Decisions, Decisions (advice welcome) ...

[larsen_huw]

Hi guys,

Just been rung up by a mate of mine who works at a scrap yard. They've just had 5 ambulances come in for de-comissioning. Each ambulance just so happens to have a 3.9L Rover V8 hiding under the bonnet in good working order.

My mate's getting all five as opposed to wages for this week! :)

He's offering me one to go in my Capri for £200. I really don't know if i should go for it! :) I REALLY, REALLY want to, but there's that little niggle in the back of my mind as to whether i'm being silly.

As an aside, if anyone wants a perfectly looked after (ambulance service maintain them in tip top condition no matter what the cost) 3.9L Rover V8 with about 100,000-150,000 (depending on the veichle) for about £300 and/or automatic gearboxes for the above, do let me know! :D

[Soulend]

What's the Capri have in it now? A 2.6L?
Hell yeah, go for it!

[kage110]

I would love one of those engines, Huw, but I don't know what on earth I would do with it. Probably place it on the coffee table in the sitting room and admire it.:D I don't think that would go down too well with her indoors though...:eek:

[larsen_huw]

Originally posted by Soulend
What's the Capri have in it now? A 2.6L?
Hell yeah, go for it!

A 2L from a rally Escort that's been bored out to 2.1, with a lightened and balanced bottom end, big valve head and a Weber 38 DGAS carb with K&N filter on it.

The 2.6L was never offered in the UK, we had 1300, 1600, 2L, 2.8L & 3L at different points in the Capri's life.

The 2.3L & 2.6L were developed in Germany, mainly for the German market.

[larsen_huw]

Originally posted by kage110
I would love one of those engines, Huw, but I don't know what on earth I would do with it. Probably place it on the coffee table in the sitting room and admire it.:D I don't think that would go down too well with her indoors though...:eek:

Hugh,

You could scrap the stereo system and just listen to the engine running in your sitting room! Mind those nasty Carbom Monoxide emmisions though, or the sweet throb of the V8 might just lull you to sleep! :D

[kage110]

Maybe I should just get one now, just in case I ever get around to building that Lotus Seven that I have always wanted. You never know when it would be very handy to have a V8 sitting in the garage....:idea: (where is the smillie for 'wistfull' when you want one???:mad: )

[glad2bhere]

Dear Huw:

Its a fun idea alright but I would locate a close friend or family member who runs a gas station first or be prepared to use your lifes' savings to keep that monster fed.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[larsen_huw]

Originally posted by glad2bhere
Dear Huw:

Its a fun idea alright but I would locate a close friend or family member who runs a gas station first or be prepared to use your lifes' savings to keep that monster fed.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

Bruce,

My current engine gets the shitty side of 20MPG anyways, so fuel economy probably wouldn't change! :D

If anything, it would improve on motorway journey's, as the gearbox which mates up to the Rover V8 engine is 5 speed, whereas the one i currently have is 4 speed (100mph = 5000rpm in top gear = single figure MPG!).


Hugh,

How many should i put you down for? ;)

It's not like Guildford is that far away from you! :D I'm sure you could catch a flight to Gatwick and bring it back in your carry on luggage! :laugh:

[kage110]

My current engine gets the shitty side of 20MPG anyways, so fuel economy probably wouldn't change!

If anything, it would improve on motorway journey's, as the gearbox which mates up to the Rover V8 engine is 5 speed, whereas the one i currently have is 4 speed (100mph = 5000rpm in top gear = single figure MPG!).

That's nothing, my 2.0l averages 15mpg and the worst I have recorded is 12mpg but that wasn't even on a 100mph thrash, just a couple of short runs out a weekly commute. Must try to really go through a tank of petrol one day...:eek:

How many should i put you down for?

It's not like Guildford is that far away from you! I'm sure you could catch a flight to Gatwick and bring it back in your carry on luggage!

Er, um, let' see. At £300 a pop that would be £1200 for four (assuming you are buying one), that would be a couple of month's rent...yeh, why not. I will take all 5!!! I can't imagine the excess baggage charges I am going to have getting that little lot home....:eek: Anyway, wouldn't there be all sorts of little sharp things attached to the engine so that they would confiscate it from my hand luggage? No, no! Nice mr Security man, please don't destroy one of the finest bits of automotive engineering ever designed. :smash: :cry: :shot:

[larsen_huw]

Originally posted by kage110
That's nothing, my 2.0l averages 15mpg and the worst I have recorded is 12mpg but that wasn't even on a 100mph thrash, just a couple of short runs out a weekly commute. Must try to really go through a tank of petrol one day...:eek:


Yeah, but my 2.1 manages that without a sodding huge turbo bolted up next to it .... only way you manage fuel economy like that in a Japanese minicab with a large spoiler stuck on it! :p

I can get 25MPG if i sit and cruise at 65mph, and single figures quite easily on a backroad thrash .... and that's Shell Optimax as well, not your common or garden regular unleaded!


