BritishV8 Forum

My little project here,a leyland P76 which is in a VW Squareback came to me with a seized crank ,which apparently came about because the engine is placed backwards and under acceleration the oil pump starved resulting in the crank locking up.
Now what i am looking to do is build a sump with wings (plenty of space) to increase capacity and some doors to keep the pickup flooded with oil.
The next thing is, Does anyone know if the oil pump can be upgraded with later parts without loading up the distributor gears etc on Leyland as on a the rovers etc?

PS I am going to use another engine to get the car running again,which came with the car with plenty of new parts in it .

Sounds like the right basic approach but oversized gears are not needed. Do the standard oiling mods and keep your internal clearances tight and oil pressure should not be a problem. A mid-sump or front sump pan should work for you. Use a 5/8" tube in your pickup and enlarge the suction galley.

Jim

Cheers! Jim.  I will be using an electric water pump because it's a fair distance to the front of the car to the engine (about a VW length) .So i was thinking of running my alternator via a flat multivee belt ( serpentine style). Would a later style serpentine crank pulley fit the early crank design,assuming the P76 is the same as the rover?

I think it would, but I believe the crank snout is longer so it can drive the oil pump so it may stick out a bit or have to be cut off. You also may be able to find a multi-groove pulley that can be bolted up.

Jim

Clock-wise engine rotation ?

Sorry about the delay, yes it's a clockwise rotation . I have been busy (with work) and have been overhauling the brakes etc. a bit difficult as the braking system comprises of a lot of different parts from other makes .

Latest thoughts have been about the Cam,it looks to be a performance grind bt has no ID marks except 940801 on one end and CF 731 on the drive end . In the meantime i have also been considering a few designs to copy for the oil pan .
I have access to a water cooled oil cooler from a Mercedes, has anyone used an oil cooler on a Rover or any of the other engines? as it plumbed into the filter circuit ?

Look at the Aviad, 4 trap door sump= best.  Ad Moroso remote oil bottle, 9 no floating piston)

I've come across a bit of info here in Australia . Apparently for years a P76 specialist was using the mellings High volume replacement pump made for Buick 215's. I just have to find what mellings part number is now.

On a side note, I finally discovered what sort of cam is in the ruined engine ,it's a "camshaft Engineering 731 '. which I think  has a copy of a the old 731 Grind as used on minis in the dim distant past. I have reached out to the company which bought out camshaft Engineering (western Australia) to see if they have any specs so i can dial it in properly
 
On the engine I have decided to rebuild,i found it had 010 undersize bearings but the mains were scuffed badly. If any P76 owners out there need new main bearings ,they are still available .I got a set from my machine shop,http://www.chiltonengineering.com.au/
Who have been so long in business that nothing is too hard,even tracking down "NLA" parts for me.
Art Gertz, I have a accumulator on my Mercedes W123  300D which I turbo'd. I am going to fit the same on my P76 project too.

High volume oil pump is not recommended nor needed.  Very hard on the Dizzy gear.  I have a high volume kit for my 215.  Never installed it.

Much better to do the oil passage mods.

Cheers! i will do that while I wait for a few parts to arrive! .Looking at the pump this morning it all seemed to be pretty good with no wear on the gears or the running surfaces.

Well, a little more progress. I drilled out the oil gallery in the block. originally it was tiny, only 11 mm .Little wonder the oil flow gets sketchy at higher power out puts. I have bought some tube to make a new pickup with a bigger I.D.

 I have had the crank crack tested,repolished etc etc and installed in the block.
I have still to find what the cam specs are . Has anyone ever had experience with the "731 " grind as used on Minis etc back in the 60's and 70's?  I may be wrong but i think this grind on the p76's cam is a copy of a 731 profile . I can't seem to get any info from one of the companies who bought out the original cam grinders back in 2009,Camshaft Engineering Company. (Western Australia). And P76 Owners seem to be a silent bunch...