Rover Engine in an '62 F-85 Cutlass
#1
Rover Engine in an '62 F-85 Cutlass
So I have finally got my 3.5L Rover installed in my 62 F85 Cutlass.
For those of you that have done this swap, what did you do for the valve covers?
The passenger side is where the issue lies. The heater duct does not allow for the valve cover to install.
I have a set of Offenhouser and the Rover covers.. Neither will clear.. I have ordered a set fro OBrien that are slanted on the ends (I hope they will work.. should be here next week)
But incase they are still too tall, what have you guys done?
Thanks
For those of you that have done this swap, what did you do for the valve covers?
The passenger side is where the issue lies. The heater duct does not allow for the valve cover to install.
I have a set of Offenhouser and the Rover covers.. Neither will clear.. I have ordered a set fro OBrien that are slanted on the ends (I hope they will work.. should be here next week)
But incase they are still too tall, what have you guys done?
Thanks
#4
On my '61, I removed the fan and box assy, separated them at the spot welds and bolted them back together.
Now I can remove the fan and then the scroll, which gives lots of room without removing the box from the firewall.
The change can't be seen and continues to look stock.
Now I can remove the fan and then the scroll, which gives lots of room without removing the box from the firewall.
The change can't be seen and continues to look stock.
#5
On my '61, I removed the fan and box assy, separated them at the spot welds and bolted them back together.
Now I can remove the fan and then the scroll, which gives lots of room without removing the box from the firewall.
The change can't be seen and continues to look stock.
Now I can remove the fan and then the scroll, which gives lots of room without removing the box from the firewall.
The change can't be seen and continues to look stock.
Thanks for the idea
#6
Got the valve covers today.. These are probably one of the highest quality valve cover I have ever seen.. VERY heavy duty, beautiful casting, and polished..
and the best part is.. THE FIT under the heater box with ease.. So for anybody who has the Buick or the Rover in their Olds.. this is a great option
and the best part is.. THE FIT under the heater box with ease.. So for anybody who has the Buick or the Rover in their Olds.. this is a great option
#7
looks like a great job on your engine swap - please educate me when you say Rover is that an older Land Rover engine - I believe that Land Rover used to install Buick engines correct? Or am I wrong.
#9
GM sold the rights to the Buick 215 C.I. to Rover in the 60's, who used it in many vehicles for a couple of decades. I know that it increased in size to 4.0L, I'm not sure if that's what it maxed out to, hafta wait for Joe to pipe in.
#10
I will try and get some good pics of the engine once I finish getting all the hoses routed and what not.. I am waiting for some more hose parts..
The A/C addition has proven to be somewhat of a hassle but I think it has turned out VERY clean..
Also the custom aluminum radiator I installed required some special hoses that I have got all sorted out.. The alternator conversion changed things up a bit as well..
Once I get all these AC lines in place I will snap off some pics.
The engine is a 3.5L rover from a 1988..
The valve covers I have are here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buick-215-30...owlyXQ&vxp=mtr
The A/C addition has proven to be somewhat of a hassle but I think it has turned out VERY clean..
Also the custom aluminum radiator I installed required some special hoses that I have got all sorted out.. The alternator conversion changed things up a bit as well..
Once I get all these AC lines in place I will snap off some pics.
The engine is a 3.5L rover from a 1988..
The valve covers I have are here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buick-215-30...owlyXQ&vxp=mtr
Last edited by Torqueline; September 21st, 2017 at 09:54 PM.
#11
I made a quick webpage with some pics of the restore, thus far.. It did not put the pics in chronological order... But it seems to read OK
Here is the link if anybody want to look..
http://2strokeheads.com/62OLDS%20Restore.html
Here is the link if anybody want to look..
http://2strokeheads.com/62OLDS%20Restore.html
Last edited by Torqueline; September 21st, 2017 at 10:10 PM.
#12
#14
Rover made 3.5 (215), 3.9, 4.0, and 4.6 liter versions of the BOPR motor. The 4.0 and 4.6 versions used a redesigned block with cross bolted mains. The TVR and other engines were also supplied by Rover. Some of these special versions were as large as 5.3 liters. There is also the Australian P76 4.2 liter version that uses a tall deck block. Those are rare but can be built into some awesome motors.
