That is a little high, is a zetec that much taller than a Pinto, I have a good three inches of space between the rocker cover and the bonnet.

It probably is sitting a little high, i was governed by the Alternator bracket when fitting it all onto the chassis, also the inlet manifold puts the carb a bit high too, i have another in one of the sheds so i'll hunt it out and see if that ones a bit lower. Failing that i can modify the alternator bracket or fit a bonnet bulge so its all good.

Pinto bracket puts the alternator close enough to the upper wishbone mount to be an issue if slightly out, I guess the Zetec is a bit wider still. Any chance of making a bracket that raises the alternator or will we be seeing creative bulgery ? :)

I think the Essex powered ones needed bulges too...

Not sure yet dude, could even go bike carbs!!!!!

Funny you should mention V6, i know where i can get a Cossie Granada for next to nowt, maybe that should be a winter project once I'm back on the road?

That 24 valve is a big lump. I think Tom in Germany put one in his Phaeton. I'm sure others have also tried, Mike Solloway springs to mind but I think his was a Sierra pickup. Vague memories of seeing one in his workshop back in 2007/8, don't know what happened to that... I think you'd need to 'flip front' the car to be honest.

Modern V6's are all very big, it's all those valves and cams. I had an Omega which had a huge bonnet, and it was full of engine. The good old Essex V6 is much more compact and has oodles of torque, it just doesn't make the power. We tend to think of the Essex as heavy but apparently it weighs less that the 24 valve 3.0 Peugeot/Renault engine.

"We tend to think of the Essex as heavy but apparently it weighs less that the 24 valve 3.0 Peugeot/Renault engine"

Nope the Essex V6 is way heavier, Fully dressed DeLorean V6 170kg Fully dressed Granada V6 243kg and the Essex produces such a small amount of power for such weight.

2.5 Duratec I4 produces more power and torque than the tug boat engine and weighs so much less!

@BV: I got the figures from gomog

Essex V6 : 430 lb = 195 Kg
Peugeot ES9 J4 3.0L : 473 lb = 215 Kg

The DeLorean used the earlier PRV engine didn't it? In the Delorean was 2.8 litre and only produced the same power as the Essex, but less torque. Okay, it was a little lighter but 30 years of engine design hadn't made a lot of difference.

i have had the zetec on the floor next to my pinto engine and the to the top edge of the carb  the zetec was lower by about 2-3 inches.

i am fitting my spare zetec into my Legerra, some questions.

have you modified the sump? and did you fit the engine to give good clearance under the sump?

why go the carb route? fitting an ignition set up is almost as complicated as fitting fuel injection BUT it will give much worse running and fuel economy as well not giving better power.

i am fitting the fuel injection to the Legerra (as i have with my Phaeton) one of the reasons is to reduce the engine height that fitting the down draught carbs gives you. i can say that my pinto had its carb fully under the bonnet with the same type of air filter as your engine it even had the sump unmodified. true the sump was low but its a simple job to shorten it to give the 4-5 inches minimum to clear speed humps etc....

i would like some pictures of your engine mounts and if you have any of the clearance under the sump.

@JD  I can only comment on engines I have had the opportunity to weigh. The PRV V6 from a DeLorean was 170kg and the Essex 3.0V6 from my old mk1 grannie was 243kg both engine only, fully dressed with ancillaries but 'dry'. I cannot comment on the Peugeot engine you refer to as I have not weighed one but my experiences suggest the Essex V6 is still heavier.

The Essex V6 is 1/2HP per kilo vs over 1hp/kg for the I4 duratec 2.5L so the modern engine still wins in my oppinion.

@BV it is very difficult to get any actual facts and there are lots of opinions. If you have weighed them then you have something real to go on. However, your weight for the Essex is rather different from my measurement, which is a little worrying. I was just looking for a modern engine to compare with the Essex, to see how much lighter they are, and I was surprised by the Peugeot. It was the only 'modern' engine that I noticed in the list.

I prefer 6's because of their smoother low speed delivery compared to an I4 (I've never driven a V8) and when I looked through the list at straight sixes they are all heavier than the Essex, so it was not such a bad engine, in its day.