Range Rover 2dr Classis or not to Classic...
Discussion
Hey all,
Have finally managed to find some time to start my Range Rover classic restoration project.
The very first car i owned was when i was 9. It was a cheap 2 door Range Rover in Bahama Gold. I developed it into an offroader and finally chopped it up after rolling it end over end off roading when i was about 15.
I loved that car so when an identical car that had been sitting in a field for years came up for sale during covid i bought it as a "maybe one day" project
My question to the PH braintrust is what should i do with the engine. The 3.5V8 in it is scrap as it was literally full of water. So the good news is i can start from scratch if i want to.
Obviously these early Range Rovers attract a premium now so im concious of that. However the reality is that i would probably never sell it. The restoration plan is not to make it concours but to restore it to a nice useable standard. As such i dont want to drain the piggy bank too much, so i want to use one of the spare engines that i currently have in the workshop. It will probably get used very little and will be more of a garage queen once finished. It has to be a petrol V8 and manual like my original one.
The choices
A completly original 3.5 Rover V8 (Great for originality but woefully underpowered)
A 4.6 Rover V8 (I would need to convert this to carbs as i dont like the rover EFI)
A full race spec 4.7 TVR AJP V8 (seems like a waste and probbaly wouldnt suit the car??)
A 4.2 Supercharged V8 From a modern Range Rover (Great engine but will cost me a fair amount to do a manual gearbox conversion)
I think i want to go the supercharged route but will this ruin the classic apeal?
I will post some pictures up when im next in the workshop.
Appreciate any input.
Have finally managed to find some time to start my Range Rover classic restoration project.
The very first car i owned was when i was 9. It was a cheap 2 door Range Rover in Bahama Gold. I developed it into an offroader and finally chopped it up after rolling it end over end off roading when i was about 15.
I loved that car so when an identical car that had been sitting in a field for years came up for sale during covid i bought it as a "maybe one day" project
My question to the PH braintrust is what should i do with the engine. The 3.5V8 in it is scrap as it was literally full of water. So the good news is i can start from scratch if i want to.
Obviously these early Range Rovers attract a premium now so im concious of that. However the reality is that i would probably never sell it. The restoration plan is not to make it concours but to restore it to a nice useable standard. As such i dont want to drain the piggy bank too much, so i want to use one of the spare engines that i currently have in the workshop. It will probably get used very little and will be more of a garage queen once finished. It has to be a petrol V8 and manual like my original one.
The choices
A completly original 3.5 Rover V8 (Great for originality but woefully underpowered)
A 4.6 Rover V8 (I would need to convert this to carbs as i dont like the rover EFI)
A full race spec 4.7 TVR AJP V8 (seems like a waste and probbaly wouldnt suit the car??)
A 4.2 Supercharged V8 From a modern Range Rover (Great engine but will cost me a fair amount to do a manual gearbox conversion)
I think i want to go the supercharged route but will this ruin the classic apeal?
I will post some pictures up when im next in the workshop.
Appreciate any input.
Edited by itsallyellow on Sunday 8th November 13:33
A.J.M said:
If you plan to never sell it then surely the best option is what your heart desires it to be.
Is it a 70s Suffix A-F model? Or a later one.
1981 Suffix F. However the matching number engine block is beyond repair so the 3.5 i have would be a replacement.Is it a 70s Suffix A-F model? Or a later one.
A lot of people have urged me to keep it Rover.
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