AK engine swap

[StuartH]

I have now put my new 4.6 Rover engine where it belongs - hurrah!!
I can't remember who asked how to do this and how hard it would be but it's pretty tricky!!
Unfortunately due to the engine being towards the centre of the car, the engine crane did not have enough reach, this meant dismantling the driver side suspension then lifting from the side, then with a bit of jiggling(!!) getting the crane round to the front and completing the lift out (easier said than done!!)
Putting it back in was esentially the reverse but harder!!
This is definitely not a job for one person, fortunately my girlfriend was a (kind of) willing helper
The moral of the story:
a) put the right engine in in the first place
b) buy a GD so you can get the body off - wouldn't reccommend this method for an AK, though hopefully engine swaps would be infrequent enough to make this a feature not worth having.
c) get a crane with a long enough reach to get the engine from the front or get a hoist that mounts to the ceiling
d) pay someone else to do it - this is what will happen if I have to do it again!!

Stuart

[PeteV]

Hi Stuart,

Congratulations on a good choice of engine. None of this stone-age cast iron Chevy or Ford (spit) nonsense ! Engine swaps are a bit of a pain - I've fortunately got a pit in the garage so when dropping the engine & 'box on the Sumo its easy to get the extra angle by letting the 'box drop down into the pit.

Be interested to know the spec. of your motor. What gearbox and clutch assembly are you using ?. My 4.6 seems to get the better of the standard clutch off the line so I think I'll need to have a think about this in due course - it needs a bit more bedding it yet though.

Pete.

[StuartH]

Pete,
it's a stage 3 (piper 285 cam, hi-rev lifters, vernier timing chain, stage3 ported heads etc...) 4.6 with a weber 500 carb. The clutch is a new O/E 3.9/4.6 clutch - I've yet to see if it'll slip, still got some work to do reconnecting everything, I've been assured it'll be fine though. The gearbox is an LT77 which I've had fully rebuilt by Competition Transmission Services (www.gearboxman.co.uk) who incedently were pretty good, this too should be fine for the 4.6 - if not it'll be a new R380 for me!!

Stuart

[PeteV]

Sounds like a pretty serious motor Stuart !. I run a similar set-up to yours , running a set of big valve heads with an Offey 360 and a Weber 500. Be interested to know what jetting your planning as a starting point. That Piper 285 seems like quite a big cam from the spec. sheet I have (296 degrees duration & 88 degress overlap !!).

I remember the first 'trip up the road' in my Sumo after swapping from my rather tired 3.5 to the 4.6. You won't be dissappointed !


Pete.

[Bowtie]

It was I asking... thanks for the reply!

Would a ceiling mounted hoist make a big difference? I am asking because I could then take the car to my father’s garage and use one of his ceiling mounted hoists...

/ Bowtie

[StuartH]

For me it would have made a huge difference, if I had not had to put the engine in from the side. The problem is that in order to get the engine and gearbox in together you need to kind of use a move it backwards a bit then lower it a bit action in order to get the gearbox under the transmission tunnel (the pilgrim sumo build manual or rover SD1 haynes manual describes this quite well). Unfortunately as the engine crane I had would not reach in far enough from the front I had to do it from the side, unfortunately (again!) the front wheels of the engine crane do not go sideways, so its a case of slowly moving it backwards forwards and sideways to get it in. This also meant dismantling the front suspension as the legs of the engine crane hit it when I moved it round from the front to the side.
With a ceiling mounted hoist this would be straightforward as you could move the car backwards and forwards under the hoist as required (if the hoist does not move). Just start with the engine about the same height and slightly in front of the car with the gearbox hanging down a bit (does this anyway if you use the engine lifting eyes)then lower it in whilst moving the car forwards (or hoist backwards), lifting the gearbox over the nose of the car then allowing it to drop into the engine bay.
It helps if you have someone to hold it steady here to stop it swinging and hitting the bodywork or any of the plumbing. I also attached a bit of cable to the propshaft flange for I could pull it through the tunnel fairly central.

Stuart

[AJDRoberts]

Hi Fellas

It looks like we have a collective of 4.6s - I have a Dax with a JE 4.6, dyno'd at 285 but producing more with the exhaust on. It's absolutely marvellous and I love it almost as much as my wife.

Without the 'box, you can lift a Rover V8 by hand - with a rope, a (good) friend and a bit of scaffold tube. Not recommended, but try it with a big block iron Ford and .......

I've used a garage roofbeam, a crane, and a friend, but the best was my first engine swap for which I used a tree!

Andy

[StuartH]

Hi Andy,
I am thouroughly blaming you for me getting a 4.6 after you told me just how good yours is!! (unfortunately my taking the car to america plan fell through so I thought I'd splash out on something to cheer me up!! - at least it saved me from ending up with a nasty heavy ford or chevy lump!! )

Stuart.

[STEVE G]

Stuart
Glad to here the cars coming back together.They always look so sad in bits.
After seeing you I spoke to Holly and have decided to go for a half build this year.Heads,cam and carb as yours,then save up for the big block and give Holly all my bits to build it properly later.He says I should see a marked improvement on the 3.5 and all the bits transfer straight to the 4.6.Might even go to 5.2 if funds allow.Ring me when you are on the road and we can meet up for a pint(only had the one ossifer).

Regards Steve G.

[RigMan]

e)get a new strong and willing girlfriend with long arms.



RigMan:7