The V8 Owners Forum -

hi,im looking to v8 my e36 bmw 325,i was looking at 302 windsors,but a few things have put me off,such as availability in this country,weight,and the fact that if i turbo it then the gearbox im planning to use (cosworth t5) wont last a huge amount of time!
now the rover has plus points such as its lightweight (probably lighter than my cast iron 2.5 engine!),very readily available (ie i always see range rovers etc in the local scrappy and can always get an engine from there),there is a wealth of rover v8 knowledge in this country and most importantly,most of the bits are on ebay and although may not be as cheap as a ford,the wait and hassle of getting the bits in the first place is a lot less.
so first off,id like an easy low cost twin turbo option,so ideally a 3.5 as these seem easiest to get hold of,but......how do you tell the difference?as there are all different sizes,and apparently the 3.9 is a better starting block?so if i found one of these cheap id probably steer towards that!
then in the reading ive done i have heard that std pistons will take in the region of 8psi?what rough power output is that? im ideally looking to exceed 300bhp and 300lb/ft,i want an m3 beater,sort of a stage 3 cosworth equivalent for less money.but after the std pistons have had it what is available after that for reasonable money?have any pistons got enough meat to be machined for lower cr?
ill be looking to run as close to a standard engine as possible,low compression,2x cosworth 2wd t3s,2x cosworth 2wd intercoolers,modified rover exhausts to bolt the turbos to,and a EFI setup such as megasquirt.
what clutches are available?
basically could someone at least steer me in the right direction?or tell me im dreaming and ill have to look at a larger engine in the first place?but ive seen people claiming big power on 3.5s but then ABSOLUTELY no info on how they got there!
id love to read about nic manns morris minor but info is a bit vague!
anyway,thanks for reading!


ps:stevieturbo,love the granada,especially in the old tt guises!

Save yourself a pile of fabrication

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FORD-351W-WINDSOR ... dZViewItem

Ian

Oh and I've got nothing to do with the E Bay advert - just saw it browsing!

That sort of power is easily and relatively cheaply achievabe with a 302, very easy with alot more scope for improvement so i would say go that route.

If you do want to stay with a rover then get the biggest capacity you can and go from there even if it means putting off the v8 converion for a while.

Regards to turbos then the member boostedls1 is your new best friend!

302 windsor,on a BASIC turbo setup with no engine internals,can easily be over 500bhp with even more torque,BUT....it would kill any normal price gearbox,would be a lot heavier,more difficult to source the engine,bits come from america etc....

and 1500 quid for a windsor is just ludicrous!if i was looking to spend that amount of cash on a basic engine it would be a yb turbo or an m3 engine! im looking at a good budget build!

A 302 could do that without a turbo and isn't much heavier then the rover plus you'll have the same gearbox problems with a rover as you would with the 302.

if you don't want to spend 1500 then forget it. Your going to have to spend over 300 on bolts for a rover just to get it to hold together. 300 bhp is doable on a 3.5 rover engine but I doubt you will get that with FI and standard pistons, forged ones cost a good bit money. The Rover engine is probably one of the most expensive engines to tune and get it to hold together. Well ok not the most but in comparison with American V8's it is. You can maybe get one out the scrap yard for a couple of hundred quid but to get it to run reliably at 300 bhp costs £££££.

Just out of curiosity what is the max you want to spend on this engine.

ihatesissycars wrote:A 302 could do that without a turbo and isn't much heavier then the rover plus you'll have the same gearbox problems with a rover as you would with the 302.

no,if im going for a 302 then i would require a viper t56 or similar if it was to have a decent amount of boost as it would easily churn out over 500lb/ft even at 10 or so psi.whereas the rover would be putting out 300lb/ft,EASILY within the limits of a wc t5.
however,the whole 302 COULD be done for less than the 1500 there for a base engine,including turbos,plumbing etc...
i dont know enough about the rover v8 strength wise,but surely 100bhp per litre isnt that much to ask?what was stevieturbo getting from his previous rover turbos?and i have read that nic mann ran 500bhp on a relatively standard 3.5 aswell.
i am genuinely asking here,not trying to get peoples backs up,but 1500 for a base engine on a budget build is lala land,there are far more competent engines for that price range.

I think Stevie was knocking out around the 500bhp mark before it went boom.

He used a standard low comp 4.6 bottom end with highly staged heads and x2 t34 (or similar hybrids turbos)

Regards to strength as Marki says you'll need arp everything and forged pistons as well as reconditioned everything else.

I believe the standard rods (suitably prepared) should cope fine.

Searching out a janspeed kit on ebay oculd provide the basis for a decent twin turbo setup or why not consider supercharging it? might be easier and more compact.

An eaton m112 form a jag v8 would get you past the 300 mark and can be had for approx £300 on egay.

Nic Mann's engine was far from relatively standard it had forged pistons in it and several different cams in just for a start. Full MSD ignition and fuel injection, modified turbo, head work and the list goes on. Not to mention he used NOS. Have a read http://www.beardmorebros.co.uk/website% ... _page1.htm

If you're willing to dismiss 5-speeds then a nice 4-speed Muncie will handle the torque of a 302, 351 or even my favourite 350SBC (probably too heavy for you) and they don't go for too much money. It is a bit retro though

Cheers,

Ian

If you think you are going to do such a project on a budget for less than £1500 and have it work successfully, then perhaps you need a visit to a local mental institute.

It simply isnt going to happen.

Figure base RV8 engine built to a decent spec to handle a bit of boost....Well, to be honest, Id say your budget is nearly gone.

I paid circa £1500 for the standard 4.6 bottom end, which will work fine. I bought new years ago from V8D, and is a very good bottom end to use. Except you cant get them new anymore.

Figure a gearbox, clutch, turbos, and various other parts, how far do you think £1500 is going to stretch ?


The best piece of advice I can give you, is buy an LS1+T56 and fit it. Its been done before in BMW's and will produce an EASY 400bhp in more or less standard form.
But best of all, it will come with a clutch and gearbox that will take that power all day, every day.
And give you as much room to grow, as your pocket can afford.

The Rover V8 does work for many people. But if you want to make some good power, it is actually a VERY VERY expensive engine to start with.
Im sure most here would agree with that.
It may seem cheap initially.....but its far from it.

ihatesissycars wrote:I think Stevie was knocking out around the 500bhp mark before it went boom.

He used a standard low comp 4.6 bottom end with highly staged heads and x2 t34 (or similar hybrids turbos)

something like that.

Power didnt make it go boom, running lean did. Just for reference. Engine failure was not down to there being a mechanical weakness that I found.

Agreed, if i copuld go back and start again i wouldn't have a rover in my car.

ihatesissycars wrote:Agreed, if i copuld go back and start again i wouldn't have a rover in my car.

nothing stopping you Gav,
could get a nice price for the parts you have.......

whats stopping you?????????????????