Manky Monkey Motors

Our leader donated his old V8 to me and its been gratefully received. Started pulling it to bits and started an inventory of all the bits that came with it. Rover V8, 3 battered pistons but still going up and down, 4 rusty bores see first comment, still moving. 2 Cylinder heads complete with valves and springs, 2 very good rocker covers, timing chain and water pump cover and oil pump. Bag of bolts etc. I'm on a winner here I think  :D Ahh? 10 pushrods, 24 rockers, 3 shafts and 14 cam followers. Well, beggars cant be choosers, any body got some old V8 bits they could help an old pensioner get going  ;)

 :D We drove 4 1/2 thousand miles on that engine in 2013, before swapping it for a newer model. It's been sat outside in a puddle of mud in the rain for quite a while though, so I'm quite impressed that it still turns :)
That's a 1979 SD1 engine. The water pump & front chain casing are from a later Discovery engine -the one in my truck now. I had to swap them because the hose outlets were in different places. Otherwise, they're interchangeable.
My new motor has the cam from a 3.9 Discovery. According to the owners forums it's a straight swap & gives a little extra oomph -the equivalent of an aftermarket "fast road" cam but much cheaper.
Real Steel in London will sell everything you need, but they're not cheap. Have fun! :)

Got bored, so I started cleaning

These are now all in bits

So what's the verdict?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ITS,, BEEN ,,,MONKEY,,EEEEDDDD,,,, :D :D :D

The verdict is..... it'll live !! Tomorrow plan to flash over the head and block and weld up the damage to the three pistons and spin them off. Sounds easy dont it  :D Spent a bit today on new gasket set. Bearings etc. are in very good condition, cam is 50/50. Need a cam follower and a new timing chain. Bores have honed up very good and are well in tolerance. The damage to No.3 piston coincides with a bent inlet valve, its not closing, spun it in the lathe and tapped it back square but the guide is still very tight in places, new valve needed.
The rest is just nuts and bolts.
carbs and inlet donated by another friend, its coming along nicely  :D :D

Considering it's around 37 years old & has been sitting outside Loon's workshop in a puddle of mud all Winter, that's not bad at all :)

its coming along now  8)

Bugger -that looks better than the one I replaced it with!

Waiting on a few essentials, just stored it all together, loosely. Now looking for flywheel and front pulley, but I have time, no rush. Got to fit that Pinto and gearbox yet, been putting it off for to long. You all know what its like  ;D

Camshaft turned up today with the new followers, but no timing chain Bother ! Plus I forgot the cam lube? Still, no panic, mustn't rush these things, still have not decided what it is going in to yet, Talbot Sunbeam, Humber Sceptre, Morris thou ??? or my Sierra pick up project  :o

,,,dutton sierra,,,,  ?

Yep, just took delivery. Not much to look at, yet. Plus there is the Jago Jeep V8 I'm helping with. So the plan is ???? :D

Bond Bug.................... :D

Now you're talkin'!!

Here's a couple of pics of Metronome at the Brighton Speed Trials a 'few' years ago for inspiration  ::)

Now thats very naughty, getting me thinking of things like that,  ;D ;D

I'm helping with something like this at present. V8 Rover, MT75 4x4 gearbox with Sierra diffs. Have a few niggles to iron out, clearance trouble mainly. Hey, I'll get there one day:

Tony correct me if I'm wrong,is that a Silver Cloud being used as push car. If it is how cool is that.

WELL, what else would you use an old silver cloud for ,, ????

As best I know, the Brighton photo was taken in 1971 when the cars were paraded prior to competition, and, yes, its a Roller, but I'll let your better judgement determine the model........  ;)

Click on this link http://www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk/roger/phillips_02.html to get some info. By clicking the photos, they'll enlarge for a better view.

Those of certain age may recognise the Capri from the Corgi Whizzwheels flip-up-body model of the time.

