SO YOU WANT A V8

SO YOU WANT A V8

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YAHOO

Original Poster:

341 posts

275 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
Was up at my TVR dealer today talking about V8's and installing them in to cerbs and tuscans ,and was amazed to see this.www.dreadnought-tvr.co.uk/news_article.php?report_id=38
And you can have 320BHP TO 440BHP and cheaper than a speed six engine rebuild

>> Edited by YAHOO on Friday 16th September 15:31

rfisher

5,024 posts

282 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
OOOOOoooooo shiny things.

Me want.

tvrolet

4,251 posts

281 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
YAHOO said:
Was up at my TVR dealer today talking about V8's and installing them in to cerbs and tuscans ,and was amazed to see this.www.dreadnought-tvr.co.uk/news_article.php?report_id=38


Jason - that's great news, but given your closeness with Dreadnought it's taking the mick a bit to say you were amazed. Why not just announce what Dreadnought are up to, or better, just have them announce it directly? Why the cloak and dagger stuff? Brian was talking about putting a Sean Hyland Ford V8 in a Cerb at the end of last year. Unless I'm very much mistaken TVR also gave him a Cerbera sans engine to do it with - a light blue one. But why am I telling you this - you've known this for months.

Instead of the innocent customer gets surprise post, why not just come out and lay all the facts out. All I know is what I've said - Dreadnought got a car and planned to put a Sean Hyland motor in it. Surely you know rather more, or isn't Claire keeping you up to date?

Given that just about everyone north of the border knows that you are rather close to Dreadnought, why not just do this properly and above board and make a proper announcement? Nothing to do with another rumour doing the rounds is it?

This is all a bit like me saying I went in to my garage and was amazed to see this


....jeez, where did that come from?

YAHOO

Original Poster:

341 posts

275 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
Think you picket me up wrong ,this is the first time i have seen the engine for real and it was a surprise.
And your problem is

PetrolTed

34,424 posts

302 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
Lighten up guys. It doesn't matter.

Look forward to hearing more about this. Easy conversion?

tvrolet

4,251 posts

281 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
YAHOO said:
And your problem is

No problems whatsoever with the project - I really look forward to seeing it, and wish Dreadnought all the best with it. I'd like to know more too, like will the chassis need modifying, does the body need modifying, what clutch/gearbox is being used, how are the exhausts getting routed. I'm really genuinely interested in this.

What I can't be doing with is this innocent customer gets surprise routine. Just tell it how it is. I might ask what's your problem with doing just that - telling it as it is?
PetrolTed said:
Lighten up guys.

Perfectly relaxed this end
PetrolTed said:

Look forward to hearing more about this. Easy conversion?

That's the point...lots of folks really will want to hear more about this so why not announce it properly?

GreenV8S

30,149 posts

283 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
tvrolet said:

I went in to my garage and was amazed to see this



Jeez who left that there, let me know if you want rid of it ...

PS

>> Edited by GreenV8S on Friday 16th September 16:52

shpub

8,507 posts

271 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
Yes the chassis will need modifying... Trust me... It broke my heart to take an angle grinder to the only good bits of original chassis I had on the Cerbie a couple of weeks ago. The modifications are very extensive if you want an engine that can come out without removing the body. The AJP V8 is an incredible compact design and despite Yank V8s being quite compact, they are not in the same league...

Currently the actual Corvette engine has arrived, has been dropped into the chassis to make up the chassis mounts. Chassis has had 14 metres of tubing welded into it to repair all the grot and should be going to the etching powder coating place at the end of the month. While that is on, I'll be machining the final adapter plates etc and all the other stuff that is needed. Then it is put it all together time.

YAHOO

Original Poster:

341 posts

275 months

Friday 16th September 2005
quotequote all
Dreadnought don't blab or announce things until its ready and working but i will ask Claire to post something or Ted can come up for test drive .
As for chassis modifying NO someone said that about the 5.0 litre,V8,4 valve Ford Mustang engine thats in the MG ZT www.dreadnought-tvr.co.uk/report.php?report_id=30 .Most people saying it will never fit, even MG Racing and it fits .
And the car's just finnished the 24 HR BRITCAR event last weekend.
Their is more room in the tuscan road car engine bay than Cerb but as far as i can see or know it fits. As for bonnet maybe? as for the rest you will have to wait for Claire coming back from Donington as i seem to no jack shimit about full spec sorry im sure she will enlighten you more.
I have seen the SHM plastic moc engine and funky manafold's in place and looks good.
Mind you some say girls know more than boys

Anyway of to pub

shpub

8,507 posts

271 months

Saturday 17th September 2005
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As the Dreadnought press release says that this is their new project it does sort of imply that they have an engine and a car but haven't got down to to the nitty gritty yet. I must admit that Tower View and I have been in the nitty gritty for some time with the Cerbvette project mainly because of all the chassis corrosion that we found!

Nothing is impossible and with a Speed Six chassis, the front of the chassis has already been modified and is in a potentially better shape to fit a big yank engine. It is still extremely tight once you start plumbing in exhausts and other stuff. Unlike the MG, the abilty to remove the whole front of the car is not a practical option.

trackcar

6,453 posts

225 months

Saturday 17th September 2005
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LSx into cerb 6 or tusc 6 .. can see the point there.

