Its been a while since i lasted posted any updates, which has been due to the extended winter 🙁 as its been a bit cold to get out and do anything of much use on the car! but we did get one day of spring like weather!! So its back on with the cylinder head. Im putting the old cam back in while i get the engine up and running as i know there will be no clearance issues if im a bit of with the timing. Then when its all up and running i will take the head off and…

Finaly have had got the brackets fitted to the Custom Rad, so its all ready for fitting. I also have a very cool thermostat controler for the fans (when i get the new ones!) which fits inline on the top radiator hose which works out just right as with the new rad i needed a longer hose but due to cost just had the normal manta B one made. Now i have those bits i can get on with the finally finishing off the engine. I still have a few little bits left to do before we are ready for…

I now have the bottom hose all cut to size and fitted and im just waiting for a hose joiner to come from Samco so i can fit the top hose. As i needed to extend the hose im using a hose joiner that takes a 1/8th NTP fitting as i have found a cool fan cotroller from Revotec (http://www.revotec.com/acatalog/EFC_Hose_Fitting.html#aEFCHOSE) it fits into the joiner (or you can get one already in the joiner) and it will control the fan temperature without having one of those ones that fits into the hose where it goes onto the radiator as they…

Yesterday the new hoses arrived from JS Performance. The top hose is the standard manta one, but the bottom hose has been enlarged on the bottom part to fit the Summit Racing radiator. I have also got a set of heater hoses from them as well. these are not specially made for the A series, but are Lotus Cortina ones as they are the right length and have the 90 degrees set in the right place as i will be routing them across and down the other side of the engine as with all the injection and throttle bodies on the…

Finaly after lots of messing about and getting lots of little bits made up for the engine the bottom end is now all in and complete. Front cover on (a little note here with the front cover, in the manual it says to put the timing chain on with the cam pulley all complete and then hold back the chain tensioner, which is kind of hard on your own, and then fit the cover, dont be tempted to think you know better and think the cam pulley will go on after the cover is on, it dosent :-), sump on…

I now have all the engine parts back from Rhino Alloys. They have been cleaned, blasted and powder coated and they are looking very shiny!