Cyl head breather

[Bruce Miles]

Can anybody tell me what the cyl head breather is on 66 cars.
On a 63 and a 65 I have inspected there are long tubes secured by a bolt through the web of the gearbox.
Two 66 cars I have inspected including mine have no drilling in the gearbox case.
I believe both are original but can never say for sure.
My question was the 66 head breather the same as the tube on a 63 or 65?
Thanks

 

[johnwest]

Hi Bruce,
This is the breather on my 66 LHD , not as anything I can find in the parts book but probably an emissions requirement at the time

 

[David Baldock]

That's interesting, I've never seen it before. Could it have been a requirement for US emission laws on export models?

The pipe clips look like original ones.

Dave B

 

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks John
Yes I forgot to say one car is LHD and one is RHD.
As far as the LHD that looks like the way it was done as the car was complete but engine disassembled,with the
RHD car I purchased about 1990 and it was supposed to be complete but have found a lot of bits missing,so couldn't be sure if bell housing and gear case was its original supply.
I think I will use the solution you pictured on X USA car.
Can anyone supply a pic for this area on a 66 March production RHD car.

 

[DaveC]

The emission tube from the carb backplate to the cylinder head first came into use on the MK2 Cortina Lotus Bruce, as far as I know.

 

[tommy]

I have 2 parts books that cover the mk1 lotus cortina, 1 dated Nov 65 and the other Sept 69. The 65 book lists only the breather that consists of a rubber elbow and pipe down past the bellhousing, part numbers B26E/033 and 26E/034. The breather pipe is shown in the illustration of the cylinder head.
The 69 parts book lists only the breather that connects to the airbox, part numbers 3020E-6K668-A, 3020E-6K669-A, 3020E-6K670-A and 3020E-6K671-A. (These are mk2 part numbers) The breather pipe is no longer shown in the cylinder head illustration.
The strange thing is both parts books list the same number for the airbox backplate A28S/021, even though the airbox backplates would have to be different for each type of breather.
I have a mk1 lotus cortina airbox backplate that I bought of UK ebay, which has the stub for the breather and came with all the breather parts to connect to head, but I have no way to know what build date the car had that it came from.
Sorry if this has only muddied the waters further for you Stewart.
Tommy

 

[Bruce Miles]

The Mk1 and mk2 backing plates are different so they are not mixed.
Was the mk 1 back plate only on a cortina?
Is there somebody with a late RHD who could shed some light on this.
Cheers

 

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks John
We have searched but don't have a breather as pictured but this makes sense as the pipe come out from the carb backing plate which is original.I can easily make one.
For the 66 X UK car I'm doing,the carb back plate was missing so I obtained a new old stock from US.It therefore is the same as the US car one.
Is there a forum member with an original English domiciled car that could look at their head breather and see if it goes to ground or into carb backing plate.
I hope someone can help.
KR
Bruce Miles

 

[walone]

I'm 99.9% sure that the April '66 car I used to own just had a pipe coming out of the hole on the side of the cyl head and going down over/past the bell housing.

 

[Keith Halstead]

That's right Bruce - I checked Phil's FFA car today & that's a 66 model all as it should be - down the side of bellhousing in a pipe clipped to the casting on the gearbox.

 

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks Everybody
Looks like breathing not the Air box was a US only spec.

 

[Rick]

Later 66 cars had the breather into the airbox, inside the breather tube is a gauze flame trap to prevent engine fires.

 

[Bruce Miles]

Hi Rick
I guess nobody knows a change point?
I will check my build date.

 

[Rick]

There might be more info on change dates with the Elan, I would think that both Elan engine and Cortina engine would make the change at the same time