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R5 engine installation?

S

southafrican van

Enthusiast
Messages
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Hi guys
My last post was about my 850cc on which I had to do a head gasket.
Cars running, but has a slight engine knock.

I've been offered a '5' for a very good price.
1300 4 speed.

I know theres info on which motors go in, but I would ask for patience because these cars are very scarce here, and in the info that I've seen on the site there are references to motors and boxes that I would just like to be 1000% sure of before I spend more money.

Thank you.
Love your site.
John
 
As long as the gearbox is four-speed, no crossmember modifications will be needed, so the actual engine/gearbox swap is straightforward.
You will need to modify the chassis brackets for the two engine mounts, and use the R4 gearbox mount.
You will need different throttle and clutch cables (not sure if the R5 ones will do).
The R5 radiator will not fit, so you need the R4 1108cc radiator as well as its hoses (or a custom-made radiator).
The swap from the floor-mounted gearshift lever to the R4 dash-mounted one is fairly simple (swapping gearbox covers) but you must fabricate a crossmember for the gearshift lever bush that was originally on top of the radiator.
The R5 fuel pump has a return line, this has to be blanked off.
You must also find a solution with the exhaust. In practice you can use the 850 system with a minor modification on the downpipe, but it must be restrictive for the 1300...and the R5 silencer cannot be fitted on the R4.
Good luck!
 
What bothers me is that the exact year of the cars are not known. I think there will be a problem with the gearbox's, and maybe the drive shafts.

John, maybe you could let us know the 'R' numbers from the oval plates and the engine types - they will be on the right hand side of the engine blocks. If you could also tell us the gearbox numbers - they should be on a top plates of the gearbox's. Have both cars got drum brakes on the front or discs. I suspect the van has drums.

This info will help.
 
Sorry to hijack, would a '79 R5 TL/GTL engine/box be a straight swap for an '84 F4. I have the rad. Plan was to use zenith 32 carb/manifold off the 845 and stick with the original driveshafts etc but I can get the driveshafts and brakes off the R5 too.
 
If the F4 has disc front brakes and a rear wheel operating handbrake then that's a good start. If the gearbox on your F4 is the same type as the R5, that's even better. It's almost a straight swap apart from the fact that you have to use the bell housing and primary shaft from the F4 (get new gaskets, input oil seal, drive shaft seals - both 'o' ring and oil seals as you have to remove the diff).
I don't think the 845 manifold will fit the 1100 engine. Otherwise the engine and gearbox should drop straight in. The drive shafts should be the same.

If the F4 gearbox is not the same then you will need to get a later R4 housing and input shaft.
 
sadly it's a drum/umbrella setup. I can get a later gearbox no problem, would it make more sense then to buy an R4 gtl box, mate it to the R5 motor, use the R5 inlet manifold and carb and keep the Zenith 32if for ron?
 
The only thing I don't know is if the R5 shafts are the same length as the F4 ones. If you got a R4 box then that will save you loads of hassle but keep the R5 one as a spare. The R5 should already have a 32IF carb on it.
 
I think I can get a set of driveshafts with a GTL box, I've found the best scrapyard in the world, has about 20 r4's and maybe 15 r5 series ones. Also a Gold mk1 Escort GT in sensational condition, written off as the Carte grise has been lost, but that's a story for another forum.....

Thanks a lot for the help Steve, some things you just can't get from the haynes manual. I'll get photos of the installation as we go.
 
The Mk1 R5 driveshafts should fit. I used to rob driveshafts from R5s in scrapyards in the early 90s. Gordini is different but the rest are the same for disc and drum brakes if I recall.
 
Unbelievably the CT place said the engine was "aux normes", in spite of oil coming out of every gasket, the rocker cover and the dipstick, he even said I should run it a little richer, I'd leaned it out with the hope of a few les clouds of smoke.

That should give us a while to sort out the gearbox/engine replacement. Balljoints however were another story, all 4 shot, plus front damper leaks which is now a CT fail.
 
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