Introducing my V8...

[asahartz]

A few months ago I had all sorts of problems with my DG. Eventually I diagnosed a cracked head in addition to the DF manifold & carb. When I added up the cost of putting that lot right, I began to consider alternative engines, and just at the right time a Rover 3.5 V8 conversion popped up on the forums close to home. I bought it.

Now I will say it hasn't been plain sailing, even installing a ready-made conversion. For starters, some of the bits never arrived. The conversion was in a high-riding panel van, I have a lowered camper! I still have a few issues to tidy up, but it is now driveable.

I've just put together a web page for it - pictures are in a Flash slideshow. http://www.b0lus.com/cars/vwT25.htm

I'll report back further when I've driven it a bit more. Like when the snow stops!

[dickspanner]

Nice looking conversion.

Couple of quick questions,

What box are you running the power through?

Have you fired it up and how loud is it when you push the loud pedal, I bet that thing will blow flames slowing it through the box.

Good Job

Dickspanner

[asahartz]

It's a five-speed box, though one of the parts that never arrived was the selector gate, at present I can only get 4 speeds

Or was it the exhaust box you were referring to? It's from a Honda, though I have no idea which one. Must be a big engine though to have that pipe diameter. It does the job anyway. I asked PD Gough to give me a ballpark figure for a custom stainless - they were looking for £600!

I've fired it up, yes, and driven it. It it loud-ish, but not excessively so - I reckon the EMPI quiet pack on the DG was louder! But it does sound like a V8 - yummy! No flames though. The Rover 3.5, for all its popularity, is not a highly efficient engine and probably only gives about 150BHP - oodles for the T25, but hardly likly to set the world alight (my wife's Previa gives 123BHP from just 2.4 litres,for example).

One of its attractions for me is that it's a relatively simple engine, well-known and easy to get parts for (my other love is A-series Minis). More than enough power for the VW, but with no fancy electronics to worry about in the conversion - just basic stuff that I understand and can fix!

[ringo]

Mmmmmm V8.

Please post some sound of it being revved

What carb setup have you gone for?

Ringo

[asahartz]

Carbs are the standard pair of SUs. Nice & simple!

Will get sound up sometime later.

[mrted]

Nice and good/interesting website too.
I've had a few of Bl's treasures as well!


John

[dickspanner]

Good man, and great minds think a like. My main love is minis.

Currently own a fully blown 67 cooper. Blue printed the engine and built every part from scratch. You can see a couple of sneaky piccies of it on my thread on the cossy engine install.

Love the thing to bits, spent 2.5k on spray job and 3.5k on engine, every part brand new, engine never been driven, car never been driven, just needs interior finishing.

Going to sell it as an unfinshed project which is a shame as I have had it for around 20 years and rebuilt it several times bigger, better and faster. Expecting arounf 110bhp from a+ power. BMW power I would ather push it. Shoots flames about 20 inches long out of exhaust when revved.

Looking forward to audio of V8, big fan of british V8, installed one in Scimitar and a chevvy 5.7 in lotus eclat as well.

Dickspanner

[ringo]

Looking forward to audio of V8, big fan of british V8, installed one in Scimitar and a chevvy 5.7 in lotus eclat as well.

Glad to know im not the only V8 freak

Ringo

PS. Heres a V8 from a nice guy off MudClub...

http://www.smart-suits.com/4x4/v8.wav Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[asahartz]

Yay, this thing is ridiculous! Out in it this weekend, I left BMWs trailing uphill! At one set of lights I pulled up alongside a Fiesta Sport. Left him standing! I wish I could have seen his face...

There is so much grunt in the V8 it doesn't need first at all - goes like a rocket off the mark in second, and will even set off in third without looking slow!

Someone asked for some audio - I put this little clip up http://www.b0lus.com/odds/T25_V8.mp3, which doesn't really do it justice - recorded in a dictaphone! Doesn't really capture the full V8 throaty roar... I'll have to sort out some proper recording - I'll get my digital multitrack out to it someday.

Still getting minor issues to fix - the cooling system still seems to be a bit airlocked, or maybe it needs a new water pump (it is a 70's P6 engine after all). I'll keep playing. And the damned thing will have to come out again to have new gaskets right through - typical RV8 leaks oil from every orifice, and even a few places where there are no obvious orifices! But what, ho, driving that is worth it!

