Hello All, Wanted to see if any of you are working on the all aluminum Buick/Rover engine for your project so we could compare notes. I am currently working on a '30 Model A roadster with this engine coupled with a 4 speed and quickchange rear. I am full speed ahead on putting the A roadster project together. I have found a 4.6 rover long block, edelbrock 4 barrel intake, and a D&D bell housing and flywheel to make it a 4 speed. My idea was to squeeze 300 hp out of the motor with a little head work and lumpy cam and run a quickchange rearend under it. Should be a VERY light package. Light+300hp= GO! Cool thing about it is that the Rover motor looks like a nailhead with the Buick sheetmetal bolted on. (it all interchanges) Have you seen that youtube video with one on a cam? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gVC2...rom=PL&index=8 Pretty cool
If you do a search you'll find a thread I started several months ago that contains a lot of useful general information about these motors. (I actually asked about the original Buick version, but got great info and links on the version you have.) atomickustom
I have to Olds and 2 Buicks laying around. I would use that adapter and put a 5 spd behind the motor rather than the 4 but that is just me.
Being a ****er for pictures, please do a post on your build, interested to see how it all goes together for you.
I put a hot Buick 215 in an MGB a couple years ago , mated to a Chevy T-5 with a narrowed posi S-10 rear out back ... it's a screamer !
How did you have the motor set up? I know that the limitation is in the heads, but I was thinking on boosting the compression to at least 9.5 Your thoughts?
I had a Buick 300 which was very similar to the 215 in my Old '26. If I still had it I would have swapped out the 215 for a 300 and picked up all those speed parts ROYALSHIFTER has for sale. The 215's are screamers!!!!
I too was in lust with the top-end speed parts from Royalshifter! In my thread, 'Inspired by Ed Roth', you will find my '61 Olds Cutl*** being heavily modified into my version of a Roth creation. In it I will be running the stock 'Ultra-Hi Compression' version of the 215. It, from the factory has a compression ratio of 10.4 to one! It puts out 185Hp. There was a factory turbo version that when it worked right, put out 225Hp I believe? Beyond that, (your target of 300Hp) might be tough to achieve. I've found that anything more than 1Hp per CI becomes less and less streetable/drivable on a daily basis. I'm sure there are people on here dedicated to achieveing just this kind of power to weight ratio, but for me, it's a matter of prefering to drive my car rather than always be working on it ... Dan Stevens dba, Steelsmith
I hear what you are saying Dan. The 4.6 liter Rover long block I have gives me 280 cubic inches, so I am thinking with a agressive cam, up the compression, and m***age the Rover heads I should be able to get to 300 hp. Everyone that I have talked to says that the Rover heads breath way better than the Buick, but I have also heard that the 300 heads have the biggest valves. Your thoughts?
dodored, you mistake me for a motorhead! Ha Yeah, I do my own mechanics and do have some experience with building engines with hotrod goodies attached. That does not make me any kind of authority on engine building! There are some very well written books on the Buick/Olds/Rover engines and I'd definately purchase those if I were to want to push the envelope as you are. I'd also try to find the most experienced/openminded machinist in your area to discuss any changes you have in mind. Don't be in a hurry to make those changes just plant the seeds and let the man think on them. You'd be surprised at what a good machinist comes up with. Might save you some money, might make the finished build more reliable? I am very fortunate that I have just such a machinist available to me. I always use him as my sounding board for mechanical advise. Me, I'm more a metalman. The mechanicals to me are secondary ... Sorry to disappoint ... Dan Stevens dba, Steelsmith
All I can add after working on these, is that they are dogs in a rover....I'm sure hauling around 5000 pounds doesn't help. but damn, even with some gearing the just don't have any umph. let alone any top end. I hope that cam swap works out, and I would definitely work the heads over. also they seem to have lots of head gasket problems.
The 215ci Buick was adopted by Rover and known over here as the 3.5 (litre), it was then upped to a 3.9 litre and more lately the 4.6 that you find in Range Rover SUV's. A lot of guys have used them over here in the UK as they were cheap and plentiful and at least made the right V8 noise! The general feeling now is that SBC's are cheaper to rebuild or to even to buy as crate motors than Rover's are to build. Rover's need a fair bit of expensive tuning before they'll equal the power of an SBC. But if you want it and can do it then why not, always good to have something different! L.P.
Hey iv'e been a land rover master tech for 15+ years love that motor very reliable if its taken care of . first off if you have a 4.6 early model gems motor the comp is around 9.1-3 to 1 late model bosch motors are around 9.7 to 1 becareful with those motors if you over heat it the sleaves tend to crack and the motor will only over heat under load or the sleve will slip and the crank will start hitting the bottom of it and it just sound like a rocker or lifter tap and there is no way of fixing it ,another point is the heads pull a exhaust valve out and see if it is stepped by the face if not your going to need to update those . they have a very bad habit of sticking in the guide causing missfires and also porus aluminum blocks and head leak oil and coolant but mostly oil you could try all the sealant in the world it will still leak or weep oil . if you need any other advice ,info or even parts i have drop me a pm ..........
There is a book out there for modifying the Rover motors. SpeedPro is the publisher if I remember right. Should be able to find it on e bay but is not cheap.
i have a 3.9 offy 2x2 intake 2g carbs d&d flywheel bellhousing and s10 t5 i was going to run in my 31 es***, but i sold the es***. i think they are pretty cool but unfortunately i have no use for any of it now.
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