Correct the superior Essex lump

Superior to what?
A boat anchor? Crawling on your hands and knees across broken glass? Mopeds?
superior to the cologne engine 
Is it? Really? Neither has much to recommend it; it's more a case of deciding which set of 'characteristics' is the least bad.
An Essex weighs a ton, has bottom end torque - which is a polite way of saying it's a wheezy, asthmatic boat anchor - a valve train that's comically weak, is crap on fuel and is expensive to rebuild.
A Cologne weighs a ton, revs well - which is polite way of saying it's a gutless boat anchor - a valve train that's comically weak, is crap on fuel and expensive to rebuild.
The best thing you can do with either is to reunite them with their chain, and put them back into their natural environment under a boat.
I must add that I do like the 12v 2.9 for a road car, and the Cosworth is good when attached to a manual gearbox.