The V8 Owners Forum -

Hi all,

Basically i've bought a kit car for a bit of fun but as much as i know most engines I really dont know much about the Rover SD1 V8.

I've been told that they are standard with 140bhp but dont know what the torque level is.

The engine conversion was from a Capri V8 3.5 - So if anyone know what sort of spec this conversion had i'd be interested to know.

I have a reciept from R.P.I. for a full rebuild (cost £2200)
New Inlet manifold v8 Offenhauser
New Holley 4 port Carb
New 2 x 4-2-1 branch tubular manifolds into single cans.

When asking someone what sort of BHP/Torque do you think it would be pushing they say 'I dont know'.

Just wondering if any of you guess might be able to help??

This is the kitcar I bought:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :IT&ih=002

Yes I know I had a bargain as I could split it for over £5k

Since the rebuild the car has only done 4 miles - When we are looking at it its having problems recirculating the water (air lock) but because where the Rad is located and size its going to be hard to keep it cool.

Any help would be great

Hello Paul,

That is a very nice little car that you have there!

From the pics, the engine has an SD1 waterpump, Mallory distributor, rocker covers are from a P6B. Does look very good.

Power and torque will vary depending on amongst other things, the camshaft lift, timing and duration and any cylinder head work.

Given what you can see, even with standard cam and heads, around 200 horsepower would be very reasonable, and with different cam and head work, anything up tp 250 or even more.

Because the mass of the car would be rather light I expect, acceleration should be very brisk to say the least.

As far as cooling goes, the top radiator hose needs to be either parallel to the ground or inclined upward from the engine to the radiator. The top of the radiator must not be lower than the coolant outlet on the inlet manifold.

Running a 74 degree C thermostat will also help.

Hope this helps
Ron.

Not sure I agree with all of that:

You can have the radiator lower than the top hose outlet (IMHO), but what you do need is an outlet at the highest point going to the header / expansion tank to let the air out.

I have one car with an expansion tank, and one with a header tank, and both systems seem to work just fine.

I suspect cooling will always be a struggle......

I had a friend with a Marlin Roadster (very similar), and that always struggled.

Chris.

Hey guys thanks for that,

So what sort of Torque level would a 200bhp SD1 be pushing?

Well we are in the middle of fabricating a expansion pipe from the inlet pipe at the front of the engine - basically we r trying to drill a hole in the highest point and run it to the expansion tank. Unit we do this we cant stop it from creating an air poket.
Hopefully it will allow the system to pressurise properly.

Bacause the engine has been standing for years without oil i've been told it can cause a very thin layer of rust on the inside of the engine - So i'm getting the engine and gearbox both flushed properly before putting more oil in.

Just to comfirm It is dextron2 gearbox oil and 10-40 mineral???????

RV8s need a good 20/50. If you run thinner stuff you run the risk of oil-light on at idle on a hot engine (for a start!)

You'll also probably need to remove the distributor and manually prime the oil pump - they tend not to prime very well if the engine has been stood.

Chris.

Really it need 20/50 Oil?? god that is thick aint it

Right i also have a fuel problem.... Its currently running on an Electric fuel pump with no relay (always gonig) straight to the carb
Question is - Should there be a return pipe going back to the pump as at the moment the return is blocked off??????????????

Hello Paul,

Torque wise, in the region of 220 to 230 ftlbs would be quite reasonable.

What type of gearbox / transmission does it have? Dexron III is for an auto.

For the engine, as Chris advised, a good 20W-50 oil is the go, or in my case I use Penrite HPR30 which is a high performance 20W-60 oil.

The oil pumps prior to 1994 were camshaft driven, hence they are not able to efficiently move thinner grade oils, so 20W-50 is the minimum multigrade viscosity that for longevity you should use.

Change the oil and the filter at a maximum of 3000 mile intervals, every 2 to 2500 miles being better still. The Rover V8 does not like extended oil change intervals.

Be a good idea to also flush the cooling system and refill with a minimum 33% antifreeze mix.

Ron.

Its a 5 speed manual gearbox

Thanks Ron

So does anyone know about the fuel pump problem?

no a low pressure/carb pump doesn't need a return. These pumps are self regulating.

Looks a good little project and I would think that the SVA mods should not cost much to get it legal and on the road.

Be aware though that any road use without it and your not insured and the car could be confiscated and scrapped as its presently classified as a ringed vehicle.

I would be very surprised if its at 200BHP unless its a Vitesse engine - the engine code should give you that though expect closer to 160 if stock internals.

There is a big issue at the moment with SVA and Rover V8's unless you have the original donor documentation for the engine - IIRC there are no official records available and thats only what the DLVA will accept to get the age for the emissions requirements. - Check on the locost builders forum as they will be able to advise.

Cheers

Andrew

Thanx, Well I have the Donar vehicle details/log book. It was a Capri V8 I'm guessing this was a conversion of some sort.

Do any of you know of the spec they used at the time?

Unfortunately thats the donor for your car - there never was a V8 capri built by Ford with a Rover engine. What you would need is the original documentation from the donor that provided the engine for the Capri conversion.

The engine number on the block near the dipstick will tell you what the engine was originally out of - see the post at the top of the engines area but from that you will not be able to get any paperwork acceptable to the DVLA.

Because there are so few parts from the original Capri - axle perhaps - used in the build of your car you will not be able to use that registration - It will probably end up on a Q.

Best bet is to get hold of the SVA manual and start asking questions on the Locost forum as those guy's deal with this everyday.

Andrew

Paul1982 wrote:Thanx, Well I have the Donar vehicle details/log book. It was a Capri V8 I'm guessing this was a conversion of some sort.

Do any of you know of the spec they used at the time?

No my Log book states Capri V8 as it was a conversion car which was done properly in the begining by a motorsport company. I have a book somewhere on it all.

I'll have to get the number off the block. The car has the capri axle (but uprated to a live atlas axle) and lots more parts like that. Its has lots of MK1/MK2 Escort stuff aswel

If your block is old enough then you could try here:

http://archive.heritage-motor-centre.co ... cates.html

A certificate from the heritage centre used to be ok for engine age but you're probably best to check with your SVA centre before shelling out the fee for a certificate.

If your engine is from a Range Rover you could try the 'tracability dept' at Land Rover. Yes the department does exist, I've got a letter from them for my '93 4.2 showing it just scrapes in before the cat test date. By now though Tata may have said ta ta to the lot of them.

Mike