I've always wanted a V8, but I need to convince myself that it is going to be a reasonably sensible (or at least, not *too* stupid) choice for my
Locost.
Having never worked on a V8 in any shape or form, are they significantly more difficult to get running/keep in tune than a 4? For example, how much of
a nightmare should I expect in getting the carbs working together etc?
Any reliability issues with the RV8 that I should know about?
Thanks in advance. 
[Edited on 3/7/04 by AdamR]
There are a few people on this forum using RV8's who will be far more knowlegeabe than me. However I had a SD1 V8 for 3 years that I thrashed the
living daylights out of and never went near the engine, the car was eventually scrapped when the power steering pump packed up
.
John
Go for it the rover/buik v8 is 'easy to work' on. Obviously you have twice the number of parts but it also means they are half as stressed. There are tons of cheap parts about and companies such as DJE offer very good advise. If budget permits I would get rid of the su carbs and get a good manifold and carb (weber/ offenhauser). Don't try to get too much horsepower as it will drink your tank dry but go for low end torque (power slides). I have a few books here so might sell them cheap to you as I no longer need them. The biggest cost is the exhaust manifold. I have been qouted stupid amounts for them but ended up building myown for £150. emailme for any more questions
see link below
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10414&item=2483205022&rd=1
there are hundreds of part for the v8. If you can go for the 3.9 as you get a lot more for your £.
I've got 2 3.5's and 2 3.9's but they all came out of auto Land Rovers, so I haven't come up with a suitable transmission with out
spending buckets of beer tokens here in the states. I would love to use one in a build up if I do. What would be a suitable rear axle? 70's
Alfa or ??
David
Rovere V8 production has now ceased!
Dave
Ideally, you'll use stock Rover bits, but the 2wd LT77 is pretty much non existent over your side. You can use the Ford T5, with a bellhousing
from some of the MGB specialists who fit the "215" V8 to MGs (there's a fair few around, a quick search on Google will get you what you
want).
As for axle, the ratio depends on what tyres you fit, but a 3.1:1 axle is about right with 205/50x15 tyres. As for type of axle, what about a Pinto or
Mustang II?
Dave
Adam, go for the V8. we are, I recon it's "reasonably sensible". If you start reading up on them they're pretty bulletproof, will
happily keep running with knackered cams, heineken for oil, firing on three cylinders, you name it. (ok so I exaggerate a little.)
Just think about the noise, the torque, the side pipes, the bragging rights.. you know you want one. They're not nuts expensive and they're
no heavier than a pinto (hurrah for aluminium!).
Ask yourself.. do you really want an engine out of a sierra?
(no offense to sierra-engine builders. we just wanted something with a bit more "woo"
Oh, and if you're not convinced yet, have a listen to ours (bit distorty, no exhausts, overloaded the microphone)
http://www.leetfighter.com/~jon/mooshift-v8.mp3
or have a look (DIVX, 25M) http://www.leetfighter.com/~jon/v8%20run%20big.avi
V8s are great! I love the sound.
But Ford crossflow can sound good also though... esp with a decent exhuast n filter.
[Edited on 4/7/04 by AdRock]
quote:
Originally posted by blueshift
Just think about the noise, the torque, the side pipes, the bragging rights.. you know you want one. (snip)
Ask yourself.. do you really want an engine out of a sierra?
Rover V8 - more work (and cost) than you think to do up - like doing up 2 engines side by side! They fill up with black gunk because they use shim
steel head gaskets & the cams wear out at 70k to 100k. you can sort all these probs on a rebuild, check www.v8engines.com
The lowest profile 4 barrel manifold (when I did mine) was the offenhauser dual plane - mine was dreadful quality (say 1/4" port mismatch!!!) but
hopefully the edelbrock stuff is better.
The rover 2WD gearbox has a bad reputation, but it's easy to slot a tremec T5 on (sierrra cosworth) I've used both an auto bellhousing with
an adapter plate at the geabox end AND a TVR bellhousing (£120 second hand - I was lucky!)
