V8 into escort mk2

[Cortinamk2]

Hi all new here,,
Hope I m posting in the right place..
I m thinking about putting a rover 3.5 v8 into a ford escort mk2 automatic, anyone done this?
Or May a ford anglia but I see that as a lot harder to squeeze in

Edited by Cortinamk2 on Monday 1st December 12:07

[GAjon]

I’ve not, but a quick Google says it’s been done before, many times.

I would ask though, why a Rover V8? (unless you already have one available ).

Why not a more modern engine, with more available parts and stock, or even an LS depending on your budget.

[Rowe]

As above, it's been done before in the past.
An AJ30 v6 or AJ40 v8 would be what my choice if I were in your shoes.

[fttm]

There is a guy on PH (maybe Slippydiff) who put an LS motor into a MK2 , nice work too .

[jeremyc]

fttm said:

There is a guy on PH (maybe Slippydiff) who put an LS motor into a MK2 , nice work too .

sheepdip did an LS1 into a Mk2. Thread is here.

[normalbloke]

Why is the Rover your V8 of choice?

[braddo]

The Mercedes M113 V8 is cheap, reliable and compact (SOHC) and a 6-speed manual box from a SLK bolts up. With say an Emerald ECU that's the engine/box combo I would be looking at.

It will have double the horsepower and use half the fuel of the Rover V8!

[sideways man]

I put a cosworth yb turbo into a mk1 escort, running 330 bhp. Full gp4 suspension, 6 linked atlas etc. With the benefit of hindsight I wouldn’t do it again. Too much power and torque meant it didn’t drive like an escort. It was quick in a straight line though, once the wheelspin was under control.

[Cortinamk2]

Thanks all..
Was saying rover v8 as I have one in a crate..
Maybe a rethink is on the cards..

[HealeyV8]

The Rover V8 is used so much because it's a lightweight engine so doesn't upset handling. As it's used so much plenty of spares and gearbox options.

[Skyedriver]

Used to be one on the north east autocross circuit, was pretty quick....

[Escort3500]

Fitted in mine OK. Not the quickest of V8s, but did sound lovely

[Mr Tidy]

Personally I'd prefer a Ford engine in an Escort. There's the Cosworth option but I expect they are getting hard to find these days although Zetecs seem to be a popular transplant and are probably going to be more powerful than a Rover V8!

[sideways man]

To give some inspiration, my old car

Yes I did change the air filter!

[Virtual PAH]

braddo said:

The Mercedes M113 V8 is cheap, reliable and compact (SOHC) and a 6-speed manual box from a SLK bolts up. With say an Emerald ECU that's the engine/box combo I would be looking at.

It will have double the horsepower and use half the fuel of the Rover V8!

Saw a video series on YouTube where someone put the 5.0 M113 into a Capri:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDhjTgzIh8f...

Was so inspired by it I almost bought an engine off ebay to have sat around until I decided what car to get to put it into.

[BuyaDuster]

I did something similar a few years ago by putting a TVR 5.0l V8 engine into an MGB.

It was fast in a straight line, sounded great and was reliable too.

I fitted a Quaife LSD in a 2.88 rear end, with a watts linkage and traction bars. All brand new and dialled in properly.

The problem was that in a corner, unless you were very careful, the back end would lose traction and chuck you off the road.

It was nothing to do with the suspension setup or the tyres,

It was because the car was light - at 900kg and had a relatively short wheelbase. It also had no electronic traction control.

This made it easy for the large torque of the motor to overcome the rear end very easily as the car had a very low polar moment of inertia when cornering.

It reminded me of a TVR Tuscan I once shared a drive in .

In other words, it was absolutely lethal, unless you were pootling around.

I sold it to a German gent (sorry).