400SE - Fordedes

[SELfor50]

For those who know, the Fordedes will be getting the 'finishing' touches completed in the coming month. It'll be entering my mates workshop on the 5th June and leaving on the 10th with everything required done and ready to be engineered.

The list is small so after that's complete most of the remaining time will be spent hopefully exploring other possible HP gains.

Cam (Mercules) can you suggest any possibilities for HP gains to the current setup? Obviously prior to anything like forced induction there are many other things that would need to be overhauled. So other than that is there anything?

2ndly, i'll need to acquire / install a charcoal cannister. I've been quoted figures between $150-200 from local ford spares places.
Does anyone have a charcoal cannister that would be cheaper??

....photo's to come.

 

[B13]

Cam, every Falcon from the mid 1980s onwards has a charcoal cansiter....

Just rock up to any You-pull-it type wrecker and grab one...and its hoses.

The hose under the charcol canister goes to the fuel vapour line from the petrol tank, and the host on top of the canister goes into the air cleaner after the filter element.

Ian.

 

[SELfor50]

Cam, every Falcon from the mid 1980s onwards has a charcoal cansiter....

Just rock up to any You-pull-it type wrecker and grab one...and its hoses.

The hose under the charcol canister goes to the fuel vapour line from the petrol tank, and the host on top of the canister goes into the air cleaner after the filter element.

Ian.

Don't actually know what a charcoal cannister looks like..

 

[B13]

Don't actually know what a charcoal cannister looks like..

This is the engine bay of my RX7... the charcoal canister is the roundy thing in the lower right corner of the picture (the hose to the air cleaner is blocked off because of the non-standard induction system I was running).

I.

 

[oscar]

So a 280 cannister isn't going to be any good??

 

[Mercules]

So a 280 cannister isn't going to be any good??

The Ford thermofans and airbox take up the space previously occupied by the Mercedes charcoal cannister - Cam just drop by the wreckers and get a 2nd hand unit from virtually anything... Commodore, Laser, Maserati... doesn't matter - all you need is one port plumbed to the tank and the other plumbed to the inlet.

As far as performance mods go, there are shed-loads of parts for these engines!!!

• You probably won't get extractors in becasue the gap between the block & chassis is pretty tight.
• You could put a K&N pod on but you need the airbox in place for it to pass engineering.
• Most of the camshaft companies make mild-to-wild cams for these things
• If you don't want to got turbo there are plenty of places making high-compression engines with ported heads & matched cams... I thikn there is one shop running 11's with a non-turbo Falcon
• Nitrous
• You can also get shift kits for the electronic 4 speed - makes them change gear harder and stronger

Geez... I'm getting toey again

 

[SELfor50]

Thanks for the pic Mav's.

Oscar, i'm not sure. Mercules can you confirm if the 280SE charcoal canister will be ok?

Thanks for the info Cam, i'll have a search around for some 'wild-er' CAMS.

Question on the shift kit, will the gearbox be solid enough for Nitrous/or Turbs with a rebuild and shift kit fitted?

...sorry for making you 'toey' Cam, first goal is to get the car registered. Then i'll look at the HP mod's with more intent.

Also, for the record, my mate who's gonna do the work complimented on how sexy the engine bay looks. The words spoken were professional and well planned.

Cam2.

 

[Styria]

Hi Mercules, steady boy, no good getting "toey" - you need to tippy toe first through the trials and tribulations of your magnifico 450SEL. See you 18.30 hours. Regards Styria

 

[BAR]

I am of the informed opinion that just about any charcoal canister will do the job, the newer (lower mileage) the donor vehicle from which the part is obtained, well the better of course.

In the W116 the canister has an inlet and an outlet hose. The outlet is attached to the inlet manifold of the vehicle so that vacuum will draw the nasty vapours back into the engine for burning and reduce nasty emissions.

Newer canister have 3 'ports'. The additional hose can be let to 'drain' into a chassis rail, for when there vacuum is not available.

Most newer vehicles even make the installation easeir by having the ports clearly labelled and one can also remove the mounting assembly from the donor vehicle. it can be accomodated happily in the W116, if not eactly where the original unit was located.

A newer canister obtained from a wrecker, cheap and even better, providing for a cleaner environment.

Always one for thinking of the planet......

 

[SELfor50]

Cheers for that BAR!!

I've organised a CC from a Ford Laser. $30, so the price is right and it'll do the job to pass engineering.


Just a quick update:

Final things that needed doing before seeing the Engineer:

Sump Leak - Fixed
Tailshaft - Balancing not required but M&A Engineering to re-allign the front uni / yoke that connects to the ford gearbox with the uni in the middle on the merc tailshaft.
Also Centre Bearing needs replacing (was ripped to shreds) [currently in the shop getting this done]
Reverse Lights connected to gearbox - Fixed
Tiny rust hole in boot - Fixed
Charcoal Cannister - Unit purchased, waiting to be fitted.
Brakes - Flushed lines and fluid replaced.

Soooooo... close now.

 

[SELfor50]

Got the Tailshaft back today - SUCH a tidy job.
M&A Engineering (The 9" Diff Specialists) have done a f*kn very sexy job on this puppy.

Booked in to get engineered next Tuesday... may get a permit tomorrow so that I can drive this beast to the workshop for finishing touches.


Mercules, I have to let you know how many comments i've received (and continue to) about how "tidy" this engine conversion is. And this is from people who, in the same grain of yourselves, 'know'. Props brother Cam, props!


Pictures coming................................

 

[oscar]

So close now. Good luck with the engineering ticket. I just can't wait to see this creation up close.