LSx into cerb ajp8? so wrong.

www.bhpworld.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=79.0

shpub

8,507 posts

271 months

Saturday 17th September 2005
quotequote all
Personally I don't think so. If and it was a big if I could have got my AJP V8 rebuilt for a reasonable amount of money, I would have done so. I couldn't and I didn't want to get a second hand AJP V8 and risk the potential for yet more big bills.

Simple economics when it comes down to it.

SXS

3,065 posts

256 months

Saturday 17th September 2005
quotequote all
Sooo many conversion projects flying around these days....

This is what I know of so far in the cerbera world:

1) Cerbera with LS1 (shpub)

2) Cerbera with skyline engine and AWD (still finding out who it is, but the RB28 apparently has already been bought in)

3) Cerbera with a Ford V8 (dreadnought)

4) Cerbera with LS6 (jellisons, next project, when? I dont know )


All a bunch of traitors!
Pure unadulterated blasphmy!

I'll stick with my 6 litre supercharged redeveloped AJP thankyou very much... still a wait mind you

Although I wouldnt mind having a yank powered Cerbie for a daily runabout

chevtrev

785 posts

235 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
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trackcar said:
LSx into cerb 6 or tusc 6 .. can see the point there.

LSx into cerb ajp8? so wrong.

www.bhpworld.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=79.0


After reading 14 pages of mostly bollox today on the Cerb forum,where it seems the professionals ? are only in it to look after their own ego,its certainly worth going down the LSx route.
Millions more parts and aftermarket goodies and power to start where the ajp left off.(not that I have anything against the ajp,chev/lsx just cuts out the bullshit)

simonsparrow

1,486 posts

261 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
If I recall correctly, the Ford 302 V8 is more compact than the Chev small block (also different firing order)? This could make it easier to fit, also its been used with T5 transmissions in the Mustang, so that may help too.

I'll stick with my AJP unless it becomes uneconomical, but good to see all these other options being explored!

claire_scot

35 posts

283 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
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The trick is to research the engine very carefully so you don't have to hack all the chassis away.
This is why we picked the 302.
As you can see from the pics, we only had to cut the front chassis member to make it fit.
I don't know why someone would want to put a MASSIVE chevy engine in it, you would practically have to build a new chassis around it. There are pleny of American V8's out there smaller in design and equal to the power thats comes from a chevy engine.



tvrolet

4,251 posts

281 months

Tuesday 20th September 2005
quotequote all
Looks good. Not clear from the pix though, but is the front crossmember out for good (no doubt to be replaced with something else), or does it just have to get removed to get the engine in? In other words, can the crossmember be a bolt-in section once the engine is in place?

Obviously the front of the engine is further forward then the AJP, but is the whole engine further forward i.e.gearbox/bellhousing forward, or is it just a longer engine and they are in the same place?

...and are the exhausts going to fit down the sides of the block, or do they need re-routed? Presumably no bodyork mods?

claire_scot said:
I don't know why someone would want to put a MASSIVE chevy engine in it...There are pleny of American V8's out there smaller in design and equal to the power thats comes from a chevy engine.

I haven't seen a 302 and a SBC back to back, but the SBC isn't that big...or maybe I've just got used to the size Main reason for a Chevy I'd say is cost per bhp. While the Ford can easily make the power of the Chevy, it just costs a bit more to do it - or at least thats how it looked to me.

WB

shpub

8,507 posts

271 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
The AJP doesn't have all the ancillaries around the front which is why the cross member has to go. It is possible just with the LSx to get the engine in without cutting it but the body has to come off to do it. Not practical.

The cross brace is essential as it stops the two suspension turrets from collapsing. I'm adding some additional bracing and possibly a bling cross strut. Finishing all this tomorrow before the chassis goes off to be coated etc etc.

PS I did say that the chassis would need modifying....

chevtrev

785 posts

235 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
Sounding like in the last couple of posts all the comprimises are coming out.
This is where I admire Jon aka Jellison for his installation without hacking and similar engine position.
The Dreadnought install looks way too far foward plus your stuck with that very high plenum which looks like a major pain in the arse.
Claire talks about engine research,sorry if i'm wrong but it seems they are pretty tied up politicly with the Ford unit,plus iv'e said before bellhousng is the biggie not engine selection
I would of thought loosing the front crossmember is no drama,I cant see a problem fabricaticting diagonal struts from the exiisting bottom crossmember,nothing too trick there...

shpub

8,507 posts

271 months

Wednesday 21st September 2005
quotequote all
Jon had a big advantage to start with - the chimaera/griff chassis tunnel is wider which means you can move the engine back and stop the mods to the front. Also the budget was way beyond what I'm working to.

If you move the engine back in the Cerbera, things get in the way and the costs quickly start to rocket.

Having said that, I've got the LSx lower in the chassis than the AJP!



>> Edited by shpub on Wednesday 21st September 09:51