V8 engine rebuilder

[PHJayV8]

Hi all, anyone recommend a good TVR/Rover V8 engine rebuilder in South Wales? Not that my car needs it, but at 91000 she seems a bit "tired" and needs a new lease of life intend to have it done over winter, along with wheels refurbed too

[Wedg1e]

At 101,000 miles my 390 had no detectable step on the bores and was on its original pistons (had to be, it had 93.5mm flat-tops).
However the crank main shells had patches of copper showing through the white metal (and broken piston rings that had scored the bores ).
So you're probably correct that 'some' wear is present, but maybe not as bad as you think. Maybe a crank polish or ten thou regrind plus new rings and a bore hone is all it'll need.

[PHJayV8]

Thanks Wedg1e, I'll look into that

[millwap]

Have you tried asking Roath Garage (Cardiff) who they use/ recommend for their engine work?

http://roathgarage.com/

[jmorgan]

Ron at Fforest Garage did the valves (and ascociated bits) on mine when the rocker tips hardened and started to break up. Worth a shout, I was sure he does more to the engines. Best ask anyway.

[plushuit]

PHJayV8 said:

Hi all, anyone recommend a good TVR/Rover V8 engine rebuilder in South Wales? Not that my car needs it, but at 91000 she seems a bit "tired" and needs a new lease of life intend to have it done over winter, along with wheels refurbed too

Is it worth it? For the same price and far less worries, you can swap in a warrantied rebuilt 4.6 block with a nearby garagiste. You can keep your present block in spares and use the top end. Simply have the heads checked and, if necessary, regrind the seats with 3 angles. You will be amazed at the difference with 4.6.

There are scores of wheel refurbishers in the UK. Some will pick them up at your house and others have roving vans that can redo them on the spot.

[WedgieDom]

i have a 350 can you put a 460 straight in and connect to the existing gearbox and clutch or do you have to upgrade them.

[pjac67]

My 350 has just had a new 460 put in ( V8D) - its the same block after all .... (picture of it in the Classifieds ;-) ).

If I were spending a big chunk of money I wouldn't be asking who is local but who is the best....

[plushuit]

WedgieDom said:

i have a 350 can you put a 460 straight in and connect to the existing gearbox and clutch or do you have to upgrade them.

You mean a 3.5L? Everything fits with the following tweaks (outside of re-tuning);

1. You will need a crankshaft pulley spacer. (a few £)

2. An aluminum plug to close the hole they made for the flywheel sensor.. (a few £s) or you can easily fashion a cover for it yourself.

3. You will have to relieve the sump with a couple of bangs with a a little hammer OR switch to the 3.9 sump but with a cork gasket. (It is the best of the stock sumps, holding an extra liter while giving greater ground clearance.)

That's it.

Rebuilding or enhancing an engine, even for an expert, carries more risk than buying a stock affair with a warranty. I have been there, done that a few times. In this case, you are saving your original block and sticking with a stock 4.6 block. It's a no brainer. [You CAN make this very expensive tho..with add-ons. But you will be fighting the Law of Diminishing Returns.] A TVR does not have the load to get into the problems RR did. Yet I would go with a top hat rebuilt faster than a new block. Should be bullet proof for your usage.

You could also pick up a low mileage 4.6 from a breakup yard.

[njhucker]

Hi Jay,
Hope you are still happy with the car.
A bit of info for you on the engine.
The shells were changed last year.
The oil consumption was quite low ( certainly a lot less than my 400, which has only done 53K)
The cam was changed for a piper from RPI, about 30k ago. The followers that I bought from RPI were aftermarket. They do seem to take a couple of seconds top pump up after the oil has drained from them. The cam was fitted with a steel chain set and duplex chain & these are a little bit noisier than the standard. When I put the cam in I did not have a test indicator, so I just used the timing marks to time it in.
The emissions were always good.
I would have thought that to refresh the engine you would probably need to clean the heads and check the valve seats, clean the pistons & fit new rings and hone the bores.so that they bed in. You might also like to get the cam timed in using a dti, just to make sure it is giving it's maximum. All of this can be done with the engine in situ. The only parts you would need to buy are rings and gaskets. If you do it yourself, and need any tools (piston ring compressor,valve spring compressor, Honing tool, dti, oil pump priming tool, etc, I can lend you them)
Regards
Nigel

[PHJayV8]

Hi Nigel, apologies for the delay in responding...

I'm still chuffed to bits with the car, I've thoroughly enjoyed it and the attention it has attracted during the Summer, I drove it as often as I could

I'm simply looking to make it even better for the next season, and hopefully attend more TVR-based events further afield in the new year.

One job is to refurb the alloys, as previously mentioned...

The engine is not a big issue, she runs and sounds good, but I'm sure there's more potential there as per my SD1 Vitesse days

[njhucker]

Hi Jay,for the wheels, you could try the following:
The wheel specialist in Cwmbran ( 20% discount for tvrcc members, see south wales region for code)
Or Renowheel in Bridgend
http://www.renowheel.co.uk/
or there is this service on Ebay, which looks fuss free:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0205-Service-Exchange-TV...

[pwd95]

Heard good things about Chip Tech in Swansea too....

http://www.chiptech.co.uk/

By the way. Me & a chap I know with a 400SE will be going for a run & attending the South Wales Brekkie meet at Crosshands on Sunday morning if anyone fancies a blast out.

[wooly350i]

Hi matey,I used V8D for my replacement engine,they are in lincolnshire though. Mine was a 3.5 ltr but having plumped for a 5 ltr I did have to dump the old 4cu ignition system and went with a good second hand programmable ecu and loom with injectors and coil packs. So far I've lived with the drive train but will need to change gearing somewhere at some point coz it screens through the gears like a fast thing!john

[jmorgan]

pwd95 said:

By the way. Me & a chap I know with a 400SE will be going for a run & attending the South Wales Brekkie meet at Crosshands on Sunday morning if anyone fancies a blast out.

Working and the fuel pump is dead.

[PHJayV8]

So, if I fitted a 4.6 V8, all the ancillaries will fit okay? Efi, alternator, exhaust manifolds etc? what about the ecu? would that need changing to?

[Jammy Dodger]

Jamie Rogers, Castle Automotive Performance (Castle Race Engines), Kineton (Warwks.) If you're Powys/Gwent it's not too far. Text is the best way to get him - 07552 080 800

He's inexpensive and reputedly one of the very best. He can eke 375bhp out of a 5 litre (NA).

Ex TVR Power Manager, IndyCar in USA, builds Graham Walden's (Blackcat) race/champ winning engines.

My experience is he likes to remachine what you've got rather than sell you loads of fancy crap you don't really need.

Depends on what you want really...

[TVRleigh_BBWR]

PHJayV8 said:

So, if I fitted a 4.6 V8, all the ancillaries will fit okay? Efi, alternator, exhaust manifolds etc? what about the ecu? would that need changing to?

Yes if you change the front cover, and use a long nose Camshaft, you will also need a crank spacer, as the crank is longer.