Discussion
I have just come back from a 2000-mile jaunt in my RRC Vogue SE 3.9 V8; car did brilliantly swallowed family and their belongings in comfort. Considering it was only bought as occasional use toy last winter (we live in the wilds and can get cut off in the bad weather) it gets used more than I ever thought (boaster S stays in the garage these days). Was thinking could do with some more grunt so was thinking of a TVR engine (4.5 or 5.0) would be the easiest way to go, or how easy to fit an LS-1 (a home made Overfinch if you like). I know the sensible thing to do is to sell and buy something else but the car is very tidy and have known it from new (belonged to an old friend of the family)
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
Biggest issue with an LS swap is that you'll probably need to upgrade the entire drivetrain front to back if it's making decent power.
There are converter plates to stick a 4L80 onto a (later) LR transfer box which probably won't last too long as standard, you'd need an uprated one or a GM transfer box and custom driveshafts etc. Axles and diffs aren't supposed to be too great at higher outputs either.
Somewhere like Ashcroft could tell you how much for bits that will hold up.
There are converter plates to stick a 4L80 onto a (later) LR transfer box which probably won't last too long as standard, you'd need an uprated one or a GM transfer box and custom driveshafts etc. Axles and diffs aren't supposed to be too great at higher outputs either.
Somewhere like Ashcroft could tell you how much for bits that will hold up.
I have a Chevy powered Classic. I know it all comes down to budget but with all the work involved I would suggest going for a new LS3 at @ £5k. Gearbox would depend on whether you want a manual or auto. The LT230 is as good as the Yank stuff so probably easier to stick with that, at least the prop flanges should be in the right place. A four pin rear diff or limited slip and uprated rear shafts would be essential. You should get away with the front axle as is, but upgrades are readily available.
Check out the Lichfield RRC conversions as I'm fairly certain they are TVR engines.
As you say the most cost effective way is to sell and rebuy - M class AMG are surprisingly cheap these days - 7K? Not a RR I know but a decent car all the same. Or have a chat to RPI or look up Stuart Armson as he offers upgraded engines etc http://armsonae.webs.com/
As you say the most cost effective way is to sell and rebuy - M class AMG are surprisingly cheap these days - 7K? Not a RR I know but a decent car all the same. Or have a chat to RPI or look up Stuart Armson as he offers upgraded engines etc http://armsonae.webs.com/
Markh said:
I have just come back from a 2000-mile jaunt in my RRC Vogue SE 3.9 V8; car did brilliantly swallowed family and their belongings in comfort. Considering it was only bought as occasional use toy last winter (we live in the wilds and can get cut off in the bad weather) it gets used more than I ever thought (boaster S stays in the garage these days). Was thinking could do with some more grunt so was thinking of a TVR engine (4.5 or 5.0) would be the easiest way to go, or how easy to fit an LS-1 (a home made Overfinch if you like). I know the sensible thing to do is to sell and buy something else but the car is very tidy and have known it from new (belonged to an old friend of the family)
Any thoughts?
LS swap is going to be a lot of work. Do Overfinch fit the LS now? It always used to be the older SBCs?Any thoughts?
Either way it's possible, but will be custom work. Landy axles are bit s
te, so you might need to upgrade them too if you are heavy on the gas.A bigger RV8 is not a bad idea, but these are not cheap. And while bigger displacement will offer up more torque and mid range HP, they won't actually offer huge HP gains.
Personally I think I'd be looking at tuning your current engine.
There's a user on here BoostedLS1 who makes some turbo exhaust manifolds for the RV8.
I'd look at running some twin Impreza Turbo turbo's with a decent exhaust, induction and maybe a better cam on a Megasquirt ECU setup. It's a bit of work, but lot less than a LS1 swap and cheaper than a TVR engine. I'd have thought well over 300hp and loads of torque will be available.
Trommel said:
Biggest issue with an LS swap is that you'll probably need to upgrade the entire drivetrain front to back if it's making decent power.
There are converter plates to stick a 4L80 onto a (later) LR transfer box which probably won't last too long as standard, you'd need an uprated one or a GM transfer box and custom driveshafts etc. Axles and diffs aren't supposed to be too great at higher outputs either.
Somewhere like Ashcroft could tell you how much for bits that will hold up.
I'm running a twin turbo 5.7 small block chevy. 4 pin diffs and HD half shafts are used, but they were all broke when i used to off-road using the 3.9. The LT230 seems pretty strong too.There are converter plates to stick a 4L80 onto a (later) LR transfer box which probably won't last too long as standard, you'd need an uprated one or a GM transfer box and custom driveshafts etc. Axles and diffs aren't supposed to be too great at higher outputs either.
Somewhere like Ashcroft could tell you how much for bits that will hold up.
I'm using a TH700R4 which required lots of upgrading to make it handle the torque of the chevy lump combined with heavy car, big wheels and traction. LS conversion could use the 4L65e which is a stronger and electronically controlled version of TH700r4.
I have the box and adapter to fit a 4L80e onto the LT230, but ironically i found the combination of parts in the 700r4 that can hold the torque my engine produces, so I've not gone the the hassle of fitting it - plus they are big heavy boxes, which saps the power of the engine.
I Would probably be looking at a fully forged engine running 16+ psi to justify the penalty of the 4L80e - which just seems like diminishing returns. It feels plenty fast enough as it is, very few cars have been past me.
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