Here's a bit of detail as to the construction of Metronome
http://www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk/mike_lintern/metronome.html

The photo below is from Roger Phillips, and clearly shows the Roller - cool huh!
http://www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk/roger/phillips_09.html

Oh, I remember many of them now you've shook the dust off the old grey matter. Good read and a history lesson to boot. Plus, look at the crowds!  :D   

I had a large poster of that Capri in my room as a teenager

The new gears and chain arrived, so I had to just see if it all fitted. What a difference, good tight fit, that old chain was knackered Andy, There was a fair few degrees of cam rotation, but thats it sorted. Pockets are empty so I have to take a break from "restoring" the motor. I have a LHD conversion on the cards over the Easter period so that should pull in a few shekels  :D

I suppose, just thinking out loud, that with the dizzie drive coming off the cam shaft as well it would affect ignition timing, all that slack.

You'd think there'd be a chain tensioner on there somewhere.
The replacement engine's supposedly been rebuilt by the guy I bought it from, but I've got a nasty feeling yours will end up better than mine!

I've only ever built one - an "early" 4.2, which i bored +20, had to use topped an tailed 3.9 hepolites since there are no oversize 4.2 pistons, skimmed block faces, fancy (compared to the std tin) gaskets, big valves, gas flowed heads and efi plenum, with larger, shorter inlet stacks. Oh, and a stump puller cam if I recall.
The biggest issue i had was the crank wasn't quite straight, nor were the main bearings in perfect line. Apparently quite common.
One mod I did do, was fit a bolt through the front casing, pushing against the cam bolt to stop it moving in and out - should improve chain life and ign timing?

I thought Ahh, there is tensioner missing, so I consulted the great Haynes to find, nope, it just floats about, same as the endfloat on the cam. I may well look at putting that bolt in the end case, just to be clever, good idea, I think. Why didn't Buick or Rover do it ???

Dunno, not my idea, real steel sell a "kit" for it. I think they call it a cam button. I just made my own.

Been a bit slow of late, I've had all sorts of trouble finding the right head bolts. Seems having 14 bolt heads is the start of the woe, then I ordered a set from the Evil Bay only to find they were the wrong spec (only 8.8 need at least 10.9) guy was great, he only looked up the length and size and sorted out the bolts, claims he knows nothing of different spec. Lesson to be aware of there ! So eventually I find a fairly local Range Rover breaker Specialist who claims he had shed fulls. Quick drive across Devon (South to North) and hey Presto real bolts wrapped in wax paper with a Land Rover stamp on the wrapping, Half the price of Rimmers and Real Steel adverts. So now I go on to start replacing the heads, once I've cleared all the tapped holes of mud and moss  :D

It looked like we'd driven it through a swamp when I delivered it to you, so I'm impressed you've done so well with it.

Nearly there. Where, I'm not so sure, but nearly there. making a stick thing to spin the oil pump now on my trusty dewalt. Plus need an inlet gasket and seals. Come on postie!

Well look at that, all prettied up. Nice job Sir.

I want to get it running now  ;D ;D its going to be a project, got my eye on something.

Ooh, interesting! If you'd like to nip up & get it's replacement running as well, feel free!

If it can be done in a day or so "I'm free!"  :D

I suppose I'd need to pack the "monkey wrench's"  ;D ;D

 ;D

I've been offered a auto box and torque convertor for the engine. Guy has had it in a shed under oily rags for a few years, anything I should be looking at, testing or avoiding. It is clean and tidy looking, but???

The problem with auto box is the seals can dry up if been sitting about for years ? Check the colour and smell the oil ? If it's red,that's good..drop the pan and check for metal bits in the oil .if the oil smells burnt ? :-[

Thanks for that ;)

.

 ;D

No arguing, just get in the hole !!

 ;D ;D ;D

at the bowser  ;D

 8) Send us some of that sunshine! Grey & miserable here -& so's the weather.

its a hard life Andy

 ;D

Almost !

