Rover V8 valve seats?

[tight fart]

I have a 1983 ish original Rover 3.5 V8, would the valve seats need upgrading for unleaded fuel?

[Mignon]

No

[Boosted LS1]

As far as I know it's the older engines that don't like unleaded so it's a no from me to.

[tight fart]

Thanks, I had a 1989 crossflow and that did need upgrading, so it got me thinking.

[Megaflow]

The rover has aluminium heads, which will have insert as standard. The cross flow has an iron head, which you can cut the seats into the parent metal for leaded fuel.

[AdamIndy]

Can't help with the V8 but being Ali heads designed for leaded fuel I would imagine they would need changing at some point.

My little Xflow however hasn't had the seats done. In its current guise it has been running unchanged since 2007 with no wear at all. When the head was rebuilt last year, I instructed the guy to change them for hardened seats if there was any signs of wear. He rang me and told me it was pointless as they are still perfect. I was surprised as it has had a hard life as well as a wild Kent 244 cam.

For what it's worth I wouldn't change the seats on any engine until they actually HAVE to be changed.

[PeterBurgess]

The Rover 3.5 fitted to the P6 saloons was not fitted with leadfree inserts. Having stated that, inserts used by the factory varied and some heads have leadfree compatible inlet seats seems to depend on what was on the shelf!!! All the 3.5 V8 Range Rovers were leadfree as were the factory MGB GT V8s. All the SD1 V8s and Range Rover derivatives were leadfree.
Peter

[Boosted LS1]

PeterBurgess said:

The Rover 3.5 fitted to the P6 saloons was not fitted with leadfree inserts. Having stated that, inserts used by the factory varied and some heads have leadfree compatible inlet seats seems to depend on what was on the shelf!!! All the 3.5 V8 Range Rovers were leadfree as were the factory MGB GT V8s. All the SD1 V8s and Range Rover derivatives were leadfree.
Peter

Hi Peter, so vitesses etc would be lead free? Just avoid the small port pre sd1 heads?

[PeterBurgess]

Hi Mike
The pre SD1 with smaller valves , if MGB GTV8 (Factory) and all Range Rovers leadfree, P6 pre SD1 not leadfree. To avoid confusion and have more power anyway use SD1 and newer heads!
Peter