alternatives for carbs on a standard 3.5 v8 rover

[Andy Badger]

Hi guys,
just a question from left field...
Im in the process of a complete rebuild of my standard 3.5 v8 rover engine to fit into my mk III sumo.
Are there any alternatives for the carbs???
i mean, i have the standard twin SU carbs, i know that alot of the guys here run the edelbrook stuff, but ive read stuff on bike throttle bodies.

Whats the difference between the two? (excuse my ignorance!) is there a bigger cost implecation? what would i have to look at buying/setting up etc.
can someone clarify as im just interested in whats involved, advantages of throttle bodies over carb etc.

if this is a daft question, then please be gentle!!!

cheers
Andy

[craggle]

Theres a few options for the Rover engine.

Twin SU carbs. Cheap as chips, easy to setup and last forever.

4 SU carbs, Rarely seen now but could be an option if you can find or make the manifolds.

Edelbrock 4 barrel carb. Good power and fairly straight forward to setup and run. Cheap option.

Holley 4 barel carb. As above. May be slightly harder to setup unless you know what you are doing.

Rover EFI system. Can be cheap to find but it needs an ECU which are usually aftermarket one such as Megasquirt. Plently more wiring to add.

4 downdraft carburetors Webber or Dellorto, on special manifolds. Very good fuelling to all cylinders but a pain in the A*se to tune properly. Expensive. hard to find.

4 Jenvey two barrel or equivalent throttle bodies on special manifolds. As above but with the added expense of an ECU

4 side draft Webber's on swan neck manifolds. Could be fun to tune and take up a lot of room under the bonnet.

Think thats about all.

I am currently building a 4.6 engine with stage 4 manifolds and 4 downdraft 45 Dellorto carbs fo my next project. Should be entertaining.

Craig.

[Andy Badger]

Thanks for your response craggle...
Ive already got the SU carbs & was thinking that the only real option was the edelbrook carb. I wasnt sure whether throttle bodies would have been a viable option. With the ECU & all the faffing that goes with it, its best to save the pennies and just get an edelbrock/weber carb, as its all shiny & looks nice too!

cheers
Andy

[Sidecarbod]

Originally Posted by Andy Badger

Thanks for your response craggle...
Ive already got the SU carbs & was thinking that the only real option was the edelbrook carb. I wasnt sure whether throttle bodies would have been a viable option. With the ECU & all the faffing that goes with it, its best to save the pennies and just get an edelbrock/weber carb, as its all shiny & looks nice too!

cheers
Andy

The edlebrock stuff comes up on ebay now and again.

Be aware that your lump will appear to run OK as soon as you fit the carb but it is very likely to be over fuelled, (running rich). Leave it like that for too long and you won't have any bores or rings left.

The carb is easy to work on and there is loads on this forum about it.

Budget for a calibration kit...about 45 quid. (There's one on ebay now but the muppet thinks that its worth 70!)

Regards,

Pete

[craggle]

Seeing how the dollar to pound exchange rate is at the moment consider ordering from the states.

RPI Engineering are quoting £575 for the complete kit on their web page!

Summit racing do the carb for $244.95 and the inlet for $215.95. Add an air filter on and some import tax and shipping and you should still be able to save a couple of hundred pounds!

Craig.

[maxGD059]

I think I've got a full Edelbrock calibration kit/manual somewhere. Can bring it to Stoneleigh. PM me if it's any good.

[Sidecarbod]

There's a carb and manifold on ebay NOW....bid end in 2 hours.

It needs a good cleanup but 112 quid! (at the moment)

Doesn't say what size the carb is.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/V8-edelbrock-W...QQcmdZViewItem


Now Sold for 156 quid.....someone has done very well.

[tonym]

With bike throttle bodies i believe you'll have to go efi, i'd start with a rover efi for now, then change to megasquirt when funds allow. A standard efi is approx £50 of ebay and when you decide to go with megasquirt you can recoup the costs by selling the airflow meter and ecu from the rover setup. hope this makes sense