Having had the misfortune three months ago of having had a conrod push a hole through the side of my block I am now in the market for a new block.
I understand that it is possible to obtain the following blocks:
701 ‘M’
701 ‘L’
701 standard as say for Ford Cortina
Does anyone have any commetns on the merits and demerits of using the above blocks for a rebuild?
Thank you 
Hi there - have a look at this.
lotus-cortina.com/library/block/blocks.htm
It doesn’t cover the 701L block but gives you plenty of other suggestions.
regards
David
are you sure you don’t mean 711m block?
these seem to be the ones to have!
Tim
thanks for replies -
no its 701 M block
made in Germany I believe and somewhat beefier
For originality I would prefer a 701 block although its questionable what a 711 bottom end would take of the value of an Elan +2 - do you agree?
Ben, I have the 711 bottom end (I presume you mean main caps and crank) and the torque increase feels great. There’s more to it that just plopping in the crank and I’m not using a 701 block but well worth the upgrade and there was enough meat in the block to go to 84mm on the bore. I’m sure it’ll add value to the car.
Obviously with the purist then matching chassis and engine numbers are crucial to selection of the right car.
However given the bigger capacity and more torque on the 711m block; you then have to look at driveability and enjoyment of the ride.
If I was looking to replace my block I would look for a 701M or 681F ?L? block to keep the car as authentic as possible. If I was purchasing a car, then one with a 711M block would not be discounted.
We are all aware that blocks are few and far between therefore compromises need to be made to keep the cars on the road.
Regards
David
Pls don’t forget that if you go for the 711-block ( 1600) you will have to use a longer timing-chaine, spacer for the front cover etc. The block is 1/2" taller that the 681 or 701.
Dag