BritishV8 Forum

I ve played around with the 215 Buicks quite a bit, but I've never had a Rover engine. What are the differences, other than the fuel injection and electronic ignition ?  I'm asking because a lot of Rovers are showing up in my local junkyards and I'm thinking about grabbing one to stuff into a 58 Thames I just bought.

This is a broad question, but here's a start:

The Rover V8 block is generally the same design as the 215, but the parts that bolt to it are not universally interchangeable. For example, Land Rover engines newer than about the mid 1990s (without distributors) have one "family" of cams, oil pans, and front covers that must be installed together, and do not mesh with the earlier Buick 215 or Rover 3.5L parts.  You can swap an entire early Buick 215 "family" of those parts onto the latest Rover blocks, though.  Bellhousings, flywheels, and intakes are generally interchangeable across the entire Buick/Rover engine production.

The last versions of the rover block had stronger cross-bolted main bearing caps, but tends to crack or slip liners ( likely due to some combo of poor castings, bores larger than original Buick block design can support, and/or factory computer settings favoring lean/high heat to pass emissions requirements).  It's likely that a Land Rover in a junkyard, that wasn't obviously junked because it was wrecked, will have a cracked block or slipped liner.  Those blocks can be repaired well with a set of top-hat cylinder liners, but the machine shop costs are pretty steep.

The iron block Buick 300 from 1964-67(?) is also in the same family, but with slightly less parts interchangeability.

Also for your purposes the Buick 340 is in the same family, as is the Rover P76, with taller deck heights for the 300, 340, and P76. The 300 and 340 have iron blocks that weight an additional 80lbs over the 215.

The taller decks mean a taller and wider engine, so for MGB applications particularly the 300 is the tallest block that will comfortably fit under the hood. The 340 or 350 Buick crank can be fitted to the 300 block for increased displacement, as the bore is similar.

The 215 weighs 318 lbs, the later Rovers are a bit heavier, about the weight of the B series MG engine or a bit less. The 300/340/350 and earlier V6 use the more common BOP bellhousing.

The SBB engines are known for durability and long life, unlike the 215 and Rover variants.

Jim

"IF" you find a J.Y./RV8, I suggest pulling both heads B4 you buy. Make sure all 8 liners are fully flush with the decks. No coolant blended in the oil ?  4.6L's  blocks were reportedly sonic tested for alum. wall thickness, ( pink splotch of paint in lifter valley). )ne pc front/rear seals, a plus.   Cross bolted mains and crank are stronger.  Read post about flipping the liners upside-down, if needed. Good Luck, art.

Thanks for the advice, I'm just at the parts gathering stage right now, I know where I can grab a pair of 300 heads and crank cheap, and I already have a 62 215 in good rebuildable condition.  I'm sort of thinking though that maybe for that Thames  I may be better off rebuilding the Buick with a cam and 4 bbl. After all, how much power would I really need in something as light as the Thames ?  I think something around 250 hp would provide all day fun with a 5-spd behind it.

Does anyone still use the 300 crank?  When the 4.6 came out i thought the way to go was to offset grind the 4.6 crank.

The Buick/Olds 215 were great little engines that never, ever slipped a cylinder liner.

The 300 is often the best choice. More reliable, cheaper, and more powerful than any of the Rover/215 variants.

Jim