Scooby Jim Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Just a question or two regarding the Rover V8 on Carbs.My Landy is getting to the stage I can get her running, but I have a few queries with the ignition side of it.The Landy has had a V8 conversion sometime in the past, and so the wiring wasn't great, and with me having ripped out this said wiring as it was dangerous, I want to set it up this time properly.My ignition system is this, positive to coil (coil I have is a Lucas Gold Sports Coil), coil then goes to HT lead to Dizzy, then Dizzy has a lead to the coil. That is basically it.It's been such a long time since I had a Carbed car, and my last one had an Ignition Amplifier. Does my system need a ballast or an amplifier?? It currently uses the standard condenser and points, but I have a Power Spark thing-a-my-bob (not the best but it was free )http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-SD1-P5-P6-Pre-1976-V8-Electronic-Ignition-Kit-Powerspark-early-points-set-/360786605606?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item54008eb626Without wanting to go for EFI, and not wanting to spend Thousands of ££££, is what I have ok, or will I need different/more things.Many thanks in advance,James.Some pics from a while ago of my engine bay and dizzy. More recent pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
101sean Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Use the powerspark, should be OK with that coil. If the dizzy is old it will probably be worn internally as will the drive gear, if so, I'd just bin and fit a new replacement electronic one from simonbbc. You don't have an amp with points but standard would have had a ballast resistor with a bypass when starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 It'll work fine with the gold coil which is a non ballast type. Upgrade wise I wouldnt bother with any of the electronic gubbins you put into the dizzy - I would fit Edis and megajolt and do away with the dizzy entirely. I ran my V8 on this setup with twin SU's and it transformed it. No more agro with damp igniton leads etc. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 As above, the parts you have will be fine, just get it running and then try the powerspark, or it is just something else to go wrong -points you can at least see if you are getting power by shorting with a screwdriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Jim Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 Cheers guys, what is the benefit of the ballast on the system then? Is it to reduce the current going through the coil to stop it wearing out, or am I barking up the wrong tree??Just seems strange that its just there is nothing else to the system.The coil is fed from a 30amp Relay, which is only engaged when the fuel pump and it are turned on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 The ballast resister is there to run the coil at roughly 9volt all the while. When you start the car the voltage drops to maybe 10 or 11 volts, so a switch on the starter sends that voltage direct to the coil as sort of super-size spark. That's an SD1 car engine I think with the SU carbs. I had mine re-conditioned at Carburettor-exchange and things improved a lot. For the coil I run the old blue box amplifier. (could be spark-right?). On Sunday a fellow competitor said how well mine ran. A lot of folk replace a shagged carb/points system with wasted-spark/injection and say how much better it works. If the ignition and fuel side are worn out, it doesn't matter which system it is, it'll run rough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Jim Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 The ballast resister is there to run the coil at roughly 9volt all the while. When you start the car the voltage drops to maybe 10 or 11 volts, so a switch on the starter sends that voltage direct to the coil as sort of super-size spark. That's an SD1 car engine I think with the SU carbs. I had mine re-conditioned at Carburettor-exchange and things improved a lot. For the coil I run the old blue box amplifier. (could be spark-right?). On Sunday a fellow competitor said how well mine ran. A lot of folk replace a shagged carb/points system with wasted-spark/injection and say how much better it works. If the ignition and fuel side are worn out, it doesn't matter which system it is, it'll run rough Could you show me what your referring to, and what the details are?? I have replaced the fuel pump as my electric one is duff, and also will replumb the fuel lines, as the leccy fuel pump sent fuel to the carbs, but the overflow/returns were plumbed together, so if it supplied too much fuel it would flood the carbs> So have a return on my tank now, so any over supply will return to the tank, along with the vents. The engine is an old SD1 engine compression ratio is I think 9.35:1 according to the head. I also am replacing the coil for a Lucas DLB105 coil, which afaik is a 12v constant non ballast coil, which is liquid filled :\ ?? the leads and plugs will all be new, and the condenser removed (and a new replacement bought for spares), and then this will be fitted in its place. Not the exact one, but the type for the Dizzy I have. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-SD1-P5-P6-Pre-1976-V8-Electronic-Ignition-Kit-Powerspark-early-points-set-/360786605606?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item54008eb626 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 And bin the K&Ns and put some decent filters and air box on too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Jim Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 And bin the K&Ns and put some decent filters and air box on too Tis what the car came with, and I have not been able to find an SD1 intake/filter box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 I gave up on the SD1 RRC filter set and made my own to take citron filters. You could make a T piece and go to a normal tractor/lorry filter? Original RRC; The starter solenoid has two connections on the end as well as the big nut one. One is the starter trigger wire and the other is a feed out to the coil. When you look at a ballast-resister coil it has two feed wires, one of which is pinkish and comes from the ig switch and is the ballast resister in wire form, rather than the porcelain block type. The design is purely as a starting aid. I guess you get a better/efficient running spark with 12 volt, so race coils are 12volt. My S1 is 12volt coil, and it starts better than anything else I own (maybe even better than our ford focus). I have reason to suspect that too good/high a spark voltage on an RV8 reduces the life of the cap and rotor arm? Sometimes we