The V8 Owners Forum -

CAR: 1978 Vauxhall Chevette 1.3L

ENGINE: 3.5ltr Rover V8 with two sets of Honda Fireblade Carbs

GEARBOX: Rover LT77 5 Speed.

AXLE: Isuzu Piazza Turbo with LSD and Vented disks Nova GTE shocks -60mm springs.

FRONT END: Chevette suspension -60mm springs Volvo 240 4-pot calipers Carlton 2.2 vented disks.

WHEELS: VW Corrado G60 steels 6x15

INTERIOR: Fiberglass seats, 8 point roll cage, willwood pedal box.

The car as bought 18 months ago with 16800 miles on the clock and one owner from new.


Engine with Carbs



Much altered engine bay to fit the V8, the engine has been mounted around 6" further back than the original 4 cylinder engine


New tunnel part way through construction



More work on engine bay


Engine in, looks right at home!!






Seats fitted





Exhaust system.



The open pipe will have a removable cap so i can bypass the silencers.



The silencers were made to my dimensions and only cost £25 each
























One of the boxes I made for the upper links on the axle.


2.8ltr Capri radiator


6X15 VW Corrado steel wheel, had them shot blasted then I painted them silver


And made this wheel center.


More soon

It also made page 107 of the march issue of PPC.

Given that a shovette is a GM, you of course realise you should of put an LS1 in there...

Eliot wrote:It also made page 107 of the march issue of PPC.

Given that a shovette is a GM, you of course realise you should of put an LS1 in there...

If only i had the funds for an LS1
Maybe next year

wow that's a wicked looking build there mate! Your fabrication skills are great, did you do the cage yourself as well??

Always loved the old chevettes, I kinda fancy a nice wide-arch one! Those wheels look cool as well.

That's chuffin cool and the work standard it spot on. Whats your plans for finished colour , body mods etc?

chodjinn wrote:wow that's a wicked looking build there mate! Your fabrication skills are great, did you do the cage yourself as well??

Always loved the old chevettes, I kinda fancy a nice wide-arch one! Those wheels look cool as well.

Cheers

Yep i made the cage, some steam pipe and a cheap tube bender off Fleebay

V6GTE wrote:That's chuffin cool and the work standard it spot on. Whats your plans for finished colour , body mods etc?

Thanks

The body is staying stock with the chrome bumpers going back on. And will be painted in the original Colorado Beige: D

cool, a real sleeper then!

V6GTE wrote:cool, a real sleeper then!

That's the plan, apart from the 15" wheels -60mm suspension the twin pipes and header plugs

Here's a couple of vids of the engine running

The first one is just after i had the manifold made just bunged some fuel in it to see what would happen
Running rough



Exhaust test, carbs still not setup but better

Clarkson is dead right, these Rover V8's sound like two fat people mud wrestling in a well. Lovely sound. That is one cool Chevette, a far cry from the asthmatic 1256cc Pastel blue 3 dr my Dad used to have! Very cool indeed

V6GTE wrote:Clarkson is dead right, these Rover V8's sound like two fat people mud wrestling in a well. Lovely sound. That is one cool Chevette, a far cry from the asthmatic 1256cc Pastel blue 3 dr my Dad used to have! Very cool indeed

Ta

The missus thinks it's to loud but i'd say it was about right

Its not loud its just she has very good hearing!

V6GTE wrote:Its not loud its just she has very good hearing!

Loud pipes save lives

Can't wait to see this bad boy finished, a real beaut!!

shovits rock!