darange
New Member
- Posts
- 39
- Location
- Bahrain, now Sussex
Hello All,
It's Mr. Da Range here, not my Hippo-driving wife! I have two V8 related questions.
Q 1. My 1984 3.5 Carb V8 RRC has had, at some point in its history, long before I bought it, a carb conversion. In place of the twin SU carbs it now has a single Rochester down-draught off a Jeep or similar, and a seemingly professionally made inlet manifold, so presumably it is some sort of kit, not someone's idea of a bodge.
(a) Where such kits available, when, and what was the rationale behind them?
(b) I don't like the single Rochester as it currently is; it seems to strangle the V8 at higher revs, and cold starting is a real drag as the mechanical/vacuum automatic choke doesn't seem to work properly on the Range.
(c) Are these common problems with this kind of conversion? If so, how could they be fixed? Would I be better off going back to twin SUs? The latter is my preferred option, but availability might be a probklem out here (Bahrain)
Q 2. I run two V8s, the afore-mentioned Range, and a 2002 Thor engined Disco II.
In the past two years both of them have suffered head gasket failure, and this might be a possibility with my wife's Hippo (no hippo dis comments, please!).
All three cars are well-maintained and regularly serviced. Here in Bahrain daytime temperatures are over 40C for most of the year, reaching the low 50sC in the summer. Only around December do things start to cool down (hence above-mentioned starting problems on the RRC, nighttime temperatures are getting into the mid 20sC about now).
My question is that could these fairly frequent cases of HGF be a result of the vehicles' cooling systems working above and beyond the call of duty in high ambient temperatures? If so, what measures could I take (beyond obvious regular maintenance tasks) could I take to deal with this problem. What sort of aftermarket rads, fans, &ct might be available for these extreme temperatures? Would it be cost effective to get this sort of kit, or should I grin and bear the occasional HGF? (BTW, other brands, including supposedly bullet-proof German and Japanese makes, also seem to have cooling issues in the Gulf).
It's Mr. Da Range here, not my Hippo-driving wife! I have two V8 related questions.
Q 1. My 1984 3.5 Carb V8 RRC has had, at some point in its history, long before I bought it, a carb conversion. In place of the twin SU carbs it now has a single Rochester down-draught off a Jeep or similar, and a seemingly professionally made inlet manifold, so presumably it is some sort of kit, not someone's idea of a bodge.
(a) Where such kits available, when, and what was the rationale behind them?
(b) I don't like the single Rochester as it currently is; it seems to strangle the V8 at higher revs, and cold starting is a real drag as the mechanical/vacuum automatic choke doesn't seem to work properly on the Range.
(c) Are these common problems with this kind of conversion? If so, how could they be fixed? Would I be better off going back to twin SUs? The latter is my preferred option, but availability might be a probklem out here (Bahrain)
Q 2. I run two V8s, the afore-mentioned Range, and a 2002 Thor engined Disco II.
In the past two years both of them have suffered head gasket failure, and this might be a possibility with my wife's Hippo (no hippo dis comments, please!).
All three cars are well-maintained and regularly serviced. Here in Bahrain daytime temperatures are over 40C for most of the year, reaching the low 50sC in the summer. Only around December do things start to cool down (hence above-mentioned starting problems on the RRC, nighttime temperatures are getting into the mid 20sC about now).
My question is that could these fairly frequent cases of HGF be a result of the vehicles' cooling systems working above and beyond the call of duty in high ambient temperatures? If so, what measures could I take (beyond obvious regular maintenance tasks) could I take to deal with this problem. What sort of aftermarket rads, fans, &ct might be available for these extreme temperatures? Would it be cost effective to get this sort of kit, or should I grin and bear the occasional HGF? (BTW, other brands, including supposedly bullet-proof German and Japanese makes, also seem to have cooling issues in the Gulf).