#15
#16
#17
So made a bit of progress with the engine and other..
Still have a lot of wiring to do and finish up the FI and the AC..
Had to get creative to get the Hydraulic throw-out bearing to work..
See if you can spot what had to change?
More to come later.. I hope to get the wiring near complete by this weekend .. but something always comes up that makes it take longer than it should..
Still have a lot of wiring to do and finish up the FI and the AC..
Had to get creative to get the Hydraulic throw-out bearing to work..
See if you can spot what had to change?
More to come later.. I hope to get the wiring near complete by this weekend .. but something always comes up that makes it take longer than it should..
#18
Although Rover bought the rights to the engine in 1965 I believe, and it was put into a large range of vehicles up to 2004, more engines were built while it was owned by Buick than in all the years Rover built them. A reflection of the scale of the US auto industry compared to the UK. Bear in mind over here most cars had engines between 1 and 2 liters,anything much over 3 liters went into upscale cars which sold in much fewer numbers.
The engine hasn't died even now, the tooling has been bought by an engineering company and still makes them in batches to supply the small but steady demand from aftermarket hobbyists.
It has long been a staple of British hot-rodders.
Roger.
The engine hasn't died even now, the tooling has been bought by an engineering company and still makes them in batches to supply the small but steady demand from aftermarket hobbyists.
It has long been a staple of British hot-rodders.
Roger.
#22
Getting all the electrical switched to having everything "relay triggered" is not hard just VERY time consuming.
Got all the relays installed.. Waiting on my custom head lights to finish up the front lighting connections..
Coming along slowly but surely..
Got all the relays installed.. Waiting on my custom head lights to finish up the front lighting connections..
Coming along slowly but surely..
#25
Pretty tall tires. What size are they? My friend has 215/60-15s on stock 15" rims on his 62 with no fitment problems at all - totally stock springs and suspension.
#26
Joe it has 215/65/15 on there.. Got plenty of clearance once I put taller coils in there.. I had to add the valence to get the full effect.. Look slike I need about 2.5" lift in the rear.. Then if I want to ever have the tires extend pass the body, I can..
#27
Yeah, your 215/65s are about an inch taller than the 215/60s on my friend's 62.
#29
#30
Getting closer
Body work is near completion.. Having all these curves and fins makes it interesting for my son who is a perfectionist.
Facebook Post
Last edited by Torqueline; April 18th, 2018 at 08:41 AM.
#31
Yours is sure looking good.
#35
It has been a LONG time coming.. But I , FINALLY, fired the Rover Engine in the 62 Cutlass.. The Sniper EFI still needs a bit of tuning, but overall, very happy with how it all turned out since almost everything on the build is a "one off"
#39
With this car being a 4 speed.. the Rover did not have provisions for the Z Bar set up. So, switching to a hydraulic clutch was the best option. NOTE: this option was full of surprises and very expensive! Also the crank needed to be modified (rear portion shortened). Then another "snag" fitting the valve covers (no-go) So, had to find a set of custom valve covers to clear the heater ducting. Rover Oil-Pan could not be used (too deep) and other little things like that prevented it from being a direct replacement engine.
1) Engine has ported heads, intake manifold, and is fuel injected. Car was converted to an Alternator and Air Conditioning was added (tons of work in the A/C install). Custom pulleys needed and mounting brackets fabbed.
2)Tranny is a 4 speed manual with a custom McCleod Hydraulic throwout bearing and clutch
3)Wire harness was designed and made from scratch.
4) ALL elements in the electrical system are switched with relays. So, there are many relays within the system to keep the load off of the battery
5)Custom radiator with Dual 11" cooling fans installed
6) Custom Dual exhaust system
7) TONS of chassis modifications
8) Custom fuel tank used to allow for housing a submerged high pressure fuel pump.
No expense was spared in this build. Many custom parts fabbed. 1st Gen F-85's are a bit difficult to get parts for.
Car is still far from finished.. but hearing the engine fire was a big relief. Car should be ready to drive after this Winter.
Last edited by Torqueline; July 31st, 2018 at 07:00 AM.