[frosty2008]

hi all on this grotty english sunday afternoon...

i have a 1998 p38 4 ltr auto se with lpg conversion.

im thinking of (maybe foolishly) trying my hand at rebuilding a spare engine. as i am an amateur i was wondering if there was any information out there on how to rebuild engines particularly the RR v8.

im pretty good with my hands and very willing to learn on a spare engine (a mans got to have a hobby!!).... :lol:

i will be looking to do all the work myself over a period of time.

im in the UK in case you are wondering.

cheers

frosty

 

[p38arover]

Have a look at this build diary starting around: http://www.westfieldbuild.com/builddiary0608.htm

 

[Tim (Scotland)]

Why not buy the two David Hardcastle books

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROVER-V8-ENGIINE- ... _500wt_948

http://www.mm-4x4.com/tuning-rover-v8-e ... 1446-p.asp

Other purchasing methods are available.

 

[frosty2008]

brilliant thanks

frosty

 

[P38Rangey]

I've just started on the quest of rebuilding the engine from my 4.0 V8 SE. Bit daunting at first but after a few weeks of reading and speaking to people (RPi etc) I decided to go for it. Took me about 10 hours work so far over the last week to get the engine out. I took my time labeling all the loom connectors and the different sets of bolts/nuts etc plus lots of photos so I can get it back together. Next stage is to strip the engine down and get the heads stripped and skimmed. Not sure wether it's worth getting the heads pressure tested or to just rebuild them with new rockers/arms/rods/followers etc. Replacing the cam as it's showing it's age (80,000miles) as well as the crankshaft/conrod bearings. I'll be checking the piston rings and linings as well but hopefully all ok there.

The reason for the rebuild was a noise had developed once the engine was warmed up. Sounded like a bearing so I thought best not wait till it causes more damage. As it's a second car there is no pressure to get it all done quickly so I'm taking my time and I'm determined to enjoy it. Not to many surprises so far, just awkward working under the car on your back. Trickiest bit was getting the engine to bellhousing bolts out from the top of the bellhousing. Three half inch extension bars and an angled adaptor sorted that though.

Thing I would suggest is make sure the engine hoist you use has a long enough extendable arm so it reaches over the middle of the engine. I bought a 1ton version and it only just reached....

Good luck!

 

[frosty2008]

thanks p38rangy...

im planning on buying a engine from a donor car and striping it down. that way i dont have to have mine off the road until i get it back together.

 

[frosty2008]

have found these.

what would i need to change to make them fit the rangey?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... _878wt_846

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 805wt_1072

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 526wt_1072

cheers

frosty

 

[Escape]

The Vitesse engine is only a 3.5. Although it could deliver as much (or more) power, I'm not sure how well the GEMS could adapt it's adaptive values.
It uses a distributor and no electronic ignition. So you'd have to make several modifications, also for the cam and crank sensors.
It also has a V-belt instead of a multi, so you'll need to change over all the ancillaries.
I'm sure it could be done, but I fail to see the point of going through all the trouble for a smaller engine. I have heard the heads are better (with bigger valves) and they can be used on any Rover V8. Would love some for my 4.6. 8)

The 4.6 will be a straight swap, just need to change the GEMS setting to 4.6 (and even with the 4.0 setting it should run just fine).
If the engine is good, certainly not a bad deal.

The last one is also an older engine, with a distributor. Again, you could change everything over from your current engine, but then you'd not save much time nor money compared to a full rebuild of your current engine.

Greetz,

Filip