Pics of 27 litre Rolls Royce Meteor engine installation

[Al Rush]

philhead said:

Hey Al, My father also has a meteor engine - unfortunately i cant see the pics as they say 'bandwidth exceeded' Is there any way you can send direct? My father is currently worried about starting his beast without tying it down to mount everest - so I'm sure he'd be interested to follow your progress Phil

Phil,

What's your dad going to do with it? Would he like to sell it?

If you get in touch with me, with your dad's details, I'll pass them onto Charlie.

See them here in the meantime.
http://ppcmag.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?T

Cheers.

[Al Rush]

Did you try..

http://ppcmag.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?T

(I might be a luddite, so forgive me. Is it because of the drain on MY photobucket account?)

[Al Rush]

Tigran,

I shall do. The snag is, I'm faced with over 2 years of fots and words. If I carry on now, some people might want to know how it all started, rather than just see from the start of the third quarter. I'll give it some thought though and I'll be putting updates on. Last night for instance, it was seats and a gearbox bulkhead. Perhaps we should do a loose insert with the magazine as a freebie, just on the Rover. Its more than just a tale of engineering genius, its the story of an automotive Fred Dibnah.

If you can't wait, go into Smiths this weekend and see Charlie's spot in the March issue on page 64 <it has the red '68 Camaro (480 lb/ft torque/500bhp)and the Fiat Cinquecento (320bhp) on the front cover>. If you're like me with other mags, you'll pick it up, read it, laugh like a lunatic.. and put it back. God, how I hate people like you.

Added: .. cheers Mark. Loading all those on took me the best part of an hour, so I couldn't face it so soon again. Hopefully, the demand will lessen. If anyone wants fots for their sites, e-mail me and gladly I'll bang a selection off to you. All I ask is that you credit them.

>> Edited by Al Rush on Wednesday 22 February 08:33

[Al Rush]

There are some. After the Stoneleigh Show tomorrow, I'll open a new Photobucket account and whack some more up.

Charlie bought the engine back in 89, for a thousand quid. In that time, its been in all types of storage. He had an SD1 a few years ago which wasn't right, and since then he's put it in a new SDF1 twice, for snagging. This time, its in for good.

[Al Rush]

Shall do!

Half an hour before the show began, and long after it finished, Charlie was showing the car…

..and to those people who wondered where the ‘practical’ comes from, 2 words; Cup, Holder. Oh. And 3 little letters too.. L.P.G.

Charlie’s Rover made lots of new fans.



I guess most people were amazed that it is a road legal proposition too. It has been MoT'd, taxed, and insured before (£180 from Adrian Flux for the record). It churns out almost 1500 lb/ft @ 2600 rpm and gets to 120 at a little over tickover. The best part was the fact that it appealed to everyone, I didn't see one person take it in, and walk on by without either touching it, shaking their heads or just standing there, open mouthed.

The seats went in last Thursday, a doddle and this weekend, the engine will be coming out, for mating to the Jag box a battery capable of drawing 850 amps for 5 seconds installed. The lpg is going to be finished off too (it does upto 20 mpg on petrol anyway) and the Lifeline fire system installed. A racing fuel tank has to be fabricated and placed next to the lpg tanks and the thorny matter of front calipers needs to be addressed finally. Any more input from PH'ers with experience of this would be appreciated, er.. anyone know of an unwanted set for, an Enzo maybe?

The paintjob is looming too. Charlie is inclined to go for red, white and blue, but hell, what DO colour do you paint it?

[Al Rush]

scared but happy said:

Full marks for being barking mad Any reason why you went for LHD?

It was because of the config of the BMW steering unit we came across and decided to use.

[Al Rush]

gorvid said:

Al Rush said: If anyone’s interested... What kind of BHP / performance do you expect...?

As it stands, it'll only put out about 800 bhp@1600 rpm. Max revs are achieved at about 2300 rpm. That bhp easily be raised to 1400+ bhp with not too much bother and only a few minor obvious tweaks and additions. But huge bhp isn't the name of the game, anyone can bolt on superchargers etc.. that was considered and discounted. This is as much an exercise in handling the torque and getting a 'usable' road car (which it is) capable of doing 200, as it is in wringing max power (sorry) out of it. The injection system has been custom designed and built by Charlie (2 injectors per cylinder), as was the engine management. We will get 200 mph (dv) out of it this year.

[Al Rush]

Brown, hmmm. Yes. Like it.

