Fitting a Rover V8

[sam.pej]

I am getting to the point where my conversion from Pinto 2 Litre to Rover V8 is nearing completion. Then it will be time to rip the V8 out and have it rebuilt as I bought it on ebay and have no idea how good it is. I have looked at a few companies who supply reconditioned V8s and wondered if anyone has had dealings with V8developments, RPi engineering or JRV8 (in Nortern Ireland). The latter seem to be cheaper and are offering reconditioned gearbox in the price! Also, has anyone fitted a weber 500 carb with the big circular air filter? I've not seen a Marlin with one and don't know if there is room.
Enjoyed Stoneleigh and seeing all those Marlins - hopefully mine will be there next year. Cheers. Paul

[cabrioman]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Paul

Any chance you could provide me with a contact number, I would like to have a chat with you about your V8 conversion.

My email is john dot tootle at googlemail dot com

Cheers

John

[b_caswell]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

It may be worth using the car with the engine as it is first. Could save you a lot of money.
22 years ago I built my roadster using the donor engine best part of 80 thousand miles later its started to use some oil.

[greyV8pete]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Hi Paul. I agree with Ben. Drive it and smile at the sound first! As the saying goes if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Unless you have any immediate suspicions about the engine's condition you can always do some very basic checks for very few £££s.
Check dipstick / oil clean or filthy = lack of servicing?
Do full oil change and new filter anyway.
Plugs out / check down holes with torch. Excess carbon on pistons? Uneven deposits or oil on one or more cylinders?
Do a compression check while the plugs are out. Fit new plugs anyway. Fit a set of Magnacore leads if existing are at all suspect. Maybe pricey but you will use them after a rebuild anyway!
Remove one rocker cover. Look for excess sludge = poor servicing.
Back off a couple of tappets and visually check for excessive wear on the rockers.
When running check for air bubbles in the coolant = cyl head gasket failure and of course listen for any ominous noises!
Remember that with a V8 you would be rebuilding 2x 4 cylinder engines = 2x "normal" rebuild time & costs!
Peter.

[djj_engineer]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

I agree, even a very tired V8 makes a Cabrio move quickly. I have been going to change mine ever since I built the car.
I had a converstaion with an SD1 racer and they said all a V8 needs is oil and lots of it. They thought it was better to change the oil (not using the best) every 2500 miles together with the filter. They said that as the engine was designed for fairly low pressure and large delivery volumes, the cleaner the oil the better.
They also said that old oil tended to leave a laquer in the working of the engine and this slowly killed it.
The Hydraulic tappets are particularly prone to this and can be so badly affected taht they refuse to operate with oil pressure.
Incidently their design means taht you can't over-rev a V8 as they pup up and hold the valves open - a godd safety device

[sam.pej]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm hoping to be able to try starting up within a week or so, and I'll update the forum if successful.

[greyV8pete]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Hi Paul. If you have done an oil & filter change heed the workshop manual warning that the new oil filter should be filled about 3/4 full before fitting as the oil pumps on the Rover V8s don't self prime. If the engine has stood quite a while since it was last run I would suggest that you take the plugs out and spin it on the starter to make sure that the oil pressure goes up on the gauge before replacing the plugs and firing it up for real. Peter.

[sam.pej]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Hi Peter. Thanks for that advice. I have taken plugs out but, silly me, I forgot about needing a more powerful battery! The starter motor spins but does not engage. I'm not sure what size battery I need. My old one is only 360 amps. I can get a 570 amp one that will fit in the battery space ( about 9" by 7" by 7" )or a 680 amp one which will require some modification of the bulkhead as its 11" by 7.5" by 7.5". Does anyone know what ampage is required to start a V8? I'm also not quite sure how to connect the coil and distributor. I have two wires (one green and one black) coming from the bulkhead to the coil and two wires from the distributor (with ignition module attached) one white and one white & black.Thanks for any suggestions. Paul

[djj_engineer]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Just a thought but the starter motor is a pre-engaged type.
ie the motor can turn but unless the solenoid has worked and moved the pinion into mesh with the flywheel it will not turn the engine.
Sometimes the solenoid can stick. If you try to dismanle it be sure you have a replacement spring washer as the won't go back on when the have been removed.
Cheers
Derek
Ps you can prime the oil pump with petroleum jelly.
If you try to get this from a chemist three days running they look at you a bit sideways. I may put that story in the Pitstop.

[greyV8pete]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Hi Paul. My battery is in the boot as air intake filter, AirFlow Meter and fuel swirl pot (mine is fuel injection)take up the bulkhead space under the bonnet. Battery is a Calcium type, completely sealed and maintenance free. From the receipt it says Varta 12v 53AH. Purchased from Exeter Batteries, their product code is 553 400 047. I bought it as I had intermittent starting problems but when replacing it I found the real problem was the earth cable had nearly burned through at the battery earth clamp terminal which was hidden behind the battery. Give your battery terminals a really good clean and make sure all connections, earth-to-chassis and at starter motor are really clean and try cranking again before buying a new battery! Wish I had :-( Peter.

[sam.pej]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Thanks Guys. Starter was the problem, pinion stuck and not throwing forwards. All cleaned up now and engine turns over without need for new battery, but...no spark. Not sure if I have the wires from the distributor, which has ignition module attached to side, connected to coil correctly. I don't know which wire is +ve and which is -ve. A phone call to Rimmer Bros might be needed. Then again I have never had the engine running so don't know if distributor is OK. Still, I'm getting closer!!

[sam.pej]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

It goes!! Finally got it started today. Jim from JRV8 sorted the wiring out for me over the phone and it started first time. Runs a bit rough but still got the old plugs and leads and carbs not tuned yet. Battery a bit weak so could probably do with a more powerful one soon. Thanks to all of you who have given me advice over the last few months. Looking forward to tuning it up and seeing if clutch & gearbox work!! Cheers Paul

[cabrioman]

Re: Fitting a Rover V8

Hi Paul

Glad to hear you sorted it out, as I thought when we chatted it looks like the starter problem was a dodgy solonoid/pinion problem.

What was the correct wiring for the distributor in the end?

Any chance of the photos we spoke about of your manifolds and engine mounts.

Cheers


John