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Author: Subject: Anyone have a Duratec with tilted 5-speed mx5 gearbox?
trevw

posted on 11/1/18 at 03:21 PM Reply With Quote
Anyone have a Duratec with tilted 5-speed mx5 gearbox?

Hi all,

my first post on the forum - this seems to be the best place online for 7 related questions, I've read a lot of really useful threads but is anyone out there running with the duratec and the 5 speed mx5 gearbox tilted over? I've found lots of mentions of it and suggestions you can bend the gearstick to compensate for the 10deg 'lean'

I've picked up a duratec and mx5 gearbox and am 'building up' to getting it fitted in the car but would love to see some pics of how others have done it..

Anyone gone the other way and mimicked the mx-5 tilt on the engine? I've not worked out yet if it raises the exhaust or the inlet..


On a side note - at some point I'll have a 2.1 Pinto engine (Vulcan engineering engine) to sell, any recommendations on the best places to list it?


thanks!

Trev

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sdh2903

posted on 11/1/18 at 03:57 PM Reply With Quote
I did this albeit with a 2.0 ecoboost (same block as the duratec) I tilted the engine and kept the gearbox level. I have a ford spec sheet which states the engine is designed to run fine up to a certain angle of tilt. With tilting the engine the inlet is raised and exhaust is lowered. If my memory serves me correct you can actually use a Mazda sump which is sloped to match the tilt and I believe raceline make a slant sump too.

There is a guy building the same combo eng and box as you over on the wscc. Might be worth a peruse?

http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/topic/111361-valentiniks-duratec-build/

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Sam_68

posted on 11/1/18 at 05:26 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by trevw
Anyone gone the other way and mimicked the mx-5 tilt on the engine? I've not worked out yet if it raises the exhaust or the inlet.


It raises the inlet side. I've done it with an MZR/Duratec engine and the 6-speed gearbox, but obviously the 5 speed gearbox fitment is the same:


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trevw

posted on 11/1/18 at 06:50 PM Reply With Quote
thanks! am now about half way through that thread.. looks interesting!

Did you consider tilting the gearbox or was that not something you looked at, and also any issues with tilting the engine? Have seen the tilted sumps but a bit concerned on clearance under the bonneteven so? definitely easier on the gearbox front though..

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trevw

posted on 11/1/18 at 07:21 PM Reply With Quote
Thanks Sam, useful info and pic!

Quick question - I've noticed a couple of Duratec installs with braces like yours to the front of the engine, curious on the reasons/pros/cons or it is just for pure track day cars etc. - I'll be up front, mine is a kit so I didn't build the chassis but will have to mod it a bit for the duratec so was wondering if I need to add something like this..?

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Sam_68

posted on 11/1/18 at 07:25 PM Reply With Quote
We used the Mazda (MZR) version of the Duratec, so it came with the correct sump to start with.

It's quite a tall engine, certainly (most new engines are) and tilting the induction upwards doesn't help - especially since we were using a quite large carbon fibre plenum coupled to a supercharger installation. It had a fully enclosed bodyshell, designed specifically for the installation, but it needed quite a bulged bonnet to clear the plenum.

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Sam_68

posted on 11/1/18 at 08:13 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by trevw
...I've noticed a couple of Duratec installs with braces like yours to the front of the engine, curious on the reasons/pros/cons...


Main reason was purely that we were fitting an engine with relatively stupid horsepower (circa 320bhp, supercharged), so it helps react the torque from the engine, instead of expecting the two main engine mounts to do all the work.

You'll see that the brace was quite heavily triangulated, too, and braced back to node points on the main chassis, so helped contribute a bit toward the general torsional stiffness at the front of the chassis.

Cons are that it adds complexity, cost and a little bit of weight, of course,

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trevw

posted on 12/1/18 at 12:03 PM Reply With Quote
Thanks Sam, makes sense

I'm still trying to find the threads I saw where people commented about keeping the engine square and the gearbox tilted.. any thoughts on going that route?

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Sam_68

posted on 12/1/18 at 02:50 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by trevw
I'm still trying to find the threads I saw where people commented about keeping the engine square and the gearbox tilted.. any thoughts on going that route?


If you're asking me, it sounds nuts.

The shape of the gearbox means it will take up more space in the transmission tunnel if you tilt it over, and the angle of the gearlever would be weird.

Mazda has spent a fortune developing a 'Duratec' installation on the NC MX5 that works perfectly, out of the box, so why wouldn't you use it?

Pre-MX5 NC, I suppose there might have been some logic to it, but I can't see any, these days.

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trevw

posted on 15/1/18 at 09:56 AM Reply With Quote
:-) fair enough, when I started looking at a duratec it was with the assumption I'd get a bellhousing for a type 9 gearbox. The first couple of comments I found about the mx5 box indicated they were tilting the gearbox not the engine so that was my default assumption (like here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1355899).

Looking back at some of those threads, they were related to putting the combo in old escorts so maybe they couldn't tilt the engine for space reasons.

Someone also said they'd had the bellhousing cut and spun to remove the need but it sounds expensive and like that would have to be done 'very well' not to cause issues.

Thinking about it more and given your feedback I think I'll switch my assumption and assume I'm tilting the engine unless I can't for some reason, was just curious which way people had gone. Think the priority is to get them mated up, the pinto out and have a play..

Cheers

Trev

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andyhaase1

posted on 16/1/18 at 09:10 AM Reply With Quote
I’m building a MNR VORTX with a duratec and mark3 mx5 box. I fitted a slanted raceline ally sump so the sump is level with the chassis and the engine is tilted slightly. It lifts up the inlet side, and with the jenvey manifold, the throttle body trumpets are also level. I don’t know how to post pics on here but if you pm me your email address I’m happy to send pics.
Andy

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Sam_68

posted on 16/1/18 at 10:08 AM Reply With Quote
It would be interesting to know whether the MX5 NC sump will bolt straight onto the Ford engine.

Common sense suggests that it should, but there are one or two minor differences between the MZR (Mazda version) and the Duratec (Ford version) that you might not expect.

Is the Raceline sump any shallower than the MX5 sump?

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andyhaase1

posted on 16/1/18 at 10:32 AM Reply With Quote
I’ve no idea about the mx5 sump, but the raceline sump was quite a bit shallower than the st150 sump that I took off.
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andyhaase1

posted on 16/1/18 at 10:34 AM Reply With Quote
I’ve no idea about the mx5 sump, but the raceline sump was quite a bit shallower than the st150 sump that I took off.
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