG3 boxes (well an NG3 and an NG9 ) so i hope these should be up to the task

[BDA]

A call to Richard and/or Spyder is your next step. I think you'll probably find you're in good shape. I don't know the particulars on the NG9, but I know the NG3 will be fine (from personal experience  ) and I expect the NG9 will be as well.

What state of tune are you planning for your motor?

It will be nice to have "kindred spirit" here for a change! 

[EuropaTC]

Transmission wise , i tracked down a couple of NG3 boxes (well an NG3 and an NG9 ) so i hope these should be up to the task

What's the NG9 from Nigel ? 

That's something else that's passed me by entirely, I've been concentrating my thoughts on NG3 alone so I'd be interested if there are other alternatives.

Brian

[nigelc]

Hi BDA .. the plan is to do some sprint and hillclimbs .. and subject to it complying with regs , and me being able to get my race licence back again (been a while since i had one) ,  then possibly running it in one of the friendlier and better value championships.   The BDA engine route appeals in terms of being of the correct era.

Europa TC - Both boxes are supposedly from Renault 21's .. externally no great differences , bellhousing is different with clutch arm on different side on the NG9  See attached , fist pics are the NG9 , others the NG3

[BDA]

As I said, I don't think you'll have any problem with either of these boxes, but it might be worth a call to Richard to get his opinion on the NG9. My NG3 works fine with the BDA. The NG3 requires the TC bell housing (which you're all ready looking for) as well as some modifications. Here is a page that goes into them (http://www.greytower.com/jon/lotus/europa/gearbox/gearbox.html). For gear selection, Richard has a kit for that or you can go the cable route and there are people on the lotuseuropa yahoo group who have explained how that works. Of course, those different methods would require different mods at the rear cover.

The ease of the conversion (the TC and BDA both use the Kent block so there aren't many changes needed) and the fact that I had a acquired a BDA head made the choice easy. Like you, I also liked the fact that the BDA was basically the next iteration of the TC. I like to think that if they had built the Europa in '75 or '76, Chunky would have put a BDA in them. As you know, the stock HP for an RS1600 was about 140 hp. I would think 170 hp would be pretty easy depending on your regs. You're on your own for the headers. I got mine from Dave Bean (he also built my motor) many years ago. I don't know if he can still provide them, but it might be worth a call to him to find out. Mine are in SS and they are routed the same way as the stock exhaust so I could keep my rear trunk tray which was important to me. I am very pleased with them.

This should be a nice project. Keep us up to date on it!

[EuropaTC]

Thanks Nigel, with this forum "every day is a school day", I'm constantly amazed by how much I don't know....     

I need to do some research. Presumably the clutch location isn't going to be a problem installed in a Europa because it's the TC bellhousing, so it's just how you get to change gear and what the ratios are that need looking at ?

Brian

[BDA]

I think you're right, Brian. I'd be very surprised if the clutch is an issue, but I have to say I let Dave, who built my motor, and Richard, who provided the NG3, worry about that. I also don't recall it being an issue in the page I linked to. After all, the difference is the head. The block is the same and I don't think it's a stretch to assume the flywheel to crank geometry is the same.

[jbcollier]

Before springing for a BDA and a five speed box, check the regulations of the race series you are interested in.  Some even minor mods may push you into a class where you will be remarkably uncompetitive.