Engine rebuild kits and upgrade

[Rackned]

Hi all

It’s been a few months now since I discovered the HGF and I need to repair. I’m thinking of going for a rebuild rather than just the heads as I need the car to be reliable for a road trip we are planning in 2019.

I’ve tried searching both forum and web and can’t really get a strait forward answer. I am a Design engineer and have built kit cars in my youth and several performance engines so the task of engine rebuild is not a problem in the main. I’m going to fit a ZF jag auto box conversion so the engine must be compatible, a decent amout of torque, could have updated compression, but must also be not silly fuel consumption.

QUESTIONS
1 should I go for a EFI and if so which one?
2 which rebuild kit should I use and where from.

I will most likely get Malvern rebours to do the engineering bits such as head, regrind etc.

Mark

[new to this]

usually i go at things like a bull in a china shop get things all bought and then see whats needed,but in this case i would strip the engine down first,you may not need new piston,just the rings etc

not sure if Robsport sell kits,Paddocks do,there my two main suppliers i use for big items
take potos and keep us posted on how your getting on

Dave

[Stagdad]

I'm very pleased with my efi. If you do fit an injection system I would dump the inlet manifold and build your own it sounds like you are capable of the task.

[flying farmer]

You really need to take it apart to find what is needed before buying a kit. I have had several engines that have already been re bored, some of them have been in very good condition.
I generally use Paddocks for rebuild kits as they are generally cheaper than the brothers (though sometimes the brothers have sales on and are better than paddocks)

I don't think there are any commercially available injection systems that are worth having, to do any good its a DIY job like me and Steve have done.

[Guest]

I think there has to be a good case for spending some serious time with CAD, doing the job properly and making a laser sintered plastic inlet manifold for EFI.
I have a supplier in Newbury who is able to do this, as I already approached them with a view to making a mock prototype crank.
The hard work is doing the measuring with a CMM (have another supplier who has this) then making a proper CAD drawing, then doing the programming donkey work.

Once you have done one you can bang out a whole load of them for next to nothing, and no problem with water tightness or porosity like you get in metal...

G

[Stagdad]

I think there has to be a good case for spending some serious time with CAD, doing the job properly and making a laser sintered plastic inlet manifold for EFI.
I have a supplier in Newbury who is able to do this, as I already approached them with a view to making a mock prototype crank.
The hard work is doing the measuring with a CMM (have another supplier who has this) then making a proper CAD drawing, then doing the programming donkey work.

Once you have done one you can bang out a whole load of them for next to nothing, and no problem with water tightness or porosity like you get in metal...

G

That would be cool. Think of the weight saving, if you've ever picked up the manifold,pedestal and carb combo you'll know what I mean. I'm in the prosess of making a whole new set up in alli which will be a lot lighter than the original but nothing like plastic.

Some camless tech would be nice as well www.freevalve.

[Guest]

Audi/VW have been using plastic inlet manifolds for years.
It's particularly useful on V engines.

[new to this]

Audi/VW have been using plastic inlet manifolds for years.
It's particularly useful on V engines.

The Rover 25 inlet manifold was made in plastic

Dave

[mike@thenook]

My BMW Cooper s has a plastic water pump housing and thermostat housing I’ve dicovered which in the latter case and only 35k has cracked and had to be replaced at a cost of over £300!
I also had an MG ZS180 (brilliant car) which had numerous plastic bits hanging off the engine many of which were rather fragile and would cease to function after rather less miles than they should.

So, plastic to me for anything where there’s a broad extreme of temperature is not ideal.

[Guest]

Ever dealt with perspex and some of the more exotic Epoxies?
Some "plastic" are stronger than metal, which of course is why MMC are interesting. (Metal matrix composites).

mass production techniques have of course always been that,- get it to last until the 2nd owner and no warranty, it's great for sales innit?

[RobinLegin]

Looks fantastic. Great for a modern daily driver but would the use of this technology in our Stag or other Classic car still allow it to be a historic vehicle under DVLA road fund licensing and MOT rules? Not being geeky I prefer the KISS principle of the older engines
Nigel

That would be cool. Think of the weight saving, if you've ever picked up the manifold,pedestal and carb combo you'll know what I mean. I'm in the prosess of making a whole new set up in alli which will be a lot lighter than the original but nothing like plastic.

Some camless tech would be nice as well www.freevalve.

[Stagdad]

Looks fantastic. Great for a modern daily driver but would the use of this technology in our Stag or other Classic car still allow it to be a historic vehicle under DVLA road fund licensing and MOT rules? Not being geeky I prefer the KISS principle of the older engines
Nigel

Not seriously suggesting it for the Stag Nigel, but what a game changer for modern cars ( before we have to all go electric of course)

[mike@thenook]

get it to last until the 2nd owner and no warranty, it's great for sales innit?

So true and as you say, warranties seem to exclude anything made of plastic such as housings, pumps etc on the basis of the "wear and tear" reason....

[RobinLegin]

Not seriously suggesting it for the Stag Nigel, but what a game changer for modern cars ( before we have to all go electric of course)

I don’t believe electric will win the day for a while yet. We can’t even get our new nuclear power stations on time and we need at least 7 of them to power all these electric vehicles. And then there’s the infrastructure to recharge the cars every 250 miles or so along our highways.

[Guest]

Electric?
What a laugh!
The skunks are promising an electric future without nuclear power.

Sounds like the mental asylum patients escaped and are now running most of Europe (especially France!).

Do they understand the terms supply and demand and Mr Watt's British invention?

Gigwatts are needed...lots of them, nuclear is just about the only form of compact energy, thanks to Mr Einstein and E=MC2, that can supply the voracious quantity, and now Macron wants to flush it all down the toilet!

The "alternatives" are measured in single units of megawatts....take up 1000s of km2, requiring vast subsidies from other sources, and the bits are mostly lugged around the world on oil fired container ships from hey "pollution free" China.

Which reminds me the UK politicians are full of lies and excrement about it too...never mind the very British BBC...