Need pics of empty Cortina 250 engine bay...

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Does anyone on here have a Cortina TC6?
Were the first Australian Cortina 6s log-manifold?

I need some pics of the engine bay on a Cortina 6 (Mk 3 or 4). The Capri shared Cortina mechanicals but has a longer bonnet so I'm sure it'll fit.

Did the straight six use the same engine mounts as the Essex or Cologne V6?

Any detailed pics of engine bay showing mountings would be great!

cheers!
 
Can't help you right now. But I'll do a cut and shut of Aussie forum Cortina six stuff, and see what is there. In the mean time, check with George or MTS-250Turbo, or Tim.

Here's some quick links:-

http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5240&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6065&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6280&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

There are three things you need to know.
One: is Tassie Tim. He's schooled up on them, and his MK3 Facelift/Series 2 Cortina has a 250 six in it, but it started off as a four cylinder 2000.
Second: is the modles. TC,TD were Mk 3. TE was MK4, TF was MKIV.

Early, pre November 72 Aussie TC's were exaclty the same as British ones. After the advent of the 200 and 250 Six, all Aussie Cortinas got bigger suspension bush diameters, forged steel ball studs rather than case hardend ones. Suspension spindles were thickened, the castor setting were reduced to give lighter steering (at the expense of good steering), springs were up to 250 pounds (only on the 6, four cyl stayed the same), travel increased by raising suspension (on sixes). All Cortinas got an extra three inches rebate in the front radiator support pannel, and a totally reworked firewall to allow for the nine inches of extra length and 2 inches of extra height on the stock OHC 2.0. The panel got a new plenum, firewall and floor plan to suit the bigger Falcon C4 and Toploader gearboxes. The diff was a Salisbury 7.875", and the drive shaft was one piece on the sixes. Fours got the old two piece drive shaft, and the 7.875" diff too. Then there was the power bulge to fit the oil filler cap! Disc front brakes weren't vented, they were just thicker for the sixes. Wagons got Falcon drum brakes.

The suspension sub frame was made from thicker gauge metal, which suported the new six, and the suspension. The welding was of better strength, and the engine mounts themselves had gussets. There was a much stronger crossmember under the transmission. The front stabiliser (anti-roll) bar was reprofiled to fit around the six.

All the early Cortinas had slanted engine mounts off the suspension. I've not seen the TC SIX mounting set up. Try looking in the Aussie Forum, and looking for
George's TD Cortina, or MTS-250Turbo

All this stuff is very important, because the 1983-1987 Hyundai Stella Prima front end had most of the updates, plus power steering, and engine mounts which were not slanted in wards to the back of the car, they were parallel to the chasis, and the anti-roll bar was cranked like on the Aussie six-cylinder Cortinas. The springs rates were higher than the four-cylinder ones, and it ia a bolt-in to any Mk 3 to MkIV Cortina.

Third:The TE and TF's were totally re-engineered with a new suspension system, the last ones with 14" alloy wheels and ventilated front discs. Rear brakes were Falcon based
 
Progress continues. Dunno if this is much help...cross-members are hard to get photos off. I've never taken any of mine when I had them, although I do have a Hyundai Stella x-member picture somewhere.... (sorry to harp on)

This is a hybrid P76V8 (A 4.4 litre Rover V8, basically) It shows most of the engine bay


http://au.geocities.com/p76cortina/P76intoTC.html

http://www.jsm-net.demon.co.uk/cortina/pix/au-mkiii3.jpg

Notice how the firewall and plenumb have been recessed, the radiator support moved forward 3", and the firewall is around 6" further back at the centreline, but not much further back either side of the margins of the 250 I6. Log heads were standard, they never got factory 2V heads on the Cortina.
 
Dude, how do you know so much stuff? I'm amazed...
I haven't bought the Capri for the transplant yet, probably why I'm asking these questions. I like to get a plan clear in my head first.

I didn't want to buy the engine and car at the same time in case the engine was shot to bits after being stood for xx years.
It's not too bad though. The big-ends are going to need a regrind but other than that it's all good.

