89 up Engine to trans bolt patern

[90suprat]

Who makes the 4 cylinder engine blocks for the 89+ Esprits. What I mean is are there any Ford, GM or Chrysler engines that will mate to the Lotus 5 speed.....(aside from clutch and input shaft issues)

[Squelch]

Lotus makes them, or at least they designed them and have a foundry cast them, Then Lotus does the machine work.
They do not share a bolt pattern with any other engine.

[arium]

Your other angle to consider would be an approach from the transaxle end. Since it is a Renault transaxle with a Lotus bellhousing, You could change to either a Renault b/h ie: a R30 and take advantage of some of the many hybrid adapter plates etc. that would let you mate up a sb ford or chevy from the GT40 world.

Unless there is a compelling reason to frankenstein the car it may not be worth doing from a resale or conversion costs standpoint. Adapters, mounts, flywheel, clutch and starters tend to eat up a large part of the powertrain budget when custom made.

Best of luck with your project.

Steve


>> Edited by arium on Friday 1st April 21:03

[90suprat]

Thats a great idea didn't look at it from that angle. I don't want to offend any lotus purists but I was looking into dropping a 4.3 GM V-6 (with turbo of course). Shorter than an inline 4 so it would free up some work room in the engine bay on the front side. Are there any other Stronger transaxles that could be modified to fit the lotus drivetrain.

[Esprit2]

There are no direct fits and anything can be modified. It's just a matter of how much work is worthwhile. The Porsche 930 Turbo transaxle has found it's way into a few Esprits. And there's an Audi transaxle (the gearbox portion is the same as used in the Porsche 944) that's being fitted to at least one naturally aspirated Esprit.

The cost would be crazy, but I think someone should work out a conversion for the ZF DS25 used in the GT40/ Mangusta/ Pantera. RBT bought the rights and distributes it now. They have also developed a 6-speed version that only weights 5 lbs more than the Renault 5-speed. The problem is that it costs US$16k.

And there's the Quaife transaxle, but it's even more expensive (?? US$25k). They claim to have a kit worked out that mates it to the Lotus engine, but the shift linkage is up to the owner. No help there.

Anything you do in the way of installing a different transaxle in the Esprit will require creative solutions and custom fabrication. There are no kits or standard configurations already worked out for you.

Good luck,
Tim Engel
Lotus Owners Oftha North

>> Edited by Esprit2 on Saturday 2nd April 18:03

[DanR 1201]

If you have to do an economical(?) box conversion maybe the Subaru WRX with the rear drive deleted is another possibility. Include the engine too?

[90suprat]

actually I had thought of dropping a complete FWD setup in the rear (Generation 1 or 2 eclipse drive train or a front wheel GM V6 setup (turbo of course)to save a little space on the width.

Thanks by the way for the constructive help.......I own a supra right (selling it) now and that community is nothing but a bunch of elitist assholes most of the time towards anybody wanting to try something new or unique like putting a different manufacturer's engine in the car.

Does anybody know of a place online were I can view a mechanical diagram of the 89+ Lotus drivetrain layout??

[slaxau]

Try www.lotusespritworld.com as a starting point for the gearbox mating season.

Did I understand the previous comment regarding the R30 bellhousing mating for a ford or chevy engine ?

[Paula&Marcus]

Hi All,
If you like to bolt a small block Chevy engine to the Lotus tranny, here is a good source for info.

www.bell-performance.co.uk

The Lola/GT40 replica scene really seems to like the Lotus/Renault UN1 tranny. They usually combine it with small block V8 engines.

Cheers
Marcus (www.PUKesprit.de)

[MikeyRide]

90suprat said:

actually I had thought of dropping a complete FWD setup in the rear (Generation 1 or 2 eclipse drive train or a front wheel GM V6 setup (turbo of course)to save a little space on the width.

There's not enough room. The chassis is designed to fit a longitudinal engine/trans arrangement.

I think engine swaps are pretty neat (I love LT1/LSx Jags and a friend built an LT1 240Z) but doing one in an Esprit for reasonable money and/or effort would be a big pain and to what gain? The 4cyl engines are pretty durable and can make good power and there are no cost-effective transaxle solutions that can take really big power.

All IMHO of course.

[90suprat]

Now that I have a better picture of the drivetrain layout I agree with you FWD setup is Out of the question......And the Trans problem is a big problem.. The article about upgrading the trans was interesting though and got me thinking about my 4.3 Engine Idea.

The weakness of the trans is the only thing making me think twice about getting an esprit....All other problems with a the car don't worry me. I spent 2 years patiently working on my supra taking it from the stock 232 hp up to 550 hp without being able to drive it so Ive got the patience and reasonable amount of money to do this project (over a little bit of time of course).

[mrodrigu]

"but I think someone should work out a conversion for the ZF DS25 used in the GT40/ Mangusta/ Pantera.

And there's the Quaife transaxle, but it's even more expensive (?? US$25k). They claim to have a kit worked out that mates it to the Lotus engine, but the shift linkage is up to the owner."

I have a 4 cylinder Esprit with the Quaife 6 speed. Quaife can supply a bell housing for V8 cars but they's never fitted one to a 4 cylinder. I had a custom bell housing cast and could be of assistance in that area, as the pattern and development have been done.

The Quaife is an excellent choice for a track day car, but being a dog box, it's not very suitable for the road. Low speed shifts are balky and clunky. I'm tired of mine and it will be up for sale soon, (with the shifter, 2 digital hear displays and cable) should anyone be interested.

I plan to replace it with a ZF DS25 from RBT. In my opinion the available ratios for the 6 speed version, are more suited to V8s. For the 4 cylinder I'd stick with a 5 speed.

In any event, the conversion is a large undertaking requiring considerable development to get it right. I've got photos if anyone's interested.