Morris Minor V8 - Engine and gearbox

I bought the project engine complete, only item missing was the starter motor. I hoped that I would avoid engine rebuild, at least for time being, but when I took the heads off I saw that bores were badly worn. Bottom end was a similar story. Pistons were worn, piston rings came out in pieces, crank was worn, camshaft had round lobes etc. Rebuild was the only choice. The engine was really dirty inside. Old tar and oil eveywhere, so stuck that machine shop´s washing equipment could not remove all that slime. No wonder these engines are notorious for wear. Seems that oil changes have been few and apart...

I bought the parts from Real Steel, UK. I was very happy with Real Steel service and advice and can honestly recommend them. Parts included new Vitesse +20 pistons and rings, Vanderwell bearings, hi-volume oil pump, camshaft and followers, rocker shafts, cam bearings, timing gears and chain, new valves and guides, gasket sets, freeze plugs, SD1 clutch, etc. Vitesse pistons were chosen because they were higher compression and also cheaper than original low comp pistons. The block was bored +20 oversize, fitted with new cam bearings and freeze plugs. Crank was reground 010 undersize. This was by no means a cheap route but now the engine will last for ages.

Heads were in similar condition. Worn valve guides and valve stems, full of slime. I replaced the original valves with SD1 valves because old valves were beyond repair and there was enough material in the seat inserts. Also, these new valves were cheap. Guides are shortened and bullet nosed for better flow. Ports were cleaned with a grinder and slightly opened around the valve guide boss. Ports were matched to the gaskets.

Cooling was a big problem. I wanted the engine as close to front as possible to get enough legroom in the cockpit. I later found out that there simply was no suitable radiator to buy. The problem with Rover V8 engine is the water pump which sticks out about 6 inches from the cam cover. Now the water pump pulley is about 1/2" away from the front panel. I thought about fitting two smaller radiator to each side of the engine. This would have required a lot of piping and hoses. Finally I measured the existing space and had a radiator specially made. Not cheap but there was not any other way. The radiator measures 11,5x30x2,5 inches and should be adequate. Next summer will prove me right (or wrong). An electric fan from Nissan was fitted to the radiator. I also fabricated an expansion tank and fitted it on the bulkhead. This setup includes two air bleeds to avoid any air traps.

Cast iron manifolds would not fit no matter what. The only alternative was to fabricate tubular manifolds from pre-bent 1,5" elbows and laser cut flanges. 2 days of TIG welding and manifolds were complete. The original plan was to fit a single exhaust for quiet running but space was again a big problem. To get an adequate ground clearance I had to fit dual exhausts. Another 2 days of TIG welding... The system is 2" bore throughout. Furthermore, I could not fit twin silencers per exhaust due to space problems. So finally I had a pretty free flowing system but with nice rumble. I will have to narrow the tank to get more space at the rear and to fit the second pair of silencers. I have to fabricate another tank anyway since the original tank would only supply fuel for about 150 miles !

The 5-speed gearbox from Triumph TR7 was checked and oil pump gears were found to be broken. I replaced the oil pump gears and oil seals. Otherwise the gearbox needed only cleaning and painting. SD1 manual flywheel and clutch was fitted to replace the heavy 4WD flywheel. Rover P6 starter was located when Range Rover starter solenoid was found to interfere with chassis. TR 7 prop shaft was shortened to fit the car.

The engine is now fitted with Zenith-Stromberg CD175 carbs which are pretty hard to rebuild (no spares available) and needle selection is almost nonexistent. Second hand HIF6 carbs will be fitted as soon as possible, carbs, rebuild kits and needles are already purchased.

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	Updated December 4, 2000.