Rover V8 Tips, What To Look For

[Snapperpaul]

Got a long run out with a mate to look at a TVR 350i that he is concidering buying, i am there to act as the cautiuos one but i know little about the 3500 V8.

So what should i see, oil presure etc and what could be a problem with this lump and the (i assume SD1 manual box) gearbox.

[agent_zed]

i think i read in a very old kitcar mag that the rover v8 would often leak oil from the crank at the clutch end. They had a piece for sale in the article which was basically a seal and a ring of alu that you drill and tap into the block to sort the problem. hopefully ive remembered correctly. don't know anything else about them iam afraid.hth

[Snapperpaul]

Thanks for that, every little bit of info helps.

[Guest Jomeo69]

http://www.v8forum.co.uk/forum/index.php

 

have a quick look round this forum. pretty sure you will find quite a bit bout it there.

[Guest robinj66]

Here are a few pointers. It's difficult to be very specific as it depends what sort of use/state of tune your mate wants to achieve. really he wants to read the books by Des Hammill and David Hardcastle.

 

The first three digits of the engine number will tell you where the engine originated - Eg, 10A (check against the info held on the V8 forum as above).

 

Pre-1976 engines have rope oil seals which are a pain to fit correctly. The compression ratios will vary from the later models.

 

Vitesse blocks have a 9.37:1 CR and are strong.

 

Post 1984 3.5 engines are apparantly stiffer due to thicker castings across the valley

 

Really late 3.5 blocks have cross-drilled main caps which makes for a much stronger bottom end.

 

These engines can run with very low oil pressure - they rely on volume of oil more than anything. They are also quite cheap & easy to rebuild to standard. The money comes when you want to port the heads, run 4-barrel carbs etc.

[Guest peter2b2002]

all I can say is have a look inside the oil filler cap and rocker box for yellowish gunge, if seen walk away, oil pressure is very low on tick over but picks up quickly, my old C reg 3500 rangy with twin SU carbs went on to 265000 miles with regular oil changes still running smoothly.

peter2b