Not really sure what the best plan of attack for the transplant is. I want to get as much knowledge as possible in advance so it takes the minimum time. My current plan is to pull the engine/box out of the Capri as one unit, then suspend the Falcon motor/box in there and suss out how to modify mountings and sump and anything else that doesn't fit.
My other option is to take the standard Pinto + Type N box out and lay it next to the 250 and measure it all up like that.
My landlord isn't going to appreciate an engineless Capri sitting on his drive for very long...he helped me lift the block onto my workbench yesterday after I'd taken the waterpump off. He ended up with 30 yr old rusty coolant all over his slippers. And then his dog ran through the oil... :D
 
I grew up on Jeremy Sinek Motor, English encylopedias of the Motor Car, and lots of other car mags from three continets. The rest is all BS!

I'm repectfully laughing out loud! I have relatives, expat Kiwis, who tell me all the time about lack of real estate space, and ettiquite, and the tenacious ways English people have to opperate with just to get there car projects done. I'm am convinced the obstacles make you guys some of the best Classic and Custom car builders in the world. You either organise yourself, or die!

If I had a landlord, he'd evict me as the Tenant From Hell in 5 seconds. Thank goodness I have a garage!

I used to read Classic Cars, a UK monthly on modern classics. Some of the stories of how the people had to work through lack of space, or weather, or salt on roads, or neighbours, or eight kids and no enlotment. One guy painted his P6 Rover 3500 in 17 steps...one panel at a time. When the flys got stuck in the enamel, he just marked the spot with a post it, and cut it out later with compound.

Hang in there! The link from Dave, the Capri man, hasn't rematerialised, has it? It has a big fat 250 Chev in it. I don't have a copy. Thats the one to look at! You could rip out the throgh flow ventilation plenumb, and make up a glove box heater/demister unit using a Jap or Korean heater unit from a small car in the 1.0 to 1.6 litre catagory. You don't need to cut the front radiator support panel too much. That 250 should be an LDI (Lets Drop In) special.

Make a fake 250 cube 'dolly' out of low grade boxing or ply wood, MDF or some such, and find a breaker yard with your proposed Capri, minus the engine, and take photos. This allows you the ablility to plan the job with out commiting to lugging 500 pounds of Yank Iron around. The sump and engine mounts can bolt on to the dolly. I call it a parameter jig, and it sorts out a lot of issues fast. Make a removeable juction 4 inches from the front and back, so you can fit it in any engine bay. This is a great way of getting your ideas sorted for a minimal disturbance egngine swap.

Over in NZ and Aussie, we are wild Colonial beggars, and we just gas axe anything in the way. In England, you gotta be a bit more circumspect about things. Decorum rules, OK?

Hang in there!
 
Gas axe? You mean oxy-acetylene cutting torch yeah? :D

I'm getting really into this engine rebuild now...dropped the head off for cleaning/skimming/unleaded valve seats yesterday, and the same company can regrind my big-end journals for about 40 quid! That's a total bargain!

I watched Mad Max again the other night to boost my enthusiasm even more...such a quality film, especially if you can find a copy with the 'original australian dialect'. They dubbed the main release with american accents and got rid of some words.
Seeing that 6cyl Falcon (March Hare) chasing the black Holden is magic!

What does 'toey' mean? context:
"It's one of the V8s...pursuit special on methane. Very toey"

Now if only the UK was like 1970s Australia.... :roll:
 
Yeah, I think you're right.
I assumed the Cortina would be the same because people over here say
"A Capri is just a rebodied Cortina". :?
It's intended as an insult, but as I quite like Cortinas I'm not bothered by it.
 
I mean this sort of Capri...just realised there are various American versions that are totally different!
capri30.jpg
 
"Very toey"
. Eager to get on with work, my friend. Impatient, an item for the press-on driver!

Gas axe? You mean oxy-acetylene cutting torch yeah?

A-ha. I've got a million and one other traversterys of the English language, this has been one of them...

The early Cortina Mk 1 and 2's were rebodied Cortinas, until Ford of Europe lost the plot a little with the desire to make downsized Galaxies/LTD's.

The Eurpoean Capri was sold in all forms in the US, 1973 to 1978, 1.6 Kent, 2.0 Pinto, 2.3 Lima four, 2.6 and 2.8 Cologne V6, but it missed out on the Essex 3.0 V6, RS 3100, Cologne RS 2600, and no 2.8 Injection. Rest was stock Cologne German Capri. US versions from 1979 on were Mustang III-based, then Ford Lazer/323 based, then Missing in Action.

