task Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Firstly, I'm not sure if this is the right section so if an admin feels it could be moved then please do. Now, down to business. When I rebuilt the CSK I wanted to put a bigger engine in it but funds/time didn't allow. I had a good Serpentine 3.9 in my storage so this was rebuilt as follows; New mains New big ends New Piper "torque max" cam shaft New lifters New distributor New coil New 10mm leads Rimmer Brothers S/S "sports" exhaust and manifolds The CSK is also fitted with an SGI sequential LPG system, a weird system as the ECU for the LPG is marked as a 4.6 compatible unit and there are no Lambda sensors. It does have a slight "flat spot" on LPG when you first apply power but runs fine other than this. The LPG injectors are mounted on the inlet and not outboard as per some systems. This was only ever supposed to be an interim engine while funds recovered and allowing me to run the CSK. What suggestions do people have then? I am open to ideas and suggestions. My thoughts were a 4.6 "tophat" bottom with some worked over heads and a hotter camshaft or would I be better with something like a 4.2 bottom (revvier engine I believe) and more work on the top end? Ideally I would like to go megasquirt and EDIS, I understand I can also use this to control the LPG? I want to stick with the Rover V8 rather than cutting engine mounts and changing stuff about, it allows me to go back to "stock" should I ever need to. Cheers Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 How much power do you want? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 As the yanks say "No subsitute fer Cubes" (Ya al) 4.6 will give grunt at low rpms and upwards, but is a long stroke motor so not as revvy as say a tweaked 3.9 For a 2+ Ton Bungalow on tyres (RR CSK ) "Grunt" will feel quicker than BHP at high RPM type power 4.6 (or bigger) Block - mild cleaned / ported heads and Stump puller cam, increased compression a tad, bigger air filter and plenum entry and the whole lot balanced would see a "rapid" grunt motor for not a lot of money. More to spend then get a proper exhaust made to maxiise the engine power and charateristics MS it and have 2 x maps - 1 x power and the other cruise - or LPG economy maybe on a switchable system My 2p worth Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
task Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 How much power do you want? Surely that's directly relational to "how much cash do I have/want to spend"? The answer to which is something I haven't decided upon yet and will probably only be constrained by how quickly I want to build the engine and get it in there Nige; I had considered a larger than 4.6 block but wouldn't know where to start supplier wise, as with the rest of the parts tbh. I agree the exhaust will certainly need addressing afterwards. As I have time on my side I assume it will be better to source pistons/crank/block myself rather than buying these items ready assembled, from both a cost POV and from the quality of work. (not that I'm saying mine will be better!) With regards megasquirt, I would almost certainly want to build this from scratch myself, I'll have a search through the megasquirt threads to get more of a feel for it and how it interfaces with the LPG. I would also like some sort of in-cab display possibly to a tablet or a built in LCD (there's a nice section in the middle of the dash that could be user here without damaging the dash top). So, if I were to decide on a high capacity rover engine what would a good approach be for sourcing the bottom end? Any suppliers to avoid or any to try? Cheers for the input so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 5.0 tvr bottom end is a cheap route - they come up now and again I won't use RPI after dealing with them in the past Buy a 4.6 and then have it Top hat Linered is a safe bet, I can put you in touch with a company that is red hot on this sort of work. new liners means just new rings bearings etc... and away you go Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Sounds like you have a wedge to spend then Personally I would go for a second hand 4.6 and refurb & top hat it, keep an eye out for second hand performance (stage 2 or above) heads on ebay, get them refurbed, check the combustion volume and skim for 10:1 compression taking into account which pistons you will be using. Stump puller or similar cam (there are more alternatives now, and with an auto the stump puller is not the best), standard genuine lifters and bolt it all together, using genuine parts where ever possible. Somewhere I have the number/contacts for aplace that will top hat and plateau hone the liners for not a lot of cash, if you want it, drop me a PM and I will dig it out. Be aware you will be spending of the order of £2K by the time you have finished! With the above and MS and a decent exhaust/inlet you'll probably see ~260BHP and 300lbs/ft. I'd personally convert the whole thing to a £400 Lexus V8 on MS, 260BHP, 270lbs/ft stock and bolt on supercharger kits to take it to 400BHP. I do understand you wish to retain some sense of originality, so I won't say it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Ah, I think Nige knows the same man I do for THL, so ask him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
task Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 2k is obtainable over a period of time, I have a portion of that already set aside for this project anyway It's a manual not an auto so I believe this will open me up to more cam options? I'm no stranger to trawling auction sites so I shall widen my search for TVR and 4.6 engines, if I'm re-linering then I assume a engine with a slipped liner is OK to use as a starting point? Although it's not "original" I was going to stick with the serpentine front end for the simplicity and the better oil pump. I had considered a later/different engine, LS1/Lexus etc and in anything else I would probably do it but I really shouldn't Cheers guys, sort of re-affirmed what I had in my mind anyway which is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 My 2p's worth, and I know it will upset people, is that if you're thinking of spending £k's on a Rover engine you are insane. You're far better off buying an LSx or something. If you drop all the money in the world in to a Rover you won't end up any further than a bog standard crate LS costing ~£2k brand new. The LS makes more of everything and is just in a different league. For the price of a pair of tweaked heads for a Rover you could crate over a good 2nd hand LS + bulletproof gearbox that will leave a 4.6 standing. For the amount of money a top-hatted breathed-on 4.6 / 5.0 will set you back you could have a CSK that will leave a porsche standing. If you want a 4.6 bottom end I've got a spare kicking round I'm about to steal the top end & front cover off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
task Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 FF, I understand where you're coming from, an LS engine would be cheaper/faster and probably not much more difficult to do. If it was any other vehicle then it'd be on the table as an option or would have already happened but I can't help thinking I would be taking something away from the whole CSK by chopping up gearbox mounts and transmission tunnels to fit a different engine. A porsche killer does sound rather tempting though I've PM'd you about the bottom end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fozsug Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chevrolet-LS7-Race-Spec-Engine-5-hours-old-/180791630044?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2a180558dc :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Holy drivetrain breakage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke keeper of badger Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 hmmm LS + CSK now your talking........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Lexus engine anyone? Loads on ebay that come with a free car too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Already said that, and I agree, I wouldn't bother rebuilding a Rover for power again, Japanese stuff all the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 ^^^ Sorry Bowie- skim reading again missed the key part of your post there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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