here's a thought
Author
Discussion

350Matt

Original Poster:

3,897 posts

308 months

Thursday 2nd July 2009
quotequote all
Peeps

I was just mulling over the thought that how about if the AJP engines had never come to light?

Instead the 'own' engine efforts could have been spent on producing a pair of decent heads and bespoke intake for the RV8, this way your core engine is proven and the investment is lower but you uncork the potential (350+ from a 5ltr) and could have probably also sold the heads to other manufacturer's or after market etc?

No engine warranty issues, not particularly technically difficult to make work, melodious cross plane howl....

What never was eh?

330p4

668 posts

259 months

Thursday 2nd July 2009
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Matt i thought you were always busy at work now we know what you do all day
Ian

Allandwf

1,773 posts

224 months

Thursday 2nd July 2009
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I love the AJP. wouldn't be the same with an old Buick !!!

350Matt

Original Poster:

3,897 posts

308 months

Friday 3rd July 2009
quotequote all
So if you changed the heads, intake , pistons, crank, cam, valves, etc etc at what point does it stop being a 'buick'? (not that rover ever changed anything in 40 years of development - oh hang on they did....)rolleyes

That's rather my point, if TVR hadn't been carried away in the glamour of making their own engine they could have done some real development work on the good old RV8 and dragged it up several levels (just look at the LS engine).
who's to say that going this path wouldn't have meant that will still have TVR running today?

Hello Ian

I'm on gardening leave at the mo' before starting a new job in Bicester

Matt




Edited by 350Matt on Friday 3rd July 14:44

LordGrover

34,165 posts

241 months

Friday 3rd July 2009
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You've probably seen it, or something very like it before but a nice little article on our engines here.

2mad

180 posts

208 months

Friday 3rd July 2009
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i think it stopped being a buick when andy rouse , nck racing,john eales,rpi
v8 developments,cosworth ,tvr power got involved in developing the rover v8

grahamw48

9,944 posts

267 months

Friday 3rd July 2009
quotequote all
Allandwf said:
I love the AJP. wouldn't be the same with an old Buick !!!
If only the AJP didn't sound so rubbish though. frown

Derek Smith

49,803 posts

277 months

Friday 3rd July 2009
quotequote all
The first time I heard an AJP8 was at Brands, although I didn't know it at the time. I mean, I knew it was Brands, of course, but didn't know it was a different engine. PW had fitted one to his Tuscan and along the top straight just left the opposition standing. I thought it was just one of the highly tuned 'development' RV8s that PW used to favour and I've got to say that it sounded magnificent. I was at Paddock so heard it on the over-run.

Those around me reckoned that he'd overbored it but one very astute chap reckoned that there was more to it than that. He said it sounded 'all wrong' for an RV8.

Things so long ago get blurred and I can't remember what happened but, going by the times when others got to fit it, I reckon it must have blown up.

The next time I heard one was in a Cerbera as it was making its way out of the underground car park at work. With the rumble, appearing through the dark, and the letterbox windscreen, it sounded, and looked, intimidating.

I got to drive behind a tuned 4.5 AJP8 in a lightweight Cerb. Very addictive. All I need is an oil well, and in more ways than one.

Marquis_Rex

7,377 posts

268 months

Sunday 12th July 2009
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350Matt said:
Peeps

I was just mulling over the thought that how about if the AJP engines had never come to light?

Instead the 'own' engine efforts could have been spent on producing a pair of decent heads and bespoke intake for the RV8, this way your core engine is proven and the investment is lower but you uncork the potential (350+ from a 5ltr) and could have probably also sold the heads to other manufacturer's or after market etc?

No engine warranty issues, not particularly technically difficult to make work, melodious cross plane howl....

What never was eh?
YOU should re-design/modify your own heads for your Rover V8 with CNCd ports and your own cam-removing as many engineering constraints as you can. You could use the LS7 for inspiration.

Just imagine TVR could have bought the rights and tooling to the Rover v8 also.

Gazzab

21,641 posts

311 months

Sunday 12th July 2009
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grahamw48 said:
Allandwf said:
I love the AJP. wouldn't be the same with an old Buick !!!
If only the AJP didn't sound so rubbish though. frown
You sir are mistaken.

900T-R

20,406 posts

286 months

Sunday 12th July 2009
quotequote all
Marquis_Rex said:
350Matt said:
Peeps

I was just mulling over the thought that how about if the AJP engines had never come to light?

Instead the 'own' engine efforts could have been spent on producing a pair of decent heads and bespoke intake for the RV8, this way your core engine is proven and the investment is lower but you uncork the potential (350+ from a 5ltr) and could have probably also sold the heads to other manufacturer's or after market etc?

No engine warranty issues, not particularly technically difficult to make work, melodious cross plane howl....

What never was eh?
YOU should re-design/modify your own heads for your Rover V8 with CNCd ports and your own cam-removing as many engineering constraints as you can. You could use the LS7 for inspiration.
Isn't that what the Wildcat and Merlin heads set out to do? Or are they in some way compromisaed, too?

Marquis_Rex

7,377 posts

268 months

Sunday 12th July 2009
quotequote all
900T-R said:
Marquis_Rex said:
350Matt said:
Peeps

I was just mulling over the thought that how about if the AJP engines had never come to light?

Instead the 'own' engine efforts could have been spent on producing a pair of decent heads and bespoke intake for the RV8, this way your core engine is proven and the investment is lower but you uncork the potential (350+ from a 5ltr) and could have probably also sold the heads to other manufacturer's or after market etc?

No engine warranty issues, not particularly technically difficult to make work, melodious cross plane howl....

What never was eh?
YOU should re-design/modify your own heads for your Rover V8 with CNCd ports and your own cam-removing as many engineering constraints as you can. You could use the LS7 for inspiration.
Isn't that what the Wildcat and Merlin heads set out to do? Or are they in some way compromisaed, too?
I don't know, I have heard of them though. I just think it would be fun to do stuff myself-putting all of my knowhow into an engines. I'd want to see and assess and flow test Wildcat/Merlin cylinder heads before I accepted them.