1967 Cortina Lotus TT V8. Engine rebuild June 2021

Could I recommend two self tapping hooks one in the dash above the glove box door and one on the glove box door with a zip tie to hold the glove box shut on acceleration.

The only reason I say this is your car is way to perfect and needs a little bodge to balance things out and to prove your not perfect at building cars. Haha.

Ian, Shame your old car isnt still about,Do you know where the engine ended up??

Langsam, replacement catch made using a pipe to chassis clip, not original but functional

Bjonagn, the halfshafts will go first, but as its auto, i am hoping it will hold up.

Well spotted in time on all those, as teething problems go thats not bad for such a major build, must be great to drive. Would be good to see some on board vids if you get a chance when the repairs are done.

New belts fitted and cam belt guide to pulley.


Gearbox back in


Engine back in


Captive bolt for torque converter was spinning, so couldnt tighten or loosen


Engine out again


Stud fixed, recon turbo's on. engine back in, plumbing re connected, electrics refitted.

Get some fluids in it tomorrow hopefully

Hi 820, yes all refitted but fuel pressure would not come up, and could hear it squirting into the inlet manifold.

Have ordered new rubber seals for the secondary injectors then will try again.

it did start, but ran rough as one bank was rich and missing.

Will get there eventually.

What keeps happening to the box then Alan? Surely the same issue twice is no coincidence?

Given up on the bench seat in the Cortina.


Loved the look and idea , but not nice for driving.


Had a pair of Focus seats trimmed to match and fitted them yesterday.


Out with the old






Next Friday off to Loan for the Curcuit Historique weekend

Right. Ive had a few noises in the engine i didnt like but try as i might no one could pin it down. When a buzzing noise started in the oil cooler pipe that was the last straw so engine out for a check up before it grenades itself.

Only obvious cause for the tapping noise on light load appears to be slack in the chain to the intermediate shaft as the tensioners are not self adjusting

New tensioner guides sorted.

The flexplate/ring gear would ring after being engaged so to deaden this ive fitted a 8mm ali plate to the face around the BMW flex plate



The idler shaft is supported on a couple of bearings one of which felt notchy . This shaft was upgraded for the production cars but as this was a development engine, it still had the prototype part.
Bought a new shaft but the bearings are a different size and no bearings are available to fit the new shaft into my front cover.



Got a mate to machine it down so standard bearing fits and at the same time cut a key way in the front section of the shaft and the two camshaft pulleys (currently just an end on friction fit)

With the lump bolted onto the flex plate i though I'd get the balancing checked, crank ,pulley flex-plate assembly was spot on but rods were 8 gram from heaviest to lightest.
The small ends were a bit worn so they were replaced , Three of the originals had oil grooves but 5 didnt ??
Pistons, rings and gudgeon pins were also balanced



Better get them installed in the correct orientation !!