My 4.6 litre mx5 (miata) does 20mpg - other people claim much better mileage, perhaps having a much lighter car will make a lot of difference (I doubt
it)
Cheers
Bob
Adam,
Go for it. I made up a working exhaust for not a lot
(see:http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=showphoto&photo=2003_1217Image0024.JPG)
See other pics in my archive, also look at Craig1410's website - check his posts for site address/link - but note that both of us have built our
chassis +4"
OK, so it ain't pretty. So what. It works, should be more free flowing than standard SD1.
As has been mentioned, engines tend to have a build-up of black crud, but they are reasonably indestructible (my RR had done over 200k miles before it
was rebuilt.
Service items - oil, plugs/leads (x8) air/oil filters. Not much more than other donor items (cept plugs and leads only cos you need twice as many!)
There are no tappets to adjust (hydraulic).
Try and get an engine/box from a running car (try and get the car!!). Buy a specialist book or two and read about them first - before you buy, so
you'll have a good idea what to look for!
Other than that, and what others have said, go for it!! You know it makes sense
ATB
Simon
[Edited on 4/7/04 by Simon]
Go for it mate. Iv got a ford V8 im thinking about using in me locost but it twice the size of the RV8 so may keep it till i can afford a v8 viento
or cobra.. U cant beat the sound. Mine still in a car Ford LTD 5.8 V8 with straight throu pipe. Sounds awesome..
Adam,
If you do a welding course you could make your own up. tig or mig i would expect
Ned.
Adam,
Iam also currently building a RV8 Locost from the Rom Champion book but iam incoporating a Sierra independant axle, Theres a fair bit of cutting and
chopping going on but i think it will fit.
If there is any one out there who is building a similar project i would apreciate some info
Yes I agree with most of the guys above, there is nothing better than a V8 burble!!
I would recommend a +4" chassis although I think you can fit it in a book chassis. Exhaust manifolds shouldn't be a major problem as
"Simon Says" but I've not tackled that fully yet. The design is pretty sound but regular oil changes are essential to avoid the black
sludge. You will get some sludge regardless but if you take off the rocker cover (4 screws) and look inside and can't see anything but sludge
then walk away!
Again, try to hear the engine running before buying and check oil pressure. It will be low compared with other cars as the rover relies on flow rate
rather than pressure but make sure it is within spec.
Other than that the engine is bulletproof and spares are plentiful (new and used)
Go for it!!
Cheers,
Craig.
Go for it
I think the main headache as others have said is making/getting an affordable exhaust system. I think we intend to make one (have a friend who can
laser cut the flanges 
) from bits or possibly buy a kit from custom chrome or somewhere if we feel rich.
Main problem is the height of the engine. It's possible to use a low profile manifold and carb with a pancake filter and have it flush with the
bonnet (need to cut a big hole though). We intend to make a power bulge since we have the injected vitesse engine.
As I mentioned before I will offer my service as I just bought a tig welder so if you get one of those kits I'll be happy to help. By the time you get to that stage I should be able to use the thing.
quote:
Originally posted by blueshift
Oh, and if you're not convinced yet, have a listen to ours (bit distorty, no exhausts, overloaded the microphone)
http://www.leetfighter.com/~jon/mooshift-v8.mp3
or have a look (DIVX, 25M) http://www.leetfighter.com/~jon/v8%20run%20big.avi
Strangely noone complained
Jon went round an warned the people next door just prior to use firing it up but people seemed largely oblivious apart from some kids who though we
were entering robot wars 
quote:
Originally posted by Simon
Adam,
Go for it. I made up a working exhaust for not a lot (see:http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=showphoto&photo=2003_1217Image0024.JPG)
See other pics in my archive, also look at Craig1410's website - check his posts for site address/link - but note that both of us have built our chassis +4"
OK, so it ain't pretty. So what. It works, should be more free flowing than standard SD1.
