Although I use a Zetec, I can say that you will have the bell housing sticking into the engine bay by at most about 8 cm. If you can push it further back by a couple of cm, do it!

Alga thanks for the reply are you referring to the pinto engine?
Thanks
DaveyB

It's the gearbox and the position of the gear stick that's dictating the position of the engine. Type 9 is the same regardless of what engine you bolt to it. Just measured, my bellhousing is sticking out into the engine bay by 55 mm in fact. Then both the reverse switch and the gear stick are both well clear of the tranny tunnel tubes.

If you look at this pic you will see that the gear stick is very close to TT5, and the reverse switch is easily obscured by TT4.

Albert,Thanks that's a great picture, I think with the vauxhall red top engine there is some sort of adapter plate that goes between the engine and gearbox not sure about this, not sure how that would effect the positioning of the gear lever etc, my friend has been advising me that the vauxhall red top is a great engine choice over a pinto but I think that a pinto and type 9 gearbox will be more readily available and as it is what the book is based on I would favour that route.
Not sure at the moment.

Thanks for your help,
DaveyB

what ever engine you use you would only need to proove the engine (block) age for emissions testing

no proof of age meens it go's as a brand new engine so tightest std and cat will be needed and closed loop fuel injection and spot on combustion thats going to be hard for a non cat engine

if you can prove its a pre 95 engine then its a basic emissions test for non cat cars thats pritty easy to pass

ford engins can be dated form the first two engine letters some iva stations will exept this from a chart others want a letter from ford. a log book is no good as people where registering there doner as having an engine swap pre build