Rover V8 4lt in to a bmw 1984 316

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Greg1306
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Post Sun May 03, 2009 9:33 am

Hi, can anyone shead light on this type of transplant and is it worth it. Ive recently aquired a rangey engine and currently restoring and 1984 316. can this be done? please help thanks
rix313
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Post Sun May 03, 2009 10:51 am

Anything can be done with the correct spanner :cool: you can squeeze v12's in there. Depends what your budget is TBH. I'd think your wallet would be like a helium baloon afterwards but I stand to be corrected.


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Post Sun May 03, 2009 10:56 am

this one...?
The 1995 4.0 produced 190 hp (142 kW) and 236 ft·lbf (320 N·m).
if so i would probably go for an m30 conversion, more straight forward ,tried and tested and 218 bhp out the box but as you have the engine it will go in. anything that can pysically fit within the engine bay will work.
jon552
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Post Sun May 03, 2009 2:01 pm

if you want a v8 you would probably be better off going for a bmw lump ( m60 4.0/ m62 4.4 286hp) as it would probably be about the same amount of work to fit and you would end up with 100bhp more and have the option of a 6 speed box winkeye

jon
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Post Mon May 04, 2009 8:34 pm

I had a 3.5 rover v8 e30. It was about the same speed as a 325i. Not a very hard conversion if you can get custom exhaust manifolds made.
nickso
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 1:34 am

rover v8's are shit.

get a proper yank v8 if thats the way you want to go.
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 7:12 am

nickso wrote:rover v8's are shit.
Are they??
IIRC, the original design was done by BMW before WW2 and the Yanks took it on after the war.

There was a lad around my way who was a member on here (can't remember his tag now) who had an E30 with a V8 out of an SD1 in.
This is why I no longer drive an E30......

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Turbo-Brown
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 9:14 am

Yes, Rover V8 engines are a bit crap on paper. Doesn't really matter who designed them originally, even if they were state of the art 65 years ago.
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 12:03 pm

StuBeeDoo wrote:
nickso wrote:rover v8's are shit.
Are they??
IIRC, the original design was done by BMW before WW2 and the Yanks took it on after the war.

There was a lad around my way who was a member on here (can't remember his tag now) who had an E30 with a V8 out of an SD1 in.
sorry but being BMW designed doesnt make it a good engine. there are far better and cheaper v8 options out there.

even the sd1 vittesse didnt make impressive power iirc.

only my 2p of course. seen the state my old mans various rover v8's have been in. 8O
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Pharaoh
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 1:42 pm

IIRC yanks make cars like the dodge viper that has a 8.0 V8 and all they can squeeze out of that monster engine is 400bhp, but the TVR cerbra that has a rover V8 gets 420bhp from a 4.5L V8 nearly half the size for around the same power does make you ponder?????? and want to shoot wildly into the air with you 6shooter shouting yeeehaaaa... :mad:
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 1:53 pm

The Viper is an 8 litre V10, hits 600 bhp with minor mods and will run forever. The GM bowtie LS block is rated to 2500 bhp, all you need is a big enough blower and fuel with a high enough octane rating. The pro/anti US debate can go on until the end of time, what is clear is that they have engines particularly suited to their country and its roads. Trying to use pure bhp/litre comparisons is missing the point.

For instance, the 1.6 litre Renault F1 engine made 1600bhp. Thus French engines are awesome, we should all fit them into our cars immediately. Of course I wouldn't even make it to the shops before the engine blows, but hey, the bhp/litre is incredible!
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 2:36 pm

Seems that whenever a Cerbera or whatever turns up on the rolling road at Emerald (and then gets written about in PPC) the power figures are nowhere near what TVR claimed, like hundreds of horsepower adrift.

I gather too (and it's not really Rover's fault this) that the TVR assembled Rover V8 engines were not especially well assembled with things like shims missing from rocker pedestals so that the valves are always a bit open :lol:
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 2:41 pm

Cerbera uses (used?) an in house TVR engine called the AJP-8
http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=161&i=17561

I've been driven in a car with a TVR'd rover V8 (ex tuscan race series engine) and yes it was awesome but had very little in common with the rover version. Flat crank, dry sump, custom pistons, etc etc. 8000rpm redline and 360ish bhp. There are cheaper ways to get that sort of power.
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baptie0
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 3:01 pm

personally i think the rover v8 is a waste of time as the make crap power.

but you have the engine already and it will make more power than your 316 any day,

also it will sound good, so maybe its worth the work for a cheap upgrade, is the rover manual?
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 3:12 pm

Lexus 1UZ V8 engines are cheap, lightweight and make 260bhp stock. Plenty aftermarket tuning parts available and they can be made to rev to 10,000rpm.

Chevy LS1 is also lightweight - bit more expensive to buy but makes at least 330bhp out the box. Very cheap to tune.

Both have been made to fit E30's!
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 3:20 pm

nothing wrong with a rover v8 if you know what you are doing ,i have 2 in a e30 ,1 has 720bhp 5.0 twin turbo and the other is a 3.9
ok they do need money spent to get power but still :)

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leeparkes
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 3:28 pm

dips346 wrote:1 has 720bhp 5.0 twin turbo]
Kin ell! 8O
Cypriotgeeza wrote:I done both my mates in my old 318is
felt so proud,even tried it with a E30 325i and got put in my place.. :o:
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Post Tue May 05, 2009 7:03 pm

leeparkes wrote:
dips346 wrote:1 has 720bhp 5.0 twin turbo]
Kin ell! 8O
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Not in E30s any more :(