1uzfe in an AC Cobra

[smokeyo1]

Hi guys, ive just bought an AC Cobra and some one has part installed a Lexus 1uzfe, I realy need some advice on various stuff, i keep finding bits seriously not to my liking, I have started to trace the cooling circuit and found pipes blanked off, does any one know the basic system set up, I'm not using the original rad/heater/header tank, any help on cooling/wiring and essential stuff would be a great help, I'm not up to scratch on modern stuff more of a 70s man, just had the erge to get a toy
Cheers
Smokey

 

[Tonyd]

1UZfe into Cobra

Hi,

I don't know if we have already conversed by email, but I'm Tonyd from the UK Cobra club.

What do you want to know? I've built two Lexus Cobras so far and the first one is coming up to three years old now ( 8000miles plus ) without a problem.

Re cooling system, the heater take off is via two pipes on the water bridge on the back of the engine above the starter motor in the v of the engine. You can either connect up a heater 9 we dont) or loop a hose ( we do this) between the two ports.

Get a Volvo 440 flattish water header tank and fix to the bulkhead so that its higher than the engine. The tank has two outlets. The top outlet is the air bleed from the top of the radiator ( a reconditioned 3 core Rover sd1 rad works very well £125 from Grantham Radiators) connect the second lower outlet to the metal water pipe coming out from the top of the oil cooler water jacket above the oil filter. Use the filling point on top of the thermostat jacket/ front water bridge to fill the engine with coolant mixture. Use the standard Volvo pressure cap. Fill header tank to the max mark. Your cooling is now sorted.

Get Grantham radiators to fit a temperature sender/ fan switch bung into the top of the rad and a transmission oil cooling loop into the offside end tank of the radiator. This will fit very nicely where the oil cooler feed pipes come along the engine from the gearbox. Connect up both pipes flexible rubber pipes ( fittings into rad available from Pirtek for pennies) using the top hose as an atf filling point.

So thats your cooling for both engine and transmission sorted.

Whats next?

Hth,

Cheers,

Tony

 

[smokeyo1]

A shed load still to do

Hi Tony, thanks for your reply, we have never spoken but you may have conversed with Chris who I bought the Cobra from (unfinished), I have fitted a small heater unit and piped it as you say, there is with the car a specialy made rad (all alley) but with no secondary cooler trans or oil, the oil filter has been moved to a mobile unit with an adapter plate, I am thinking to put an oil or trans cooler on, I welcome your sugestion on that, I have a T section on the bottom rad hose and assumed that went to the ready made header tank? I havnt started the wiring yet although it looks almost complete (I will have to trace everything back to the start) I figured there is somewhere a temp sensore in the cooling circuit?
I'm still making brackets for things, as apposed the the cable ties that were holding ancilaries on (deep joy)
Norm

 

[Tonyd]

Hi Tony, thanks for your reply, we have never spoken but you may have conversed with Chris who I bought the Cobra from (unfinished), I have fitted a small heater unit and piped it as you say, there is with the car a specialy made rad (all alley) but with no secondary cooler trans or oil, the oil filter has been moved to a mobile unit with an adapter plate, I am thinking to put an oil or trans cooler on, I welcome your sugestion on that, I have a T section on the bottom rad hose and assumed that went to the ready made header tank? I havnt started the wiring yet although it looks almost complete (I will have to trace everything back to the start) I figured there is somewhere a temp sensore in the cooling circuit?
I'm still making brackets for things, as apposed the the cable ties that were holding ancilaries on (deep joy)
Norm

You will need an oil cooler for the atf in the gearbox, although you may not need an oil cooler its easy enough to plumb in a thermostatically controlled remote cooler for the engine oil from the oil cooler plate. Its a shame the oil filter assembly has been removed from the block as this has a very nifty water to oil cooler fitted as standard.

Theres a couple of water temperature senders in the water bridge at the front of the engine, one is for the instrument panel ( works an aftermarket clock fine and the wires are easilt traceable in the and out of the engine loom ) and another is for the ECU, which I leave well alone, hence my suggestion of a switch for the cooling fans incorporated into the radiator.

Drop me your email addy via PM and I'll send you some diagrams etc to spark the beast up if its not been fired up already.

You do need to be thinking about fuel supply, a swirl pot with the standard Lexus submerged pump in the tank is the best bet. One outside the tank is liklely to be startved of fuel on occassion( like hard acceleration or cornering) and will burn out.

Whats the kit manufacturer btw. There's a few guys putting Lexus V8s into Ak's ( like me) and theres a Sumo with one in also. Have you joined www.cobraclub.com yet? If not join, there's tons of help on there for Cobra builders.

