The Rover V8. Why bother ?

[Tanuki]

Okay, one cool looking engine that is! Maybe you're on to something there, maybe someone should make a couple of DOHC heads for the old RV8 and we'd kick the LS out of orbit with the HP numbers Not sure about torque and drive ability in a 4x4 though

The Metro 6R4 was a 4x4 - it took on the likes of the Audi Quattro and Lancia Integrale in the late-1980s. Someone I know was deeply involved in the design of the electronic engine management.

See here:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/zoUYjgGQEdM

[smallfry]

Wow so a SD1 Vittesse makes 190bhp out of 3.5l and a RR makes 225bhp out of 4.5l??

35bhp for an extra litre?

OK the RR is made for torque whereas the Vittesse is made for power.

The Rover Vitesse was build for high speed perfomance, not load lugging, but I do think that as time has gone on, the RR has moved further and further away from that aspect of its perfomance.

You will see that you also get an extra 57 lbs ft of torque for that extra litre, which is quite a lot.

And on a heavier vehicle, you should NEVER trade torque for horsepower, even more so if you want to tow anything with it.

[robertspark]

Nice photos

The history of the Buick + Rover is well documented on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_V8_engine

there are a load of engine conversion pictures on here all about MGB's and Buick engine conversions as the parts for the buick seem more common in the US:

http://www.britishv8.org/british-v8-how-it-was-done.htm

if I recollect, there was a stroker kit for the rover 3.5 to make it into a near 4.8 or something similar (Real Steel did / do the bits for it), there is a good write up on here if you can get the parts and are interested too:

http://www.britishv8.org/articles/affordable-stroker-v8.htm

If you're after a good book on what to do with the Rover Engine and how it can be done, I would recommend:

How to Power Tune Rover V8 Engines for Road and Track, By Des Hammill

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Rover-Engines-SpeedPro-Series/dp/1903706173/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389124803&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Rover+v8+des+hammel

Few sections on JE Engineering + WildCat (advertising / sponsorship??), but the rest of it is full of what the differences are, and how to spot them, what can be done and how if you're into the Rover V8 in a big way, worth a second hand copy (but not at the prices on Amazon at present!!!)

Anyone want to buy one cheaper??

[Tanuki]

And on a heavier vehicle, you should NEVER trade torque for horsepower, even more so if you want to tow anything with it.

Not sure about that: my most amusing fast tow-car was a nitroused Volvo 164E Automatic! It'd kick-down to 1st at 55MPH and rev to 6200 when you wanted it to, with an Escort rally-car on the flatbed behind. Only time I've ever got speeding-points was when while towing I passed an unmarked police-car uphill at 75MPH with this.

[robertspark]

Volvo 164E!!! Wow now that must have been a little confusing to the boyracer age group / traffic light grand prix

[bill van snorkle]

Of course the ex Buick alloy Rover engine wasn't the the first or only v8 that Rover produced. There was the 60 degree 18 litre Rover V8 Meteorite engines of the 1950'/60s which powered some of the Thornycroft Antar tank transporters. It was actually a cut down V12 Meteor tank engine, which itself was a derivative of the Rolls Royce Merlin aircraft lump. The Meteorite was about as successful an engine as the LandRover 2.5 litre Normally aspirated diesel engine.

[robertspark]

Some interesting specs:

• Engine: Rolls Royce 18.4 litre Meteorite Mk-204 V8 petrol (60 degree overhead cam, four valve, twin carb, twin magneto with two spark-plugs per cylinder). Power: 285 bhp (213 kW) at 2,000 rpm.

• Transmission: Four-speed full "crash gearbox" with three-speed transfer casing and power takeoff. Two live worm-drive rear axles with inboard epicyclic reduction.

• speed: 28 mph (45 km/h) on level ground.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornycroft_Antar

The Meteorite was about as successful an engine as the LandRover 2.5 litre Normally aspirated diesel engine.

Had about the same speed to power ratio too 2.5D NA 68hp ~ 60mph

[Bowie69]

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=10288

http://www.v8forum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6639&view=previous&sid=b848ee2898482fa758cc1fd647bd68a5

http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?6,12097,page=1

[Mr Noisy]

Rover V8 is a mini yank engine suitable for our mini trucks, its an old fashioned motor so it makes the smell, sound and smoke of a big block yank but on a smaller scale.

V8s that run smooth and clean dont do the business for me, i like mine rich and smelly and rough.

Lexus V8 is, yeah, an engine with 8 cylinders arranged in a V pattern but it is so well tuned its just too smooth and good to make me really happy.

If i was racing then **** the Rover id probably slip a BMW S62 in there or an M62 if i was too poor, but the rover is cheap, makes v8 music proper and is easy and simple for a simple man to own and maintain

[Bowie69]

Trust me, the Lexus can sound AWESOME....

So good the mic on the phone can't take it...

[Mr Noisy]

Oh yes agreed, sounds like a modern V8, but it doesn't have the character that a lot of people want, particularly in kit cars, TVRs, etc - that's what the Rover does best.

V8 music, cheap, leaks oil : Rover V8

Actually want to go fast : Something else!

[smallfry]

But thats just it. The Rover V8 ISNT cheap.

It is all the time its running fine,and for that you will have to stick to a 3.5, then ALL you have to worry about is ignition, fuelling and camshaft wear. If you have a big bore engine it will more than 50% have to have new liners as well, and then it starts getting expensive.

I KNOW a lot of people on here say they have NOT had a problem, and if indeed they havent, then good for them, but I think that in time they will, UNLESS they have spent money on it already to try and solve the issues that you shouldnt have to solve in the first place.