Originally posted by kage110
Er, um, let' see. At £300 a pop that would be £1200 for four (assuming you are buying one), that would be a couple of month's rent...yeh, why not. I will take all 5!!! I can't imagine the excess baggage charges I am going to have getting that little lot home....:eek: Anyway, wouldn't there be all sorts of little sharp things attached to the engine so that they would confiscate it from my hand luggage? No, no! Nice mr Security man, please don't destroy one of the finest bits of automotive engineering ever designed. :smash: :cry: :shot:

Actually there's only 2 going spare! :) My mate's keeping 2, one to go in a car straight away, and one to do up to silly specification then drop in the same car. And i'm gonna go for 1, which leave 2 ... keep an eye on Ebay! :D

[kage110]

Yeah, but my 2.1 manages that without a sodding huge turbo bolted up next to it .... only way you manage fuel economy like that in a Japanese minicab with a large spoiler stuck on it!

I can get 25MPG if i sit and cruise at 65mph, and single figures quite easily on a backroad thrash .... and that's Shell Optimax as well, not your common or garden regular unleaded!

Japanese mini-cab? :D Jealousy will get you nowhere! 25 mpg? I dream of getting 25mpg. The best I have got after a 65-70mph cruise on the motorway was 22mpg.... There are times when I would be able to see the fuel gauge dropping in front of my eyes - if I had the time to take my eyes off the road that is!:D I don't really bother going for it on the motorway, the fuel economy is so bad, the suspension is so harsh and the car makes 100mph on the motorway feel about 50 (and also 30mph feels like 50 in town - go figure :confused: ) so basically I only do 100 along the back roads where I have to really work at it. Ah, the fun of fast cars... Can't wait until I get a motorbike...:up:

[larsen_huw]

Originally posted by kage110
...

Ah, the fun of fast cars... Can't wait until I get a motorbike...:up:

Yeah, nothing like being on the ragged edge while blatting down a country road, but i'm not much of a bike fan. 2 wheels short of a full set in my opinion! :D

[kage110]

<snip>...short of a full set...<snip>

Funnily enough, people have said that about me... :eek:

[Rogier]

can I put a V8 in my moped??

[Iain]

They have engines that run on V8? Do they take the vegetable juice only, or can you fill them up with fruit mix as well? Anyway, looks like the days of big oil are over! Take that Exxon-mobil and Saudi Arabia!

(why do I get the feeling I'm going to be dissapointed in the near future...?)

[Mike Williams]

Huw - why are you even hesitating? You have the know-how and contacts to make it work. Loads of other folk have done it, too - it's not like you're trying to fit the engine into a 2CV or something equally radical (and silly).

Just do it.

Worth it just for the exhaust note.

EDIT: I hope your mate hangs on to acouple of those engines. Might come in handy if I ever succumb to P5B lust.

Cheers,

Mike

[ScottUK]

Will your mate keep one for me if I pay a deposit? I just don't have anywhere to keep the lump until Spring.

It'll go a treat in my backup vehicle! :D

[Mekugi]

BE A MAN!

MAKE IT A MANLY CAR.

Plus, you have nothing better than Budo and beer to spend your money on, so why not.

[larsen_huw]

Originally posted by Mike Williams
...

EDIT: I hope your mate hangs on to a couple of those engines. Might come in handy if I ever succumb to P5B lust.

Cheers,

Mike

Originally posted by ScottUK
Will your mate keep one for me if I pay a deposit? I just don't have anywhere to keep the lump until Spring.

It'll go a treat in my backup vehicle! :D

Scott and Mike,

If they're the later (post '94) 3.9's (stronger, more tuneable) he'll be keeping 2 (one for him, one for me) and selling the other 3 for about £500. If they're early 3.9's he'll prob keep 3 (you never know when a spare'll come in handy!) and sell 2 for about £300. If they're 'only' 3.5L then they're only worth about £200 each, so christ knows how many he'll keep.

The 3.9's develop 185bhp as stock (260bhp is very achievable with cam, carb & exhaust) and the 3.5's develop 150bhp as stock, with 220bhp coming up with the same mods.

He's storing mine until the summer, and may well store others for a deposit, if you're seriously interested, let me know, and i'll see what his plans are (and what the engine's actually are!!!).

The ambulances they're coming out of are M-reg (late 94, early 95 if you can't be bothered to work it out), and are almost certainly a special order for the ambulance service (all post 88's should of been Fuel Injected ... this have twin SU carbs) so f-only knows the spec of the engines .... hopefully they'll be quite a good spec! :D