The V8 Owners Forum -

Since my problems with the engine in my Minor, I was just about to start the strip down and refurbishment of a spare SD1 motor I had lying around, when I was offered a reportedly good 3.9 (9.35) engine close at hand for an unbeatable price (out of accident damaged Range Rover).
I have now removed all the unwanted ancilleries from the engine (power steering, fuel injection etc etc) in order to make it a direct fit in my engine bay.
I was about to take off the timing cover (range rover style) to replace it with the SD1 cover I have, when I noticed that this cover has the female drive on the oil pump. The distributer fitted to this was the points type, but I was just going to swap over the Petronix ignition I had to it (thinking it was SD1 oil pump drive). I didn't get a dizzi with 3.9 engine.
Looking at external pictures of the cover i have, it appears the same as an SD1, so I don't know what has actually been fitted (or modified).
My options appear to be.
Get a complete SD1 cover, pump and distributer (modify this for petronix)
Fit an uprating kit to existing cover and keep dizzi
Try and move things around to suit the range rover arrangement (not very tidy).

Any suggestions?

Cheers

Pete

Not sure if I'm missing something here, but can't you just fit your own existing front cover complete with oil pump and dizzy etc?

The early pumps (p6 - which is what I assume it is) are not as efficient as the SD1's and later, and tend to give low oil pressure, and lower volume of oil to engine.
There is an uprating kit which effectively upgrades it to SD1 for about £60, wich is one option.

Cheers

Pete

The oil pump drive isn't as good either. I would get an SD1 cover, they are easy enough to get. Its easy enough to convert your early dizzy over to the newer drive. You just need to cut the toothed end of the shaft and fit the newer gear.

Cheers,
I'll try and get one, although the one I have on my SD1 engine is externally identical to every picture I can find of this part - someone must have modified the pump drive?
I'll compare the gear sizes with my P6 to satisfy my curiousity.

Pete

they are identical on the outside barring the pump body depth. There is a couple of changes internally one of them being a support for the pump shaft.

I have a good used sd1 front cover with fairly new pump gears in it if you're interested?

I'm interested.
I'll pm you.

Cheers


Pete

Gav if the cover is not sold let me know as im after a spare one to as my oil pump housing in the timing cover is scored where the gears have rotated.