As has been mentioned, engines tend to have a build-up of black crud, but they are reasonably indestructible (my RR had done over 200k miles before it was rebuilt.
Service items - oil, plugs/leads (x8) air/oil filters. Not much more than other donor items (cept plugs and leads only cos you need twice as many!)
There are no tappets to adjust (hydraulic).
Try and get an engine/box from a running car (try and get the car!!). Buy a specialist book or two and read about them first - before you buy, so you'll have a good idea what to look for!
Other than that, and what others have said, go for it!! You know it makes sense
ATB
Simon
[Edited on 4/7/04 by Simon]
quote:
Originally posted by wjggregg
Question. From your photo archive, you have changed from the 'mean looking' 4 branch to the more standard Rover Manifold. Any reasons why??
Because of the bizarre V8 firing order resulting from the cruciform crank, you don't get the same benefits from exhaust tuning that you do from a
4 pot. Racing V8's (+ some ferraris) use a flat plane crank so the engine is like 2 4pots side by side and exhaust tuning is possible. The
downside of the flat plane crank is that it has some of the dynamic imbalance of a normal 4 cylinder (though not as bad) whereas the cruciform crank
is much better. Normal V8 practise is to have a exhaust pipe from each bank with a hefty balancing pipe between the two - this has to be of
comparatively large cross section & makes quite a difference to power output!
All the above could be b******s but it's what I believe at the moment....
Cheers
BOb
Adam,
(Gary - see U2U)
The reasons are that I wasn't convinced that it would work very well, the rather large holes in (and subsequent weakening of) bonett, and finally
it looked a bit Mad Max. Another point (which I forgot to mention to Gary) was the front wheels on full lock weren't too far from forward most
downpipes!
ATB
Simon
The RV8 isn't too complicated even if you have limited experience, and even if you get hold of a really crappy looking engine, with a bit of
patience it can be made to look a whole lot better.
http://www.landrover.demon.co.uk/Engine%20Build.htm
This is my engine from when I got it to now. Rebuilding your own engine is not necessarily the cheapest way to go, but you learn a whole lot more
about your engine by doing it!!
Good luck
James
Nice job James, hopefully I'll have mine looking nice like that too once I get the rest of the car built.
The way I look at it, there are several engines which have all developed somthing of a cult following (in the UK anyway) and the Rover V8 is certainly
one of them. The others I can think of are the Pinto, BL A-Series, Fiat Twin Cam etc. I know there are many other good (better even) engines out there
but only time will tell if they achieve cult status in the years to come.
The benefit of this to you and I is that there is a huge amount of information and experience available for these engines which has been developed
over 30 odd years of road and track use. There are also numerous specialists who can provide parts and advice to make them perform better without
having to go through the pain of trial and error.
The down side of cult status is that it doesn't last forever and these engines will gradually vanish in the next 10-15 years (IMHO).
Enjoy them while you can!!
Cheers,
Craig.
Good news peeps... I'm now the owner of a mighty 3.9 RV8. 
Now all I need to do is... um... everything else. But it's a start.
Nice one! Good luck with the build Are you planning to put a hotter cam in there to get closer to the engine's potential? I think 240bhp is
quite easy with a hotwire injected 3.9.
Mackie - not at all jealous of that extra 400ccs and better fuel injection.
Changing the cam is a definite. The RPI website has a number of Piper cams advertised that look rather appealing. They even claim that on top of more
torque/power throughout the rev range, you get more fuel efficiency too! I'll believe this when I see it though....
As for the EFI, I'm not sure what to do yet as the EFI has not been included in the sale, although the guy says he'll sell it to me for a
reasonable price (not sure what a 'reasonable price' is yet). The alternative is to go for carbs, but all the cheap options (SUs/Solex) seem
to be poorly rated. I'm currently tempted to get the hotwire EFI and build a Megasquirt ECU if the stock one is no good with hotter cams.
Sounds like fun Good luck