More Upgraditis - Oil Catch Tank, Denso alternator, MSD Coil Pack and Orange Cam Cover

After the trip to the Isle of Man I decided that rather than replacing the coil pack with a like for like Ford replacement I'd fit an MSD one.  Unfortunately the only one they make has the original Zetec clip on HT connectors so after attempting to modify my existing connectors and failing I ordered the MSD HT leads to match the coil pack.  As an interim measure I've fitted a cheap set from ECP, as expected they're not the best of fit because the coil mount for a blacktop is different to a silvertop which means they're slightly too long. 





The original oil catch tank was mounted to the engine with a single welded bracket started to crack so I removed it just prior to the Le Mans trip last year.  Based on post on the WSCC Forum and Burton Power I decided to fit the new tank to the scuttle.  I fabricated a suitable bracket that bolted to the aluminium panel and the front of the scuttle so it so be pretty robust and not suffer from fatigue.  I them made the connections using silicone hose that is fluoro lined to prevent oil seeping through.

In order to fit the alternator I first removed the throttle bodies to gain better access, I also took the opportunity to check the oil temperature sensor  and tighten it further.  The Denso alternator is a completely different shape to the original one and my plan was to make a completely new set of mounts, however, after playing I eventually worked out a way of reusing the Westfield bracket with a series of shims and a new upper adjustable mount originally designed for a Crossflow. 







The electrical connection need two additional wires, one to the ignition switch and one to the battery both connected to the alternator by a 3 pin connector that also had the dash warning light wire (I connected this even though the DigiDash2 doesn't use it just in case I ever want to go back to analogue instruments. Before fitting the TBs I installed a thermal block gasket that I'd bought a couple of months back to try and reduce the heat transfer from the head to the IAT sensor.  Once everything was reinstalled the alternator was producing 14.1 V at idle with the DRLs on and dropped to 12.7 V when I switched on the heated windscreen, headlights and heater so it looks like the 40A output is enough.

Finally I bought a silvertop cam cover and sprayed it with orange high temp calliper paint before fitting it.  How just need Aerodynamix to reopen for business so I can get a carbon fibre cover made.  Tricia took some convincing that it needed baking, but I agreed to clean the oven afterwards - it need it anyway! I bought a new cam cover gasket set that included the 10x gromments for the mounting inserts before I fitted it.