The Capri is a good idea!


I've been thinking that the N9 gearbox may only be okay up to 200lb-ft, but they are very cheap. They have wide ratios in the four cylinder and 2.3 V6. The T9, from the 2.8 V6, has a very tall first gear, about 3.18:1, verses about 3.65:1. The old Dagenham 4-speed from the Reliant Scimitar, Zephyr V6, and Capri 3000 GXL/GT were similiar with the spline count on input and out put to both the old American manual gearboxes, and the Sierra/Granada units. Kiwis used to shove those behind the older Windsor and Y-block 272/292/312 V8's. They are simply not strong enough for abuse. The old Jag XJ-6 2.8/3.4/4.2 overdrive box was pretty good, but the only kit is a Casltemain Rod Shop (Australia) item, which suits the Windsor V8. The Volvo gearboxes are another option, but exspensive.

The Rover 2600/3500 5-speed is another option. The bell-housing is a little smaller. And that would mean you'd need to get an Aussie 200-250 flywheel to fit the crank. Both the Rover and Aussie Falcon used the Borg Warner automatic transmission, so perhaps the Rover and Aussie Falcon manual could be similar.

Going to manual means a swap to another flywheel anyway. My friend has used a Cortina 4-cyl 4-speed behind his Aussie six as a provisional measure. He never broke it.
 
Ford sold European Capri's in the US from 1969 - 1978. The 74-78 model was like the one you see pictured. They were produced in Germany and sold here under the Mercury brand. Engines ranged from the 1600 to the 2000, 2300, 2600 v6 and 2800 V6 over the years. A great car, but never sold here in the hotter RS and GT versions available in the European market.

When the Fox Mustang debuted in 1979, the Capri nameplate was transfered to that platform. The Capri nameplate was dropped in 1986?and then came back as the convertible Ford/Mazda two seater in the early 90's.
 
Just currious about those 30 litre V6 capri engines. Are they any good. I did think about putting one in but I thought they would be down on power a bit and I heard they didnt give good fuel economy. What happens if you trick them up a bit. Sorry all you inliner fans, just thought Id ask.
I rang transport modifactions section and they informed me that I should have had the front stub axels replaced with the addition of the six as the four ones are smaller. I still havent done this and its all passed inspection as a Six.
 
Yes, you should use the better post TC 6 stub axles/uprights.

The TC 2.5 liter and later 3.0 litre Essex V6's were poped into South African import Cortinas (about 200 sold in Aussie), and the last TF got a ute variant, and an XR model with the last of the Capri III 3.0 S V6's of about 138 hp.

I'm not sure if the engine was imported or assembled or even cast in SA, but they lasted until the last XR6 Sierra 3 and 5-dr sedans were made before the South Africans got really tricky with the 5.0 Mustang engined XR8 in 1984.

The Essex engine is brilliant bar for four nasties.

X. Heavy, at 432 pounds, almost as heavy as a 289 or 302 Windsor.

X. Rear cylinders get very hot. Thermostat housing needs some drilled holes to control temperature. Can result in some nasty issues.

X. Castings. Engine doesn't like big over bores, (RS 3400 blocks were over bored to 100 mm bores, and the reject rate was 7 out of 10, I think, according to Cosworth). Early Aussie market Capris missed out on the excellent D-port heads of 1973. Casting slag in the heads is just awfull, and mild or savage porting yields HUGE gains in performance. Silly things like studs for the rocker covers that just loosen out, and the general low quality of things. Nothing a rebuild can't fix.

X. Oil pump. Early versions were too small, and oldies tootling used to run 'em dry with lack of oil circulation. But when thrashed, no problem!

It's pluses are low-end grunt, the wild blood stirring sound, the ablilty to chuck in 400 or A9X/A9L Holden rods with 305 Chevy pistons, and end up with 3.4 liter strokers which push out 260 hp with tripple DCNF Ferrari carbs on an X-pak manifold. Art Thornton had one in a 1992 Street Machine article. Volvo discs, Sierra gear box, Simmonds mags, and Guards red. A legand!
 
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