Should make the Green Machine slightly less "green" but a lot more fun. Looks like you need a smaller servo, or should that be a bigger servo mounted elsewhere. :D

Brake servo will become remote, room in the top of passenger foot well. I just happen to have an Sunbeam Imp one. Water pump will be chopped and a blank welded on, intend to run a small electric pump, saving valuable room up front, Spotted one in a Stag with a V8 conversion, owner claims they are great, so only an alternator running off a modified front pulley, do I need this huge damper pulley?? that's the plan so far. There's that word "PLAN" again ;D  Well, this is it again today.

After all your hard work some ones nicked your engine ;D

Stick that lump in a mini.

Wish someone would come and nick the whole thing, its not one thing or the other, I'm really a bit fed up with it. Then I get a surge of enthusiasm and on we go. It was given to me to stop it being broken up and the V5C being abused. I could abuse it, I really could  :D :D

It must have some plus points?
Maybe its ability to wheelspin once the v8 is in will be one of them? But then again that could be a minus...

You could be really different & put it in a Rover.

 ;D

V8 rover in salt water does not go

Skim each bank, rebore, away to go...

My word, I hope that's not the same one! Something rather cool about it though. I'd lacquer that & make something arty from it. Yours?

Its on the beach down here at Devils point, its where the Tamar meets the Sound. Very deep and troubled water whirlpools and fast currents. Many use V6 ford blocks for mooring buoys, this one got away! Got rumbled around for a few years and thrown up on the beach.

Rescue it & add some copper arty bits to it. No idea what, but something. Then flog it for a fortune in an art gallery.

Steve I agree with Andy, a coffee table from that would be totally unique and fetch a fortune. 

Smells of seaweed and incrustations, plus its bloody heavy and getting it up the beach, over the rocks, passed the MOD patrols, I'm on a mission  ;D

Not to mention smuggling it past Mrs Coppersmith! -The blokes on the forum said I had to do it dearest.  :)

yeah,,boss is blaming us again

Had some bad news, very bad news, my mate had serious issues with his Jago jeep. So to help him out this summer I loaned him the V8 engine. Coming up from some show on Sunday in deepest, darkest Cornwall. The engine gave up ! I haven't seen it yet but according to him its terminal, catastrophic, dead  :'( The recovery truck is delivering it back tomorrow. Seems the first he knew was a screech and a oil pressure light came on.   

Oooh, no :(
Bugger.

Oh well, look on the bright side - you can make that arty creation from it if it's totalled!

Seems the oil pump didn't, pump that is !  I reckon a main or big end has spun also. The cam dont look to bad, hope to have it in bits soon.
Yours Depressed of Plymouth  :'(

Can it live again?

If it was freshly rebuilt its probably spun a main bearing - scrap then. Cheerful **gger, me.

rebuild 2 ?? or maybe more, Finally looks like an engine again. Waiting on favours to be done does take a time, but freebies are freebies  ;D fingers get cold quick handling this cold metal as well. Slows it all down a tad.

Great photo!

Wow -look at that! Looks better than the one I replaced it with!
Got plans to rehome it in something Steve?

I just need to tidy things away Andy. I have become chief in charge of the unfinished projects. Everywhere is untidy with bits of engine and kit cars, tools everywhere, generally became a scruffy git as the wife commented. Totally fed up with the kit car scene at present due to all the new regs and stuff people are reporting, but have no hard facts on (seems the 8 point rule is now being changed). So in a big kick up the rear moment, I decided to try and formulate a plan, that word plan again. So the V8 gets put back together all cleaned and ready, then put under the bed for a new project, AFTER, I have completed a kit car build which means rebuilding the MX5 engine which is in bits at present and sorting out the loom and associated wiring, hope to do this soon before I lose interest again. Have had a lot of help from the MEV sonic boys about removing all the false stuff in the loom and also a lot of false stuff written about the loom and keys, ECU's etc. They made it sound simple  ;D   

You need to chat to Kev (KAPRI ) about the new rules etc,unless you already have of course ?
It's all still doable ? And it seems the dvla have backtracked a bit ?

yep, its still not set in stone though. The historic guys are having the most input, suppose they have the money.