It may well get painted after the run. I think we'd rather have a stab at doing the 200 in decent weather rather than wait for paint to dry as Autumn kicks in. Looking pretty isn't hugely important anyway. This was done in a back garden over a 20 year period.. wives and houses came and went, but the car remained.

[Al Rush]

Youth and silliness always welcomed. One of the best chats that Charley enjoyed was with a couple of yoof on the final day, the same people who'll hopefully be doing the same stuff in 2036 and telling their kids about the time they once saw Charley's Rover 30 years before at Stoneleigh (in pretty much the same way that Charley talks about the Beast now). Glad you enjoyed it mate.

Wonder what car they'll be using though..

[Al Rush]

Jay GTI said:

The engine is sat nicely back in the chassis, but I imagine it still weighs a fair bit... will the SD1 do corners when it's finished, or is that not the point?

It handles ok. The engine weighs heavier then the V8, but the car is otherwise stripped out. Its no Elise, but its no cruise liner either. It'd be good/crazy/mad/suicidal to see it going up the hill at Goodwood..

[Al Rush]

No joy.. I'll come back later.

I've some non digital footage of it being fired up at the Bromley Pageant a couple of years ago, but can I find it? Can I hell.

[Al Rush]

pentoman said:

I saw this car at the weekend and posted about it here http://pentoman.blogspot.com/ There are pics there, here's one of them: Incidentally how is cooling? I just happened to be there with guys who rebuild Merlins for the MOD and specifically BBMF - they reckoned they need radiators twice the size, with air being pulled through by the prop (on their test rig) and still have heat problems.

The 2 fans are from an Iveco, and Charley did the rad himself. It was running before, and seemed fine. I suppose town traffic would balls it up, but normal runs out don't present any snags.

[Al Rush]

Emissions test not required (I think I'm right in saying), and it doesn't require SVA. It has run on its standard plate, insurance and MoT a couple of years ago.

[Al Rush]

Thinking about it, you could well be right Chris. Things have changed a lot in 3 years.

[Al Rush]

There are 2 lpg tanks, and we're getting a racing petrol tank fabricated to go around the vertically mounted oil tank. All in the boot, behind the roll cage.

[Al Rush]

I'm liking Snapdragon, what a Q car that'd be. The wheels on that Marlborough one are something else.

[Al Rush]

Fair point. The car was MoT'd last 3 years or so ago, and was ok then. The DVLA is always fettling and things may well have moved on since, cheers.

[Al Rush]

Mike,



I like where you're coming from. But you're a bad, bad man .

Ted,

Please remove that post right this second, I don't want Charley to see it.

Thinks: Seriously for a moment, if that one's pristine and its up for 10k or so, then for quite a bit less wedge, there must be many more out there, just as usable (scratches chin thoughtfully). Does anyone know of anyone who's done a DIY jet implant?

>> Edited by Al Rush on Monday 6th March 06:18

[Al Rush]

Cheers Paul, good points.

We approached our local VOSA (Peterborough) who advised us of the position, and they are aware of the state of the car. In keeping with many other magazines, we are actively campaigning for clarification of new proposed guidelines. They affect many of our cars too, and seem to be regulation, for regulation's sake.

I hear a great many perspectives, and this one from a major retailer last week, made me pause for thought. A 19 year old can buy some big brake kit in the morning, jack up his Saxo on the lawn on Saturday morning, and by tea, have a modification which affects safety. As it stands, who checks those?

I am all for greater involvement by MoT stations, they are (by in large) very experienced people, they know a shoddy fit when they see it and should be allowed to call on their judgement more often, as long as they're accountable. Its good that potential deathtraps are being highlighted, but my personal perspective is that all too often, centralised regulation for its own sake, means an end to freedom of choice and without regard to a proper risk analysis.

Rule books are for the obediance of fools and the guidance of wise men.

[Al Rush]

oi_oi_savaloy said:

I bought PPC over the weekend and I am a total convert! A brilliant magazine and some great articles. I was particularly taken with the Cosworth into Ciquencento (spelling) and the flat four engine articles. I don't suppose you plan on doing an article on the K series? (or has it already been done?) Some of the staff's cars articles were excellent too; oh, and the cosworth into Mk II escort; all excellent. I'm going to cancel my evo subscription and transfer over.......

.. thanks for that, glad you liked it.

Sorry.. too late, we've already done the 'K'. But if you drop me an e-mail, I'll send you the pdf's of the feature.