Steve,
Many thanks for some very good advice. - I just lost quite a bit of writing a reply to you when I was exploring the website. I do not know where the text ended, but here I go, trying again.
My reason for thinking in doing the Rover 3,9 conversion came to my mind last week, when my Triumph 3.0 engine suddenly rather wanted to be a steamengine. Luckily I had just ordered “roadassistance insurance” just an hour before the incident happened. I managed to wheel into a local garage for a check and they concluded that there was most probably a defect in the headgasket.
I got a servivecar to bring the car to my local garage where I can carry out work on my own. Having read horrorstories about Stag engines problem with overheating, and at the same tim, knowing that my cylinderhead had been skimmed some 8000 km. back in time, I probably got a bit panic in working with 2 alternatives at the same time. Check the engine and at the same time find out if there were any engines for sale inUK. I got hold of an engine with a gearbox and meanwhile I opened the damaged engine. The defect was quite obvious. The malfunctioning cylinder was detected using compressed air blowing into the sparkplug openings. When the piston was on top there were no bubbles in the expansiontank. When the piston was at the bottom stroke, there were a lot of bubbles. I concluded that there was a leak somewere between the coolant and the inlet duct. This indicated that the headgasket was ok, but having “Murphys law” in mind I assumed it might be a corroded whole in the manifold. However I was rather relieved and surprised to discover that there were no proper gaskets on the inlet manifold, just a silicone looking gasket from a tube. Such a gasket is of no use serving this purpose. There is pressure and vacuum side by side in the manifold, and this rubberlike gasket does not have any sideways strength, so obviously the gasket had started to break and this leak of coolant into the cylinder became eventually severe. That must have been the reason why the temperature had been ok for a long time, while I had been blowing out the coolant via the exhaust as white smoke now and then. So , as Brian said on the cross, always look at the bright side of life. I believe I will then get the engine repaired without losing the enjoyment of summer driving.
However, having felt the excitement in obtaining a 3,9 engine,I still want to go ahead with the project until my sense or economy tell me otherwise. I will then try to keep up this thread and learn more about the task in fitting a 3,9 engine into a Stag. I think it will be a different Stag, with a proper good body , but with a knackered engine. That is if I can manage to get hold of such a car. But if someone will sell me a car in Norway ( or elsewhere in Europe ), I expect I will get it for a good price. After all not many are seeking a car with a defect engine. However, I should be looking for a LH drive car, since I live in Norway. Maybe an US imported car?
So therefore I will for a while still be pumping out questions in relation with the name of this thread.
Also I sent a comment using your email on the link you sent me about the spares for sale by “Rudidudi”
Keep up the good attitude and send me advice on the matter.
Bjørn
Many thanks for some very good advice. - I just lost quite a bit of writing a reply to you when I was exploring the website. I do not know where the text ended, but here I go, trying again.
My reason for thinking in doing the Rover 3,9 conversion came to my mind last week, when my Triumph 3.0 engine suddenly rather wanted to be a steamengine. Luckily I had just ordered “roadassistance insurance” just an hour before the incident happened. I managed to wheel into a local garage for a check and they concluded that there was most probably a defect in the headgasket.
I got a servivecar to bring the car to my local garage where I can carry out work on my own. Having read horrorstories about Stag engines problem with overheating, and at the same tim, knowing that my cylinderhead had been skimmed some 8000 km. back in time, I probably got a bit panic in working with 2 alternatives at the same time. Check the engine and at the same time find out if there were any engines for sale inUK. I got hold of an engine with a gearbox and meanwhile I opened the damaged engine. The defect was quite obvious. The malfunctioning cylinder was detected using compressed air blowing into the sparkplug openings. When the piston was on top there were no bubbles in the expansiontank. When the piston was at the bottom stroke, there were a lot of bubbles. I concluded that there was a leak somewere between the coolant and the inlet duct. This indicated that the headgasket was ok, but having “Murphys law” in mind I assumed it might be a corroded whole in the manifold. However I was rather relieved and surprised to discover that there were no proper gaskets on the inlet manifold, just a silicone looking gasket from a tube. Such a gasket is of no use serving this purpose. There is pressure and vacuum side by side in the manifold, and this rubberlike gasket does not have any sideways strength, so obviously the gasket had started to break and this leak of coolant into the cylinder became eventually severe. That must have been the reason why the temperature had been ok for a long time, while I had been blowing out the coolant via the exhaust as white smoke now and then. So , as Brian said on the cross, always look at the bright side of life. I believe I will then get the engine repaired without losing the enjoyment of summer driving.
However, having felt the excitement in obtaining a 3,9 engine,I still want to go ahead with the project until my sense or economy tell me otherwise. I will then try to keep up this thread and learn more about the task in fitting a 3,9 engine into a Stag. I think it will be a different Stag, with a proper good body , but with a knackered engine. That is if I can manage to get hold of such a car. But if someone will sell me a car in Norway ( or elsewhere in Europe ), I expect I will get it for a good price. After all not many are seeking a car with a defect engine. However, I should be looking for a LH drive car, since I live in Norway. Maybe an US imported car?
So therefore I will for a while still be pumping out questions in relation with the name of this thread.
Also I sent a comment using your email on the link you sent me about the spares for sale by “Rudidudi”
Keep up the good attitude and send me advice on the matter.
Bjørn
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