V8

Dr_evil said:

I know but I swear it said series 1


Might have been looking at two threads and got mixed up but I still swear it said 1

Click to expand...

I don't see what it'd matter either way.

Once it's your name on the log book you've got the right to do whatever you like to a vehicle.

MGBGTV8 said:

I don't see what it'd matter either way.

Once it's your name on the log book you've got the right to do whatever you like to a vehicle.

Click to expand...

I know but its still a waste of a historic vehcle

Dr_evil said:

I know but its still a waste of a historic vehcle

Click to expand...

What makes it a "waste" exactly?

The fact that to fit it properly it's going to involve a lot of cutting and modifying of the original frame.

Series ones are very rare now and as such should be kept in their original state as far as I care, molesting a piece of history is just wrong. Fine with a series 3 or late 2 but leave the early ones alone as most are long gone now

Dr_evil said:

The fact that to fit it properly it's going to involve a lot of cutting and modifying of the original frame.

Series ones are very rare now and as such should be kept in their original state as far as I care, molesting a piece of history is just wrong. Fine with a series 3 or late 2 but leave the early ones alone as most are long gone now

Click to expand...

Aye but what about the eagle speedster that was on top gear, original design but modified underneith to produce one of the most beautiful and drivable cars in the world ?

Dr_evil said:

The fact that to fit it properly it's going to involve a lot of cutting and modifying of the original frame.

Series ones are very rare now and as such should be kept in their original state as far as I care, molesting a piece of history is just wrong. Fine with a series 3 or late 2 but leave the early ones alone as most are long gone now

Click to expand...

They aren't rare at all. You could go out tommorow and come home with half a douzen if you wanted.

It's a chunk of metal at the end of the day, not someones sainted mother.

If someone tried to tell me what to do with any of my cars they would be firmly be told to "go fourth and multiply".

What ever happened to each to their own?

MGBGTV8 said:

They aren't rare at all. You could go out tommorow and come home with half a douzen if you wanted.

It's a chunk of metal at the end of the day, not someones sainted mother.

If someone tried to tell me what to do with any of my cars they would be firmly be told to "go fourth and multiply".

What ever happened to each to their own?

Click to expand...

half a dozen ****ters……..good unmolested ones are which is what i said

Dr_evil said:

half a dozen ****ters……..good unmolested ones are which is what i said

Click to expand...

i agree with you on cutting up series 1s its sacrilege there arent that many left trailer boys cut a good few up

Dr_evil said:

half a dozen ****ters……..good unmolested ones are which is what i said

Click to expand...

jamesmartin said:

i agree with you on cutting up series 1s its sacrilege there arent that many left trailer boys cut a good few up

Click to expand...

Apart from these wise words, you will seriously devalue it cos it'll be worth a mint in original condition

Can stick any V8 in or should it be built by Land rover?

Didn't rover stick a v8 in a series 3 before they bought out the 90/110

yes 109 v8 stage 1 ,uses the lt85 4 speed box from rrc with different high gear in transfer box ,flush fronted like defender with engine sat against rad ,front axle changed from ujs to cvs

Mine doesn't have that it is 2.25 litre petrol engine.

V8 fits nicely into a 3 I'm on my second although this one doesn't work yet.....easy enough swap as you've got the petrol wiring and pump already

Okay then. Do you need any specialist equipment? Where did you get your engine from?

Just get an engine from where ever, breakers yard, eBay, classified here. Engine lift and a welder for new mounts as well as general tools

Okay cheers.

Before you go off buying any rover v8, do some research on which one will be the most suitable. There are variations in fittings, sizes, driving characteristics and so on depending on which v8 rover you get. For examplethe RRC engine had a heavier flywheel than the .sd1 engine so suits offroading. You will need a conversion kit, check ebay, and expect a bit of cutting of the bulkhead perhaps as well as possible cutting of the crank to marry up the s3 transmission. A conversion ring and drilling of the flywheel may be required. I have no experience of this, i just read the forums, just Google it there is amongst lot of info. It's not straightforward for someone like me but if you have fitted engines and welded a bit it should be ok.
Exhaust is the biggest pain as it will foul on passenger side. Apparently.

Unless you have a well-equipped workshop I would ask an old-school land rover specialist to do this work.

If you do it yourself here is my advice .

Steer clear of fuel injection.

A low-compression LR-spec 3.5 with a nice kent H180 cam, edelbrock inlet and 500 4-batrrel carb will give you about 150 bhp and over 200 lbs/ft of torque from very low revs.

You will need to remove your existing engine mountings and weld on some V8-pattern items.

You will have a tricky exhaust fabrication - use Ashley headers - they sit closer to the block than Headmans and don't need to be flattened to fit between the chassis rails.


I would also fit the Ashcroft 5-speed conversion R380 gearbox which comes with a suitable bellhousing that mates directly to the RV8 engine - this will save a lot of time and fiddling - not the cheapest option but you don't have to spend days modifying stuff - and you can cruise all day at 70 - 80 in comfort. Not cheap though(about a grand for gearbox and adaptor kit) and you will of course lose your overdrive but the low-ratio/2 wheel drive system is unaffected - the engine has to move forward a bit too, but as you are re-mounting in any case this won't be a chore.

There will be some fiddling around under the bonnet but if you are handy with the spanners and methodical by nature it can be done.

finally - or firstly - UPGRADE BRAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A friend of mine has done all of this to his lightweight and it is a lovely vehicle.