Cheers,

Tony

 

[smokeyo1]

Cooling

Hi TD
Thanks for the tips on this, I do intend getting a universal oil cooler and running it up front, I'll also tackle the trans cooler, I'm guessing you steer clear of the ECU when you can and just rewire separate circuits.
My E ady is [email protected]
My Ac is a Euro, I did take a look at the Cobra club but found the first thread all about some bloke slating a Euro so I logged out, I cant be doing with idiotic opinions from people who haven’t even owned one, I'll take another butchers on your say so, I haven’t had it running yet, still doing loads including making the o/s header, so I've got all the suspension off, be great for wiring diagram
Cheers
Norm

 

[Tonyd]

Hi TD
Thanks for the tips on this, I do intend getting a universal oil cooler and running it up front, I'll also tackle the trans cooler, I'm guessing you steer clear of the ECU when you can and just rewire separate circuits.
My E ady is [email protected]
My Ac is a Euro, I did take a look at the Cobra club but found the first thread all about some bloke slating a Euro so I logged out, I cant be doing with idiotic opinions from people who haven’t even owned one, I'll take another butchers on your say so, I haven’t had it running yet, still doing loads including making the o/s header, so I've got all the suspension off, be great for wiring diagram
Cheers
Norm

Hi Norm,

Sent a load of stuff to you which should help. It takes a bit of time to get your head around the diagrams but its not too difficult once you get in the "zone".

Sorry you were put off the Cobra Replica Club but its a fantastic resource and a great club. There's 1200 members and only 1999 are arseholes so "jump on in the waters lovely".

There's a quite a few Euro owners on there so loads of technical help would be available.

The Euro is also quite a bit lighter, it being based on a Pilgrim ford donor chassis, than the usual Cobra replica so should really move very well with the LS400 engine. If you can put in the longest rear diff you can get, we are presently running a 3.54 but its too low, especially with the auto box, and have a 3.08 waiting to replace it. Also put in the strongest rear axle ( Cossie perhaps) as about 300bhp with wide sticky rear tyres could well murder a 1.6 Sierra diff. It killed a Jag rear wheel bearing on our AK with injudicious use of the loud pedal on changedown on a tight uphill left hander.

If you are not doing so start a comprehensive paper and photographic trail not only for your own benefit but also to satisfy the DVLA man that your car is an amateur build. There's quite a few second or third builders who are having problems proving the car was built by themselves because they bought a part built kit. Get your hands on an VA manual also ( available on free download I believe, search on the Cobra Replica Club website) as there are seatbelt height rules etc that older kits sometimes fall foul of.

Cheers,

Tony

 

[Tonyd]

Hi Norm,

Sent a load of stuff to you which should help. It takes a bit of time to get your head around the diagrams but its not too difficult once you get in the "zone".

Sorry you were put off the Cobra Replica Club but its a fantastic resource and a great club. There's 1200 members and only 1199 are arseholes so "jump on in the waters lovely".

There's a quite a few Euro owners on there so loads of technical help would be available.

The Euro is also quite a bit lighter, it being based on a Pilgrim ford donor chassis, than the usual Cobra replica so should really move very well with the LS400 engine. If you can put in the longest rear diff you can get, we are presently running a 3.54 but its too low, especially with the auto box, and have a 3.08 waiting to replace it. Also put in the strongest rear axle ( Cossie perhaps) as about 300bhp with wide sticky rear tyres could well murder a 1.6 Sierra diff. It killed a Jag rear wheel bearing on our AK with injudicious use of the loud pedal on changedown on a tight uphill left hander.

If you are not doing so start a comprehensive paper and photographic trail not only for your own benefit but also to satisfy the DVLA man that your car is an amateur build. There's quite a few second or third builders who are having problems proving the car was built by themselves because they bought a part built kit. Get your hands on an IVA manual also ( available on free download I believe, search on the Cobra Replica Club website) as there are seatbelt height rules etc that older kits sometimes fall foul of.

Cheers,

Tony

Edited for maths and corrections

 

[smokeyo1]

Hi Tony
Thanks for all the stuff, me and a comadr'e are taking a look at the wiring tomorrow, my AC is already registered since 2001 so no probs with DVLA, the car used to run a Rover 3.5 manual, but the guy took it out and slipped the 1UZFE in its place, I now have the joy of making every thing fit as all he did was put it in, cable tied ancillaries as apposed to making brakets, Ive just made the O/S header pipe as this was not done either, I'm also stripping down the four corners as I go, just make sure.
I have no Idea what the diff is yet, still getting my head round the horrible bits.
Once again thanks for your help
Norm