I was surfing D&D's site, www.aluminumv8.com and was reading on how to stroke a rover v-8. He says something about using ford pistons, chevy rods and a buick 300 crank which gives you 292 ci of displacement. I also noticed he sells an offenhauser 2- barrel intake which is used for marine applications (low end torque?)
So here's what I'm thinking...
You build up this motor, plop on the 2-barrel intake, an then go junkyarding and find a 2-barrel TBI off a Chevy 305 (maybe 350)and stick that on there and your rover is now Nappa fixable. You could even probably figure out haw to make it work with stock displacement. Maybe use a TBI off a 4.3L, don't know if the cfm varies from 4.3 TBI to 305,350, etc. Also, 4.3 is a v-6, computer change or ignition change?

Now all that is left is to figure out how to mate the small HEI ignition to the rover dizzy shaft. I think D&D even sells those also. Comments? Bad idea?

Talked with D&D about 6 months ago. I was interested in using a 4.0 cross-bolted block with a Buick 300 crankshaft as the mains are the same diameter. While the idea looked great on paper, he told me that unless I was running a manual transmission, I would have a heck of a time finishing the conversion as there is no torque converter/flexplate adapter for an auto tranny.

I figured, this couldn't possibly be true, but he mentioned that he had just done some work for a similar project (not a Land Rover, but a stroked Buick to auto-tranny nonethless) and the owner had been sitting on the engine for months with no progress mating it.

Still skeptical why it could not be done, I finally concluded that this guy is likely the most knowledgable guy in the US on the Buick/Rover engine and performance...if he's not willing to help or basically says it's a bigger PITA than it's worth, then it's likely the case.

What kind of $$ are we talking here. Anything is possible, but my wallet tends to take the path of least resistance. Dont get me wrong, I would like to see someone do what you sugest, but is a SBC cheaper or easier in the long run? It has been my experiance that rebuilding a stock Rover motor (nothing fancy) tends to be cost prohibitive.

-Jeff

Go with the SBC.

In Aus GMH engine as in below.
http://www.cmr.uq.edu.au/~rotor/the_shed/mike_harris_rangie/

You will never regret the performence you will achieve.

Michael.

I would think you could get the crank from a wrecking yard. Turning the crank would run you about $150.00. The rods I would guess would be cheap, along with the pistons. I know that oversize pistons for a rover are REAL expensive. For the price of oversize rover pistons you could probably buy a set of high domed forged top fuel dragster pistons. I want to say that a set of oversize pistons are over $800.00 a set plus you still have to buy the rings which are high dollar comparatively speaking to say a SBC. 4.2 engine parts are only even available from the dealer(don't know what the difference is). No one had a listing for the rings or pistons.
One of the reasons I like the rover engine is the light weight. I know when I had my 4.2 rebuilt I could pick up the complete short block and set it in the back of my truck.
Even if the price is high for the stroker idea, I'd still like to try the TBI idea. Surely someone has tried or thought of this before.
I'm all about cheap!!

How much will an LS1 run me?

Having driven GM vehicles with both port injection and TBI (not to mention the dual carbed small blocks), I'll say to go with the TBI over port. Much less expensive and more robust.

As for the pistons, I would think it should be very easy to measure the compression height, wrist pin dimensions, placement and size of rings, and then find another piston that will work. I'm surrised Kenny Bell doesn't make SOMEthing that would work. I rebuilt a 1922 cement mixer many years ago and was amazed to find a Vega piston fit and worked great.

I like the idea of engine swaps, but have had enough problems fitting SBCs out of Corvette engines into other GM vehicles. On one particularly memorable "exercise", I can remember going through hell just trying to fit a starter motor to a high-performance block (Corvette) and a heavy duty (truck) flywheel-by the time I got it going, there wasn't a parts man in town who wanted to talk to me!:flipoff2:

Peace,
Paul

it cost some money but you can take a 4.6 crank and offset grind the rod ends and end up with the same stroke as the buick crank.