Has/is anyone using one of these? Ones come up for sale from a '61 Buick w/4 barrel but I don't really know anything about them. From what I can find they sound nice and light and put out about 185 hp. Any feedback? Comes w/ 2spd auto but would like to convert to man. so any info there as well would be great.
I have read that they can be sleeved and stroked to 305 cubes, I think in an old Hot Rod issue. Real light block, good performance from what I have been told.
This engine is probably still in production in England. Has been used in the Rover and perhaps other cars for decades.
Was used in Rover SDI's (sedans) in the late 70's and 80's, and in Land Rover and Range Rover 4WD's right up to 1995. Came stock up to 4.6 litres. (275 cubes?) but can be stroked to 5 litres (308 cubes) Well built street engines can make a reliable 350+hp. The later blocks in the Range Rovers has 4 bolt mains too I believe. Cheers, Glen.
I'd stay away from the early GM versions as they hadn't gotten all the expansion /contraction problems worked out . They also had a similar version in the F-85 . After the production rights were sold to the Brits , it became a pretty good piece .
As Glen C notes, find a wrecked Range Rover and get the engine and trans from that. There are some performance parts available for that motor but England or Australia would be the best source. The original 215 was evidently a reasonably good design as it was the basis for the Repco Brabham engine that won a couple of Formula One world titles. Those motors has single (and later double) overhead cam heads but the bottom end architecture was still based on the B-O-P design. Roo
I remember a friend I grew up with had one in a 65'Buick Skylark ragtop. Had a 4 speed behind it. Even thought it only had a 2 barrel carb, it ran it's ass off! Seemed very reliable, from what I can remember, cause he used to beat the snot out of it.
i always wondered what one of those would look like if you polished the entire block and put it in a light car with no hood (T roadster, for instance).
There was a guy in the 60's where I lived who got rubber in all 4 gears in one of those everytime he left the drive-in. (The T-10 was an option.) I also loved the body lines and have often wondered why you dont see more of them at meets. I read in R&C where there is an engine builder who specializes in these engines but I can't remember who it was.
had one in a old 62'skylark,went pretty good. car was so rusty we had to tack weld the rear doors shut or when you opened the fronts you couldnt get them closed. motor ended up in a air boat.
A friend put one in his Alfa (!). Very good looking, lightweight motor. He says that while they have good performance potential, it's somewhat expensive to extract it. You can get the same weight and equal performance with a 60 degree V6 for less $$$$. but then you wouldn't have nearly the cool factor.
Parts are avalible from D&D Fabrications, Inc. www.aluminumv8.com/ He has what you need and then some. Easy to work with too.
Lots of good info here...check the site map for a list of all the articles: http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/GM-215-Engine-Identification.htm More help here: http://www.roversd1.nl/sd1web/capacity3.html
this has been gone over a bunch, if you use the search function you'll find a bunch of threads with a lot more info..
Most practical method of obtaining big power from a small Buick: 1970 GS350 engine + 3 cams of silver paint. Just remember that, however nice the weight saving is, the 215 heads don't work very well and the package is larger than some other V8 - especially the 302. The later, larger 340, 350 are as tall as a BBC.
My 427 powered 57 Ford got its ass waxed by an Austin Healy Sprite with a 4 barrel 215 aluminum V8 back in the mid 60's and its the only one to ever outrun it. Not huge power but very light
I am going to use one in my T truck. It is from a '63 and will be stracked with a later auto behind it. From my research D&D is a good choice for getting parts and work done.
Thanks for all the feedback. Guess I got a little more research to do. The light weight is attractive as it would be going in a '29 Tudor. Is it hard to find a manual trans? I haven't really seen anything about an adapter.
Again, go check out the site i listed and others above. D & D has all you need. I'm sure the others can adapt Rover or Triumph trannines as well. The US versions are 3 or 4 speed. The 3 speed and 4 Speed bellhousings are different and I have a 3 speed that has been repaired and availible.
Haynes UK has a decent book http://www.haynes.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&pageSize=300&beginIndex=0&sType=SimpleSearch&resultType=2&stringValue=rover+v8&searchTerm=%22rover+v8%22 It goes into the various differences/upgrades with the buick and rover derivites such as blocks, cranks heads etc. I dont think its available in the US, so you would have to order it accross the pond. -Jeff
commonly known as a Rover V8 in the UK .....can now be had up to 5.0....Rangerovers have them as well as loads of other cars...can push over 500bhp with the right speed shit in them. really light, 155bhp in stock form with all the smog stuff on them...Auto or 5 speed trans too...loads of rods here have them, take a look at www.nsra.org.uk register and ask some questions..
i plan on using one in my essex. light weight and small. i found a 63 a few months ago, had every accesory on it and was the 200hp, 11:1 4bbl motor with the trans. i have read the auto trans was not that good from day one. if and when i do it, im going with a stick. im not sure if i want grab and old gm piece or go with the later rover, im guessing the rover ones are all metric?
I have a buddy who has one and I can get it to my home which is at the West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland Border. Let me know if you really want to make a deal for it. Jay
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