Identifying Lotus 907 engine castings [Jensen H]

[Jorge]

I got a complete Jensen Healey engine/transmission plus, heads, cam boxes, block, crank, intake manifold, aluminum flywheel, cam covers, a transmission, a bell housing, a gear box casting (no gears), and three oil pans. I got these parts from a friend who is cleaning out his shed and wanted to get rid of the parts. I want to use these parts to build an engine but first I need to find out what I have. For example, the oil pans, two of them look very similar with a square deep sump. One has a smooth cast bottom. The other has a finned bottom. The third pan is very shallow with the sump being less than two inches deep. They all have a casting number and I recognized the first three digits as 907 on one of the pans.
How do I identify these parts as to whether they came from a Jensen Healey or a Lotus? Is there a good manual I can use to build/rebuild the engines?
Thanks
Jorge

 

[Dale]

Somebody will surely jump in here before too long and help you out. You might try the JHPS site also. Sure sounds like J-H stuff allright, and fun engines they are. Not terribly complicated, just different than the usual British cast iron engines.

 

[DrEntropy]

What's cast into the cam covers and trans cover plate? "LOTUS" or "JENSEN HEALEY"? The early ones are pretty much all Lotus but they're interchangeable.

As for the pans, ISTR fins with the Lotus units. The shop manual for J-H has no illustration of the engine over-all.

Aluminum flywheel? Not a standard item for either one, IIRC.

As for trans, is it a five-cog?

 

[JodyFKerr]

Here's a browseable parts catalog for the Jensen Healey:
https://www.theymightberacing.com/PartsCatalog/PartsCatalogBrowse.aspx?C=1

In regards to the oil pans, the deep-well with the finned bottom is the one that was on the Jensen Healey. I'm not absolutely certain of the other two.

In regards to building the engine, it's really straightforward, despite the looks. In stock US form it'll do ~150hp, if you hop it up to with a 2.2L crank and other expensive goodies you can easily get 200+ hp out of it. Primary annoyance in the build is shimming. LOTS of shimming.

The JH documentation is, well, lacking in specificity & quality, though it's useful to have the manuals on hand. I'm not aware of any step by step how-tos for the engine (eventually I'll get around to doing it when I build mine). I also have a bunch of technical data on my site https://www.theymightberacing.com/Projects/FrameOff/JH74G/Literature.aspx

I second Dale's comment to visit the JHPS and JensenHealey.com site (there is a forum at the latter) there's also an email list offered by British Steel (https://www.british-steel.org/).

There's also plenty of knowledge here on BCF, particularly in terms of Lotus guys. If you post photos I can probably help you figure out what you've got.

Jody

 

[DrEntropy]

I kinda LIKE the shim juggling exercises, Jody. :laugh:

I have a set of 0.040" brass "standard" shims to start with, that gives a baseline. After that it's just simple math. :wink:

Is Delta (Delta Motorsports, Phoenix) still in business?

nevermind... just "Googled" 'em. YUP! Still there. :thumbsup:

 

[JodyFKerr]

Doc, you're just plain weird.

And yep, Delta's still going. I stop in and visit Jim all the time. Delta is THE place to get Jensen Healey bits in the US.

 

[Jorge]

Jody,
Thanks for all the info. Regarding the oil pans I think one of them is for a dry sump arrangement because it doesn't have a dipstick tube and second is so shallow. I will take pictures this evening. Where can I post them?
Thanks
Jorge

 

[JodyFKerr]

Jorge,

A number of folks have fitted accusump dry sump set ups with much success.

As to pictures, get an online photo account at somewhere like Flikr or Picasa, then upload the photos there.

Jody

 

[Jorge]

Doc,
The valve covers are JH units. The transmissions are 4sp units but I can't tell what is cast on the cover plate because I don't have them home yet. I took pictures of the pans two of them have casting numbers on them but the third, after closer inspection, doesn't have any casting marks. This one looks like it was heavily modify to use on a dry sump application. There is also what appears like a bottom end reinforcement or spacer. Its a piece of solid aluminum the shape of the oil pan gasket but one inch thich with a piece of aluminun sheet tacked welded on the inside to make a crude windage tray.
I also took pictures of the two heads with their casting numbers plus a number that was stamped on them. I also took pictures of the crank's castin numbers. I was not able to load all the pictures into Picassa Web last night I'll try again tonight.
<span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-weight: bold">OK here is the link to the pictures in flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortee9er/show/with/5428954059/</span></span>