Manky's Pop.

[Manky Monkey]

Not my workshop, but you're always welcome Mr T.

[kapri]

Are there any new bits IN the engine, as opposed to on ...as that will affect start up procedure.

Last one I stared up for a mate t was at the beginning of this year, Rover with 4 x 40 Dellortho downdraughts 

One of my favourite things , starting engines in 'ground ups', changes it from a pile of bits to a car

Hoping to start the new engine /box in the truck next week if all goes to plan.

I'd have offered as well but looks like you've got it covered.

[Manky Monkey]

Come on over any time Kev.
Haven't touched the internals since I bought the motor. Not even changed the oil. I was planning on staring at it for a while...&, maybe poking it with a stick.
A sharp one.

[Manky Monkey]

Spent a couple of hours pottering in the workshop on my own this afternoon, (Loony was off with a cold). Managed to cut away the crud inside the passenger door pillar, cut the new box section support post to length, make up a flat mounting plate & weld it to the end of the chassis outrigger, then bolt the upright to it. Haven't welded it in place yet cos I need to check the wiper motor doesn't foul it. Once that's done, that'll be all 4 corners of the cab securely bolted to the chassis.

[Manky Monkey]

Strange experience while I was there.
It was bright sunshine all day while I was delivering the Mail in Basingstoke, but as I drove out to Loonys workshop a couple of miles outside town, a wall of freezing fog came down. Proper Old London Towne, Jack the Ripper type fog. The roller shutter door was open but once the light started to fade, I couldn't see a thing beyond it. Like a solid grey wall outside the workshop door.
Anyway, I was working under the car, angle-grinding off some unwanted original metal, & as I switched the grinder off, a woman's voice said "Excuse me" from over by the open door. I said "Hello". Silence. Clambered out from under the truck, said hello again & peered outside. Nothing. Walked out into the fog, wandered around a bit. No-one there. So I got the torch from the office & walked right around the barn. Loony's workshop's in a farm outbuilding that faces open fields. Nobody there. But I swear I clearly heard a voice. It's a tranquil spot on a Summer's day but kinda spooky when you're there on your own in the evenings. There are rats living in the roof space & inside the wall cavities. Sometimes it sounds like there's someone moving around up there.
-yeah, I did lock up & leave pretty quick.     

[Manky Monkey]

Had a package waiting for me when I got back to Guildford this evening. Coo! They're shiny.
A pair of luvverly new cast aluminium rocker covers for the Rover motor. When Steve_W posted a pic of his on the forum recently I couldn't resist & had to have a set for my own engine. They're part of a limited run commissioned & sold by Russ Pepper at R & R Hotrod Imports
http://www.randrhotrodimports.co.uk/
I've been looking for a way of removing or disguising the "Rover" nameplate on the original covers, but everything I tried just looked like a cover up. These babies look so much better. Deep finned, very heavyweight aluminium. I'll use long T handled bolts to hold them down.
They cost half a week's wages, but I love 'em. Can't wait to try them on the Pop tomorrow.

[Manky Monkey]

Don't worry -I'm not blinging the truck up,  but some things are just too nice not to have.
The covers are supplied blank, no filler neck or breather pipes, but we have a cunning plan for that. Loony's got an old Rover V8 sat in the corner of his workshop. It's fitted with the later flat topped, boringly boxy rocker covers. Our mutual mate Tom's buying the engine to build a rod around. He prefers the earlier finned covers on my Rover motor. So we'll do a swap, then I'll cut the raised filler neck off his cover & have it welded into my new ones. Sorted.

[BikerGran]

a woman's voice said "Excuse me" from over by the open door

Fog does funny things to the way sound carries, it muffles most sound but odd things drift through, the owner of the voice could have been some way off.

Try standing in a quiet Welsh lane at midnight waiting for rally cars to come through, and hearing a man cough in the field behind you!   That was a sheep though.....  Haven't got talking sheep round there have you?

[hunter]

Andy,I don't know how you plan to put the filler neck in that cover,
(But it it were Me) i would mill a hole in the cover through the fining, turn the neck for tight fit and weld on  inside it would look cleaner,But i suppose you already thought of that, .

[triker_Chewie]

holesaw and a rubber bath plug

[kapri]

Use Moon breathers on the side and you can unscrew the two allen bolts, take the top off and fill through there

I modified early P6 Rover rockers by having the ROVER ali welded then skimmed and machined through to continue the ribbing.

[Manky Monkey]

Aah, so they're P6 rocker covers? That's what I'm replacing on my engine Kev. Makes sense -I was told the Borg Warner 35 gearbox was from a P6.
Exactly what I would've had done too if I'd kept them.
Swapped covers with a spare Rover motor at Loony's workshop today. The finned, (P6), covers from my motor just had a threaded hole for the cap. These ones, which I assume are from a later model, (?), have a raised filler neck with the same thread.

[Manky Monkey]

New cover. Old cover.

[Manky Monkey]

Hack-sawed the neck off, then hopped in the car & drove over to Marlborough in Wiltshire to pay my big brother Brock a visit at his workshop -purely for a little family bonding obviously, but he does own a TIG welder...
a few hours later I was on my way home again with a rather fine looking rocker cover with a welded in filler neck. Thanks bro. 

A hole carefully cut with a hole saw in a pillar drill, then TIG welded from underneath, just as you suggested Mr Hunter. 

[Manky Monkey]

The scruffy aluminium filler neck was cleaned up, first with a hand file to remove the casting marks, then wet n dry emery paper, followed by spinning it in a lathe & polishing it. Now it looks like it was always part of the new cover. Nice job Mr Brock.