create a sly problem trying to fix an obvious one This is where the redundant-spark coil packs come into their own, but it's a lot of faff to change to them if you have no donor parts at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Jim Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 I gave up on the SD1 RRC filter set and made my own to take citron filters. You could make a T piece and go to a normal tractor/lorry filter? Original RRC; The starter solenoid has two connections on the end as well as the big nut one. One is the starter trigger wire and the other is a feed out to the coil. When you look at a ballast-resister coil it has two feed wires, one of which is pinkish and comes from the ig switch and is the ballast resister in wire form, rather than the porcelain block type. The design is purely as a starting aid. I guess you get a better/efficient running spark with 12 volt, so race coils are 12volt. My S1 is 12volt coil, and it starts better than anything else I own (maybe even better than our ford focus). I have reason to suspect that too good/high a spark voltage on an RV8 reduces the life of the cap and rotor arm? Sometimes we create a sly problem trying to fix an obvious one This is where the redundant-spark coil packs come into their own, but it's a lot of faff to change to them if you have no donor parts at all. Cheers mate, very informative. Tbh I will look into an air box, as I am considering a snorkel. As with nearly all my electrics being inside, and a waterproof boot on the dizzy and coil it may be able to go deeper than 3 inches without issues, but would b purerly for looks if I'm honest. But with the coil being 12v and the cost of Dizzy caps and rotor arms being what they are, I think I'll keep my setup, as I can always replace the cap and rotor arm, and keep a spare set in the Landy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Jim Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 On a side issue, is it best to use the vacuum advance, or leave it to what it calls "Dynamic" in the SD1 Haynes manual?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 A range rover air box will fit. As above - bin the k&N's. Use vacuum advance and make sure the vacuum unit is working. If you intend to off road this (assume you are as you are talking about fitting a snorkle) then you will find that the hopeless V8 distributor will stall the engine due to water long before the water gets high enough to get into the air intake! Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
101sean Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Had K&Ns on the 101 for a short while while I located the correct airbox. Sound good for about 5 minutes but the induction roar soon gets wearing. You could also hear the carbs take an almighty gulp of fuel when you blipped the throttle Sold them on for what I paid for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 There are 2 drain holes in the bottom of the distributor. I suggest you block one and connect a drain to the other with washer pipe. Then connect a second washer pipe to the distributor body with a cheap tyre compressor. Blowing in air keeps the steam out that comes from the exhaust manifolds. Then you can happily run it with the front pulley underwater blowing H2O all ways I started with just the air feed drilled into the dizzy side, just above the points plate. It worked fine, but I still took the opportunity to sort the drain holes I discovered at the last engine re-build. I realised it was steam getting in, as the truck would stop, then re-start, get going and stop again. I recon it is the water re-steaming and condensing in the cap. Another 4x4ist said they connected a manifold vacuum hose to do the same purging job, but I would rather pressurise to keep stuff out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Jim Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 Cheers guys, as for off roading I will be doing some, but nothing major, as said above if I fit a snorkel its purely for show. As it is Petrol, and I know from experience they don't like it (water) up em!! I have fitted extended axle breathers, but that's just because the standard ones were wrecked, and they suck in water a lot in a puddle, so better safe than sorry. As for the drain holes, I didn't know about those, so it will have some attention for sure!! How did you manage to get positive pressure in the dizzy?? My last Dizzy vehicle (although EFI) had the Dizzy fitted onto the camshaft, so had a rather large drain plug on the bottom, which you used to fit a pipe to and take it up the side of the A-pillar inside. Would this be something that is possible?? As I had that Sportrack up to the windscreen in water, with 3 inch suspension lift, and a 3inch body lift, the viscous fan turned into a propeller lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 The style I have is; "12v compact air compressor" on Ebay. You hit the switch before you swim! It lives on the dash, and if your truck isn't horrendously noisy already, best put it in a box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Jim Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 The style I have is; "12v compact air compressor" on Ebay. You hit the switch before you swim! It lives on the dash, and if your truck isn't horrendously noisy already, best put it in a box I've NEVER driven mine so who knows Thats a bit too "Heath Robinson" for me, I'll probably just leave mine as it is lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Bit late I know but, I have used one of these Powerspark sets and it works really well. If you look at their website there is a tutorial on how to wire it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I've NEVER driven mine so who knows Thats a bit too "Heath Robinson" for me, I'll probably just leave mine as it is lol. Ha ha thats is what LR ownership was all about prior to all this megajolt/squirt stuff. It was rubber gloves over the dizzy caps for four pot engines and bits of plastic bottles in front of the dizzy for V8s. If you want a fun read try looking for Nige's (aka Mr Bump aka HfH) first post about waterproofing his V8 it will take you on a journey from the Jurasic period to the 21st century, though most of his posts go via A&E! They are all well worth a read particularly the spraying of his cat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwakers Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Jim Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 link? Only thing I can find is the more recent stuff http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=5619 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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