Rover P6 3500S engine swap

[c107]

I recently stopped by Styria's workshop to pick up a couple of radios he had for me. I was able to take a few photos of what he will probably update on the site too.

His son bought a P6 3500S in the last year or so, and styria has been doing an engine swap. I'll let him explain the background, but having seen the engine with the rocker covers off, i'm surprised it ran at all. The engine is full of a combination of sludge and coolant residue. Luckily Styria has a spare engine he is preparing for this car.

 

[c107]

The engine was worse than it looks in these photos. Looking down at the camshaft, it was completely toast.

 

[Patrick_R]

What a shame that something, quite easy to maintain, is often criminally neglected.

 

[Styria]

Bryce, thank you for posting the photos. I will have some more in due course. Once we removed the Inlet Manifold gasket, it was all there to see. Bryce referred to basically a "cooked" engine, badly sludged up and it was quite evident that the engine oil had not been changed for years. Richard, my son, bought it from a Rover Club member who had entrusted his "mechanic" with maintenance tasks that appeared, on first experience, to be well carried out. We picked up the car from somewhere inland from Taree/Port Macquarie, and we had to drive it back to Sydney on a day when temperatures were near the 40 degree mark. The car performed quite faultlessly, given that the P6 V8 version can be regarded as somewhat of a problem child on very hot days, with fuel evaporation a problem that even beset an initial road test carried out by an Australian magazine when the cars were new.

All went well on the trip until we had the steady incline from the Hawkesbury River bridge on the M1, but the car made it comfortably in the end. Prior to leaving, I had noticed slight "fluffiness" from the exhaust, but put it down to a slight tuning issue, and I suggested to Richard that I would look at the tune of the carburettors. That task was a bit of a hit and miss affair inspite of my experience with Rovers, but we decided to store the car on Brent's (my youngest son - Motor Trimmer) premises at Galston. When the boys came to start the car several weeks later, it started well enough initially, but then the engine stopped. Another attempt a little later, and the engine would only turn very slowly and then not turn at all. A subsequent effort, somewhat later (a few days) the engine was solid and not responding to the Starter Motor, and even tow starting with the help of NRMA road service only resulted in locked up rear wheels. In my opinion, the tow attempt to start the car only further resulted in a more severe lock up of he engine. By that time, it was obvious that substantial rectification would be required - and whilst heads have not yet been removed, I would guess that a head gasket water leak down the bore(s) has resulted in the seized engine. More to follow. Regards Styria

 

[Styria]

I think now is the time to update our joint effort and dealing with the seized engine in general, and the car in particular-perhaps it should be the other way round. My partner in crime is my oldest son Richard. He got his taste for the P6 Rovers right from when he was able to drive around my seven acre property at Glenorie from probably about the age of 14, and then in due course progressed to significant rear suspension when the car decided to park itself in a ditch, and he was also able to demolish a very rare Rover 2200 Auto when the car decided to hurdle a driveway culvert and found a telegraph pole about twenty metres down along the quite wide nature strip.

This was all under legit licence and, furthermore, I finished up presenting him with a rebuilt 3500S for his 21st birthday. He used that car well and capably for a number of years. However, ever since those long gone days ago he has always wanted a Rover 3500s that he could call his own. That's how he came to acquire the car that is now the subject matter of this thread. More to come. Regards Styria

N.B. In fact, plenty more.

 

[Styria]

On much closer examination, I came to realize that he had bought a car quite badly neglected in a number of areas. When we came to inspect it, I should have been far more thorough in examining the car. I thought it looked well cared for, had nice bumpers and all the stickers in the right place, the engine showed good oil pressure and the gearchanges worked well with the standard Rover four speeder. The price was fair to middly, and one could ignore some looseness in the rear suspension and some harsh clicking and clonking noises. Anyway, Richie went ahead and we drove the car back to Sydney without any real dramas on a stinking hot day. I drove his well specced Commodore and he drove the Rover, with outside temperatures hovering around the 40 degree mark. It was not pleasant.

I felt that I could check tune and timing of his engine to eliminate that slight "fluffing" already referred to, but honestly I was unable to achieve any noticeable improvement. I even partially the twin Carburettor set up, with no real improvement. Anyway, for various reasons the car was parked semi permanently at Brent, my other son's premises when at Galston. He has now relocated to Gosford, and it is worthwhile checking out his website, viz. Brent Parker Motor Trimming, for some significant surprises. Anyway, the Rover was there for two to three months largely unattended of course until efforts where initiated to relocate the car the Glenhaven. In the course of those efforts, the engine seized up as initially referred to. Regards Styria

 

[Patrick_R]

This is an epic story Styria.