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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Buick 215 vs Rover 3.5

Does any one know how interchangeable the Buick 215 and Rover 3.5 parts are, i.e crank & cam bearing, pistons and timing chain, etc.etc.
Bruce Mills

Bruce,
My fairly limited understanding is that all of the parts you've mentioned are interchangable. There may be a slight difference in the length of the posterior crankshaft flange and pilot bearing hole depending on the year of the Rover part. Rover cranks may need minor attention when mated to T-5's. Please, someone correct me if I'm mistaken. You need to watch oil pump gears and, likewise, distributer drive tangs on the gear shafts--at some point the drive tangs became reversed on the Rover. Distributers are available both ways. Depends on the front cover you plan to use. If you find a good engine parts source in Vancouver, please let me know. Angus
Angus Davies

Humm, let me think. I do not believe that crank and rod bearings will work. Cam bearings should work, but i'd take some measurements first. I had to take back my first set and exchange them. I'm not sure if they gave me the wrong ones at first or not. Pistons will work. You should be able to get any oversize you need. I got some Federal Mogul .020" 9.5:1CR for $178 USD. Of course, since you can use pistons, you can use rings. I got a set of Hastings Moly rings for about $45. Lifters are the same. Timing gears and chain are the same. The best I can tell, the push rods are the same length as stock RR. You can also use most of the gaskets as the 215. I got a Fel-Pro kit for $63. The kit has the thicker composite head gaskets. You will have to make the call on going with the thin steel gasket that came standard, or use the thicker composite which will lower your CR some.
Mike
Michael Hartwig

Angus brings up a good point. My engine is a 1989 Range Rover 3.9L engine. I plan to use a 1988 or newer Borg Warner T-5 for the transmission.
Will this bolt up to the "Rover" engine?
And will the input shaft from the tranny go into the "Rover" engine?
I know it would for a Buick, but I have a genuine Rover engine. Any ideas?
Wally Jonker

Angus
"If you find a good engine parts source in Vancouver, please let
me know. Angus"

You didn't mention which engine you had nor what you plan to do but I listed
a couple of places I have been dealing with and priced parts from.
All British 294-5747 handles Rover parts
And http://www.burnabyauto.com/ (Burnaby Auto Parts) more of a general, speed place!

I required a cylinder re-bore and priced the +20 pistons from Burnaby Auto
Parts at 30.00 each with wrist pin and Moly ring set at @114.00.

"Depends on the front cover you plan to use" I didn't realize there are different front cover I could use? Any idea where these can be sourced?



Bruce


Bruce Mills

Bruce,
Thanks for the address. I'm doing a '91 RR 3.9, hopefully efi (patience, time and money permitting). My T-5 is out of a '91 Camaro. There's info in the archives and V8 Newsletter re what is required to mate a Rover "stiff-block" to the T-5. I havn't quite researched the options, but it appears either the crank can be machined, or a different T-5 primary input shaft could be used. Some people appearently just cut a few mm off the input end of the existing T-5 shaft without problems. The archives also house great info on different front covers. I have one from Glen Towery that has a really big oil pump and lip-type oil seal. It may be a Buick 300 part. Buick 215 will work as well and there may be other Buick ones, but I'm not clear. The Rover SD1 cover sounds good, with a larger than 215 pump and access to the seal without removing the cover. It's the same shape as the 215 on the outside. I think the main advantage of the earlier front cover; SD1, 215 or 300, (over the later taller Rover one as on RV8) is the provision of space for an engine driven fan on the water pump. The Rover cover also has an exra cast-in support for the oil pump drive shaft (at least there is on RR) and Rover oil pumps are bigger than the 215's. The Rover castings are neater in appearance inside and maybe (just a guess) in harder allumium. Rover water pumps also appear neater (less casting flash and pits in the inside cover, smooter finish on the pump wheel). Personally, Im leaning toward my '91 RR tall front cover and will change to Glen's if cooling becomes a problem. The oil pump on Glen's is signifficantly larger and I could run a fan if needed- $300 and someodd Can. (nice-n-shiney too!). Several specialists can likely help with the T5->Rover crank pilot bearing. Myne came from from Dan Lagrue. Got the V8 newsletter? Any more ifo on engine bits welcome!
Cheers, Angus in Comox BC
Angus Davies

Would it solve the problem to just drill the pilot bushing hole in the crank a little deeper? I did this with an olds engine which had never been bored for a manual transmission, and it was a much nicer solution than buggering up the input shaft of the tranny.
Jim Blackwood

Good call, Jim.
Angus Davies

This thread was discussed between 11/02/2000 and 13/02/2000

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