Spare 4.2 engine?

Spare 4.2 engine?

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Discussion

Byker28i

Original Poster:

58,795 posts

216 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
Anyone got a spare engine?

Mines an early engine, so on stripping has been found to have the old style chrome valves with bronze guides, wear to the camshafts etc.
Bottom end has the small main bearing cast crankshaft, which even though it's not snapped, noone is keen to rebuild with it.

Cost to repair/replace everything is extortionate, so I was wondering if anyone had a spare engine. It'll probably still need stripping and examining but I'm wondering if this is a cheaper route. Otherwise I'm looking at selling the car to pay for the engine rebuild frown

Or does anyone want a project for a LS3? Full body off Chassis restoration 4 years ago, paint job 6 months ago, every mechanical replaced.

Arse frown

julian64

14,317 posts

253 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
Oh that's a shame. Yours would be one of the top cars with all the work you've done on it.

900T-R

20,404 posts

256 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
Put it away for now, save some money and do it properly. You will regret any other course of action long-term. smile

Byker28i

Original Poster:

58,795 posts

216 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
900T-R said:
Put it away for now, save some money and do it properly. You will regret any other course of action long-term. smile
Is the other idea.. not sure I could keep looking at it in the garage frown

Chimp871

837 posts

116 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
I believe you can line bore the main journals for the larger diameter crank and then drop in a forged crank that tvr power sells.

Byker28i

Original Poster:

58,795 posts

216 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
Chimp871 said:
I believe you can line bore the main journals for the larger diameter crank and then drop in a forged crank that tvr power sells.
You can indeed, but the cost of the total work to update an old engine to new spec is about the cost of a cheap Cerbera

julian64

14,317 posts

253 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
Byker28i said:
Chimp871 said:
I believe you can line bore the main journals for the larger diameter crank and then drop in a forged crank that tvr power sells.
You can indeed, but the cost of the total work to update an old engine to new spec is about the cost of a cheap Cerbera
Buy a cheap damaged Cerbera, transplant engine. In fact wasn't there someone recently who wanted to do a conversion to LS and was selling a Cerb 4.5 engine?

Byker28i

Original Poster:

58,795 posts

216 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
Hunting around, all I can do is put it out there and see who has what.
Top cats want £16-18 for an ls3, so that's out.

Caddyshack

10,596 posts

205 months

Monday 15th January 2018
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You can buy ls engines cheap in USA. Would you be able to make it fit or would you need someone to do it?

Byker28i

Original Poster:

58,795 posts

216 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
It's only £4800 for a crate ls3 engine. The rest is all the other parts required, ecu, clutch, mounts etc and the labour.
To be honest, I'd keep the ajp. I don't need more power and its part of the uniqueness.

Only way I can keep it i guess is to get a second hand engine and drop that in,then get mine done bit by bit over the next few years, or just stick it away in the garage for 2-3years, but by that time I'm looking towards retiring and would probably get shot of then.

I think intending towards getting the engine done so it's the best it can be then flog it to a lucky person.

Caddyshack

10,596 posts

205 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
I would weigh up the cost of doing the work versus selling it as is with shot engine.

If you could do the work yourself it would probably save 50% of the cost.

FarmyardPants

4,099 posts

217 months

Monday 15th January 2018
quotequote all
Sorry to hear that Dave after all you've had done frown

Someone must have a crank they are willing to part with? On the plus side, if you have the block machined for the bigger crank and top end rebuilt, you'll have a better-than-new cerb :-/

TwinKam

2,936 posts

94 months

Monday 15th January 2018
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What's up with your engine?

Jhonno

5,762 posts

140 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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What does your crank look like? It was the earlier small journal one that was susceptible to snapping, there was a revised small journal that was OK. I spoke to Andy @APM about this.. Clive Ford built his 410bhp 4.2 AJP with a small journal crank..

How many miles has your engine done?

Byker28i

Original Poster:

58,795 posts

216 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
TwinKam said:
What's up with your engine?
I thought it was running OK, had a misfire from heavy rain getting into the coils so got them changed when it was discovered compression was low on cylinders 1&2. I was hoping it was just head work.

spitfire4v8

3,989 posts

180 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
What actually needs to be changed to put it back to a working engine ? If it's just a refresh as such just ask for that, sign a no-warranty disclaimer, and use it as you have been all these years with no issues.
If the engine builder wont do that, get your bits back and take it to someone like mat smith, or ian at track vroad, or that guy in blackpool who used to build engines for the factory (forget his name) or any of the other garages that have rebuilt engines.
Don't you use niel garner? can't they help you out ?
I fully understand the element of wanting to protect a businesses reputation and also the profit of selling new cranks, but I prefer to see a more real-world approach to these things (unless someone is loaded, in which case go for it with twin turbo LS !!)

TwinKam

2,936 posts

94 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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As above. If it ain't broke don't fix it, I'm sure there's plenty of small cranks still in use. If it's within limits, just a polish and new shells.
Was a leak-down test done before stripping to determine where the compression is going?

Flatplane8

1,486 posts

261 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
Mine is a '97 with (I suspect) a small journal crank and 175k miles on it. You could get the crank crack tested as part of the process to put your mind at rest, but it may not need changing for road use. As others have said, the ones that were going to break most likely have by now. Readman racing used to have some cranks for sale. There are quite a few re-power options, including a guy who put an AMG V8 in one, I read about it in an old Sprint magazine from 2014.

I agree with you though, I don't feel the need for more power, and I think rebuilding the AJP will be the most economical approach. Unless you are really fed up, don't sell. We won't see the likes of these cars again, the world has moved on, possibly for the better overall, but you won't get the same feeling firing up a Tesla or whatever we'll be driving in the future. smile

nawarne

3,088 posts

259 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
Byker28i said:
It's only £4800 for a crate ls3 engine. The rest is all the other parts required, ecu, clutch, mounts etc and the labour.
To be honest, I'd keep the ajp. I don't need more power and its part of the uniqueness.

Only way I can keep it i guess is to get a second hand engine and drop that in,then get mine done bit by bit over the next few years, or just stick it away in the garage for 2-3years, but by that time I'm looking towards retiring and would probably get shot of then.

I think intending towards getting the engine done so it's the best it can be then flog it to a lucky person.
Pal of mine bought 2nd hand LS engine from US (you're probably aware that there's loads of 'outlets' over there that pull engines out of insurance write offs).

He bought engine - plus loom, ecu and gearbox, hired a van to pick engine up from Tilbury/Felixstowe at a total cost to him of £3,300. OK - that was when $/£ exchange rate was probably more favourable ~ 5 years ago?

Body was coming off for chassis refurb' anyway, so it was just a case of making new engine and 'box mounts and shortening the prop' shaft. So, if I said it cost £5K for transplant, it'd probably be a generous estimate.

He went on to fit after market traction control - and supercharge it. Video of it outdragging Fezza Enzo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASQxFLHxS3M

Nick

Edited by nawarne on Tuesday 16th January 09:45

spitfire4v8

3,989 posts

180 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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Putting aside the "its not a cerbera" arguement for a second .. that vid is great. Fezza owner must have been gutted.