Rover/Buick V8 bore/stroke
Discussion
The received wisdom seems to be that Rover V8s are limited to about 5 litres' displacement, with a 3.7in bore and 3.54in stroke.
However, while Buick also took their version of the V8 out to 4.9 litres (300ci), albeit recasting it in iron, they bored it out to 3.75in, with a 3.4in stroke. They then took it out to 340ci (5.6 litres) with a 3.85in stroke. They then bored it out again to 350ci, with a 3.8in bore. All this on the same 4.24in bore spacing. Some people machine out a bit more metal for another 10ci, taking it up to 360, but that's as far as it goes, and stroking it further is difficult, although it's been done (again, only gaining another 10ci) with custom cranks and Honda(!) rods.
The question has to be, can one build a Buick 350 out of a Rover aluminium block? I understand the Buick 340/350 is a wee bit taller in deck height than the 215/300/Rover, but they ran such low compression ratios in the smog era that one might be able to make the 350 crank (.310" longer than the Rover 5.0 crank) work in the Rover block at a high CR, even if it needed shorter rods.
I am also vaguely aware of a "Wildcat" Rover block, with enlarged 4" bore and what look like siamesed liners - are they siamesed, or has the bore spacing been increased? Or both? I note it uses the Oldsmobile-type 6-bolt block as per the Repco-Brabham.
However, while Buick also took their version of the V8 out to 4.9 litres (300ci), albeit recasting it in iron, they bored it out to 3.75in, with a 3.4in stroke. They then took it out to 340ci (5.6 litres) with a 3.85in stroke. They then bored it out again to 350ci, with a 3.8in bore. All this on the same 4.24in bore spacing. Some people machine out a bit more metal for another 10ci, taking it up to 360, but that's as far as it goes, and stroking it further is difficult, although it's been done (again, only gaining another 10ci) with custom cranks and Honda(!) rods.
The question has to be, can one build a Buick 350 out of a Rover aluminium block? I understand the Buick 340/350 is a wee bit taller in deck height than the 215/300/Rover, but they ran such low compression ratios in the smog era that one might be able to make the 350 crank (.310" longer than the Rover 5.0 crank) work in the Rover block at a high CR, even if it needed shorter rods.
I am also vaguely aware of a "Wildcat" Rover block, with enlarged 4" bore and what look like siamesed liners - are they siamesed, or has the bore spacing been increased? Or both? I note it uses the Oldsmobile-type 6-bolt block as per the Repco-Brabham.
Edited by RoverP6B on Monday 2nd January 16:41
Right... so what's the difference between a 5-litre Rover block and the Buick 350 in terms of the space between cam and crank? It's interesting that Wildcat used the Oldsmobile block rather than the Rover.
Even with iron block and heads, the Buick 350 only weighs 450lb. Stick Rover aluminium heads on it... oh wait, it's a 4-bolt pattern, that won't work. Apparently Rover-derived aluminium heads for the 350 have been under development for some time and the first batch are being delivered imminently...
Even with iron block and heads, the Buick 350 only weighs 450lb. Stick Rover aluminium heads on it... oh wait, it's a 4-bolt pattern, that won't work. Apparently Rover-derived aluminium heads for the 350 have been under development for some time and the first batch are being delivered imminently...
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