400se Double valve springs and porting as std??

[brummiewedge]

Hi guys, sorry for asking more questions but on doing some investigating today and fixing a few niggles.. I took the inlet manifold off to discover a huuuge porting job and shimmed rocker posts, plus double valve springs,( about 2mm.) suggesting skimmed heads, is this factory spec on a 400se??

[wedg1e]

Rocker pedestals tend to be shimmed anyway; a lot of tuned V8s have double valve springs; dunno about the porting though it was standard on the 390SE; you may also have shortened valve guides (allows higher valve lift).

[Boosted Ls1]

brummiewedge said:

Hi guys, sorry for asking more questions but on doing some investigating today and fixing a few niggles.. I took the inlet manifold off to discover a huuuge porting job and shimmed rocker posts, plus double valve springs,( about 2mm.) suggesting skimmed heads, is this factory spec on a 400se??

I've worked on 400 se's and the factory work definately went into the heads and inlet assembly. Bottom end was bog stock land rover, doh and low c/r, nothing like wot the brochure said!

Boosted.

[v8 racing]

Most the 400/390 were in fact big valve fully polish and ported heads

[wedg1e]

v8 racing said:

Most the 400/390 were in fact big valve fully polish and ported heads

Hmmm... don't recall my valves being bigger, trust me to buy a pup

[rev-erend]

Was you expecting dinner plates..

[Boosted Ls1]

wedg1e said:

v8 racing said: Most the 400/390 were in fact big valve fully polish and ported heads Hmmm... don't recall my valves being bigger, trust me to buy a pup

I think there may have been variations. Andymadmaks 400 SE engine had a nicely ported top end but iirc his valves were also stock diameters.

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[gsx600]

My 400 seemed fairly standard , looking at the heads. It had the bottom end worked on .
Valves looked quite small compared with the 4.5 BV Chimera heads that went in instead

Still have the 400 head / engine in bits in the garage if you want me to measure the valves for you ?

[Boosted Ls1]

gsx600 said:

My 400 seemed fairly standard , looking at the heads. It had the bottom end worked on . Valves looked quite small compared with the 4.5 BV Chimera heads that went in instead Still have the 400 head / engine in bits in the garage if you want me to measure the valves for you ?

Interesting, what had been done to the bottom end?

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[gsx600]

Looking at the receipts, it had all been rebult with extra oil ways, balancing / blueprint, heavy duty bearings and other bits I can't remember. Part of the reason it's still sitting in my garage with me loathed to part with it on ebay !

[Boosted Ls1]

gsx600 said:

Looking at the receipts, it had all been rebult with extra oil ways, balancing / blueprint, heavy duty bearings and other bits I can't remember. Part of the reason it's still sitting in my garage with me loathed to part with it on ebay !

But I take it this wasn't done as stock by tvr?

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[grahamw48]

I thought the NCK engines were blueprinted as standard.

[Boosted Ls1]

grahamw48 said:

I thought the NCK engines were blueprinted as standard.

Don't know about that. If they built all the 400 se engines then definately not. As for balancing, my example had a bolt stuffed inside the lip of the balancer.

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[shpub]

grahamw48 said:

I thought the NCK engines were blueprinted as standard.

Some were some wern't just depended etc. To be honest, the Wedges were built during a time of great variation where cams/pistons/CRs etc were all changed with the result that some were good'uns and some were not quite so good....

[brummiewedge]

The porting job on mine is massive, right to the limits on the casting, waisted valve guides, double valve springs and a non standard cam, i was just curious if someone had done this to it after it left Blackpool!

[v8 racing]

I think steve has more or less summed this up!! i agree that around this kind of era to be honest it was a case of what was lying around went into the engines, i have even pulled apart completely standard engines apart from having forged cosworth pistons in them?? whats all the sense in that then!!

>> Edited by v8 racing on Monday 5th December 19:11

[grahamw48]

It's to be hoped they've changed their ways then...trade description act comes to mind.

Glad I didn't spend twenty odd grand (when new), to be fobbed off with some cobbled up sub-spec' motor.

[v8 racing]

i must admit when the griffs started coming out they got there act together!! to be honest nobody reall lost out, if the car was advertised as big valve it would be it was the standard cars coming out that were also fitted with extra goodies so they were just a bonus i guess to the people buying them!!

[grahamw48]

Got to get to a rolling road

I want all my horses!

[Boosted Ls1]

grahamw48 said:

Got to get to a rolling road I want all my horses!

I'll be amazed if you have them but good luck. Some engines are nowhere near the compression claimed by the factory!

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