[jamesc76]

Glad its all going good now where in mansfield are you my better half live's there too!!

[curtis_caddy]

Asahartz, just done a search and found your build, have you got it all sorted now, wbx went bang in our panel van, so now looking for an alternative long term conversion, then out of the blue a bloke started talking about a rover v8 t25 he wanted to sell, is that fate? . Am i right in thinking kennedy did the conversion parts, have you seen many more done, i take it you are more than happy with your work, do you know if the gearbox had been modified for the extra power, any cooling problems, fuel consumption compareable to the wbx?. Saw a v8 bay in cornwall several years ago, really good conversion, and that sound! the more i think about it, the more i want one!

[asahartz]

Haven't been around here for a while, it's been a summer of Minis! Though my V8 bus went to the International Mini Meet with me, and impressed the hell out of a couple of French guys who had a Scooby-powered Bluestar! Towing a Mini on a trailer, it went up Drum Hill on the A38 at Little Eaton, coming out of Derby, in top gear without thinking about it!
I found in the end that I can select all the gears - but the one I couldn't find initially is first! So it doesn't actually need it, it flies off the line (leaving BMWs in its wake) in second, and will happily take off in third if you want it to! Could do with longer legs in fifth though.

I still have a few issues to sort, though the conversion itself is fine. I haven't a clue who supplied the conversion parts as I bought it complete, but everyone who has inspected it has commented what a neat conversion it is. Cooling is marginal; it runs at the top of the temperature gauge and occasionally flashes the red light, though it didn't actually overheat travelling to and from Brum on a warm August day. I plan to fit an auxiliary radiator over the gearbox with an air scoop; there's loads of space up there.
My eventual choke solution is a bit bizzarre though it works after a fashion. The longest bike cable I could get reaches from the engine to the cupboard under the sink, where I have a strange fabricated link bracket to join it to an old car choke cable which is mounted under the seat! A stiff pull but it does the job.

The engine itself is perhaps not the best RV8 - it's a P6 engine, so has the inevitable crankshaft oil leak. I fabricated up a catch tank system, but there's still some significant oil getting out somewhere - it was all over the front of my trailer after the Brum trip. I did strip and regasket the whole engine, but perhaps foolishly I stopped short of pulling the crank itself. I should have done; because it needs it. I fitted composite head gaskets too, but that's put the hydraulic tappets out, so the rocker pedestals need skimming to compensate if I'm to get the best of of this lump. It might be better to source a SD1 engine instead, to solve the oil leakage issue and get a few more BHP because of the better head design. At least it no longer pours oil over the exhaust!
The exhaust is a tad loud, and it could do with an extra box if I can source a suitable item. But hey, it sounds like a V8!

But it sailed through its MOT (the bus needed a top ball joint), and my other half quite enjoyed camping in it at the Mini meet too, so it may see some more of that use.

I can't really say much about the fuel consumption as I've not really measured it. It seems to be similar to the old DG - if I'm getting 18 mpg then it's worth it for the V8!

James, I'm in Forest Town, not far from the Whitegates pub on the way to Clippo! Just look out for a garden full of Minis...

[weldore]

are you down the side road on the way to the roundabout...i used to see a t25 there and im sure it said sammy on the back...but its not been there the last few times ive been past

[asahartz]

Yes, that's me. The bus is round the back at present - cars shuffle a bit depending on what's being used or worked on. We have 6 Minis and a Riley Elf, plus my daughter's MIni which is away at uni, a Capri and the family runabout Previa. Most days there's 2 or 3 Minis on the front right now.

[toomanytoys]

sounds like fun...
You might want to think about speaking with Aidan at some point.. the tired 5 speed wont stand a lot of repeated welly.. and it sounds like its difficult not too.... Dickspanner took us up the road in his cossy powered doka.. that was a scream..

I'd like to do a audi 200 turbo powered "works van".. although with the amount of wbx engines I have in bits and a set of low cr pistons thats appeared... I could do a turbo or supercharged wbx.... (but maybe thats better suited to the other project I want to do ) Either way.. Aidan will have to do a box for it/them....