Top hat liners or not in Rover V8 ?

[steve-V8s]

Of two Rover V8 engine builders I am talking to at the moment one prefers to fit “top hat “ liners into “seasoned” block where the other uses conventional liners in a newly cast block, presumably both think theirs is the best way. I can see the argument for using a block that has had the manufacturing stresses removed from a bit of use but equally I can see the benefit of having freshly machined holes to fix everything to. Any wise words on the subject anybody ? Perhaps a benefit of an older block is if the engine number can be used to prove first use before Cats were needed.

[chrispitman]

Top hats eliminate the problem of slipped liners, it depends on cost I assume the ones selling the new blocks probably get them with std liners fitted so to remove these machine and fit top hats would be quite expensive. the slipped liner problems seem to happen more on certain engines, I think the 5.0 are more prone because there based on the 3.9 block where as the later 4.0 and 4.6 use a differnt block which was also ultrasonic tested and the thicker wall units used for the 4.6 engines.

[rev-erend]

I think only the top hat liners would guarantee that you will not drop a liner.. and once they deck the block - well the engine numbers might well get erased anyway. Mine certainly were.

[spend]

The only people I've heard of being adverse to Top Hats is RIP .

..It's a mystery

[rev-erend]

Sorry - forgot to mention that when the top hat liners are fitted they stick out above the block and have to be shimmed flat to match and at that point you might as well set the desk heights to be the same..