I can only go by PERSONAL experience, and I have now had FOUR big bore engines (3x3.9 and 1x4.0) that have all had leaking liners/cracks

And thats 100% failure rate !

So what do I do ? Dont want a diesel, so do I buy yet another engine which probably will be no good, or spend £1000 plus on a relinered block, and thats just the start of it. And I cannot justify it, let alone afford it ! I know a lot of you can, and good luck to you, but realistically, that leaves stick to a 3.5, OR use a Doodlediddle engine..........or something else. Either of which, apart from conversion costs and actually doing it, I would more like as not fit it, and forget about it. More or less.

[Quagmire]

I love my rover 3.5's. And agree with the statements that they are perfect for easy conversions, cheap insurance etc. Parts are cheap and plentiful, its a simple engine and there is plenty of knowledge for it.

I would love something more exotic but the extra work fitting say a Lexus engine, then insuring it and keeping it running outweigh the pros for me. I will admit though I am just assuming that Lexus/Toyota parts are more expensive than lr ones here...

My experiences of v8 are:

The 3.5 in my 90 has done 10's of thousands of miles since I fitted it. No problems at all, except for ones I have probaby caused myself. Its ms'd and is lovely.

The one in my dads 101 always works, even after its yearly winter layup.

The one in my dads 110 has had on head gasket go in many many miles of motoring. Again 99% trouble free.

The one in my new daily drive was stood for ten years. New carbs were fitted and after building oil pressure it started and ran. New ignition consumables, an oil change and general tune and it does fine on my daily commute, approx 70 miles a day. In the P6 the little 3.5 really is quite rapid even in stock form. And I get 24mpg on Su's!

[Soren Frimodt]

But thats just it. The Rover V8 ISNT cheap.

It is all the time its running fine,and for that you will have to stick to a 3.5, then ALL you have to worry about is ignition, fuelling and camshaft wear. If you have a big bore engine it will more than 50% have to have new liners as well, and then it starts getting expensive.

I KNOW a lot of people on here say they have NOT had a problem, and if indeed they havent, then good for them, but I think that in time they will, UNLESS they have spent money on it already to try and solve the issues that you shouldnt have to solve in the first place.

I can only go by PERSONAL experience, and I have now had FOUR big bore engines (3x3.9 and 1x4.0) that have all had leaking liners/cracks

And thats 100% failure rate !

So what do I do ? Dont want a diesel, so do I buy yet another engine which probably will be no good, or spend £1000 plus on a relinered block, and thats just the start of it. And I cannot justify it, let alone afford it ! I know a lot of you can, and good luck to you, but realistically, that leaves stick to a 3.5, OR use a Doodlediddle engine..........or something else. Either of which, apart from conversion costs and actually doing it, I would more like as not fit it, and forget about it. More or less.

You are quite right on most of your statements smallfry, but the thing is that when you look at the price you get a 3,9 complete engine for these days, they really are a good bang for the buck! And sure it might not last forever, but I bet you that you can get another one cheaply when it does let go. And with your failure rate I'd probably look into some possible cooling issues? Sounds extremely bad luck to me if that's all there is to it. One thing I honestly do not believe in is electric fans, I have used them myself, I'll admit that but only because it is such a stupid easy solution. I personally believe that the best ever cooling system you can have is a factory cooler (or better) factory shroud and factory wing with viscous coupling. It just works, is simple and actually not expensive at all to maintain. 8 out of 10 I know off that have had overheating problems have been running electric fans, that's what my experience tells me.

[Mr Noisy]

I had problems on electric fans they just couldn't shift enough air, so I went back to viscous and never looked back.

I fitted an HD radiator which is 4 row halfway through having electric be aide I though the rad may have been shafted but even on a warm day that couldn't manage.

Went to viscous and it's ice cool any day, 82 degree thermostat and it's happy as Larry.

Only a stock tuned 3.5 though but even so she makes lots of heat.

I don't run a shroud because I need to wash the rad out regularly, frankly I would run one if I thought i needed to.

When I refer to rover v8 as reliable and cheap, I mean 3.5 in all honesty.

Anything else is already an over bored engine and therefore is an unreliable beast on the edge of breakdown.

[Jamie_grieve]

If you can find one an Australian Leyland P76 V8 with SD1 heads makes a not bad light period substitute for a Rover V8. I got a 16 point something quarter mile in my Austin Gipsy with one in it. It didn't have much body on it at the time as I was building it up but it's a proven reliable engine without any of the bother of the overbored rover engines. It was also used in a Leyland Terrier light truck and I'm told it used to be common in New Zealand to bore them out to 5 litres and use them in some class of boat racing.
I'm a huge fan of the Rover V8 but don't own one anymore. I replaced a fresh 4 litre one in my stage one with a really bad V8 diesel which still out performs the Rover in every single way possible, especially low down torque. The red line at 4,000 for the diesel isn't far off what anyone would push a standard Rover V8 to anyway.
I helped a mate put a Lexus V8 in a Range rover chassis with Toyota diffs in New Zealand about ten years ago. He ran it back then with a 'LINK' ecu and that thing opened my eyes up. We only seem to be catching up in the UK now. The Rover V8 is definitely a great engine and will be remembered fondly. Is it a 'good' engine? MMmmmmmmm, nah.

[Mr Noisy]

Pal on landyzone is building a p76 now

Having tremendous trouble with the rarity of parts for it but it is coming along slowly

Will be an engine for life when sorted

As you say the RV8 is more an old friend whom we are very fond than anything else.